Wid's Filmdom (1920)

TT . afi panini ae a waar 4 é f DAILY Sunday, August 29, 1920 PPI TT ELON DLL BEET ATED AIT Sa! SPIT RATE TSE RE ET CT Rather Poor Treatment Accorded Very Good Comedy Idea Madge Kennedy in “DHE DRO La Goldwyn . DIRECTOR 2. oe Lawrence Windom AUTHOR ...4..3.5 2 Ree. nae Clyde Fitch SCENARIO‘BY 2 eee er eee A. F. Statter CAMERAMANG Siete. char ame J. Roy Hunt Partly humorous in intent and party serious; fails to register with much vitality one way or the other STORY Seems it should have been treated as a farce to register it effectively DIRECTION Ba Fair; the laughs aren’t many and the suspense is a minor quality PHOTOGRAPHY eat. cit 5 an eee Good LIGHTINGS Sarees ns oie pees Soe ceil Good CAME RAIW.O RR y eric ours ee ne ee Good STARS Very good at times but seems quite repressed SUBPOR Dae Good comedy between Zelda Sears and Frank Doane EXTERIORS Prose ee see, oe eee Satisfactory INTERIORS 2 2s oar ci. pee Commendable DET AL ecole ee ie ree Sy ts ek iiks ad) ee Good obs) .e. bnsyte Dealing with the trouble a young wife brings on herself by telling fibs LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,977 feet In whatever key “The Truth” was played upon the stage, it seems obvious that it should have been turned into a picture farce. It has all the basic material of such a type of entertainment and in appreciative hands might have developed into a very fine picture. In the present case they have produced in a tone that Seems very dull. Partly humorous in intent its humor never 0 =!) oye, af elie. bie becomes vital because there is a tendency every now and then to hold the incidents with a serious rein. Both ends have been played against the middle with the usual results. The story has as its central character, Beck Warder, a young married lady, who simply can't tell the truth, even when such a-course would work her no embarassment. lib follows fib until she finds herself in a compromising position with a friend’s husband. Her own husband tries to believe in her but at length the disclosure of half a dozen of her fibs comes as a blow that he is unable to bear. He denounces her and she leaves to visit her father. The father is something of a fibber himself and eager for a reconcilation to take place, inasmuch as he receives a regular remittance from Warder. So he sends a telegram to his daughter’s husband saying that she is seriously ill. Warder makes all haste to her side and then discovers, partially through Becky’s But both he and Becky realize that her fibbing days are over and confession, that the illness was a hoax. a reconciliation takes place. Madge Kennedy is skilful in farcial situations, but herein she appears to be repressed. Her usual sparkling personality 1s handicapped by the evident desire of the director to make his work serious. Probably the . scenes which amuse most are those which take place between Becky’s father and his amorous old housekeeper. These are handled in a spirit of rather broad comedy, which registers very well. Robert Deane as the father and Zelda Sears as the housekeeper are both very good. | Tom Carrigan appars' as Warder while Helene Greene and Kenneth Hill play the other married couple. Horace Haine appears as a butler. This Should Draw Well— Will Give Moderate Satisfaction Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor While this picture certainly isn’t all it should be, it is probable that you can make a go of it if you've got to have a picture to fill some open date. There are times when the humorous possibilities crop out and despite the rather monotonous level which the entire picture rests on, there are moments when the laughs come easy. With the admirers of Madge Kennedy the picture ought to go to even better advantage, inasmuch as she is prominent throughout the action. In adverising this you have a good name in Clyde Fitch, the playwright, on whose work this is based. And the story gives you very good opportunities for bright and attractive advertising. You should be able to get a good bit of appeal in the advertisements by dwelling on he “white lie” or fib idea, inasmuch as this manner of evading issues is one of the commonest faults in the world. Arguments conceived about this idea will certainly hit home and should serve to bring the crowds in. The ultimate impression left by the picture is satisThe lack of vital action is a considerable drawback, but one which factory inasmuch as the moral is good. the other favorable issues involved in the production may be able to overcome. |