New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-11
DOyle'S Great Detective
Shows His PrOWeSS in
a Seven-Reeler.
WILLIAM GILLETTE
MAKES SCREEN BOW
A Picture Which Is Full of Incl.
dent, but Overlooks
Some Details.

sherlock Holmes. while out for &
stroll with DR.. Watson, meets beau
tiful woman. They are mutually at
tracted, but pass without recognition.
That was the way the whole thing
/ started, according TO a mimeographed
plot summary distributed at a privat,
showing of the filmed Sherlock
Holmes" yesterday afternoon. Fol
William Gillette has at last succumbec
| TO the lure of the movies, ms the phrase
goes, and the result is seven crowded
and entertaining reels OF melodrama
The Essanay concern is responsible for
the production, and the picture will b
shown publicly next Monday and there
after.
AS for Sherlock Holiness semi-smor.
/ Gus encounter with the beautiful
woman, somebody fortunately though;
better Of it at the last minute. As In
| the play, Holmes does not meet the
beautiful woman until he calls upon
her in the home of the Larrabees-
that sinister home where a lady's neck
has mans fngerprint on it, and
where Mr.. and Mrs. Larrabee and Sid
Prince try in vain TO deceive the ON
niscient detective.
The film, indeed, follows the play
closely in every scene-jumping from
/ the home Of the Larrabees TO the un-
! foreground retreat Of Professor Nor
/ iarity, then TO Holiness rooms in Baker
/ Street for the momentous visit OF the
[ professor, then 10 the terrible gas
/ chamber and Holiness lighted cigar
/ trick. and winding up in the Office OF
| DR.. Watson with the capture of Mortar
| ity and the restoration of the incrimi-
mating letters. Mr.. Gillette takes cas-
| lily TO the screen, duplicating the excel
I lent performance with which theatre
goers have long been familiar. The
I picture. since il piles incident upon in
/ cident and never lags, is. undoubtedly
a winner. The only fault 10 be found
with it is that its action is necessarily
entirely physical, whereas the true
/ Sherlock Holmes fan has always de-
rived large part of his entertainment
from the workings Of the great detec-
tive's mind.
Thus it is a disappointment that
Holmes fails 20 astound Watson by
telling him, after a casual glance at his
attire. that he had a careless servant,
that he had moved his dressing table
and that he had just sent a telegram
to say nothing Of the fact that he was
expecting an important caller, and, I'M
less he were greatly mistaken, that was
his step on the stair. The film uses
DR.. Watson only as an aid 10 the plot;
it does not avail itself Of his amiable
density for purposes either Of contrast
or of humor.
The picture employs a praiseworthy
paucity of explanatory leaders, fact
for which MIR. Gillette is probably re-
sponsible. Occasionally, however, the
thing is carried too far; there are
several moments when a scene would
+ have been improved by giving the audi
ence an insight into Holiness thoughts
/ an insight possible only by means Of
4 the printed line During the Morisrity-
Holmes scene, for example. the detec-
/ tive performs a fine feat Of deduction
after the professors revolver has been
taken away from him. Moriarity, you
will remember, reaches for it in vain.
"Shall | see If he has another one?"
/ inquiries the Jealous Billy. "No, Billy"
replies Holmes "If he had another
one he wouldn't have reached for this
one" In the film the characters 90
through the motions, but the point is
allowed TO escape.
Then, too. the Holmes enthusiast. II
he be a real enthusiast, will find other
little things TO plague him. He will
worry over the fact that Holmes starts
for the home of the Larrabee's in q
hanson, instead Of the four-wheeler
that he loved; he will be annoyed by
the detectives failure TO make use Of
the needle LOADED with the seven and
one-half per cent cocaine solution
against which DR.. Watson inveighed),
and he will e UNNECESSARILY veXed by
the fact that Holiness address is given
as POI Baker Street, instead of %.
On the other hand, the film contains
at least one scene that is certain TO de-
/ light the huge legion of the great ones
admirers. At least one is privileged TO
see what happens Immediately after
Holiness escape from the gas chamber;
one can really see and enjoy the ire
mendous discontinue of the baffled
Larrabee and his villanous accom-
plices. The events in their order are
these: Having escaped, Holmes sends
Miss Faulkner home in a hanson zig
roring his lifelong rule, he accepts the
first that responds to his calD; there
upon he summons the police and dis
creetly remains on the outside OF the
building while the arrests are being
made. As the villains are paraded past
him he regards them with a tolerant
amusement, and it is q poor sort of
Holmes fan who will not share the de-
tective's overwhelming satisfaction at
this point.
Several Of the members of Mr.. Gil
lette's recent company are seen in the
same roles in the photoplay, including
Edward Fielding. as DR.. Watson, and
Burford Hampden as Billy. The best
of the supporting company, however, is
william Postance, who makes Sid
Prince a live character. Marjorie Kay,
as Alice Faulkner. scarcely lives up to
the mimeographed specifications, for
she falls somewhat short of being beau
tiful.
II is William Gillette. however, who
gives the film its distinction. And
certain distinction it has, despite its
occasional omissions.