The Washington herald., 1920-02-03
- 'sThe Letter of the Law,
BY EARLE DORSEY.

The Letter of the Law" dramatic
production offered by the Garrick,
this week. seems to be ap adaptation
from the French original of Eugene
Brieux, and undoubtedly the piece
itself represents one of the most ar
gumentative of moods on the part
of this Gallo stage evangelist.
Brieux has selected as dramatic
Inspiration that traditional moment
In the life of all jurists when they
suddenly pause and ask themselveI
whether it is law or justice they
have dispensed these many years.
The dramatist has gone a step fur
Their to advance the contention that
the French administration of law is
nothing more nor less than a strug-
gle for convictions with the prefer
ment that naturally devolves upon
ID successful prosecutor.
The drama of THE Letter Of the
Law" may be a debatable quality,
particularly in its more formative
stages. but entrusted to a actor of
the inherent skill and comprehending
genius Of Lionel Barrymore. sup
ported by Boris Rankin and cast
that sometimes approaches her In
aOIlIty. one can return but one YER
dict on 1.-THE Letter Of the Law" and
THAT Is a verdict OF unqualified praise.
II is q play not so strong. perhaps,
as The Coperhead," nor SO dynamic
in its human energies as THE Jest"
but it is a representative bit of play
acting that one is altogether unable
to ignore for the sake of ones dra-
matte soul.
The rateness of the hour that
brought down the final curtain of
The Letter of the Law makes diff
ficuit a detailed analysis of stage
product that is destined. apparently.
for a great deal of discussion anu
analysis during the rest of this sea-
son and probably all of next. The play
is, in its present form, little more than
a literal translation of the BrieuX
original. La Robe Rouge" 1t is a
rather. bitter aTraignment of the
French system of administered juris-
prudence. and while its application to
American life is not specially direct.
the connection is still sufficiently
close to enable the lesson to be eff
fectuaily hammered home. In Amer
lea, however, We are constantly evan
81. Ills against the police and their
methods, and 1t seems a little strange
10 hear the courts assailed in so bald
and unexpurgated a fashion.
Barrymore invests with life and vi
tdlity a part that might--yea.-probably y.
would-grow stodgy and anemic in less
capable hands. But Barrymore. re-
quired to talk, talk, talk his way
through endless lines in the prelimi-
nary acts-lines barely Illuminated by
even flashes of action-lights them up
with his strange genius, transmutes
them into vivid action and invests
otherwise tiresome dialogue with a
divine spark that flashes along the
whole dramatic horizon.
| Doris Kenyon, in the role of a pris-
oner's wife-a prisoner who is about to
be sacrificed to make a legal holiday
ieclipsCs in sheer intensity anything
that fell to her lot in The Copper
head" and il. perchance. We find our
selves rather Indifferent to the evils
lof the French legal system. we must
confess our interest in the altogether
mastery exposition of that theme-an
exposition that becomes doubly mas
terly through the enthrslling of our
interest in a subject that would prob
ably tire with less delightful handling.
/ The supporting cast includes a
( long array Of performers like Zoffic
/ Tilbury. Lcons Hogarth. Russ
! Whytal. Josephine Wehn, Allan
Kelly. and others too numerous for
enumeration here. 1t loyalty up
holds its share OF the acting burden
and it is reGrettabIe that further
individual comment is not practical
bile