The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-30
PLENTY OF DESERT
IN FILM OF SAHARA
Louise Glaum the Erring Wife
in African Offering at
. Strand.
MANHATER AT RIALTO
Marguerite Clark Forced to
Capitulate to Please Fans
Elsie Ferguson at Rivoli.

The desert and the Oriental horizon in
general OF q photoplay rareiyfhave been
deliberately imported before the camera
as In "Sahsra." the motion picture in
which Louise Glaum started yesterday
warming up patrons of the Strand The
atre with a hot gust from Africa. But,
after all. what counts more than lavish
settings of palaces with a prodigal dis
play Of potted palms is the human con-
tent of film. and producers who are
handing out literally the pieces of eight
very well could sQuander a little more
money on the presentation OF a more
natural and vital story without Irritating
the public in the least.
The tale in this instance has to do with
Mi0non, a Partisan actress, who Graves
admiration and luxury as some persons
crave the movies. Her husband, a civil
engineer, who might be a member OF any
of half dozen nationalities but Is
made an American for the sake OF the
story's grip" is compelled to take her to
the Sahara In order to replenish his de-
fiated bankroll by working on one OF
those irrigation systems with which the
films are simply congesting the old
desert. His wife wearies OF a life that
has sand In It's eearbox, but why she
should insist on being taken to Cairo Is
perhaps another Of those throbbing ORR
entail mysteries.
Always Perfectly Respectable.
A Russian baron and wealthy land
owner who happens to be passing by
promises her Cairo, and she fees with
him to life Of luxury--and. by the way,
1t is made perfectly respectable in the
picture, for. as the baron himself says,
she is to be only his friend. But amid
| a life OF material satisfaction she feels
| her soul gnawing at her. 1t Ia not till
| she discovers her deserted husband wan
dering in the Nile city with their little
boy as a drug ridden beggar and sets
about restoring his mind and his health
causing him to puncture the baron's
health MORALLY with a bullet In the
| process--that she finds that happiness
which only the movies can give.
In arranging this story c. GardneE
Sullivan, who has shown himself capable
of some striking scenarios, seems to
have used the touch system on his type
writer without watching what he was
composing. The screen drama Is weak
| in motive in It's crucial part. for appar-
emily the butterfly wife decides TO re-
form and abjure the world. the flesh and
Cairo merely for the novelty OF 1t. just
| as some converts get religion. In ad
dition TO a superfiuous child the scener,
is mussed up by a perfectly irrelevant
! sandstone.
Miss 0laum poses statuesquely as the
woman who falls an easy prey to hei
conscience, AID Edwin Stevens waggle!
his mustache in a sinister manner al
the bad, bad baron. But the acting
| honors easily 20 to Matt Moore, wht
surprises one with the vividness Of hi.
| transition, both in makeup and char
acterization, from the betrayed husband
to the hasheesh crazed vagrant who re
gains his sense in time to stand thu
shock of regaining his wife.
Orchestra Has q Share.
To fasten the atmosphere of the pic
ture securely on the spectators the or
chestra plays Victor Herberts 'Th'
Wizard of the Nile" and Ann Rutledg'
takes part in vocal scenic prologu,
consisting of a view of Paris. since thu
photodrama takes running jump OF
from that city. During the projection
OF Sahara" a tableau Of the Moham
medan prayer to the sun Is presented
while the orchestra works its way int
Mascagnrs Hymn to the SUM-" Tn
Universal Film Company scores a cinem;
scoop with amusing pictures of Grown
Prince Freddy Wilhelm strolling througl
the island OF Wieringen, and of cours
making a fIzzle out of It when he at
tempts to mount bicycle. THE Jazz
Monkey" is n comedy presenting 10
Martin, who is coming TO have his hu
morous qualities SO highly valued tina