New-York tribune., 1918-05-13
On the Screen
Mime. Petrova, in The Life
Mask Stars in Mystery
Film at the Rialto

Nine. Petrova's most recent picture,
"Ihe Life Mask" was shown at the
Rialto yesterday. Now that Petrova
isn't going to make any more pictures
for a while, one feels that he is loath
to let her go, and every time she leaves
the screen one fears that she may not
return. There is kind of sadness at
tached to the pleasure one feels in
watching her work, which is so pc
culiarly part of her.
A director once said: "Act! Act!
Do you think people are mind readers?"
Nine. Petrova's answer to this has
been: "Yes. Give them a chance to
use their imagination" But, unfortu
nately, she took too much for granted
in some instances, and there are plenty
of people who will tell you that be-
cause Nine. Petrova does not act she
cannot.
Up to date, however, most of the
persons with whom we have discussed
the subject have clinched the argu-
ment by saying that thev didn't like
Petrova's S acting because she wore her
hair differently from other screen ac-
tresses or that they didn't care for her
f'gure. The witness for the defence
will row take the stand.
In "rhe Life Mask" Petrova is sin
cere, dignitied. impassioned, in her own
rrepressed way and entirely convincing.
II Anita Courtland was at all as we
fancied her, then she would have acted
exactly as Petrova acted under the cir
cumstances. We will admit that Pc
troya does not wear her hair becom
ingly, but We also insist that she has
! the most beautiful figure in the world
and the most wonderful eyes.
"The Life Mask" is taken from the
book OF the same name. There is no
particular reason why the author
should be anonymous There are plenty
of worse stories tina, this
Wynham Standing is Woodruff Clay,
and as the second choice of a title
was "Who Killed Woodruff Clay 2"
one knows that eventually he will have
the satisfaction of seeing some one
get rid of this obnoxious person.
Anita is the wife of Clay, although
she married him to save her mother
from prison. Anita's mother is one of
those irresponsible women who be-
lieve they can, with impunity and i'm
munlty, write twenty in front of q
check after it has been made out for
$1,000. Mrs. CORTLAND did so, and
Ci"J touHu IL OuI ana ODJecCeQ. so
Mrs. Courtland induced Anita to marry
him to seal his lips.
Naturally 1T was not a happy mar
rlage, particularly as Anita was in love
with Captain Shannon, in the person
of Thomas Holding.
Petrova's screen husbands are eter-
nally jealous of Holding. 1t seems they
have little perspicacity, for he is ever
blamcless, and in this case he went
until her husband had become a thing
of the past.
There are a number of persons who
could and should and would have killed
Woodruff Clay. One of them could
not resist the temptation and did it.,
but there is no clew as to the culprit,
and the suspicion is sustained right
to the end. AS in "The 18th Chair"
"pick out the one you least suspect
and then you'll be wrong"
We like "The Life Mask" better than
anything; Madame Petrova has done
since "The Undying Flame"
The comedy is Roscoe Arbuckle
called "Moonshine." The overture is
"Ihe Sorcerer's Apprentice" Emanuel
List sang "Invictus" and Annie Rosner
the aria from "The Masked Ball."
1t isn't Bill Hart's fault that he al
ways is bad man, who lives on one
end of desert and who meets and
loves pure young girl who reforms
him. We have his word for it that he
would like to do something where he
could wear dinner coat and silk hat
(not at the same time), and not shoot
nor ride nor get reformed for six whole
recls.
In "Selfish Yates" which is playing at
the Rivoli this week, Hart has again
made concessions to his insatiahle n,,h
lie, although Yates is a little different
from the usual Hart man. He owns a
dance hall on the edge of desert, it is
true, but he doesn't shoot very often
and he doesn't ride nor rope. He sells
whiskey principally.
There is an interesting study in psy-
chology, too, in this picture, and some
nice children have lot to do with the
story.
Thelma Salter, that beautiful child