New-York tribune., 1920-04-12
On the Screen
Anniversary Week Is Observed
at the Strand and Rialto
Theaters

niversary week at the Strand and the
Rialto theaters, the former celebrating
its sixth and the latter its fourth an
nlversary. Congratulations are in or
der for both, but hardly for the way in
which either entertained their birthday
guests.
AS an odd coincidence, at both the
aters two we'll known authors, the late
David Graham Phillips and Owen John
son, suffered mistreatment. At the
Rlalto, where Violet Heming appeared
IN The Cost" a picture adapted from
fhlll!pss novel of the same name, the
injury done the author was compare
lively mild. The cost" about which
there is sc much to do, was. as far as
we were able to make out, the price a
woman pays for marrying contrary to
the advice of her parents. Pauline
Gardner, who is married secretly to
John Dumont, discovers bit too late
that Dumont is not what he appears
to be.
In the background is the figure of
the vlrtuous but discarded lover. Hamp-
den Scarborough, who is waiting with
the patience of high morality for Du-
mont to stumble on the primrose path.
Let the details pass. Scarborough and
Pauline meet, after the providential
death of Dumont, to arrange the de-
tails for the next wedding.
A Mack Sennett COMEDY. entitled
Gee Whiz," wanders in an aimless and
truitless search for humor, with the
added irritation of innocuous titles.
Inc musical features Of the program
did much to make us forget the trivi-
elity of the film offerings. The over
ture is Liszt's Lies Preludes"; there
49,, as an organ solo by John Priest,
the Concert Overture,' by William
Faulkes; there are as pleasing vocal
solos, an aria from Flotow's Martha" +"
sung by the tenor. Martin Brefei, and
"Ah .fors lui," from "Traviata," !"
sung by Grace Hoffman,.
AT the Rialto we had Been the wit
ness OF fourth birthday, and it was
natural that there was certain limi-
tatlon on sweets. But at the Strand.
where it was sixth birthday, there
was evidently no limit placed on sweet
ness. In "The Woman Gives" from the
novel by Owen Johnson, Normal Tai
madge, with the aid of some title writer
who owes. a great literary debt to the
author Of this elsie" books and the
talented souls who wrote the books that
NIL our Sunday school libraries, shows
US just what it is to have all the
sHOioAAIy tucTO 3.
The story is much like the one of the
ssentials 60, with the difference of a
little twist at the end. AS Inga Son.
derson Miss Talmadge rescues sup
posed genius from the disintegrating
after effects Of discovering that his
wife is one OF those who only take"
and do not "give." In the process of
saving the genius from opium and
Johnny Walker Inga risks her own
happiness, for her fance is descended
IN an unbroken line from Otnello. In
cidentally, it was more or less a pity
that this latter day Othello did not fail
to with an eiderdown pillow whenever
nc saw ut OF eloquence coming over
inga.
To get back to the story, after Inga
has saved the genius she proceeds to
tie herself up for life with this man.
who is subject to fits of jealousy. With
fits CT Jealousy and of rhcto' in the
saro family it wss as we'll that tho
picture did not pursue the story into
che married life of the g1undi'oquen.
.ov. rs.
The musical program at the E;alto
acts as counter irritant to the dens-
tating effect Of the pathos of the titles
OF "The Woman Gives" and the gen
SA oA AAoAPA0Aty O1 tI1G plCCuIC. tie ever
popular Russian Cathedral Quartet
sang Russian folksongs; the orchestral
number was Enescu's "Rumanian
Poem," and II Hear Thy Angel Spirit"
was sung as duet by Malcolm Nc
Eachern and Estelle Carey.
Such an oversupply of sweets at both
these birthday parties makes the con-
gratulations coming from one who has
tasted the syrupy offerings triHe
weak snd insincere. These two feature
pictureN brought back the image Of the
girl of the nursery rhyme who, when
she was good, she was very, very good
and when she was bad, she was hor-
rid" SO it was with these two pic
lures.
There were sanity figures in both
and there were diabolical figures in
both, but there were no human figures.
There was great and celestial bright
ness in each picture, and there was a
heliish darkness in each picture, but
there were no half lights nor soft
shadows in either. Both were as rn-
mote from art or reality as is frosted
postal card Of the Woolworth Tower at
night. Both were as mawkishly sweet
and unwho]esome as the French pastry
Of one-arm lunch. If this be tho art
of the movies, there is solace in bur-
lesQue.
"Treasure Island" the second screen
adaptation Of the work OF Robert Louis
Stevenson to be seen here in the last
two weeks, was presented yesterday at
the Rivoli. In it Maurice Tourneur
has preserved all the thrills of the
romantic tale of fierce pirates, mutiny,
sea battles and buried treasure. Lovers
of Stevenson will not be shocked by the
directors treatment of one of the au-
thor's most popular stories. Unlike his
recent production of Joseph Conrad's
"Victory," he has not found it neces-
sary to distort, interject and generally
fects desired for the screen.
"Treasurc Island" itself is rich in
material for the screen without the
necessity of deviating from the course
set by the author or changing his story
to any great degree. Mr.. Tourneur is
to be complimented for not trying to
"out-Stevenson Stevenson" and for the
skill he has shown in reproducing on
the screen the most exciting and pic
turesque parts of the story. The cave
scenes and all the battle scenes be-
tween the pirate crew and the English
men who headed the expedition in
search of the buried gold were done
with a realism which sent chills down
the spine and gasps through the dark
ened theater.
Shirley Mason plays Jim Hawkins,
and she makes very pretty, very in
nocent and resourceful and clever hero
Once or twice when fierce pirates are
about to cut her throat open with
knives she does not