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Patrick, Warren A. (ed.) / Show world
(November 6, 1909)
Combined synopsis and criticism of films recently released, pp. 8-9
Page 8
8 COMBINE] THE LOVE HUNTER, Comedy, Phoe- nix: A pretty, fanciful story of love, iln which the audience is permitted to seeo how Master Cupid shoots his arrows and ow their points affect those whomthey tilt. A maiden, passing along a country road finds a quiver of arrows. As she Picks them tap, Cupid appears and rem- onstrates with her. At this juncture a hunter appears and she borrows is gun to drive Cupid off, but Cupid proves the ma1aster of the situation and makes the man and woman a target for many of Ils arrows. The man escorts the maid- en to ier home and they sit upon the steps until the mother calls the girl in. Cupid, however, comes to the fore again and helps the lovers out of their diffi- culty. Later, they marry. After mar- riage they quarrel, but Cupid always appears in time to prevent a serious in- terference of their connubial ties. As a final scene the married pair are shown in a quarrel more serious than ever, but Cupid arrives with a little baby for them and all is well. Particular mention may be made of the clever acting of the little girl who inlays the part of Cupid and of the high- grade of the outdoor photography. LOVE'S STRATEGEM, Comedy, Imp:- Inti s, tie second release of teImp films, the effort has evidently been not so mac to create a comedy for mere laugiing purposes but rathner topresent a dainty love story of a bookish variety, touched with incidents which must ap- peal to the average audience. The plot is as old as the hills. Its presenta- tion is somewhat along new lines. A crusty old father is determined that his daughter shall marry a man of his choosing. The daughter has other plans. She secretly meets the choice of her heart and plans to elope with him. A spying servant sees the ladder reach- ing up to the daughter's window and informs the father of the plot. The father catches the lover and berates ilm. Meanwhile the daughter climbs down the ladder and by devious ways, meets her lover oarthe lawn. The lover Iasa tbottle of poison. They bothpr- tendto take a doseaof it and fall pros- trate, just as the father arrives on the scene. A doctor is summoned. The lover winks at thne doctor and tine lat- ter pretends tirat the case is most seri- ous. The father offers him any price to bring the lovers back to consciousness,- even the price of his consent to their marriage. The doctor gives them a bit- ter antidote and they recover, to re- ceive the parental blessing. Effective outdoor scenery has been chosen for the backgrounnd of the story and the photog- raphy for the most part is good. A BALLOON TRIP OVER TURIN, Educational, Ambrosio:- With the interest now being mani- fested throughout the world in avia- tion, balloon and airship films have be- come rather frequent, but this is an- cdoubtedly thne first time thnat a moving picture camera uas ever taken views from a balloon. The Pegasus is one of the most popular balloons of the Turin Aero Club and it is in this that the spectator nasno difflcultyinimagin- ing himself sitting. As tire balloon rises the great crowds at the aviation grounds are shown as they rapidly dwindle into human specks. Scenes of the magnificent city of Turin, together with the well-laid-out suburbs and sur- rounding farm lands are then caught by the camera. The views are so re- markably clear that the photographer must have been an expert, particularly when the fact is considered that his fo- cus was constantly changing. The bal- loon descends and a demonstration is given of how the air is let out and how the big bag is finally folded and placed in the wicker basket it carried. Dur- ing this pictorial explanation, the bal- loon is caught by a gust of wind. A man becomes tangled in the ropes, and only by rare presence of mind does ie escape injury. A remarkable film well worthy of a long life. DOPE HEAD CLANCY, Comedy, Phoe- nix:- Clancy first mixes up with a vendor of bananas and narrowly escapes ar- rest. lie next attends a ball game and tries to break into the line of ticket Purchasers and gets the worst of the bargain. Then he tries to climb the fence and the "rooters" forcibly eject him. He then applies for a position as a moving picture actor. He breaks tap the motographic drama and is dis- charged. It is a fairly good comedy of its class and will be well received, despite the fact that it has evidently been in- spired by the now famous Foolshead series, being issued by Itala. THE BRACELET, Dramatic, Great Northern:- A rather risque story of the infatua- tion of an artist for is model. The opening scene shows him painting her portrait. She asks him to buy her a bracelet. He has no money, but, after the model departs, he calls in a dealer in oil paintings and sells is few pos- sessions and buys the woman an ex- pensive bracelet. He goes to her house to present it to her but she is not satis- SYNOPSIS fled with a bracelet, she must have hats and gowns and other things. The ar- tist, now penniless again, goes to visit a chemist friend for the purpose of borrowing money. While in the studio an explosion occurs and the artist is stricken blind. He is cast off by the model and forced to become a beggar. While begging he is run over by the au- tomobile containing his former model and her latest paramour. He is taken into their apartments and while there, the woman recants, declares her love for him and decides to marry him. The final scenes show the blind artist and his model wife in a cheap apartment, apparently happy. A film made for foreign consumption and of relatively light value to anr American audience. THEo MISCHIEF OF A BIG DRUM, Comedy, Lux:- A big bass drum, whichris being used bya band during a celebration, decides to take a vacation and starts off. A very funny chrase ensues, in which the crowd of pursuers is constantly in- creased by excited villagers. After many strange capers, the drum is finally captured by the bass drum player and the band plays on. Exhibitors who sav tile film on this occasion, laughed heartily over it, which is a safe criter- ion of te public's judgment. HIGH TREASON, Dramatic, Roma:- An army spy is employed as a clerk in the office of the general of the op- posing army. He learns that a certain lieutenant is to be sent to a distant out- post to deliver important documents. He engages the services of a woman spy, who visits the courier, choloforms imimandstealsithepapers. She isway- laid by two highwaymen and her va- lise, containing the papers, is stolen from her. The thieve s, finding nothning of value in the valise, return it to mili- tary hneadquarters just in time to gain thepardon of the nowconvicted courier As a concluasion tise men all kiss one another in true Roman style. What be- comes of the woman spy and her male accomplice is probably reserved for the next flm of the series. This subject wvillholdinterest. THE ELECTRIFIED HUNCHBACK, Comedy, Lux:- A rather novel comedy idea. A doc- tor advertises that he can cure hunch- back people. A hunchback applies for treatment and his hump is encased in an electric armament. On his way home, a superstitious woman, believing that to touch ahunchback'sh ump will bring good luck, is immediately knocked down by an electric shock. Tine hunchnback visits a cafe and shocks everybody at the tables, when the waiter come in contact with him. A number of stu- dents, marching along the street, are knocked down like ten pins, and thus the episodes increase. The hunchback finally returns to the physician and jambs the electrified vest down on the doctor's head when ie is refused his money back. The very novelty of the idea will hold the wrapt attention of an audience and should produce fre- quent laughter. A GAMIN'S GRATITUDE, Dramatic, Hepworth:- A little boy isabout to be arrested for vagrancy. A rich woman interferes with the officer and obtains the boy's re- lease. As she departs, she drops her purse. The boy picks it up, runs after her and as he is about to return it to her, two thieves snatch it and run away. The boy follows them, is captured by them and taken to their haunt. He sets fire to the place as they are divid- ing the spoils. The fire attracts their attention; the boy grabs the purse; makes his escape and returns it to the woman, for which he is rewarded by being engaged by her as a page in her house A good dramatic story, proving, pos- sIbly, that virtue not only is but has its own reward. A HUNGARIAN VILLAGE TRAGEDY, Dramatic, Duskes:- Calman, a rich old farmer, holds a mortgage on the farm of a certain widow who is possessed of a comely daughter, whom he demands as his wife, in payment for the debt. The girl's sweetheart has joined the army. She sends him a note. He asks leave fabsence and it being refused obe de- serts tire army and returns hnome on his sweetheart's wedding day, only to be told by her that It is too late, that she must marry Calman, who is detest- able to her, for her mother's sake. The night of the wedding day, she has a quarrel with her husband, knocks iim down, leaves the house and meets her lover. The pair are followed and when pressed too hard, jump into a river and end their lives. The scenes are crowded with realistic AND activity. The photography is good, and the heart interest is genuine. One or two of the "night" scenes are marred by inattention to details. Chickens and pigeons are shown running around at midnight, which is by no means the manner of the barnyard birds, but aside from this, the film story is well and convincingly told; the acting is of a high class, and the delicate finale is so staged, that the suicide is strongly in- timated by irrefutable after-evidence without a detailed accounting of tie actual tragedy. MEXICAN'S CRIME, Dramatic, Bison. Ai old time mnelodrama, familiar to readers of dime novels and the now ex- tinct playhouses of the blood and thun- der school, forms the subject for the latest release of the Bison films. Itcwillthrill theaverage audience. A cowboy makes love to a Spanish girl, who nas just jilted a certain Mexican greaser. The greaser shroots and wounds the girl through a window of the frontier bar room and the cow boys start in pursuit of Inim, keeping u p a running fire. The greaser and his gang are finally captured after many fruit- less shots have been exchanged. He is about to be lynched when the sheriff interferes. He takes the Mexican be- fore the now-recovering girl. She iden- tifies him and he is handcuffed and pre- sumably marched off to jail. The chase between cowboys and Mexi- cans is highly exciting. The scenes are well laid amid apparently authentic sur- roundings. A genuine accident in which a cowboy on horse, while crossing a stream, barely escapes being crushed to death beneath the stumbling animal, lends much value to the interest. The photography is uniformly good. NOW KEEP SMILING, Comedy, Duskes: Two poor,, half starving artists devise a means for makcing money, They take their easel, form it into a low tripod, stick a high hat on it, through the top of which they insert a pasteboard tube, and lo, they have what looks somewhat like a genuine camera, particularly when it is half covered by a black cloth. Their first victims are a policeman and a nurse maid who desire their pictures taken together. The one artist collects the money in advance, poses the victims, and with the injunction, "Now keep smiling,"-makes off with his accom- plice. Several other persons are victim- ized, but the miscreants are finally ar- rested. The audience on this occasion enjoyed the film hugely and interspersed it with frequent bursts of laughter. A ROMANCE OF LIFE, Dramatic, Duskes: A well told, pathetic story of every- day life, with delicate juvenile touches, whict contain a strong appeal to the sympathies. A man, engaged by a rich widow to teach her two young sons, falls in love with their elder sister. The mother catches the two lovers at their rendez- vous and discharges the tutor. Tire girl runs away with him and they are shown, four years later, happily married and blessed by a boy baby. The father is run down by an automobile and killed. The wife and son are left Denniless. A few years later, the mother and son are shown in a poor lodging, where tine mother, ill and starving, is bending over a sewing machine endeavoring to make enough money to keep them. She falls over the machine. The son calls in the neighbors. A doctor is sent for and prescribes a bottle of wine. All are too poor to purchase. The boy takes his teddy bear and tries to pawn it; failing in this, he goes to a wine shop and seeing a bottle of wine on the stand outside, takes it and leaves the teddy bear in its place. When he arrives home his mother makes him explain and then return the wine to its owner. He goes back to the store and there, as he tells his story, his grandmother, who is shopping, overhears the tale and real- izes that the child is her own grand- son. She returns, takes daughter and child to her own home, and in the final scene both are shown to be happy. A SUBSTITUTE, Comedy, Raleigh and Robert:- This comedy has the fault of many film comedies; it is built around a soli- tary incident, which, while funny in it- self, is really marred by too long pre- lude andsa drawn out finale, A nurse maid takees baby out in its coach for aniairing. Sheomeetsa police- man and whnile they go off for a stroll, two bad boys put a live pig in the baby coach and hide the baby. The nurse is scolded and is forced to hold the pig in her lap as a punishment. LIFE IN THE SOUDAN, Educational, Hepworth:- Schools and colleges of this country have apparently not yet appreciated the THE SHOW WORLD Independent Subjects BY WALT MAKEE. November 6, CRITICIS lhigh educational aleOf such gal a~ fi lectures as are con t a ined ingraot" graphic subjects of' this kind. Therto may be near at hand, howeriat exhibitors s dal ny usr dilere These are close ran tudie oh Soudanese, told atictur a of rare pho- tographic vividness. How he people Of the Soudan build their strawmattd houses-grind their corn, cultivt the soil, carry their burdens, worsial perform their daily customs wl abt prove interesting to any audiece, THE INVADERS, Dramatic, Clarendon: This is practically a mnotorapha tion of "An Englishman's Home,"- drama which stirre Enln toag fever pitch of excitement and taught its people the vital necessity of i mediate re-organization of its Military home guard . The film shows how the SPY of a fo eign government enters England, smugl gles in cannon, soldiers and armp ind then attacks a home in the suburb . which is poorly defended by it, ir mates because of the antiquated fire arms in their possession. The iaders are fial rvnof ay Ithe batt11 ncenes are quite re alistica-, ties the incidents together. A CABMAN'S GOOD FAIRY, Dramatic, Hepworth:- A poor cabman, father of three moth. erless children, all of whom are in a starving condition, starts out on a snowy night with his cab, in the hope of making enough money to buy bread He is "turned down" by several late pedestrians, but finally stops before a house in which a fancy dress ball 1 being given. A young woman, in fan dress, engages him to drive her home, On the way he is overcome from lachIS of food. The woman gets out of the cab, helps him down from his box, put him in the cab and takes his place, dri ing the cab to her home, where hes taken in and fed and tells hissto. T1he richc owner of therame sendsthi automobile for the three childreno the cabman and all are givena good feast. The subject held theclose aenltaoo the audience and seemed parniruals'l of interestto temiddle class. LIFE FOR LIFE, Dramatic, Itala:- This is very evidently one of thlem costly films that Itala has produced f some time but which, has beenaas of money. Filled with mob see dramatic situations and expensive pa phernalia, upon which the makers ra. well be congratulated, it yet lacks a, plot sufficiently sustaining to warrart attention. A love interest is brieflyi, timated but goes no further thanbthe intimation. Itala, in defense, may al that the stirring days in whicltheT story is laid,-probably thoesOf ofne Irani French Commune-were days ofa and not of love, but thermn ertrto the period furnish volumlasuscantr diction. The film shows fighting between th governmentand the "patriots" in which first one tin the other is succes'u with the final supremacy wo bythi latter. The nearest tiring to a pari an episode. Tine leader of the patriots in endeavoring to escape from his p surers, seeks refuge in a cab which occupied by the daughter of the gover- nor of the province. She affords him protection. Later, when the patriotsi storm her house and seek out her father, tin patriot leader permits them both to escape through a secret panel in th ,t mansion, inpayment for the daughterh service hi n time of need. The mob scenes are excellently ha dled;the scenic investiture is up to the high Itala standard and the acting i practically flawless, and it may e fr these merits alone that thefilmnwi command a large sale and win sP probation. HOW FOOLSHEAD PAID [IS DEBTS Comedy, Itala:- To those exhibitors wInho believed that the apex of photographic as well as comic achievement had been reached in "Foolshead, Hero," this succeeding ei tion of the series will prove a mo IN pleasant surprise. Aside from t e heer cleverness by which the Plot handled, the film is enhancedbyna scheme of magic. Foolshead is be seiged by creditors. but manages ter cape them by simply disappeaingt their midst and bobbing up in the unexpected place. Thes. in the hself he runs into a room, and hides h in a large valise, which moves off, munc to the surprise of its pursuers, leads them a merry march through y unusual circurnstances. Foolshe nd ally sells the valise ~OtoOgl' travelerIsdemonstratingto the hwe easily h~e cani scree hisl Inte a til.They hide themselvesirji , t' as the crowd of creditors arrriv er valise is opened and tle t eateOb are badly handled by tine ir Ih They go after Foolshead, but. as u pp they rain a shower of blows ciar S him, ie undisturbedly smnokest blsa ette, while In ghost fashion ehoatlo in pass through his body. Tiephet . up raphy is exquisite, throughot. J,n5
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