New-York tribune., 1921-11-29
On the Screen
ssThe Call of. the North," at the
Rialto, ls a Summertime
Story of the Arctic
BY Harriette Underhill

"'rhe Call Of the North" fortunately
shows the North in the summer time,
so one is spared another picture of ice
bergs and snowbound dog teams. They
are nice, but after one has seen a thou
sand or so he is bound to get little
snowblind. Jack Holt is the hero OF
this picture, which is being shown at
the Rialto this week, and we can think
tractive in the role His good looks
and virility, tempered with nice sense
Of humor, are irresistible. The story
is taken from Stewart Edward Whites
novel "Conjurors House" and the
play by George Broadhurst Neither
made the hero, Ned Trent, as human
as he is in the picture. His scenes with
old Galcn Albret, where he resolves to
!"the long traverse" are delightful. The
story is about the Hudson Bay Com
pany and what they used to do to
traders who started out to buy and sell
furs for themselves. Ned Trent's father
was murdered by this Galen Albert for
being an independent and the son lived
to follow his fathers profession and
to avenge his fathers death Noah
Beery plays the role Of Galen Albert;
and will some one please tell us
whether Noah Beery and Wallace Beery
are the same person. If not, how does
it happen that they look exactly alike?
If there are two of them why do they
not play together? They could do
twin brother picture without any double
exposures. Madge Bellamy is the girl.
She appears as q Canadian Juliet, for
no Capulet ever hated a Montague
more cordially than Trent hated AL
love his daughter. Miss Bellamy has
larger eyes and finer teeth and is
smaller than most ingenues; therefore
she is more than adequate. The pic
ture was directed by Joseph Henabery.
"Tosca" is again on the program,
which means that this experiment Of
Hugo Riesenfeld's must have been
success. Pauline Frederick is seen in
the title role in the picture, which is
cinis's opera has been synchronized to
the action of the play. 1t is most ef-
fective.
Charles Chaplin has a revival of
"The Rink" and the thing which most
impressed us in this were the remarks
of the ladies to our left. "He married
Norma Talmadge's sister, didn't he?"
"No, that was Buster Keaton." ooh,
never saw either of them but thought
this was Buster Keaton."
Not an inklng as to the identity of
the real John Harmon is given in "Our
Mutual Friend" which was presented
on the screen at the Lyric Theater last
night. I do not know who made this
picture nor who directed it, but this
l do know, it is Dickens transferred
from the pages of the book intact to
the screen. Those who offer rules
for writing successful scenarios always
say LET your audience in on your in
cognitos. They hate being mystified."
that "Our Mutual Friend" would be
presented with the denouement in the
prologue and then after having taken
all the suspense out of it the director
would 60 ahead and tell the story in
his best movie manner. We even sus-
pected that Bella Wilfer might wear
diamond wrist watch and shimmie. You
know Camille did both Of these things.
But our favorite in the Dickens
story which was so faithfully present
ed at the Lyric last night was not
Bella Wife, nor John Harman, nor
even Pa Boffin 1t was Silas Wegg,
with Mr. Venus a clost second. Silas
is the rascally scholar with wooden
leg, and Mr.. Venus, in case you forget,
is the man who mounted skeletons and
called it an art. How any actors, with
out the guidance Of the author him
self, managed to achieve such perfect
portraits of the Dickens characters is
more than we can understand. Per-
haps they did have his guidance We
have heard IL said that authors would
turn in their graves if they could see
what had been done with their master
| pieces, and perhaps Charles Dickens
determined to take no chances. He
may have directed the picture in
spirit. Who can say? The character
izations are marvellous and the sp-
plause attested that they were duly
appreciated.
Of course it has been necessary to
cut the story to make it into a six-reel
picture, but nothing vital has been left
out. Catherine Reese is charming as
the wilful Bella. Peter Walton is very
good as John, and Charles Withey does
excellent work as poor Pa Wilfer, who
I finally gets suit, hat and shoes all at