New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-13
On the Screen
Pinero's The Amazons," a
the Strand, Rivals the
Stage Version

OF all the amazons who have ap-
peared in Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's
play by that name none has been so
fascinating as Marguerite Clark, who
plays Lord Tommy in the screen YER
sion, which was presented at the Strand
Theatre yesterday. Any one who knows
the Pinero play will readily grasp its
vast possibilities for that delightful lit
tie coincidence, with her athletic pro-
clivities, her beauty and her legitimate
cuteness, which is never aggrsvating.
Perhaps we are prejudiced in favor
of the silent drama, but 1t does seem
that there could be no two opinions as
to which was the better evenings enter
tanment, the play or the screen
drama. Some Of the most amusing
scenes were those which were merely
talked about in the stage version.
Tommy's trip to London TO visit her
mothers old friends, her runaway esca-
pade in the music hall and her subse-
auent return home, slightly the worse
for wear, were all part of the picture.
Truth compels US to admit that when
Tommy returned home she was intoxi-
Gated, but the scene was played so
lightly and Miss Clark is so small that
she is never anything but delightful.
And then there were extenuating cir
cumstances. for wasn't the brandy
poured down her throat while she was
unconscious? And could she help it?
1t was, and she couldn't.
Elsie Lawson and Helen Greene were
we'll cast as Willie and Noel. One Of
them was particularly good, but we
can't remember whether Noel or Willie
was the timid one. At any rate, it was
the one who got knocked out in the sec
ond round.
Lord Tweenways, part which Fer
dinand Gottschalk played so well, fell
TO the lot of Edgar Norton, who did not
suffer by comparison with his predeces-
sor Andre Bellon was De Grival. Both
of these parts were well played.
There is much more satisfactory
ending in the screen version than was
allowed originally. Lord Utterly, the
handsome hero, in the person of Will
lam Hinckley, bears off wee Tommy In
triumph to the altar, and the other two
lovers follow suit with Willie and Noel.
The marchioness bears up under the
disappointment of having to have sons
in-law instead of sons better than
might be expected.
The titles are excellent and the piece
abounds in humor. A sample of this is
when Lord Utterly is caught kissing
the physical instructor, and he explains
that she is the daughter of his old
nurse, to which Tommy replies sweetly:
"Oh, see. And do your sisters all kiss
the head gardeners sons?"
The overture is "Pique Dame Rosa
Ling sang "Le Reve Passe," and a won
derful effect was produced by throwing
on the screen a vast army of men
marching to battle during the rendi-
ton. Miss Lind had to respond to a
number of encores. Henri de CauX sang
the aria 80 Paradise" from "LAfri-
caine" The comedy was Victor Moore
in Summer Boarding"
Dustin Farnum has been released on
the Fox circuit. He appeared at the
Academy yesterday in "Durand of the
Bad Lands" one Of those intense
Western plays with glorifed cowboys
and good little girls who run the ranch
alone after daddy is killed by the
Indians. Not that Dursnd is not a
mighty interesting, mighty handsome
bad man. He is-otherwise there
would not be any picture. Dusty does
not look much like his brother, but he
has some mannerisms which are just
like Bills, which is really q compli
ment to both Of them. We always
liked Bill, so now we like Dusty, too,
and how he can ride and shoot, and
everything.
Winifred Kingston, who did such
good work in "The Spy" is cast as
molly Gore" She hasn't much to do.
but she does it well, and bears strik-
ing resemblance TO Frances Starr.
There is plenty Of humor in the pict-
ure and some wonderful exteriors;
also some clever children.
Durand is bad man who never robs
the poor, nor hunts any helpless thing,
nor drinks bad whiskev. He has beau
tiful teeth, is extremely good to look
at. and is wonder at jumping from
Mexico to Texas and back again with
out getting caught by the we'll known
posse, so we for one were glad when
he married the heroine. II. U.