The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-24
GERALDINE FAIRFAX
 AT THE JEFFERSON

Judging by the enthusiastic recep- ton given Cecf1 B. DeMille's master piece. Joan the Woman" with Geral- dine Farrar portraying the immortal Joan, by the capacity audience at the Jefferson last night, standing room will be the order for the balance of the engagement. The audience was kept on edge from start to finish and the absorbing interest of the theme and the richness and variety of the views makes the picture take iron: rank among the leading films yet pro duced.
 Easing her work on the life of Joan of Arc Jeanie Macpherson, the au thor has given the play modern set ting by producing the life of the French heroine in a dream which British soldier of today has after dis covering an ancient sword in the trenches somewhere in France" This artifice, so common among motion picture writer's Is better manageI than in many cases. but it still remains eXtraneous to the real action of an excellent film
 In this her fourth appearance on ths screen, Miss Farrar starts off as a
 
 as the play develops and she goes to court. recognizes the foolish King Charles VII. leads her troops into bat tie. sees her ambition fulfilled in the splendid coronation spectacle, and then suffers persecution through many painful scene until she is finally burned at the stake. Miss Farrar gradually loses herself in a truly spirited inter- pretation of the real historic person age. Indeed. the spectator soon for gets his feeling of disillusionment at finding Joan of Arc woman approach ing middle age and. under the spell of this capable actress. gradually modifies his conception of the heroic girl until he is absorbed in Miss Far rars interpretation.
 Cecil B. DeNIille who supervised the production of the film. has done much to make the play success. Following with rare success the atmosphere of the period, his settings are beautiful, without exception, and this is especial Fly true of the court and coronation scenes. Joans voices" are within reach of motion picture technique, s they are not on the legitimate stage. and he has worked this optical illusion with skill and al times with wonder ful effect. The battle scenes at the storming of Orleans are breathlessly exciting, so spirited has the large cast charged and thrust. stormed the battlements and fought hand to hand in the turgid waters of the moat
 The drama reaches it's apex with the coronation scene. Then follows the per secution of the girl. intensified by a romantic motive which the writer has introduced. There is an anti-climax with the switching of the action back to the present war again, The young British officer, inspired by his dream, volunteers to bomb an enemy trench. is mortally wounded in doing so, and as he dies on the battlefield the vision of Joan of Are appears to him. Besides the excellent work of the chorus" mention should be made os the support given Miss Farrar by Ray mond Hatton as the king. Theodore Roberts Cauchon, the cruel bishop; Wallace Reid as Eric Trent. the Eng fish captain. who is in this play at once loans lover and her capturer: Fully Marshall as .L'Oire1eur, the mad | monk, and many others.
 At The Lyric
 A big headllner and four other pleas ing acts is the offering at the Lyric the atre for the first half of the week. The programme includes some of the best acts of the Keith vaudeville circuit, all of unusual merit, and were given an en- l thusiastic reception by the capacity au diences that packed the cosy playhous. at both performances last night.
 "The Revue De Vogue" the feature at | traction on the programme, is one of the most elaborate acts in vaudeville. The 1 company, nine in number, are all talent | ed and present song and dance and en- sembles in rapid successio. The act is un. all fol na 1lxy aI1 scene, representing the interior of a church, in which a unique wedding cer- emony is performed. The act goes witt snap that is refreshing.
 A big hit of the bill is Parlllo and Fra bito, Italian street singers. Both pos sess excellent voices and play their owr accompaniment on the guitar and piano. laccordeon. They appear dressed as wan dering minstrels and intersperse their singing numbers with clean comedy The act is one of the best of it's kind in vaudeville
 Roger Gray and supporting company in vaudevilized musical comedy proved highly entertaining. They form a mixed quartet and present a merry musical melange that is very pleasing. George Fox and Zella Ingraham present a med ley of mirth and melody in splendid style and while at a disadvantage in opening the bill, made a decided hit with their clever act.
 The closing number proved a sensation as the Duffin Redcay troupe of expert gymnasts gave marvellous exhibition l of strength and skill on the horizontal bars with the assistance of a tramologue Preceding the vaudeville acts Pathe's Weekly News pictures were shown and are particularly timely and interesting The bill is one of the best that has been presented on the Lyric stage for some | time.