New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-14
"The Patriot" Finds a
Hero Who Can Do
All the Work.
WILLIAM S. HART
IN PLEASING PLAY
Drew Comedy Picture at Strand
Provides Laughs Without
Pie or Soup.
By HAYWOOD BROUN.

Surprises occurred in the moving
picture plays shown here yesterday.
In "The Stronger Love-" pure feud
play, the heroine married the wrong
man, and in 1.-THE Patriot" there
wasn't any heroine. This, of course,
was the greatest surprise, for the pict-
ure is probably the only film ever de-
vsed which does not end with close
up hug.
The author made some concessions
to tradition. The picture has no hero
inc. to be sure, but it leans heavily on
a blond child and pet dog.
"The Patriot" is the feature at the
Rialto. Arrantly sentimental, it is,
nevertheless, at all times interesting
and often appealing. The story is CO.
herent and Monte NJ. Katterjohn, the
author, uses to good effect all the tech
meal devices which belong alone 10
the movies.
Thousands of horses have galloped
up and down the screen by now, and
yet picture playwright should hesi-
tate before writing a film in which
there is no charge of cavalry across a
plain. The playgoers are not yet stated
of flying hoofs.
Next to a galloping horse there is
nothing which brings Western tang TO
a picture so successfully as the fine,
long, melancholy face of William >.
Hart. Mr.. Hart can do things with his
eyes and the corners of mis- mouth that
almost make you feel the sweep OF the
wind, and see rolling country and hear
hocf beats. He has the sad, faraway
look of man who expects to get
kicked by a horse, murdered by an
Indian, or swept away in q eye lone.
As a matter of fact, his forebodings
are justified in The Patriot" even
though fate takes none of the three
forms to which Westerners have be-
come acclimated. Hart is Bob Wiley,
a prospector who is swindled out OF
his mining claim by governmental
fraud. Embittered he throws in his lot
with a gang of Mexican bandits, and
aids them in their plan 10 raid a border
town. At the last moment he repents
of his treachery and helps to fight of
the invaders. Harts work is most
convincing throughout.
Vivian Martin is the star of THE
Stronger Love-" She is a mountain
girl who saves the life of a member Of
the rival clan, but decides to stick with
her own set when it comes to marrying.
Miss Martin is pretty and vivacious,
but unfortunately she is by no means
free from moving picture mannerisms.
The picture is splendidly set.
A rather more interesting number
on the same programme is Nobody
Home" with Mr.. and Mrs. Sidney Drew.
The picture is broadly farcial, but no
soups nor pies are hurled, and nobody
falls downstairs. Strange as 1t may
seem the picture is highly amusing.
There is abundant movement in
Sporting Blood" at the Academy of
Music, but the picture jumps so
hastily from place to place that there
is often some little difficulty in follow
ing the thread Of the story. Small
snatches of irrelevant action are fire.
ouently introduced for the sake Of
/ local color. This device is employed
frequently in most Fox pictures and
| is often affective. This time it has
| been grossly overdone.
There are some fine glimpses Of
/ horse racing, and it was pleasure
| for once to watch finish without be-
| ing a penny the poorer for the result
/ Dorothy Bernard and Glen White are
| effective in the chief parts.
/ Marguerite Clark is the star at the
/ Broadway Theatre, where she is seen
/ in Little Lady Eileen The current
| bill also has a Fatty Arbuckle COM
edy.
We wish to declare ourselves in re-
volt against educational pictures. We
think il little short Of impertinence
that anybody's Sunday rest should be
disturbed by the gratuitous informa-
/ tion that Bermud. was discovered by
Juan de Bermudas in 1915 and that a
/ dredge which can be purchased for
/ S150,O00 in Oregon costs S750,OOO in
+ Alaska. And, as matter of fact, we
/ don't care how cocoa butter is made or
copper smelted.
! In DR.. Sugden's Alaska pictures at
/ the Rialto a game Of baseball is shown
going merrily on at midnight. In all
/ probability it was a pitching duel be-
/ tween Slow Joe Jyle and Eddie Plank.
sCr NFnEnEO yNyVyT DIN