Wid's Films and Film Folk (1916)

WID'S Thursday, June 1, 1916 5 CARMEN GREAT BUT TOO LONG. POLICE FUNNY. BOTH Charlie Chaplin in CARMEN and POLICE Carmen—Essanay—V. L. S. E. Police —Essanay —General meee WHOLE. 3 oo o> 1s -Great box-office winners OES CHS rem MONE ro tehcte cisnc ll cleus. sels jcusios Bide ose" Good eee LUTON contains oo «alee, Good bits of business BPEL CUA EEL Vidie aks. . MERA fete e te Good eA TIN GS ee eee es a ste so se tee cae .. Ordinary LOIS Ue) 24 a a Acceptable MEOEG RT Ses Cet Sak cs ess ...Wonderful personality MELE Chile eee... Se ec hae Good PE OL) RGgm aren at tar aediees «+ Saino > S26 Cane Good BLA CEES SER Ate ort ete. ct. . «Mee. Bs, Acceptable LEA TU eet pene oe iokss ooo ah) vis AEB oc edicts .. Good BNC AED rere its vis oie Cie > ES a Two parts » NOTE.—“Carmen” is put out in four, but I saw it trimmed to two reels. HAVE not reviewed the V. L. S. E.-Chaplin-Carmen before, because when I saw it it had been trimmed to two reels, and I had hoped to find time to see it in four. I have been unable to do this and so will cover it now along with the General Film release, “Police!” I can tell you without question that these two subjects are both tremendous box-office productions because their worth has been definitely proved. | VERY HUMAN STORY HUMANLY Dorothy Gish and Owen Moore in SUSAN ROCKS THE BOAT Fine Arts— Triangle He) 0) 2, a Paul Powell mecOmNARIOOBY —....:....Bernard McConville CAMERA EPR ree a cecil... LAMats J. W. Leezer . Unusually human Good idea, fine touches Wrest ates: Artistic, distinctive, human Splendid eee. Very artistic, effective Si wilense wtih: oes ele Cele S6) e166 Fee, AMERA WORK ee. Bee Exceptionally fine Pena. Cones Very appealing personalities EG ie ns eae Great types SE BRS re oA cys oles» oho AMEE SO fe oid Very fine LESS 0 ei eee oe eine Excellent EAN Lee eee one eit, os f+ eerie hates, Splendid Five parts HIS is a great film because it has so many wonderful human touches. The stars are particularly well chosen for their parts, so much so that it seems that this must have been written for them. We find wonderful types in support, and there is not a jarring note to it all. The story is decidedly human since it has to do with the sweet young things of the society world who take up all of the fads, the chief event being pe 4 BIG WINNERS In the “Carmen” subject Chaplin has some very funny stuff, although it seems to me that there were some great opportunities which were overlooked. I saw this subject trimmed to two reels, and since that was supposed to be the best of it I can readily understand that in four reels it probably was rather tame in spots. Surely it seemed to me a decided error to overlook the big possibilities of the bull fight scene in “Carmen,” because that should have been good for two reels in itself 1f properly handled. Of course, it would have cost a little money, and it is quite possible that Essanay was figuring on turning out Chaplin’s as cheap as possible because of the salary of the star. If I were going to play the Chaplin-‘“Carmen” I would trim it down to a footage which would keep it good, paying whatever necessary to get it, and I believe that it will give more satisfaction trimmed to a proper footage than if run in four reels. Surely an audience would be better pleased with a fine two-reel than with a slow four-reel. The “Police” film has a lot of good comedy touches which are not slap-stick, and there is plenty of the old slap-stick hokum, so that you can safely count it a real winner. Chaplin demonstrates conclusively in these two films that he knows comedy values aside from the grotesque makeup which he uses and without depending upon the old slap-stick methods. He certainly has a tremendous hold upon the public, and I would say that these two offerings can be booked any place safely and played up heavily in the advertising. PRODUCED AND PLAYED. GET IT the decision on the part of Miss Gish to uplift the lower class by establishing a settlement near a motorious saloon, with the result that her settlement work provides funds for the saloon regulars and bums and finally brings her to a very dangerous position in the saloon-keeper’s office when she innocently goes there to arrange with him to convert his palace of vice into an ice-cream parlor. Owen Moore has a wonderful part for him in the character of the son of a political boss who had some education, more money and preferred to remain in the Lower Hill District where he was idolized by his father’s people, rather than go out into the highbrow world. Mr.. Moore, of course, becomes Miss Gish’s protector, but it is all logically worked out, and there are some very human clashes between these two before she realizes that he is worth-while. Fred J. Butler, as the saloonkeeper, was a splendid type and handled his part very nicely. James O’Shea, as the derelict, put over some great scenes. The situation where the derelict wanted to tell Mr. Moore about Miss Gish being in the saloonkeeper’s room was one of the best bits of business I have seen on the screen in some time, because it was so nearly like what a drunk might do under such circumstances. The setting which showed Cardigan’s saloon was particularly good, being one of the best bar-room sets I have ever seen in a film. 617