Variety (Mar 1927)

Wednesday, March 16, 1927 FILM REVIEWS VARIETY 17 the same UFA and lta welrdness will at least stand up. But don't in- vite the readers of "The American Mercury" to see a. Sinw. THE SHOW Brown Insr | ■Gudvvyn-Ma; production, released by iyer. Starring John Gll- irUn Kenee Adoree and Lionel Barry- more featured. Story by Cbarlei Tenney #ackaon. At Capitol, New York, week March It. Running time, 70 mlnutea. Cock Robin John Gilbert Salome Renee Adoree The Greek Lionel Barryroore The Soldier. Edward Connelly Something of a question as to how the role that John Gilbert is playing In this picture will react regarding the player in the future productions. It seems to have been something of a mistake to cast Gilbert as a highly egotistical panderer such as he here portrays. It undoubtedly will hurt his general popularity with the women, for while he Is a great lover there Is nothing romantic in the character, it being a sordid role of the type which tends to degrade. One thing it does do, and that la to give Gilbert an opportunity to troupe. He does do that to perfec- tion. From a *ox-offlce angle the picture is certain to do business, for with the names of John Gilbert, Renee Adoree and Lionel Barrymore up in the lights for a single produc- tion, how could It be otherwise? Something about the story sug- gests touches of "The Merry-Go- Round" and "Lilliom." Just a blending of the two, with the re- sult that there Is a new yarn. The scenes are laid In Hungary, where the hero is the barker mak- ing the openings for an Illusion show and doing the lecture on the In- side. He is a hellion with the la- dles, and cops 'em right and left. The "blow-ofl" for the chumps is a tabloid version of "Salome," which gives an excuse for a cooch dancer. In this spot Tod Browning grabbed off a double for Renee Adoree who could throw a mean wiggle. And boy, what a "grind" she staged! A shepherd from the hills brings down part of his flock to dispose of them and likewise his daughter for a little trip to the city. Daughter sees the barker and falls like a ton. He lets her buy him his supper. She also pays for their Joint photo- graphs, and in all is right on the way to be a general chump for the boy. But things happen fast that night. The Greek (Mr. Barrymore) and one of his gangsters know that the shepherd has a roll, and they bump him off, expecting to get the money, but he was wise and left it with his daughter. When hearing of the murder she rushes to the one per- son that she knows—the magimp— with her troubles, and he Is willing to take care of her after he sees the roll that she Is packing. At that point the coocher, who has been In love with him right along, but who had to discard him because the Greek, with whom she had been carrying on an affair, In- terfered, breaks into the barker's apartment and chases the country girl out of the room, she being turned out by him after he admin- isters a beating. When the police are after him for the money that he grabbed from the girl, the dancer shields him in her apart- ment. He remains there for some little time until the Greek gets wise to what is going on. He steals one of the poisonous reptiles from the pit show and puts it into the bark- er's hiding place, only to be bitten himself a little later. In the finish the Salome dancer Is back on the show and the boy Is once more making the openings, the two of them having "found" themselves when the dancer's brother Is hung and her father dies The closing flash shows the two working and a couple of dames standing In front of the show look- ing on, one of them remarking: "They say that she hid him In her apartment for months and she lived there all alone with him." to which her companion, also a wise-looking little flapper, retorts: "Well, who Wouldn't?" Gilbert and Miss Adoree cefrtalnly play their roles right up to the hilt, and Barrymore as the heavy fur- nished a flock of menace where It was most needed. Edward Connel ly as the blind father of the dancer also contributed a studied charac- terization. Gertrude Short as the "butter and egg girl" from the country likewise slipped over a good performance. Tod Browning handled the dlrec tlon very skillfully, for It would have been all too easy to slop over In a lot of spots In this story, and that would have gotten the picture In dutch with the censors. Joe Fnrnham. who titled, did not go out of his way to contribute any- thing brilliant In this respect for this picture. He has done far better work In the past. Fred. SENSATION SEEKERS Universal production. Blllle Dove and Runtley Oordon featured. Adapted from JCroeat I'aaral's atory, "Egypt." Lois Weber director. Oaet also In.-ludea Ray- blond Bloomer. At New York Hippodrome Week March 14. Running time. 65 mine This Universal picture runs along a far-fetched groove until near close, when the punch comes In a water scene where a yacht collides with another boat and sinks. . It goes down Billle Dove as the girl and Huntley Gordon as the rich suitor more than earn their money. Photographically the picture measures up, and In some of the main climaxes Lois Weber has done a splendid job of directing. While an apparent small-town environment is used the way that some of the . tost-llvlng men and women jazz things up in search of a night thrill may start something. A preacher—he's a good fellow at that; doesn't pull off any of the kind of stuff that Elmer Gantry, Sinclair's preacher-man, does In his latest book that Is causing no end of present-day gossip—is one of the main principals in this U picture. The Btory up to the destruction of the yacht was preachy and more preachy, but, boy. oh, boy! what a camera kick that capsizing of the yacht with the girl and the drunk sweety gives! That closing water stuff just about saves the picture. Mr. Bloomer appears as the par- son, and he never appeared to bet- ter advantage If he didn't have too many "doubles" working for him. In a number of pictures where strenuous athletic work Is required Mr. Bloomer is known to have been 'doubled"; there's a reason, of course, when a man Is making a picture and wants It finished with - out his leading man carted away to a hospital for physical repairs. Miss Dove Is an eyeful from a camera angle and she knows bow to wear clothes. That raid was about the poorest seen In Alms since Volstead got his name In constitutional print Any of the neighborhoods will get a kick out of that Anal scone with Miss Dove and Mr. Gordon In the sinking boat That's real picture stuff. Hark. THE BELOVED ROGUE John Harry more Is "The Beloved Rogue." United Ani.ii- picture, directed by Alan t'roaland. Screen play by Paul Bvrn. Photography by Joe Auguat. Tit lea by Walter Anthony. At the Mark strand. New York. March 12 Running time. 129 mlnutea (1*» minutes with prolog). Francota Villon John Barrymoiv Louie XI Conrad Veldt Charlotte de Veuicallee Marcellne Day Duke of Burgundy Uvam Butt Thllbault d'Auaatgny Henry Victor Jehan Slim Summerville Nicholas Mack Swain Beppo • Angelo Roaaltto Astrologer Nigel de Bruller Vlllon'a Mother Lucy Beaumont Olivier Otto Malleaen The Abbess Jan* Wlnton Margot .•••••••*•• Duke of Trlatan I'nermito For the for the time coi recklessness with bodies of extras of purpose, and for the which huge assembled, the new picture delivers an aston- ishingly low average of entertain- ment It will draw because the name of Barrymore will take care of that, but the feuttire will scarcely go In for more than a week for slightly more than the run of grosses. Seen at an early afternoon per- formance on the day it started lor the Strand, the reviewer could not see It as a builder, but it looked rather like one of those pictures that starts at Its best under heavy exploitation and then will run Its course only pretty well. The extreme length of a romantic costume subject, for one thing. Is against it Besides, as a purely ro- mantic offering it has its defects. Much of the glamor is missing In the hero, who is for most of the time rather a disheveled sort of per- son—a picturesque enough rogue at all times, but not always the height of splendid romance. Briefly, this Don Juan doesn't always glow In triumph, but often plays the under- dog. The story Isn't In the Barrymore "groove," but more In that of Wil- liam Fairbanks'. There are scenes scattered through the lone footage that Fairbanks would revel In. He could make them live, shining with vitality. The best Barrymore could do with them was to give them a sort of gay grace, which was not the point at all. since the production Is on an enormous scale and called for kick and voltage. The story, of course. Is a variant of the old Francois Villon who has served In "If I Were King." "Don Caesar de Bazan" and Innumerable other romances. He Is the Jaunty •calawag, the only real and intense thing about him being his deep pa- triotism. Louis XI condemned him to death for some harem scarem deviltry, and then pardons and receives him Into prime favor when he saves the royal ward. Charlotte, from forced mar- riage with a henchman of the plot- ting Burgundy. Later " abducts the girl to his own castle stronghold, there to force upon her a marriage that will further his schemes for seizing the throne. Villon goes back to his ragamuffin companions, his i cheme being to de- mand the Paris beggars' rights to free entertainment at a royal wed- . ding. In the hope that once within Burgundy's gate he can effect a res- cue. From this point the melodra- matic romantic action Is swift and plctorlally striking, but the part screamed for Fairbanks. Villon climbs the tower where Charlotte la held prisoner. Is shot by archers, captured, tortured under the sneer- ing eyes of Burgundy, and then ex- posed naked and broken before the jeering populace. It Is here that he notes and appeals to his beggar companions for succor, and In re- sponse their steps out King Louis himself, disguised as a vagabond, but backed with an army of beggars who reveal themselves as royal sol- diery. The humiliation of Burgundy and the return of Villon as the King's favorite follow, with the marriage (Continued on page 1») "Triumph. Out- standing and guar- USBVSwaww— —Leonard Boyd, Los Angeles Examiner. "After teeing thU picture it can be •aid with the ut- aiiivi" * —Sadie Mossier, Los Angeles Record. "Miss BennetVdoee fine piece of work. Her acting at excel lent ae It wai In Istell* »* ll "L which had a long rU n at a local theatre." *- Los Angeles' Evening Herald. ♦♦Convincing and thrilling." Los Angeles Daily Trine* ifOURIH mm a *••» — •>•».»»•>•>*>••.•>■>. • e> a> •» * ^