New-York tribune., 1919-10-27
On the Screen
Geraldine Farrar Dominates
s'Flame of the DESERT
at the Strand
By Harriette Underhill

Desert" which is the feature at the
Strand this week.
We never take it upon ourself to
recommend picture of Miss Farrar's.
because no one is lukewarm IN regard
10 TINS very much alive artist. People
either are all for her or else thew
do not like her at all, ana this is also
true of her picturcs-they are mostly
Geraldine.
In this new picture there is the vast
ness of the desert and the Arabs riding
across the land and the followers Of
Mahomet at prayer and all of the
features attendant on a story which
stars the desert.
Lou Tellegen is the leading man, so,
OF course, he has to be brown man,
VINO loves white woman and who
she, TOO, loves. This particular brown
straln SUI Is not bar sinister. Lou
Tellegen cannot look like sheik, no
matter how many turbans and flow
ing robes ne wears, but he can act
as we think sheik should act
dlgnlfied and repressed. Macy Har-
lem is another Arab-the wicked kind
and what convincing Arab he is!
The story is about certain Lady
Isabelle who had brother who
couldn't behave himself at home, so
they sent him to Cairo to reform. His
sister goes with him, and there he
loses all xof his money and Lady Isa-
belle loses her heart to Sheik Essad.
flights across the sands, and finally
peace is declared, and Sheik Essad, in
beautiful white uniform, pins medal
on Lady Isabelle.
Reginald Barker directed the picture,
winch is presented by Samuel Gold
wyn.
There is comedy cartoon, "Silk Hat
Harry in Rural Life; a Chester pic
ture, "The Foolish Fish of Sawback."
and the Strand Review. G. Aldo Ran
degger presents in dance and panto-
mime his Memories of Minuet."
Estelle Carey sings "Winds of the
South The overture is "Mgnon,"
with Carl Edouarde conducting.
AVE were talking to Sam Shipman
last night, and he told us that the best
play he ever wrote could not be pro-
duced as it was because he had his
heroine unfaithful to husband whom
she disliked in the first act.
Said the manager: "The audience
won't stand for that" "But," expostu-
lated S. ST., "I'm going to prove in the
next act that she is a loyal woman
You'll have to get the divorce for
some other reason" said the manager
And it is rules like this that make
little excitement in watching a picture
You know just about what is going to
happen. save in rare cases, like "Song
of Songs"
Therefore we knew full we'll that
that beautiful wedding ceremony which
Norma Talmadge and Wyndham Stand
hol v>1o H.
quest" at the Rivoli will never come
off They we're to have fire burn
ing and q wedding ring carried by
hand from the branch Of tree and
were to read their own contract-and
then the yacht containing husband and
sister and mother landed on the dcs-
ert island and the party was all off.
But every one was sure, too, that
the woman never would be untrue to her
real love even if thousand husbands
came to claim her, and so when few
hours later he tried to force his at
tentions on her she repulsed him so
strenuously that he died of heart dis
ease.
The story never deviates from the
prescribed formula for motion picture
plots, but Norma Talmadge does every
thing SO beautifully that the picture
is entirely enjoyable.
When they are on their way to the
Isle Of Conquest they are torpedoed
and the scenes which follow are the
most impressive we have seen in a
long time.
Of course, ever since the war began,
there have been shipwrecks on the
screen, but, somehow, this one con-
of the others lacked There was just a
flash of the captain going down with
the ship, which was an inspiration, and
the people struggling in the water were
almost too real.
Much of it is theatrical. Men like
John Arnold don't go as stokers very
often, and beautiful women don't throw
them money and then marry them.
Neither does q man hate women so
ceived him nor woman hate men be-
cause one husband has been no better
than he should be.
Miss Talmadge is sincere, beautiful,
sparkling and most attractvely gowned,
even on the desert island--if you know
what we mean. Wyndham Standing is
wonderfully we'll cast as the stoker
hero, and Natalie Talmadge, who makes
her debut on the screen, is nice as
Ethel, the sister.
And there is Mrs. Hopper-Hed
We DelleVc HcT name Is, tnOuBh tncy
have fumblcd it on the program-who is
mamma My, but she is handsome
woman. and how beautifully she domi-
mates every situation!
Gareth Hughes, Claire Whitney and
I Charles Gerard complete the cast. On
the picture program is a Rivoli pic
toral, Mutt and Jeff cartoon and, last,
a Charles Chaplin revival, "The Fire
man." Probably every one has seen
this, but if he hasn't he will this week
"The Silhouette" with music by
Victor Herbert, is staged by Adolf
Bolm. Margaret Leeras, Dorothy Lee
and Erma Self are the nymphs and
4 Frank Vaeth is the faun.
"Lovc's Dream Is Der" is sung as a
duet by Claire Gillespie and Ludworth
Frasicr. The overture is from "Aida.'