The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-07-11
Judith OF BETHULIA"
Four-Reel Biograph Feature
Released by the General
Film Company.

Reviewed By LouisReeEes Harrison
| i fascinating work of high ar
tistry, judith of Bethniia, VII
not rank only as an achievement
10 this country, but will make for
eign prod acer5 sIt up and take no.
tice. Il has signal and impera
message, and the technique dis
played throughout an infnity OF
detail. embracing even the deli
cate dim tintlDg AID toDiHg,
marks an encouraging step in The
development Of the new art An.
cient in story and settings, it il
modern 10 peDetratiVe lDterpreta-
/ fio2-it is 4 vivid history of one
! phase of the time it concerns, and
Is redemptiVe as well as revela
tive, lesson from one Of those Vi
tai struggles that made and III
made nations as Eell as individu
| ais, yet Ii is net without that in
spring Influence that appeals
powerfully to human sense Of jns
( tice.
The entire vigorous action Of
the play works up to the personal
sacrifice of Judith Of Bethulia, a
perilons chance she takes for
| the sake of the lives and
happiness of her people. She
dares expose herself TO over
whelmiDg humiliation and dishoD
or in a challenge Of beauty to
strength, struggles through a
conversion OF sentiment that
makes The high crisis more acute.
and sets at defiance the "better-
death than-dishonoF" plafitude.
escaping both through that all
roDqnering combination in won
an, great physical beauty joined
TO lofty intelligence. She enters
upon a relation of constant peril
only delicate treatment saves the
situation at times abandons her
native purity Of conduct and
dares her o1D nndOlng. yet the
noble end jnstlfes the dangerous
means and she emerges ldealized
by her people, al apofheosis Of
splendid eomanhood
B-thnlia is fortified town of Ju
dea, guarding bill pass through
which an invading Assyrian army
must march in order to enter Jn-
dea In the town lives Judi b. a
deyout yonng woman Of lofty
character and remarkable beauty,
when the place is stormed By Ho-
Iofernes at the head of a large
army. The fighting before the
gate brings into action an eDor
nous number of soldiers on both
sides, and those engines of war,
such as the battery ram aud cata
pult, which were used by the
lighting male of other days under
close conditions of furious com
bat. One desperate assault after
another is repealed, scaling lad
ders are thrown down, great rocks
are showered upon the invaders.
and the wonder is that they keep
At it. The reason is that HoIo
fernes has way of torturIng and
killing unsuccessful captains. An
officer had better die in the thick of
battle than return with confes-
sion of defeat. Holofernes is as
merciless as nature TO all who fail.
The great leaders brutality to
his captains when they do not
succeed in carrying the fortress
by storm indicates what the in
habitaDts of Bethulia may expect
10 the event of capture and serves
to intensity the clash of character
later Ont adds peril to the M.
dertakiBg of Judith when she re-
solves to sacrifice herself for her
people. Holofernes, after making
horrible example OF defeated
captains by frightful torture. re
sorts to strategy. His soldiers
have seized the wells from which
the inhabitants of Bethulia OBJ
tanned their water supply and their
leader adopts waiting tactics, di
vertlng himself with dancing girls
to break the tedium. Bethulia Ia
on the verge of famine, and the
besieged are almost ready to sur
render the fortress and all Judea
to the spoilers, when Judith goes
forth 10 her finest raiment, accom-
panied only By her maid, enters
she Assyrian camp and obtains an
interview with the merciless Holo
fefnes. Against bis formidable
strength. his brutal ferocity and
cunning, his absolute power, are
matched her fascinating personal
ity directed by intelligence and
hidden purpose. She Is willing
to carry "her fault on her shout
ders like a coronation MANTLE
The dangerous and difficult sit
uation from this point to Judith's
terrible triumph and the defeat of
the invading Assyrians is pictured
without loss OF force or charm by
extreme deIieacy OF treatment.
Beauty is constantly asserted By