Wid's Filmdom (1920)

amines > me afi 4 _ Sunday, August 15, 1920 & a PRES rcs! ALLY , 17 Deeply Sympathetic Story Finely Handled Mildred Harris Chaplin in “THE WOMAN IN HIS HOUSE” Louis B. Mayer—First National Meee ATM Sie kos esi eine os oe John M. Stahl ReURAC DORN Ls lke ec alle ss oe Irene Reels REPRISE IEEIS Yue hee he wd Madge -:Tyrone evens ADTRAN ee i Gia nae ss. Pliney Goodfriend Bone WHOLE. s >). Very strong and sympathetic production dealing largely with mother love— will get them crying, and they’ll like it. pane Ys > ere A few places where continuity is jumpy but on the whole story is excellently handled— climaxes all powerful and “miracle” finish finely staged. PHC TI GNaeceon o): Ably handled storm sequence gives picture fine start—all emotional crises expertly handled. SG HAP Vie. . 04h. ..00.-..:. Very good Cn UTES RS" ae or Effects very fine GN SIO NON ES (6 i ee Very good SSL AS eA At her very best—gets wonderful appeal into role of mother. OSI CRS 5 Excellent Pe cL) eee Se ae ss... Fine CESOY Eh SRN RS). fp sl OG a Very realistic ELEM 6, eh 5 5:20 Very good CHARACTER OF STORY...... Climax deals with triumph of mother love over medical science science. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION..... About 6,000 feet “The Woman in His House” is a very strong and sympathetic production dealing, in the main, with the greatness of mother love. Many other elements enter into the story’s telling and the rapid pass of the various situations and well-handled crises makes for a steady and uninterrupted thread of interest. There are many sequences between the mother and her child that sound the depths of the spectator’s sympathy. They will certainly make the average spectator cry and this the average spectator likes to do. * After a wonderful storm-at-sea sequence in which the love of Philip, a doctor, and Hilda, a fisherman's daughter, is born the action jumps ahead and reveals Hilda as Philip’s wife, telling the story of her romance to her curly-haired son. In the meantime Philip has become absorbed in his medical experiments and leaves Hilda to the company of Peter, his friend, and Robert, the usual lounge lizard. Robert plants the seed of discontent in Hilda’s mind while Peter endeavors to awaken Philip to a realization of the situation. But an epidemic of infantile paralysis breaks out and Philip is absorbed in his care of the poor children. And his own little boy is brought down with the plague and, to all appearances, dies. After Hilda has left the bedside with her heart hardened toward her husband for what she believes his neglect, Philip and the accompanying physician discover that the child still lhves—lives to be a hopeless paralytic. Fearful of what his wife will say if he tells her the truth, Philip keeps silent and works over the boy for the space of a month in the quiet of his laboratory. But his efforts are to no avail. Peter discovers Philip’s secret and insists on bringing Hilda to her boy. And where science has failed, mother love works the miracle of cure. The young: ster rises from his chair and walks toward his mother. The scenes at the bedside of the boy are handled delicately and appeal deeply. There is also a fine contrast in the scenes of the happy little boy playing with his mother and ducking and diving like a fish in his bathtub and the poor little cripple of the following scenes. This child is so natural that the appeal of the scenes is tremendous. Mildred Harris Chaplin gives of her best as Hilda. Ramsey Wallace as Philip delivers a notable characteriztion. Thomas Holding is fine as Peter and George Fisher does well with the slightly too-conventional role of Robert. Gareth Hughes renders a fine bit of character work in the part of the crippled fisher-lad. John M. Stahl’s direction deserves great praise. He has handled the entire series of difficult sequences with fine skill. This Is Big Any Way You Look At It Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor What with the fine story offered here, the excellent treatment it has received, the box office value of the title and the popularity of the star, certainly this may be set down as a fine accomplishment and a production that any exhibitor can book with no uncertain conviction that it will draw big, please everyone and be a striking financial success. The mother love theme is the dominant note and the “miracle” finish in which this love proves itself the better of medical science is handled with wonderful skill. And you'll have your people talking about the little boy in this for days to come. The element for you to feature in the story—the mother love theme—is one that will attract all. Certainly the star and the tile will draw well. Thus you have here a picure that will measure with its box ‘office power in the entertainment line. Hop to it. Such pictures are all too rare. He’s a wonder.