Variety (July 1924)

Wednesday, July 9, 1924 PICTURES VARIETY 25 FILM REVIEWS (Continued from p«C« M) Indians and alao Venetian* A" ">e liffairs ended disastrously for both. In the finish it is disclosed to the ,lrl the only way her lover can be Returned to her :s through the me- dium of her making-* sacrifice. She does and there is the usual happy •nding. Trick photography and dou- ble exposure stuff rurfs all through the picture. The leading roles are played by Lil Dagover and Walter Janssen, while The Stranger is played by Ber- nard Goetike who goes right out after the record as the champion "dead pan" actor of the screen. Fred. MONTMARTRE C*rnian-roade production relt-ased by Paramount. St»rrln« Tola N»grl. Other ilijers in the cn.t not announced. Frora fh. iilav "The Flame," by John Mueller, nirected' by Kmst Lubltach. Kdlted .nd mi^ by Hector Turnbull. At Loew « New Tork, one day. July I. M half bill. Run. M minutea. •Montmartre" will disappoint those iilmgoers who densand com- Dlex sex stuft and lavish settings and clothes in heavy portions. Per- haps the lack played no little part In preventing it from obtaining a first run in New York and several other important cities. But no picture directed by Ernst LubitBch and giving Pola Negri an opportunity can be wholly negU- jfible "Montmartre." in spite of its several deficiencies, measurees up as better audience stuff than 66 per- cent of the Hlms that play the best houses. Shot in Germany. It exhibits all the crude and stilted characteristics (to American eyes at least) that have featured these foreign films. But, like "Passion," there are mo- ments of dramatic intensity, bits of comic by-play and other directorial touches that come like a rush of fresh air after the conventional Hollynood-made pictures. Miss Negri Is cast neither as her usual virago, trollop or vampire, ■ but, probably for the first time, ajs a much-wronged and womanly sweet girl. True, she is a Parisian grlsette at the time (60 years ago). But aside from a tendency to have a little fling or two now and then she Is as pure In heart as any of our virginal American heroines. That Miss Negri is able to make this weak and rather vacillating character one of pulsating flesh and blood is another convincing proof •he belongs in the very top rank ©f our screen emotionalists. The nergre plot concerns her marriage to a man above her social station. There is a conniving cousin who desires the girl and contrives to keep the wounds of the unhappy marriage open In the hope he may be benefited. In the end the tangle Is straightened out by the same fac- tor that has solved so many dra- matic diflJcuIties, the knowledge the family census will soon be raised from two to three. With that story and the running time almost an hour and a half, the Dim is bound to drag In spots. I4ibltsch, however, has directed so well the wearisome moments are lew and far between. A more press- ing obstacle in his path was the •heapnesa of sets and costumes, more meagre In richness and beauty than those used in the tawdriest American comedy. The supporting^ cast, none by ■ame, will probably be considered Baawkish, not to say comical, over here. But although the work is un- natural and uncouth In many re- •pects. It is superior to that seen ta most of the foreign pictures since Tasslon." There Is a minimum of sex appeal, ^Kh Miss Negri showing nothing to the way of undress to compare With her revelations in "Men" and •ther more recent films. The title "Montmartre" Is entirely mlslead- tog, for instead of the colorful, Might story one is led to expect, the ^Summer Sub»cripiion for VARIETY 3 months $1.75 Kail name and addreu to VARIETY, 154 Weit 4eth Street, lew York City. picture Is sombre and almost drab In Its general tone. "Montmartre" got off to » bad start with poor notices, and Para- mount has done little for It since. It Is no knockout, but neither Miss Negri's nor Lubitscb's reputation will be damaged by It. In fact, in some locales it Is liable to draw raves. Ah a commercial proposition It Is average program stuff. WOMAN WHO SINNED Produced, written and directed by Finis Fox. Released by F. B. O. fholuKraphi'd by Hal Mohr and Jean Hmlth. Featuring Mae BuHch. At the New York one day, July 5. Runn about 75 min». Wall .Street Broker Morgan Wallace His Wife Irene Rich Minister L>ucien L.ittlefleld His Wife Mae Busch Their Son U..Dicky Brandon Burlenque Queen Cissy Fitzgerald Young Evangelist Rex L,ease While no denying Finis Pox has a gifted sense of dramatic screen values, in this picture, at least, he has turned it in the wrong direc- tion. "Woman Who Sinned" is a bungling piece of bathos. Unless it brings In large monetary returns (extremely doubtful), there was lit- tle or no reason for shooting it. Most of the action transpires a score of years ago but seems to hark even further back to the days when stories of this type were in vogue. There is more than one mo- ment when it suggests a screen ver- sion of "The Fatal Wedding" if such were to be filmed with all the das- tardly machinations, long-suffering abuse and mock heroics.. If Fox had directed his picture in somewhat lighter vein some of these supposedly tragic incidents might have been laughable. There is now a paucity of laughs and lighter mo- ments that makes the slow-moving dramatic action all the more monot- onous. The plot concerns two contrasted couples, one, a viper of u Wall Street broker and his poor neglected, love- hungry wife; the other a placid New England minister and his contented although romantic spouse. The city Lothario sails to the small town on his majestic yacht and awakens an interest in the preach- er's wife by playing up to her little boy. He Inveigles her aboard the boat and by force and trickery does more than his share of the sinning. She is conscience stricken and afraid to face her husband and child. Her revenge Is obtained when she aids in sending the scoundrel to prison for gypping the government. Years pass. She has become as cold and calculating as any Broad- way gold digger. But her reforma- tion is accomplished by a young evangelist. He, much to her sur- prise (if not the audience's) turns out to be the son left years before. Meanwhile the other wife freed from an asylum to Wliich she had been railroaded does away with the vil lain, and everything is Jake. This is not enhanced in value by a good many inconsistencies and other errors In production. The women wear the outfits of 1904, but the men are dressed In most up-to date fashion. The cast gets a mini- mum out of its chances, with Mae Busch beyond her depth in the pre- posterous role of the heroine. Mor- gan Wallace Is a Keystone comedy villain and Irene Rich has only a bit. The best commercial thing about the picture is the name, sexy and arresting enough to draw attention from the masses. Unquestionably there are those who will swallow this sort of stuff, as It always has been swallowed and always will be, but It does not seem probable that enough will like it to make It a g.)Od- Bized financial success. Even If It makes a million It still deserves the rating of one of the poorest pictures of the year, at least so far. it make definite thespian demands. As it is. he does little but ride, scrap and wriggle out of eighteen differ- ent "tight corners." PYoJecting mostly Western •xte- rlors and Indifferent studio sets, the action leaps from Wyoming to New York and back again. Getting a 25-year start on the main theme, the narrative opens with two baby brothers separated in the midst of a prairie tent village fire, the mother dying, and the lost new-born babe rescued by a rancher. The quar- ter of a century jump reveals the father with an office in Wall Street, his son a saturized villain, and the rancher in danger of losing his home through the father's Western representative hold on the lease to the property. The lost boy Is now the ward of and in love with his rescuer's daughter. Oil on the land makes it more difficult for the unknowing family to secure leniency from him, who also covets the daughter, hence the way is paved for the inevitable se- quence of events, and the picture doesn't disappoint in this respect. Comedy is supplied by the friend of the cowboy. Averagely produced, cameraed and presented, the film may find itself ctipable of remaining upright If bol- stered by a companion feature on the program, but can only hope to solo where the seating capacities are limited and where there are no marquees. In the cast, besides Jones, are J. F. Macdonald, Beatrice Burnham, Thomas Lingham, Bruce Gordon and Patrick Hardlgan. Bkio. THE VALLEY OF HATE Rusael Producttcns presentation, featuring Helen Ferguson, Haymond McKee and Barle Uetcalf. Supporting cast: Wilfred L.ucaa. Helen Lynch, Frank Whitaon and R«lpb Tearsly. Story by Harry Farns- worth Macl'herson. continuity by lieo. Hlyely, directed by Russell Allen, photog- raphy by Ernest Miller. At L«ew's Circle N» Tork. Jun« 24. Running time, mlnuten. «s WESTERN LUCK Fox picture starring Charles Jnnee. DI reeled by O. Beranger with B. N. L.ee Ih» author. Showing at L«eW<i Circle aa half or double bill July 8. Rounlng time, &3 mlno. A conventional and mttd West- ern, not pausing to unfold any un- usual angles to make it stand out from numberless others of ttie kind. Charles Jones, starred, is appurently suited to this type of vehlaJe, and hints that he would be Men to better advantage were the story to assume reasonableness and should NOW PLAYING B/KATH (fn MuC^iaSTJETEATmB •'* Dorothy Devore ^^AmUinWS-'rUUYMAPSIMlL- JIMMTC ADAfW'^l PHISCILIA BPVNIR An ^IHMIE'MARIIISON HBLBAHSD BT PBODVOKKS ttumuBVTmo toar. WHO'S CHEATING? Lee-Bradford present "Who's Cheating?"' Story by Dorothy Chappell. Directed by Joseph Levering. Cast Includen Montague l.«ve, Marie Burke, Ralph Kellerd, Zena Kecfe, William H. Tocker. Frank Mont- gomery, Ed. Roeemon. Dorothy Chappell and Marcia Harris. At the Stanley, New York (one day), July 7. "Who's Cheating?" sounds spicy enough these flapperlsh days, but it is nothing of the sort. Just a love story of the mines, with melodra- matic climaxes. At first it looked as though the story was going to pan out unusually interesting, and bade fair to give Miss Keefe and Mr. Love plenty to do, yet they were cut out of the picture very early. The announcement of "credits" has the story by Miss Chappell and she also has the leading feminine role, which may have accounted for slashing Miss Keefe out in the early rounds. Miss Keefe played Myrtle Meers, who became engaged to Larry Fields (Mr. Kellerd). When he failed to run and dive into the lake and save a man who had fallen from a boat, another person effecting the rescue, she returned his ring. That was the last seen of Miss Keefe, for the pic- ture switched to the coal mines of Pennsylvania, where our hero went to make a man of himself. At the mines he meets June Wai^h (Miss Chappell) and she falls in love with him and later saves his life. Several thrills, al- though the dumping car climax was more effective than the one where the man and woman come out of the mine, which has been blown up. There is a lot of high and low villainy afoot with the usual hand of retribution. Love played the hero's father, and got In some effective work, while in sight. Miss Keefe was splendid dur- inir the short time in view. Miss Chappell worked hard to meet all re- quirements of her own picture hero- ine. According to a date on a letter, the picture was made In 1923. Very ordinary feature, due to the hoke story. The plot is as familiar as poverty. The locale of the story is South Carolina, written around the love affair of a wealthy young man who enters the valley to in- spect some property he has In- herited. The- old, old one of having him suspected as a possible revenue of- ficer by the moonshlning natives gets it as the plot. He is loved by the ward of the eldest moonshiner, who has been bethothed against her will to one of "pap's" cronies. A long drawn-out fist fight be- tween the rivals was sadly overdone. The most realistic touch was a con- flagration and a gun battle between the moonshiners and a couple of revenue officers. The high light is the photography, the footage containing some excel- lent outdoor shots. It is an eco- nomical production all the way through, the Interior shots consist- ing of a mountaineer's cabin and the barn. The cast is adequate, Ray- mond McKee working hard but in- effectually as the hero of the hack- neyed tale. The picture is fob the xmaller of the small houses, although it might pass as half of a double feature In houses where they are not over dis- criminating. Con. STATE CONVENTION (Continued from page 17) Chester County and the owner of three theatres in Yonkers; Senator Farley of Schenectady and Jules Michaels of Buffalo. The flrst session of the conven- tion finished at 1:30 P. M. today, an dthe body will reconvene tomor- row morning. Then, it is expected. Mike Walsh will put In an appear- ance, as ho was not In town today. With Walsh's arrival his boom will undoubtedly grow, and the others in the race may drop out in his favor. Brandt has delivered his annual message and reviewed his adminis- tration. In the first draft of ^he message there was a reference to the effect that he recommended the disbandment of the State organ- ization and the establishment of three chambers of commerce of the- atre owners, one In New York City. which would naturally mean the T. O. C. C. one In Albany and the third In Buffalo. Brandt, however, omitted this recommendation from his message. Charles Jones, formerly manager of an A. H. Blank house in Dcs Moines, has been transferred to Council Bluffs to assume manage- ment of the Broadway for Blank. Jones succeeds Walter Davis, who went to Winnipeg to become man- ager of the Metropolitan In that city. » Here's What THE HEART BUSTER J*T presents Tom Mix In "The Heart Bugtrr." Story by George Scarborough. Sceanrlo by John Stone. Directwl by Jack Conway. Cast includes EMhrr Ralston and Frank Currier. At the New York (one day), Ju^ 7. 4 wishy-washy romance that re- mbids one of the old days. Tom Mte appears In his newest film, "The Heart Buster," a George Scar- borough story. In this Mix pro- duction there Is nothing new, novel or exceptional. Jack Conway directed and tried to do the best he could out of a story that is about the "weakest sister" on the Mix reel family roster. Mix rides his usual way and the whlz-bang entry he made at the start gave the picture a flying start. Then It did a highland fling back- ward, and heroic efforts were made In a comic way to save the story from falling from grace altogether. There are some entertaining "shots" and Mix's horse does some marvelous hurdling, yef the love Htory_ could not keep Wp with his high "Jumping. Jt's a Wo.stcrn. with fho heroine to marry the villain if the dare- devilish hero. "Split-Second" Tom Wfllton dof'sn't prove to the girl that her "intended" is "bad folks." Hiit Tod. played by Mix, accomplishes the "imrosKiMo" and brings thr ras- cally "heavy" to justico. Mix is the same, but .ippe.nrs tdl have a new oiittit. His MoiTilirerw » an shiny as a pliii; liat and gloves whii )i ho never removed. As a Jim Dandy cowboy or riding ford of the Western prairie"!, Mix is thrre In "The Heart BiiKter.' Ihr Mbc devoteefi will lind enterlainnienf pcrhiipw. hilt not aw dotilileljarreled .md Irljihariiiucufl n» other Mi.v Niibjectu. The story mliMts. The Following Is a Quotation from the Loa Angeles News: "Never before in the history of motion pictures has any production been accorded the reception on a second showing such as was given 'The Covered Wagon,' which was unfolded upon the Million Dollar screen yes- terday for the second time in Los Angeles within a, . year. Long before the management of the theatre was ready to open the doors to the public scores of fans : ' had gathered and waited in the lobby, demonstrative of the fact that they welcomed the opportunity to view this masterful photoplay at a nominal admission. Many of the matinee crowd had seen the pl<;ture during its long run In Hollywood, but were just aa enthusiastic ,, . as if they were seeing It for the first time. Consider- ing weather conditions and the fact that the photoplay is being brought back In the early part of the week, 'Tho Covered Wagon' ta establishing another record that will go do down In cinema history." Aa « matter of fact, 'HThe Coviired Wagon" played to 126,000 in the first six days of ita roturn ongagement. And this after the picture had played at the Hollywood Theatre for 34 solid weeks, when it seemed that *wry man, woman and child in all Southern California had seen the picture. It* Potsibilithg Havn't Ev*n Bmtn Tapped u JAMES CRUZE'S THE COVERED WAGON" 18 JUST ONE OF PARAMOUNT'S FAMOUS FORTY