The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-13
Flaws i'm Direction.

waving or SWORDS ana not enough WaV-
ing OF legs
Flaws in Direction.
Flaws in direction are evident, such
as having the heroine step out of the
picture q second and then snap back
with a bandbox. and the march of the
king TO his throne when receiving
Du Barry at court is almost a sprint
regally speaking. And when Du Barry's
lover tries 10 help her escape from
prison and is shot down as a traitor
the death throes are shown with too
much of the faithfulness of a clinic
But these are only minor defects in
a picture that is the best celluloid sym.
phony Of the period so far presented
almost vivid enough to bring Leslie
Carter back 10 the stage in her old
part. There are poignant scenes; once
when the lover, who has been saved by
Du Barry from death and given COM
mission in the royal guards. is forced
to condemn her to the guillotine by his
love of the people, and again when
Du Barry herself. poised before the
blood mad populace on the brink OF
eternity, begs for one more moment %
life.
All the important parts are well han
died, and the picture carries the audi
ence with IL through the actual pictur-
esque settings for two solid hours--a
colorful stage prologue Is the only other
feature on the bill-while some of the
old Greek pity and terror Of tragedy
IL part Of the stock on hand. Finally
with capable captions by Katherine
Hilliker, Passion" has nothing OF the
pruriency its title would suggest.
At the Strand in The Truth About
II,tuka nd ie raxaalad rather aordfd
story OF passion that could not even
have the epic qualities of that impulse
even II the characters were bewigged.
They are indeed most modern Engl sh
persons, lifted By Whitman Bennett out
of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's spoken
play, "The Profligate.' and the highly
gelatlnized truth they offer Is that every
husband has "a little sin in his home
which every wife should take indulgently
as part OF her dowry.
Tells Complicated story.
The wife in question-played by May
McAvoy. whose charm and good looks
rather run away from the part-dis-
covers that her newly weddeu sra %
had wrorged her secretary IN the past.
after the wife had been led TO believe
IL was her husbands friend v ho was
the malefactor, aad-but even the
stited titles have 60 struggle with the
story.
Buster Keaton In Convict 10" Is a
counterbalancing Joy. and the volcal se-
lections By the Strand Male Quartete
and Mary Mitchell more than surpass
the picture. without mentioning "sin"
once.
Something delicious is revealed IN
Flying Pat" at the Rialto by Dorothy
Gish. whose pert whimsicallties can
make even aviation amusing without re-
sorting 10 such Mack Sennett tricks
as catching a man by the slack Of his
underpnnng with an anchor. This
adaptation Of Virginia Whitney tells Of n
young wife who takes 10 heart her young
husbands declaration that woman
should have a career. and while pur-
suing aviation hits the earth. goes to a
roadhouse 70 recover with her instruc-
tor. and has Jealous hubby fnd them and
hit the high places. James Rennio plays
the husband very entertainingly, while
Miss Gish proves herself an ace In the
hole.
Buster Keaton's fastest comedy.
Bruce scenic. Mountain Sailing" Won
Suppes overture. Morning. Noon and
Night IN Vienna" and solos by Sascha
Fldelman, violinist. and Emanuel List
bass. keep the air throbbing.
The Rivoli has one OF those agreeable
and yet tense baclxwoods stories I'm "Tho
Juckllns adapted from Opie Reads book
by Frank Condor. with Monte Blue play
ing the school teacher who falls IN love
with Guinea Jitcklir--weil depicted by
Mabel Julienne Scott--who IL poor but
has managed 20 win generals son with
her eyes.
Thomas's "Mignon" overture and IN
enchanting dance number are the musi-
cal strength OF the bill, while Sun
shine comedy. "rhe Noisy still" might
more appropriately be called moon
shine farce.
William De Miles production, Mid
summer Madness" entering It's second
week AZ the Criteron. Ia one OF those