The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-28
EMPIRE SHOWS
MOST GRIPPING
MOVIE YET MADE
LAST DAYS OF POMPEII'' SPEC
TACULAR-EXCEL
STAGED AND ACTED.
George Kleine's version Of

Nydia. the blind flower girl and one
reel of spectacular scenes which nave
never before been equaled, and are
not likely to be surpassed, Fully
200 persons are seen in the arena
scenes. Those showing the eruption
or Vesusvius and the destruction or
the city are most impressive.
Not only does the smoking noun
tain belch forth shower of lava
and dense smoke over the city, but
huge pillars, falling. apparently crush
the fugitives to death. The panic and
the scenes of destruction as the
doomed city meets It's fate are vis-
ualized in a terrible manner. AFTER
MFR. Kleiue's "Quo Vadis, which
paved the way for the big feature
as the direct competitor of legiti-
mate theatrical attraction, mueh more
is expected from an offering presented
by him than from any other MIN.
His Last Days of Pompeii'' Will
not dIsappoint. and many of those
present Yesterday were heard to say
that "Pompeii" is better than quo
Vadis." The general excellence or
the cast and the beauty of the SET
tings, together with well-connected
and logical action make the fve reefs
plea suratle And the sixth reel. the
spectacular one, will make the most
blase gasp QUO Fadis' proved that
italian players take to Roman cos
tune as naturally as duck takes 10
water, and in a way that cannot De
eouaIed by Americn players. But IL
has remained for .'Pompeii' to make
conspicuous one bit of stage technique
in which the italian actresses sur
pass the American. How the itaiian
Actresses do use their hands. OF all
the PLAYERS on the American speaking
stage, Nazimova alone classes with
them in conveying thoughts by a SYM
pathetic. intelligent hand.
Siguora Negri Pouget. as Nydla'
and Signora Eugenia Tettona F'lprlo'
as lone. convey nearly as much BY
their hands as by their faces Al
WAYS beautiful, always expressive,
never the chance collection of four
fingers and a thumb. their hands
alone nearly tell the story when they
are on the screen. The part Of Nydia,
in made the conspicuous part OF the
whole presentation by Signora Pou-
get. She conveys forcibly the impress
-l,ttf.i44AAs-H work ilI
live after the film.
Glaucus, a handsome and wealthy
Athentan nohleman, living in Pom
peii is the sweetheart Of lone, a
Grecian girl of great beauty. tones
L, "A
religious tendencies, is the pupil OF
Arbaces. a crafty, lewd and unscrup-
ulous Egyptian. high priest OF the
Temple of Isis Arbaces has ever
nourished an intense but unworthy
love for lone The Egyptian de-
spises Glaucus as his rival and plots
his downfall. Nydia is a sweetminded
Thessalian flower girl, blind from her
birth, and madly loving Glaucus
whom she has never seen, but whose
kindly voice and ever-ready purse
have many times lightened the hand
of her cruel mistress Stratonice. wife
of Burbo. an innkeeper. Glaucus,
with his friend, Sallust, one evening
goes to the inn TO place bets on the
coming glgditoriai comhats, He there
purchases Nydia from Burbo. after
seeing the blind girl frightfully beat
en- by Stratonice. He takes her home.
The story takes the auditor up to
the last reel to the arena in the cir
GUS and the eruption of Pompeii. The
great spectacle Is at Its height. The
great arena is crowded with thou
sands. who enjoy the entrance of the
gladiators. their contests and horse
racing. Giaucus is about to be thrown
10 the lions, when Sailust appears ana
names Arhaces as the murderer or
Apaecidcs. "Arbaces to the lions" is
the cry. when Vesuvius is seen in
eruption. and soon the frightful ca
tastrophe begins. Thus eEds the sixth
reel OF "The Last Days OF Pompeii."
truly the greatest moving picture
ever shown in Richmond, and there
is no question that this wonderful
picture will break the record for at.
tendance. FOR every man. woman and
child, especially the school children
should see THE Last Days Of Pom
peir at least once.
Felix Features at Lyric.
Music which has been con-
spicuously absent feature of the
lyrics bills for the past several
weeks. is given a prominent place this
week and you can hear anything from
THE International Rag" to the ever
surprisingly sweet Traumerei. There
is a hlackface duoin ragtime, man
and woman In love duets, an instru-
mental uuintette and a vocal octette.
The bill is well selected and the acts
very we'll placed.
Although the aforementioned
octette is the headliner. IL is George
Felix, a loose iointed, ugly, droil
acrobatie comedian, who hogged the
whole show He is a show all by
himself. and no man on the stage is
the art of pantomime to remark
able degree and his business with the
decanter is painfully laughable. With
him are the Barry sisters. who, though
clever enough. are completely eclipsed
by his work.
Florentine singers. eight in number,
with one sweet contralto, an equally
good tenor and an excellent bass
voice. and five Others more or less
~
tons from ii Trovatore, Lucia and
Faust and several Of the classics with
very good effect, their ensemble sing
ing heing vastly superior to the solo