Wid's Filmdom (1921)

é eo Se Sunday, November 20, 1921 _ rahi | DAILW 15 g RY DSRS PATE RITE STO A DNS NY ORR OER, OSTOMY Tragedy Told Without Titles Is Foreign Producers’ Latest “SHATTERED” Rexfilm Co. MP BrOru Ca DONG iy Wer Ate Se Rae eN os aes Lepu Pick PRRAPELG) Mer Pee a ory MR ty es ss ek Carl Mayer SOMPae IEDC UO CB Yet dre cates fe sve yo ig <5 Not credited RAPIER ICA LAIN Pvc avis aie acho wage oo 4 Not credited fps A WHOLE: 2: Something new in the way of dramatic effort; value as general entertainment is quite meagre Beas GyIny cetbe : Shrouded in mysterious gloom; quite -an unhappy affair all the way through DIRECTION. | cfc An attempt to tell story without titles not entirely successful though it contains some good touches PHOTOGRAPH ¥Yue4%.. cu: Fair; sometimes poor LIGHTINGS 4 se ec caus ts ak. Sometimes very bad PLAYERS......Werner Krauss capable of much better things; others over-act Boe Pe AEGIS EOP INC Aaa SEE deca se fo yao ss All right RIN Moe lO |) Geet has es ee Ordinary DE BAILS A. hee -.. Much that is not significant CHARACTER OF STORY....Mother dies of shame and father murders man who betrays his daughter LENGTH OF PRODUCTION....:. About 5,000 feet Another foreign production heralded as a “dramatic production without titles” has come from the other side and bears two names already more or less familiar in this country, because of their connections with the much discussed “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” They are Werner Krauss, who portrayed the eccentric doctor, and Carl Mayer, author of both stories. But there the semblance stops. For although “Shattered” is a sincere attempt at something “different,” it is not likely to create the impression that some of the previous importations have. “Shattered” is not completely without titles. The opening informs you that it is a “drama in five days,” and at the beginning of each of the five reels (that is about the length) you are told the time. ,And there are one or two other readers that were probably deemed necessary to establish certain facts. But there were other equally ambiguous instances that would have been improved by titles. A noticeable fact about the picture is that the idea of expression seems to have been not only restricted in the titles, but also in the conversation of the players. They scarcely converse and while their work may register as effective pantomine, here it appears altogether too inanimate especially for the purpose of making the play dramatically forceful. The play is a tragedy and naturally the atmosphere is kept thoroughly unhappy even without any by-plot relief. The plot is brief but through extensive detail, much of it that is not significant, the director has managed to draw it out to feature length. There are some very worthy directorial touches in the picture and also some very bad ones. Night and day is confused repeatedly. Action supposed to be taking place at night in one scene is immediately followed by daylight in the next. Werner Krauss, whose portrayal of “Dr. Caligari” will be remembered, has one of the principal roles, but his previous work entitles him to much better opportunities. In this he is limited to but one real opportunity and that is short-lived and a most unattractive bit. The leading woman overacts, both in facial expression and gesticulation. The pictures tell a story of a track-walker’s daughter who is wronged by a section manager in her own home. The mother wanders out into the night and dies of shame. The girl keeps the secret from her father, who broods over the loss of his wife. On the filth day when the section manager has refused a reconciliation the girl tells the father and he kills the fellow, then gives himself up. Not Suitable For General Entertainment Purposes Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor No distributing channel is announced in connection with this production, which was shown under the auspices of Francis W. Kurtz Co. Just how the general public will receive “Shattered” is hard to say, since they seem to be particularly liberal in their judgment of the efforts of foreign producers and particularly when the picture boasts of anything unique or novel, “Shattered” has already been preceded by American productions without titles, but*is the first of its kind inasmuch as it is a tragedy. The name of Werner Krauss might readily be an attraction if mentioned in connection with his performance in “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “The Golem.” For those who like to study the progress of the photo-drama it may prove an interesting subject,