Arizona republican., 1916-09-02
PRISON PICTURE
 P[EASES CROWD

At 10 minutes to II last night, when i ten reels of the Honor System" had | finished showing on the screen at the 1 LamaTa theater, the picture had justi- l fled it's manufacture and fulfilled it's destiny. It had made at least 800 con verts in favor of prison reform. If there was anyone present who was not converted, he did not make himself known.
 William Fox has made some won derful pictures. It was the concensus of opinion last evening that he had just shown his best effort on the screen.
 The Honor System" is in ten reels. The action ranged from the tragedy of the whipping post and snake hole' in the old Arizona prison at Yuma, to the highly humorous antics of the youngsters of the "Widow Flynn The Fox people have outdone themselves in everything they attempted with the picture. They went out to make big picture and they succeeded.
 It was said before the picture was exhibited here that it was a gigantic political advertisement for Governor Hunt. This is far from the truth. Governor Hunt is portrayed to very small extent in the picture. That is very obvious, as the most of the des-
 
 | before the governor reached the zenith of his power
 It is a plea throughout for prison reform It is probably the most pow erful plea put before the public. Ii | the reels survive the censors' scissors, the Fox organization may consider it. self lucky. Some of the scenes in the old prison are heartrending, to say the least The crowd throughout the even ing was with the prisoners. When the prison break came, for probably the first time in Phoenix a motion picture audience rose to it's feet and cheered.
 The trials and tribulations of Joseph Stanton, the young engineer sent to prison on false charge, are portrayed in a realistic manner. Throughout the ten reels is woven very pretty love story. One feels, at times, that the | young daughter of the warden of the model prison is demeaning herself when she falls in love with Stanton I the prisoner, but both are lifted be- yond the pale of ordinary beings by the fine touch of Raoul Walsh's master hand The picture is unlike a great many others. It is too big to describe Walsh has taken great care in se- lecting his characters. Every type his warden of the aid hellhole of 9 | DeHllGntldTN, IS uTdWH WIti liiS lilelotci hand of an artist, the guards are true ,, to life, the thugs who attempt tho honor mans life, are so near the req thing that the audience positively cringed when they appeared on tho screen.
 There is possibly one thing wrong with the picture. It is a little too long Ten reels, no matter how virile ant interesting they may be. make a pic
 ture that tends to tire it's audience Walsh has done great deal to elim
 mate all tiresome scenes and mitigat' this evil as much as possible. Th' picture is as yet more or less in { crude state. and when shown to thu
 Fox forces in New York may be short ened somewhat
 The Lamara was crowded to tn, limit last night, every seat in thu house was taken, and as a tribute t the pictures powerful appeal, it migh
 be mentioned that probably 150 stoo'
 in the rear-of the theater. The pictur
 will be sent to New York this morn
 ing for the first review in that city b,
 William Fox.