New-York tribune., 1919-06-02
On the Screen
"True Heart Susie,'' at Strand,
Another Triumph for
ID. W. Griffith

Yesterday, just as we were about to
start for the Strand Theatre, we re-
ceived letter from Lillian Gish and
another one from David Griffith.
Both were written in terms calcu-
lated to make you feel that "all's" right
with the world" even it you are suf-
fering from incipient pneumonia, and
so we went to the Strand in just the
proper frame of mind to appreciate
"True Heart SUSIE" Mr.. Griffth's
latest picture, with Miss Gish as the
star.
The setting is bucolic, the story is
ordinary, the titles are not clever, and
often they are quite superfluous, and
yet True Heart Susie" is great pict-
ure!
Can you imagine story of a girl
who sacrifices herself to earn money
to send the boy she loves to school, and
then to have him fall in love with a
real baby vamp, and to leave him
marry the wrong girl, and then to have
virtue triumph in the end? Can YOU
imagine this being treated in an inter
estlng-and human way? We could
not until we saw it unfold itself beauti-
fully before our eyes.
And can you fancy that you would
not be bored with titles which saw
susie decides to hush up" or "Will-
lam goes for walk" or words to that
effect?
But it is the simplicity, the sincerity,
the entire freedom from all striving
for effect that delights.
Lillian Gish is as charming and as
awkwardly pathetic as ever, and the
character which she portrays is the
same sort which has made her famous.
Robert Harron, as the boy who be-.
comes minister, is delightful.
susie IS described as having a single
track heart. The title says, after all.
there are people with singletrack
hearts, and after all, perhaps. there
are.
However, William had little CONNIE
'i'ioh' Tor we saw no other swains come
singing under Suse's window.
Just because, one day, when William
was home from college and eating ice
cream in the village store with Susie.
ne told her that men liked to flirt with
Glris' who painted and powdered, but
mat they married the plain ones Susie
thought that she was bctrotheo.
1t was therefore something of a
shock when William announced his en-
gagement to Betty Hopkins, a milliner
from Chicago, who not only painted
and powdered but wore silk stockings
and satin shoes and tight skirts.
William married her because he had
that obsession which is known as love
She married William because she was
tired OF working, and after that she
never did work any more. William ate
canned meat three times n day and pre-
pared it himself. Susie occasionally
invited them to dinner and fed him
roast chicken and home made biscuit.
which made him suspect that perhaps
he was paying the bills for the wrong
woman after all
But the end comes suddenly; so sud-
denly. in fact, that you suspect some
one Of discovering that the picture was
gong to run half-hour too long. and
If 1T had it wouldn't have been bit
too long to please us.
Clarine Seymour, who appeared re-
Gently in "Thc Girl Who Stayed at
Home Is very effective as the other
girl For those who do not like to be
narrowed the picture has happy
ending.
The overture is excerpts from
Aida with Carl Edouarde conduct
ing The Strand Ladies' Quartet SANG
cold Favorites"
On the picture programme besides
the feature are the Strand Topical
Review, Topics of the Day, a scenic.
Where the Screen Tree Grows" an
Outing Chester picture, and a Univer
sal comedy, waiting at the Church."
cone of the Finest" the Tom Moore
picture which Goldwyn is presenting
at the Rlalto this week. is distinctly y