New-York tribune., 1919-12-29
Strand Shows New Griffith
Film of MelOdrarna TvD,

D. W. Griffith has again demon
stratcd his mastery of the screen in his
new First National picture, "The Great
est Question:" shown at the Strand
Theater this week. The picture is less
beautiful and less pretentious than
most of his previous productions, but
it is simple and human in its appeal.
1t is sad beyond words, but there are
glints Of humor in it. AS is his Gus
tom, Griffith has taken a sordid back
ground and woven into its fabric a
story of enduring beauty. Instead of
spinning it out and celebrating Oh it,
his handiwork is intensive and it seems
as II there is not one unnecessary
scene. The strain of moralizing is
scarcely pronounced enough to inter-
fere with the enjoyment of the produc-
ton. His choice Of character in the
cast Is unerring and he has used the
medium Of marked contrast to in
tcnsify the fendishness of the sinister
figures and TO enhance the virtues of
his heroes. There is dim echo of the
great war where one of the youths goes
down at sea in a submarine. A touch
Of the supernatural is worked into the
story where the boys ghost is seen by
his mother at the moment of his death.
There is surely no one who gives a
more perfect or pathetic presentation
Of the abused and Whimsical child than
Lillian Gish, who does fine work as
Nellie Jarvis. She is the daughter Of
peddler who roams the countrys il J
in a caravan. When her parents die
she is taken into the home of the
kind-hearted Hltons, who call her
Little Miss Yesm," because of her
constant use of the phrase. Eugenie
Besserer is one of the striking
Oh,
RAJ ph Graves plays the, part of Joan
and is drowned Robert Harron is
Jimmie Hilton, an attractive but
casual young pumpkin who love s
Nellie.
When extreme poverty strikes at the
roots of the l.ome life Of the Hiltons,
Nellie decided to hire out" as maid.
She is engaged by Mr.. and Mrs
Scrubble. Between the tyranny and
bad temper of Mrs. Scrubble (Joseph-
inc CrowelD and the passion Of Mr.
Scrubble George Nichols), poor little
passion are shoXn in all their hdeous-
ness as Mrs. Scrubble hangs over the
girls bed and purposes killing her in
her sleep, The climax is reached
when her ferocious husband pursues
the Girl to garret in the house. She
is only saved from his clutches by the
intervention Of the jealous wife.
Retribution comes swiftly to the
pair, for Nellie suddenly recalls an in
cident Of her childhood, when she
saw them murder and bury d girl in 4
nearby wood. They are conventional
ly clamped in manacles at the end
of the picture, but they are supposed
to be spiritually penitent before tho,r
arrest is consummatei. Their sudden
regeneration is the least convincin. /,
thing in the picture, for they are
painted as such an inhuman and
horrible pair that they are almos.
Dickensian in their vlllainy. While
Justice is being meted out to the
wicked, the worthy Hiltons find good
fortune, wealth and happiness.
The story is really founded on the
old melodramatic theme of the bad
being punished and the good reward ID
but the picture is so full of gripping
moments and the acr,Hg is SO excel
lent throughout that its platitudinou=
phases are forgotten.
The overture is Victor Herber' 5
Babes in Toyland.' with Ca.i
Eduardo conducting the orchestra
There is colored scenic of the
children OF tho Netherlands. Th-
usual Strand Topical Review is run
off and the Criterion Quartette sings
three times a day.