The New York herald., 1921-05-23
'Sn0wblind Is
Realistic Film
of Northwest
Spectators Give Sigh Of Long
ing Over Wintry Blasts OH
Screen-Other Pictures.

Patrons are bound to like Reginald
Barfers latest photodrama. snow
blind" at the Capitol this week. if only
for the fact that it contains large gobs
OF sow and wintry blasts When Miss
Pauline Starke. as the heroine, a young
girl suddenly gone sightless in the
wastes Of the Canadian Northwest, from
the binding. glare OF the white crusts
fell upon the feathery banks of flakes
yesterday most Of the spectators emitted
sigh of longing.
She is taken to a cabin In the will
derness by an ugly visaged stranger
played by Russell Simpson. who has
burdened himself with other prickly
characters before. This time he depicts
scientist. homeIy as sin but with the
beautiful word painting talent Of q poet
who is forced to flee from England for
killing his best friend when the latter
mocks his distorted face-a situation
that might have been avoided IL the
scientist had only sought refuge in a
4 beard
In the lonely cabin the fugitive. who
has fallen In love with the girl. romances
to her. describing himself as a man or
beauty and tragic power while the
4 faithful woman drudge who has followed
him Into exile for love and his loyal
| brother are dismissed as mere footnotes.
The story. adapted by Goldwyn from
Katherine Newln Burt, has somewhat t
unusual premises. and might almost be
said to settle the question whether a
poet can be criminal. Sometimes he
Is. though his work is hardly action
able In law. but in this instance the
criminal escapes with the drudge to a
rev life. while his brother and the girl,
with her sight restored, go floundering
happily over the snow drifts regardless
Of the unromantic risk of pneumonia.
1t is typical Barker production
with moments OF genuine power, through
which filter occasional siumps into alb
surdity, but the principals. Including
4 Miss Mary Alden and Cullen I.andi !,
act well In spite of occasional frost bite,
which must have actually happened in
that bleak and yet impressive setting.
On the whole. It is likely to attract for
I it has emotion laid on ice
l The Capitol is particularly strong on
the musical side. this week. with none
other than sascha Jacobsen violinist
making his cinema debut and playing
Sarasates Gypsy Airs" and ther mum
bers; with solo. "Rachem." by Miss
Maria Samson. with ballet numbers and
The orchestra. the mixed quartet and the
ballet engaging in concerted skirmish
over "Maytime.' A Prizma scenic
shows ''The Sacred City Of the Desert. !"
and Ben Turpin has more trouble with
his eyes over women In a Mack Sennett
comedy. 'iShe Sighed by the Seaside, /"
which Is not so amusing as it Is stimu-
latng in this weather.
Miss Clark In Scrambled wives"
Miss Marguerite Clark renewing her
\ bowling acquaintance with movie audi
ences once more, and seemingly her
youth as WELL in Scrambled Wives" at
the Strand this week. has a vehicle made
to her measure-naturally enough, since
II is her first Independent venture.
In this adapta tion from the stage
farce by Martha NJ. Stanley and Ade-
laide Matthews. wherein she Is scared
young divorcee who trembles lest her
sutor discover that her former husband
Is in the same week end party-her
suitor being violently prejudiced againsr
second hand wives-while her one time
husband is equally fearful Of letting her
presence be known to his jealous sec
ond spouse. there Is entertaining scope
for Miss Clark to wag her petite head
feat which makes her the feminine
/ Sentimental Tommy on the screen.
This farce, with its amusing turns
enables her to play In the high spirited
style In which she exccls. for II was only
as she appeared more and more In ro-
mantle or highly emotional roles that
! her Dresden china countenancc seemed
sadly out of place and somewhat out Of
/ breath. The Naughty Marietta" over
ture by Herbert, violin solo by Miss
Katherine Stang, and Larry Semon in
4 The Bakery" also flash across the line
as winners.
"WOmnn God Changed"
The Woman God Changed at the
I Rvoli Is novel combination OF 'On
Trial and any one OF the 1000 desert
island romances OF the screen one hap
pens TO think Of II II not exactly a
savory story Of Dom Byrne's which
I Robert G. Vignola has translated 10 the
4 screen. but. as three witnesses testify
! in court concerning the shooting by
young dancer of her common law hus-
| band. the interest Is maintained BY
/ splicing their testimony in picture form
! 10 the courtroom scene.
! One finds that the dancer has fled 70
Tahiti and a police officer sent to ar
rest her. tcstifes that when his ship
was sunk he lived with her on an island
and fell in love with her--what else was
there for a man to do on barren Isle
\ In the end 1t Is she who decides they
must return to civilization and the law
and accordingly credit Is given TO heaven
Y for working n change in her character.
Some of the credit also belongs to Seems
I owen and r.. X. Lincoln In the leading
roles, for they make the picture rather
attractive. plus some palm trees and
( shredded wheat costumes.
Weber's "Oberon" overture and Sc
lection from Lehar's The Merry Widow
by the orchestra, and coorful Indian
Tdyll" number with Miss Mary Fabian
and Georges Du Frame are other num-
bers. while Pa the In comedy. Blue
Sunday" pulls popular bugaboo 10