New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-03
Interesting Chat and Stage Gossip for Playgoers
" Atlantide'' a i
French Picture
Of Desert Life
Novel by Pierre Benoit Has
Been Filmed with New
Effect i'm Black and
White; American Touch
By Wilbur Forrest

By Wilbur Forrest
PARIS, June 1o.-Can the French.
masters OF so many arts-regain the,r
original place in the art of maxine
moving pictures? After the initial er.
hibition of "Atlantide" here the yer.
dict must be that the American and
German producers, now leading, will
be forced to render acknowledgment
of serious competition, provided, Of
course, that the French keep their
cinemarographic stride just set. !
"LAtlantide," Pierre Benoit's move,
which won the honors over all Freneh
novels of 1919, places the scene Of
Frances greatest picture production in
the heart of the Soudanese desert.
Here, the thin desert air, gives photogra.
ply new effect in blacks and whites,
which, according to competent obsery.
ers, has seldom been equalled. In its
technique and detail there is to Amer
leans touch Of D. ". Griffith. though
this film is entirely the product Of
French experts-the General Society
for the Industrial and Commercial De.
velopment Of Cinematogrsphv
The production stars Nile. Stacia
Napierkowski, the beautiful Russian
actress, as Antinea, regal and UNIQUE
"vamp" whose web is the marvellous
majesty of the African desert, catch.
ing the victims and drawing them
toward her mysterious castle, where
she sits as Queen of the Hoggars, the
remaining survivors of Atlantis, the
submerged continent. Over these vast
sweeps OF glistening sand, breaking
occasionally into clear-cut rocks, one
sees troupes of French Colonials and
groups of travelling natives cutting the
thin desert air against the horizon
in amazing outlines. Cavalcades of
camels appear at great distances as If
through powerful glasses.
LuYing White Men Into Ti
The Desert to Die
In the mean time the beautiful
Queen Antinea, possessing all the
fascination Of Cleopatra or Helen Of
Troy, waits in her desert palace while
faithful emissaries lure her victims
into the hidden web, over sands and
through winding rock passages to her
throne room. White men who travel
the great sand seas are the .pawns OF
this desert queen. Once having gazed
upon her all thoughts Of home and
duty fee and the dupe is content to
remain near her forever.
But Antinea is the reincarnat;on Of
revenge upon man. AS soon as the
scouts have brought word that another
white man is within the web the first
is banished to wander into the desert
until the pitiless sun dries him up
and takes his life. It is then that the
sand wastes are searched for the body,
which is embalmed and recast into
golden statue to remain mounted in a
niche Of Antinea's marble hall, mag
nificent circular sale decorated in
blood red marble after the modes Of
ancient Egypt.
There IS no lack OF acting talent In
this new French film masterpiece.
Georges Melchoir as Lieutenant Saint
Avit, of the French Colonial forces,
plays the lead, seconded by Jean An
gelo, as Captain Morhanges. The play
finds the two young officers on special
military duty in the vicinity of Anti
meas palace. They have wandered
within the web and are caught and
drugged by the Queens ever-watchful
scouts. They awake to find themselves
in luxurious captivity. Saint-Avit sue
cumbs instantly to the charms OF the
queenly vamp, but Morhanges, whose
heart is in his religion, remains aioof
from every effort to charm. Antinea
for the first time in her life is expert
encing the passion she has so often
created in others, and finding no re.
spouse in the heart of the handsome
ascetic she decides on revenge, Saint
Avit, the willing slave, is induced 10
murder Morhanges- II requires muir
deE to wake the young lieutenant from
the spell cast over him by Antines.
Horror Of what he has done turns him
against her and he manages to escape
into the desert, aided by Tanit-2erga
marie Louise Iribe), the Queens per-
sonal attendant.
Rivals in Length
Griflith's Birth of Nation"
The escape of Saint Avit and Tanit-
Zerga is depicted IN scenes Of terrible
reality. First the camel and then the
girl die Of thirst, and eventually Saint
Avit is found unconscious by band OF
native soldiers, who carry him to the
nearest camp. After a long siegs OF
fever the young lieutenant recoversr.
and the scene shifts to the Paris
boulevards and restaurants. But the
lure of the enchantress in the Afri-
can desert reaches into the heart OF
Saint Avit IN the French capital.
Haunted ever by the evil which he
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