Variety (April 1921)

40 PICTURES . Friday, April 8, 1921 1 THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGAR1. Dr. Caligan Warner KrMM Cesare.*. (."onntd VelJt Francis Frita Feh*r Jane T-ll Dafowr Alan H. von Twanlowaki The box-office value of the Ger- man-made Cabinet of Dr. Caligarl," brought to the astonished attention of local funs at the Capitol April 3 by 8. I* Kothafel, Is problematical in a nation letting "Passldn" die in the sticks, but any consideration of that can properly be postponed till attention is centered on the artistic advance this picture marks. It is not only a step in a new direction— it is a misconception to call it a step in advance—but also in the way of direction and acting it is so completely and skilfully organized and handled as to compel attention and study. It may catch the popular fancy. for certainly it is a mystery etory told in the Pee manner and fairly prods the interest along at a high pace. But it is morbid. Continental creations usually are. The story is of a young man who is seen first relating to a visitor the peculiar reasons for the trance in which a young lady whom he points out ap- pears to be. "She has been that way since—," we are informed by one of Katherine Hillaker's brief sub-titles, and then we are into the major portion of the story. This relates how a faker—mis- spelled "fakir" on the screen—came to a fair at a small town and pro- ceeded to enliven things by having & somnambulist who had been asleep for twenty-three years foretell the future. The faker called himself Dr. CaligarL A murder is foretold and a series of them occur. Finally the somnambulist, who commits them, falls to kill the young woman known as Jane, and throws himself over the cliff. Dr. Callgarl is pur- sued to a neighboring insane asy- lum, where he is revealed as Dr. Sonnow, head of the institution. At this point we dissolve back to the young man, Francis, telling the visitor his story. Enter Dr. Sonnow. Francis promptly attacks him. pro- testing he is CaligarL That is the delusion of Francis, and now that he knows his delusion, the Innocent Dr. Sonnow can cure him. The rest was a tale told by a madman. Mr. Rothafel introduced the pic- ture with a tableau and ended it in the same manner. All exhibitors cannot afford to do this, but the story is so unusual in Its telling as to make it possible to say, without fear of successful contraditlon, that any group of so-called cultured peo- ple who fail to see it are neg- lecting their education. To miss it is to include oneself among the in- sular and uneducated. Of first importance is the direc- tion and cutting. This has resulted in a series of actions so perfectly dovetailed as to carry the story through to Its conclusion and an- swer at a perfect tempo, with due weight and no more given every Item of which It is compounded. The director's r.ame Is Robert Wiene. Among the few pre-eminent in the world today he may justly be in- cluded because of what he has done with this story by Karl Mayer and Hans .la now its. He has made perfect use of set- tings designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Ueimann and Walter Kohrig, probably members of the younger Munich group of Independent ar- tists. They have made—In black and while,' of course—settings that squeeze and turn and adjust the eye and through the eye the mentality. This squeezing and adjustment of the mentality Is of such a sort that soon the mind is attuned to the fantastic and mysterious quality of the story itself. Nowhere is there a shot of nature itself. Everything is designed and painted and there is everywhere a sense of the widening and narrowing of the attention. This Is done not by irises, close-ups and other such familiar fowl that have prowled too long in the barn- yard of the industry's Infancy, but by new means, by the arrangement of spaces and values, by the laying of heavy lines In juxtaposition to ones lighter, and this new method deserves special and careful study by experts, with a view to making use of the basic notion in American productions. Lastly we come to the acting. The settings are more important than the acting. They establish the mood for the acting. They maintain it inescapably, but with so much done for them the perform- ers still do their share, and they have a great deal to live up to. If they did not live up to it their poor work would stand out glar- ingly. The best performance unquestion- ably is that given by Werner Krauss as Dr. Cabgari. He manages to lay in his part much as the settings are laid in. There is a suggestion of the cubist about his every attitude us Dr. C'aligari nnd of the natural about his impersonation of Dr. Son- now. The naturalness, of course, stood out as sane from the crazy background which suggested an in- sane asylum more surely than a real picture of such an environment could have done. The unpleasant somnambulist, Cesare. was ghoul ishly made evident for every one by Conrad Veldt. Lesser votes were competently taken. The part of the girl, played by LH Datrover. shows distinctly the difference in type ap- peal between this country and Ger- many. She suggests a dark model for Botticelli, where the head of a Raphael cupld on a girl's figure Is nearer the American Ideal. But the settings were the main thing. As Willard Huntington Wright. America's most distin- guished art critic, remarked, they were worthy of Picasso. Produced by a German scientist and professor as an independent venture, artistic- ally this la the'moflf Int er e sti ng pic- ture since "Broken Blossoms.'' JjCCd. THE PASSION FLOWER Acacia Norma Tafmadge Esteban Courtenay Koota Hulmunda Kulallo Jrnsrn Norlx-rt Harrlaon Ford Tio KiiH.-iu.t Charte* Stevenson Juha Alloc May {Herbert Vance H. D. McClellan Austin Harrison Faust mo Robtirt Afnew Little Carloaa Harold Stern MHagros Natalie Talmadire Old Juliana Mrs. Jacquen Martin Franceses Elsa Fredericks Norb**rrs father Robert Payton Olbb Th« Padre Augustus Balfour Rubio Walter Wihum Dona IaabM Mildred Alain* Acacia's father Julian Qreer Rcrnabe ....Kdwrard Boring It isn't often an established star, either in the legitimate or pictures, permits a member of the supporting cast to have a role of equal im- portance. It is comparatively easy to curtail a part that stands out too prominently, even after the pic- Lure is completed, through the me- dium of the cutting room. Norma Talmadge, however, has permitted Courtenay Foote, who has the role of Esteban, the step-father, in "The Passion Flower," to shine eflful- gently—so strongly in fact as to compete for first honor. The char- acter of Baimunda, the mother, is also permitted to stand out. As a matter of fact there are so many good parts in the filming of the Spanish play, and, they aro all so excellently cast, one might set the production down as all-star. "The Passion Flower" is probably the strongest piece Norma Tal- madge has ever appeared in—an artistic achievement. Atmospheric, romantic and well directed, it fol- lows closely the stage version shown here, but might have gone a little further by a couple of hundred feet of "clinch" to remove the taste of tragedy from it. This might not be so artistic but would be a sop to the proletariat and a bid for popu- lar approval. First National can stand back of this release, guaran- teeing exhibitors it will give com- plete satisfaction. Jolo. CITY OF SILENT MEN. Jim Montgomery Thomas Melghan Molly Ilryant I/ols Wilson Mrs. Montgomery..... Kate Hruce Olid Bill.... Paul Everton Mike Kearney. George MacQuarrie Mr. Bryant Guy Oliver prosperous in California. Here he is beloved by the daughter of his employer (a pretty close parallel of "Jimmie Valentine"), but haunted by the fear of being run down by the police. His pursuer is Mike Kearney of the New York police, who traces him by means of finding out who it was that ordered and paid for a tombstone for the grave of the escaped convict's mother. Jim's way of covering up this trans- action is about as stupid as his ac- tions in the safe-breaking, and leaves a wide open trail. Tho detective catches up just on Jim's wedding day. Jim denies his identity, and to prevent detection by his finger prints, thrusts his hands into whirling machinery to mangle them. The detective is touched by this heroism and agrees to let Jim go free. Old Bill, how- ever, has been released from jail in the meantime and runs down the real criminals just in time for a happy end. The whole thing is ridicuously theatrical and artificial and an unworthy vehicle for so satisfying a screen player as Meighan. In a purely pictorial sense there are many striking "shots," particu- larly the night photography dealing with Jim's escape, and the director- shop throughout Is painstaking. The trouble with the picture is that the story is basically all wrong In Its form and material. It is de- pressing, particularly the harrowing passages of the death of the con- vict's mother and the gloomy at- mosphere of prison life. It Is a mis- take to consider morbid gloom as "strong" drama. "The City of Silent Men" is an offering to be avoided as deprerrsing and profitless. If if *7t. "The City of Silent Men" is- a Paramount picture, presented by Jesse Ij. Lasky, adapted by Frank Condon from "The Quarry." by John A. Moroso and directed by Tom Forman. It has two excellent features, a popular star in Thomas Melghan and a title which piques Interest. These two points probably explain the attendance at the Rivoli Sunday evening. Tho two valuable assets men- tioned are not supported by the film itself. The story is disjointed and rambling and as a screen production it is not, properly speaking, a story at all in the sense of a complete action. Rather it is mere narrative, a chronological record; not a dra- matic unity. There is scarcely a moment in the tale when the audi- ence is not well ahead of tho de- velopments. There is never a sur- prise and the element of suspense and of unexpectedness are entirely lacking. The title, of course, refors to state's prison, in this case Sing Sing, where the hero is a prisoner, unjustly convicted* of a murder on circumstantial evidence and rail- roaded. The conviction is uncon- vincing, as these screen happenings so often are. Jim Montgomery is a country boy, a mechanic who comes to the city for work, and is led into crime innocently by a gang of crooks. They tell him they want him to d# a repair Job. and he goes alonf' to a bank and stands outside whiie they take his tools inside and pro- ceed to to blow open a safe. Inter- rupted by the watchman, they kill the guardian and escape, leaving the mechanic to fall into the hands of the police. It takes a good deal of credulity on the part of the spec- tator to swallow this labored, arti- ficial set of circumstances, all of which is transparently contrived to make a theatrical situation. The trial is just as implausible. As a matter of fact the Whole in- tricate fabrication belongs to sub- ject matter outside the real story and might better have been Intro- duced in explanation alter the prison life had bean established, in Sing Sing .Mm is befriended by an absurdly sympathetic fellow convict, an elderly crook who is a model of kind Iteartedness, although he is pictured as a confirmed criminal. Old Bltl, as he is railed, helps Jim to escape and the convict is pres- ently found re-established and OUTSIDE WOMAN. There is little to laugh at; there is little to smile with; there is little reason for the making of this Ueal- art five-reel production entitled "The Outside Woman." Wanda Hawley is the star. Her principal business is to show off some dis- tinctive creations in feminine ap- parel. Intended as a comedy feature, it is devoid of comedy. Its situations were no more mirth provoking with a Loew's New York audience than registering five laughs, and not one that might be regarded as of the diaphram species. It Is a disap- pointment from beginning to end. The piece never had a chance. The j>lay as a picture is from a scenario by Douglas Bronston from an early effort by Paul 1*. Sipe and Philip Bartholomae. Its situations are these: A newly-wed couple is entrusted with the care of a valu- able antique, the value of which is unknown to them. The wife, with a penchant for exchanging things, gives the relic away in trade for a shawl. The shawl vendor hi turn sells It to an artist living di- rectly over the newly weds. Learn- ing the value of the lost relic and discovering Its whereabouts* the wife climbs the fire escape and en- counters the artist. The latter's jealous wife returns in the interval and discovers the two. For safety the heroine locks the turbulent wife of the artist in a separate room. A policeman comes In and holds the scene until an ambulance may ar- rive for the outside woman. Ex- planations are offered In due time to clear the field. One reason why this film comedy did not register with the audience was that the situations were ex- plained by the sub-titles, and this had a great deal to do with wearing the edge off of Its humor. In nny event, this kind of material as fur- nished by the original authors hasn't a chance on Broadway. The cast ranks as standard, but the members unquestionably miss the object as eomedy purveyors. The players are Clyde Fillmore, Thena Jasper, Sidney Bracey. Ko- sita Martini, Misao Seki, Mary Winston and Jnke Abrams. Supplementing the film are the names of Paul Perry and Una Nixon Hopkins as having had the major part of the responsibilities in mak- ing this picture. The production is rich in settings and the photography is even. step. THE WAKEFIELD CASE. This Li Lawrence Weber produc- tion cannot be recommended too highly as a picture offering with stellar merit, for the principal rea- son that the novelty of its theme. in which the hidden motive of its characters is bared in the finale. The idea has been used in pictures preceding it. and notably in "Seven Keys to Bald plate" and "Cheating Cheaters." There is a thrill in its lease and often exaggerated Scenes. As f;ir as plot is concerned it is secondary. The action is spread over incidents involving :i detective :m<l his playwright son. The deter- tive loses his life after an almost successful attempt in trapping two crooks, brothers, who .ire in pos- session of some jewels owned by the British Museum. An Investigation into the killing of the rtcteetlvi lea\e 3 the clue that it may have been the "Breen glrl, M sin. < her dagger is left near the victim. The concluding drama i» left to the playwright, who turns detective to avenge his father. He falls in love with the *'Breen girl/* who is unknown to him, while a passenger on the same boat is one of the crooks separated earlier from the Jewels. The balance of the story is enacted in America. It is filled with the usual underworld atmos- phere, with some dash and pep on the part of the hero, who is cap- tured and eludes his persecutors. And again the usual titles explain- ing to an easily convincing hero that the master crook Is from Scot- land Yard. Wortt of alt I* the de- sire on the part of the author to convince the audience that the "Breen girl*' Is the daughter of "Grayson" of the Secret Service and that the wounded soldier is also a Grayson. This is too much for any one's tired eyes. The cast includes Herbert Raw- llnson (featured), Charles Dalton, Jere Austin, Florence Billings. Will- iam W. Black. J. H. Gtlmour. Joseph Burke, J. P. Wate. There Is very little that one can say apropos of histrionic merit in any one's per- formance In that cast. If Charles Dalton could see himself in the role of a man waiting to poke out the eye of his victim with a hot poker projected in the flaming heat of a burner, and if the thought occurred to him that he gave one of the most masterful performances as the "Doctor" in "The Case of Lecky." wouldn't it seem equally absurd to him? The direction Is by George Irving, the scenario from an original by Mrs. L Case Russell, the photog raphy by Walter Young. Step. THE LITTLE CLOWN. Pat Mary MiWn Mint«»r Dirk Hev.rl.y Jack Mulh ill roioiH-i Beverley Winter Hell Mr*. ll«v«*rl«y Helen I>unUir Rodiiy Beverley Cameron ('<>nvy T<-t.» Nerly Edwards Jim Andcrmm Wilton T:iylor t'onnie Potts buclen l.ittlcfl'ld LIS ZHma Meje Nellie Johnson l.ura Aus<>!i Thomas Heffron has made a sat- isfying production of Avery Hop- wood's 'The Little Clown" for Real- art, in which Mary Miles Minter is accorded starring honors, it the llialto, New York, this week. It's period of fifteen years. The here hi here disclosed in the role of « sailor, and afterwards as a diver. With another he Is engaged in in- vestigating the sinking of * schooner owned by his sweetheart's grandmother. The hero's fellow- workman plots his destruction and tries to lock him in the cabin o. the submerged vessel. The hero is rescued, but the villain causes his rival's boat to catch Are. A preceding shot of the sinking schooner is pictorlally effective. The scenes below the water are well done. As a whole the picture might be regarded as a fair program re- lease. At the New York it war used on a double feature day. It I: released by W. W. llodklnso* through Pathe. Step. THAT SOMETHING This picture has been dedicated tn the Rotary Clubs of the world bv the Tacoma Rotary Club No. 8, 0" Tacoma. Wash. It is a production by the Hermann Film Corporation, directed by Margery Wilson, who also acts one of the major parts. The scenario has been supplied from W. W. YVoodbridges book of the same title. The theme of the picture story Ir. power of man's will over environ- ment. The action involves the self-indul- gent youth of an Irate parent, who, failing to arouse Any of the better Qualities in his son. oiders him from his home, making it plain that the son cannot return until he shall have 'made good.". The youth oZ polished manner and immaculate clothes is transformed into a tramp. He goes through every hardship, and the turning point in his career oc- cur* just when he needs food the most. Applying to a stranger, he is rejected. Instead, the Stranger handd him a piece of philosophy which sounds like this: "Young mar, what you n« ed is hndinc: your- self. You must find That Some- thing.* within you." And from then on the psycholog- ical transformation takes p'ace. Ho .succeeds in getting his tiist job When the odds are against him. and the action compels him to move from place to place, winning great- er consideration with each Stepping stcne. In fact, he meets the same man who once gave him knowledge a tale of the big top with the star personating the title role, that of aj^^d of a 'hand-out.' That man feminine clown in Jim Anderson's is a silent partner in the concern mammoth show. Knters the hero, J which employs him. Later he is Dick Reverly (Jack Mulhall) of reconciled to his family, and the tinale of the picture has him bask- ing in the radiance of happiness achieved. From a production standpoint, the feature has real merit. It is a fair program picture. It. neverthe- less, profuse with technical faults and the continuity is choppy. Apart from Its commercial possi- bilities it is not unlikely that if the owners of this feature cared to exploit it. as Industrial propaganda It might havs it uses. The acting is not of a high order with the exception of Charles Meredith, who measures up to the best artistic standpoint. Step. Beverly Hall, Beverly City, Va., a refined "tramp," and secure a posi- tion with the circus as bareback rider. The romance Quickly ensues, with his parents entering into the scene, inducing their offspring to return, and willing to accept his circus sweetheart on a six months' probation In which to prove her mettle. She leaves the Beverly home for the circus, the hero pur- suing, and for a fade-out a church wedding scene, following a "title"' which read. "After a year at a fash- ionable finishing school." Nothing startling]}' original here, yet altogether acceptable for a pro- gram feature. It is a case of story overshadowing the histrionic efforts of the cast. Even the star has little opportunity for distinguish- ment, her circus clown stuff being of the simplest, while a long dis- tance view of her ground tumbling was evidently "double" by some ex- pert. Yet on the whole, it Is a well done job, cast direction, continuity and photography all considered. Eugene B. Lewis did the adapta- tion and has done himself cred t, for the continuity really is nn in- terest sustaining affair. Faxon iJean's photography should not be overlooked either. He had some mellow shots throughout. The support is worthy. PARTNERS OF THE TIDE. There are three ine'dents in the action of this picture filmed from tho book of similar title by Joseph C. Lincoln which provide the major portion of the thrills. Otherwise it is slow in actum. In fact, it drags and the loose titles and over- elaboration of detail do not help stimulate the interest but rather wear out the patience of the on- looker. The element of drama leading to its pictorial climaxes has not been provided for with the interest con- centrated on the three major inci- dents. And this has had a great deal to do wftii the hvek-nf tmer.^t before the climaxe* are attained. Director Irvin W. Willat announces from the start that "liberties" have been taken with the original. The wonder then is why he or L. V. Jefferson, accredited with the an- thorsh'p r>f the scenario, did not build a more direct script. The picture gives the impression of pad- ding With incident, when the need really is for more drama and rcmance. The best th;»t can be rdid for the picture in the matter of acting Ik furnished In the opening scenes. The hero, .-it first Impersonated by Marion Padueah, is an orphan. He is on his why to two spinsters who SdOpt him. In the following scenes the net ng by this youngster regis ters with sore appeal. Indeed, th CHARMING DECEIVER. Together with "The Wakefield Case." this picture was used on a double-feature day at Loew's Circle. It is from the Vitagraph studios, starring Alice Calhoun, although there is scarcely any ground for starring her. judging from the pres- ent performance. The picture is adapted from an original script by Mrs. Owen Bronson, the scenario for which was completed by Fred Schaefer and the direction left to George L. Sargent. The photogra- phy is by Vincent P. Scully. Dra m ati ca lly it Is a poor picture, offering scarcely anything in the way of a climax, and in its action moves listlessly, arriving at nothing more than a happy ending, which has been anticipated all along. Its continuity is often clogged by sub- titles which do not lend, but detract, from what possibly might contrib- ute something in the wny of lifting the subject into a big moment. It is doubtful if the story could lend itself to that kind of action which is essential in pictures, and except for the acting of two principals there Is little left to recommend. "Charming Deceiver" has as its central character a girl deceived into marriage by a man who in the open- ing scenes Is in jail. An invitation comes to her and a brother to spend tin rest-of- their days, with a.grund- father, who earlier in life could not condine the match of their mother. The brother is recovering in a hos- pital, nnd she goes on alone, ulti- mately establishing herself in the home of the grandfather. Her hus- band in the interval escap* s from 1a.il and seeks the protection of - : i H wife's home. lip is introduced as the absent brother. The concluding scenes are taken up with tho up- pearince of the legitimate brother. Due explanation is made. In th«* o\-n\ the eonvh t conveniently kill* himself. Th« east Includes .lack M'l.'.it'. Rugene Ac 1 er. Charles Kent. Ro- land Bottom ley and Robert OaiUard. Mi. Acker's performance, especially in the "drunk" scene*, were nothing hoi t of wonderful, while the p'"' r merit ot his work ttunds out in bold I handled bv Charles Kent wsp a«a* contrast to the acting by the rest I ing for n natural quality and Inter of the cast. And none poems etuallrsl attracted sheirh to the appeal that this boy exerts.I sonuUty The action then glides over a through i•»■ •