Wid's Filmdom (1920)

= a Yow eae Sunday, January 11, 1920 | Whe DAILY 5; RP ee Exceptionally Artistic and Novel Adaptation of Stage Play Viola Dana in “THE WILLOW TREE” Metro eae LG LI AEDY sre hus oss. os Gays Maxwell Karger PMOL MER or cin ss os vette ss os Henry Otto BIUULMORSS: 0. J. H. Benrino and Harrison Rhodes eee COSI OTS VCORE tte eG. ss... iethees ss June Mathis ERIE ARITA, circa eas... ocaed John Arnold AS A WHOLE...... A decided novelty with wonderfully beautiful settings and wholly artistic atmosphere, BLOT N tant. Adaptation of well-known stage play; has barely enough force for photoplay material. DIRERCLIION 2.2. Has shown individuality and ingenuity in artistry and technique. ) PHOTOGRAPHY Very beautiful Liste DLN GSoer ss os: Splendid; some marvelous effects Rew RA WORK OS) he... . 5: Meritorious indeed BEAU ERS viet, Tip-toes around like a true maid of the Orient; the part doesn’t call for any exceptional effort. BEC Is Pek es Pell Trenton was in love with “poor butterfly” all right, but you’d never know it to look at him; Japanese characters all excel oe eee ewe eee eee eee lent. EXTERIORS...... A wealth of beautiful scenes of Japanese gardeners, bridges and by-ways. Betis LORS. s), oo. Afford a good deal of the novelty DETAIL......Titles too “wordy”; art designs very pretty. CHARACTER OF STORY...... Japanese legend affords basis for slight love story. Pome OH PRODUCTION... ....4..... 6,000 feet The popularity of the play and its star, Fay Bainter, will be one of the big pulling powers of the screen version of “The Willow Tree.” And it is safe to say that Metro has given to the story a production lavish in settings and artistic effects. No effort has appar ently been spared nor money stinted in a desire to make “The Willow Tree” the novel spectacle which the finished production presents. There is a strikingly realistic Japanese atmosphere to the entire offering—the interiors with their paperlike partitions and sliding doors; the exteriors with their unique bridges and beautiful gardens. Some truly lovely lighting effects are particularly adapted to this sort of film; notably the silhouette scenes. The photography is especially fine throughout and adds much to the splendor of the production. Pell Trenton is seeking forgetfulness in the land of the lotus where he chances in the shop owned by an image maker, O-Riu’s (Viola Dana’s) father. Pell greatly admires the carved figure of a beautiful girl which Tomotada, the image maker, refuses to,sell because of the mythical legend connected with the tree from which it was carved. But Tomotado has a son—a son of modern Japan— who aspires to a college career in America. A more or less comedy tint supposed to reflect upon the son falls flat of humor and the character seemed superfluous. Tomotado arranges a marriage for his daughter whereby he will secure the money necessary for his son’s education. O-Riu disappears to avoid the marriage and in order to return the money which has already been spent, the image maker sells Pell the figure of the princess of the Willow Tree. O-Riu goes to Pell’s home, hides the figure, and arranges herself in its place. Pell has been told that according to the legend the princess will come to life if a mirror is placed in her hands. At any rate hero is “from Mizzouri” and gets right at the experiment. The charm works and when the call to war comes, hero refuses to leave his new found love but according to the myth the princess goes back to her wooden self leaving hero free to go to war only to return four years later and find her waiting. An Especial Appeal to Those Who Admire Photoplay Novelties Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor First of all it is safe to say that there are numerous possibilities for putting over “The Willow Tree.” There is the title of a well-known stage play, the name of Viola Dana, star in the screen version, and many opportunities for box office attraction and lobby display. You can always number a goodly majority who go in for oriental flavor and regardless of its particular atmosphere you can go the limit on the novelty end of it. “The Willow Tree” is decidedly the most novel and fantastic piece produced in many months. Here’s your chance to get in a musical score for there are numerous compositions, relating to the Orient that your patrons will recognize and that fit in very well with the story, for instance, “Poor Butterfly,” the favorite of the Hippodrome show a few years ago, but still a pleasant memory. Japanese costumes for your ushers will dress it up some more and you can burn incense to add to the Oriental atmosphere.