Wid's Films and Film Folk (1916)

—— Charles Ray in THE DESERTER Triangle-Ince DIRECTOR®... 30. i. ee eee Scott Sidney SUERVISED BY: .... A See Thomas H. Ince AUTHORS ..Richard V. Spencer and Thos. H. Ince Asta’ WHOLE) “vee Stirring, artistic, western SLORY uke sags ok ocean Elementary, but grips DIRECTIONS chi tan: Very artistic, big scenes stir PHOTOGRAPH Y 45.3: 3 sae eres Excellent LIGHTINGS ©... 2.53.0 e eee Some very effective CAMERA: WORK.” ... sca: weenie ee Excellent SA Rebiciseat ee bs wn ole salen Forceful charaterization SUPBORT®. . 23.2 2202240 2 eee Splendid types PcG RIO RS Reins sca tee Particularly well chosen INTERIORS Ss 705. -b)5: &s Serene here Very good |B) Of ty, hl Deer eR, Sane ts -,..Good BENGDE 2 oe 6k. eee ee BO er ee ts Five parts HIS production proves conclusively that the old stuff is still good if it is well done. Here we have a western story with a plot which is certainly not new, having been done scores of times in the past, and still by the use of some very artistic bits and some very masterful big scenes such as dance hall brawls and Indian fights, we get an offering which will register as par ticularly big, purely because of the handling of the subject. The story is that of a young officer, whose rival wins the love of the girl he worships with the result that he goes to the resort outside the fort, gets drunk and starts a fight which soon becomes a general roughhouse. He is arrested for this and for insulting his rival when that officer comes to stop the disturbance. He then escapes to avoid court martial. Joining a wagon train he fights with them against the Indians and when other men fail to break through the lines he rides to the soldiers for assistance, the troopers arriving in time to save a few of the settlers from massacre. The younger officer dies of wounds received in his daring ride, and he is buried with full military honors. The commander of the fort removes from the records the fact that he had deserted. The only possible objection to be made against this offering is the fact that we have entirely too much detail of the funeral at the finish. In fact it is a question in my mind as to the advisability of giving a tragic ending to this sort of a story. Those W ho appreciate a feature of this sort prefer the happy ending. If a bromide is to be used as the basis of a big film, I believe in staying in the rut and giving the happy ending rather than to play for the additional gulps which can be secured by a tragic ending. It is certanly true that the finish of this gives a few tense dramatic moments which will undoubtedly get gulps, but it also must be remembered that this sends an audience out with a rather depressed feeling. I question the advisability of this. In any case there is entirely too much detail given of this final ending, there being too many scenes of the funeral whieh are really not needed at all. It would be decidedly better to cut from the first flash of the men assembled to bury the young hero with full military honors to the final title, and the remarkably beautiful silhouette which closes the picture. If I were “showing this I would certainly make this alteration. 660 , ; ites Thursday, June 22, 1916 E WID SC "am F “a ane : FORCEFUL, SIMPLE STORY AND ARTISTIC BIG SCENES GO GREA’ TE ’redskins and both the Indians and the troopers ¥ Pa Charles Ray, as the young officer deserter, ad splendid characterization in a part which offers O1 a few opportunities for dramatic work because the fact that most of the film is made-up of scenes. The few scenes which Mr. Ray has, iS ever, are decidedly important because of the f that he is the only individual figure in the ent} film which stands out in the story. He regist his points with true force. The little touch % he decides that the world is all wrong and 4 he might as well go out and get drunk beca the girl who had refused to marry him had 1% gotten that she had promised him the first da was a very human bit and was very well put oy The roughhouse scenes of the big fight int dance hall outside the fort were particularly W handled both as to the photographing of them proper angles and as to the grouping of the ch acters in the foreground and in the distance. J fight was not faked and certainly seemed convines There was lots of action and Iam sure it will eg ter particularly well. Starting with a remarkably beautibal moonl scene of a gully when Mr. Ray escaped from” fort, we had at regular intervals for the rest of offering some very artistic bits of photograpt There were locations which were particularly chosen and all of these were photographec vantage points which made them decidedly sive. There were some good scenes madé night, and in a number of places we had silhoue of riders on top of a ridge of mountans which y truly artistic. The Indians used were all great riders. A number of the long shots, used unusually effective. The long shot of the att on the wagon train was a splendid bit, and sey long shots during the assembling of the Indians the “purstiit by the troopers were scenes which 1] sure will bring applause in many houses. There was good action to the fighting scenes the scene where Charlie Ray and the Indian © fell over the embankment, their horse going them was a sure-enough thrill. This scene right after a splendid bit in which the Indian leaped from his own horse to the back of Mr. I mount and then the horse with both riders, plunging down the side of the mountain, landin the bottom after turning over a number of ti apparently none the worse for the exciting ex ence. The Indian was supposed to be killed the young officer managed to continue his way, ing later. The fight between the troopers ané Indians when the Indians were trapped in a gully, was a well handled situation and quites € tive. Taken as a whole I consider this ari offering V will register with almost any audience as deci worth while. It is, to be sure, built along the of what we had several years ago, but I thinl old stuff is still good if it is properly done. this has been well handled. In advertising this I would emphasize partie” the fact that Mr. Ince supervised this production I would speak of the fact that there are scenes of battles produced by, the man whi recently presented “Civilization.” I would the fact that this is one of the best wester tures of the sipeane old-time style thas 1 a la el a a a ll th i a i 4d t 4 geen