Wid's Filmdom (1920)

Sunday, June 13, 1920 TO Very Artistic And Lavish Production But Concluding Reels Slip Marion Davies in “THE RESTLESS SEX” Cosmopolitan-Paramount-Artcraft DIRECTOR . oe ee ee Robert Z. Leonard AUTHOR «5.403557 oon Robert W. Chambers SCHNAKIO BYe ee Robert Z. Leonard and Leon D’Usseau. CAMERAMAN. ....4.. 55-2 eee Allen Siegler AS A: WHOLE? as Artistic and lavish production given to story that drags badly during latter half. 1) ieee os Contains Chambers’ pet characters, is well written and holds ‘interest through masque ball sequence. DIREC ILO N sees Has gotten best results with this star—extravagant and tasteful production. PHOTOGRAPHY 2 ee ee Excellent DiGELTINGS eee Some very beautiful scene lighting CAMERA WORKS 22a eee Praiseworthy pL ea ie oie Sosa Shows more ease and expression than ever before. SUPPORT ...° ae Includes Ralph Kellard and Carlyle Blackwell. BHATERIORS oe ee eee Very good INTERIGRS (ihr settee ee ee ee Fine DE TALL | cc ake co ee ie eee All right CHAKACTER OF SS LORY) 22 Romance of married girl, LENGTH OF PRODUCTION..... About 6,000 feet or the best part of this production Robert Leonard has shown himself thoroughly capable of handling properly a Robert Chambers story, which statement is by no means lacking in praise. To catch the peculiarly fascinating spirit in which this author pens his works is something of an art in itself. This Leonard has done by absorbing the atmosphere of the original work and by having at his command a purse fat enough to endow his picture with an atmosphere as lavish and artistic as the story demanded. Up to a bewildering and spectacular sequence in which the background of the action is a _ riotous masque ball, Leonard’s work is to be heartily com-_ mended. During this sequence and subsequently the action slips badly and the interest lags up to the finish. For one thing aa masque ball sequence has been unduly prolonged. ‘There is a tendency to hold the merely extravagant and spectacular scenes when no action is being described. Then the concluding action which deals with the elimination of an exceedingly unfortunate husband from the story is wearisome. From a perfectly neutral vantage point it seems as if the picture could be made into a most satisfactory piece of entertainment property by a careful and judicious film editor. Marion Davies does the best work of her career in the role of Stephanie. Not only does she display a much greater sense of repose before the camera but her facial expressions reveal a care, clarity of purpose and conviction that are striking in comparison with past performances. Stephanie is an impulsive girl, a typical Chambers creation. Innocently involved in an episode that bids fair to create scandal, she marries Oswald Grismer, though she loves Jim Cleland, her brother by adoption. When Jim returns from Europe he discovers that Stephanie and Oswald are unhappy, due to Oswald’s lack of money. And Oswald, too, readily realizes that Stephanie was never meant for any other than Jim. After a struggle he eliminates himself from their lives by walking under a subway train, thus leaving those he loves and admires their freedom. The character of Oswald is another favorite with Chambers. Malcourt in “The Firing Line” was his first cousin. But Oswald fails to command the sympathy that Malcourt did. This may have been the fault of the story, but on the other hand Carlyle Blackwell was hardly the logical choice for the part. Ralph Kellard, who appears as Jim, might, it seems, have fared better in this role. No Reason Why They Can’t Re-Edit This And Make It Big Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor It is to be hoped that the producers revise the concluding reels of this before it goes out to the exchanges. Certainly there is room for considerable improvement, improvement that can be made without so much as a re-take. This done and the exhibitor can rest assured that “The Restless Sex” will send away pleased audiences. That it is a fine drawing card is an obvious matter of fact. With all the publicity accorded story, pro ducing company and star, the crowds will flock to the theater displaying the title if the records of the previous productions of this company are any criterion. Feature the feminine character of the story with such lines as, “Stephanie wanted to experience every emotion! See to what this desire led,’ “She knew all the time that she loved her foster-brother and yet she consented to a marriage with another! Why?” se eeEeeEeEeEeeEEeeEeEeEeEeEeEEE——EE——EEEEEee ne ee ee