Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-08
ONE ARABIAN NIGHT
COLORFUL SPECTACLE
PoIa Negri's New Picture Has
Atmosphere Of Orient.
Other Films

Stanley-Stories Of the Orient nj
ways seer to rim to spectacular effects
and much business. about running
crowds and endless professions. Zone
Arabian Night" is no exception to the
rule.
Under the expert hands of Ernest
Lubitsch, maker of Passion" and
deception" this picture Of old Bag
dad has taken on added interest, and
the story, after slow start, gains mo =
mcntum, till It reaches a very thrilling
(if very bloody climax. AS n spectacle
il ranks among the screens greatest at
tcmpts, but it must be confessed that
it lacks the personal touch that made
LuhitSch's other pictures SO vivid and
so real. Everything Is very much OF
the mob here. and very far removed
and unreal. Even some of the gorgeous
settings look studio made, n thing that
certainly was not true of "Passion" OF
"prccption.
Pola Ncgri is featured. but nor part
IS not the best. Two other women.
whose names are not mentioned Cthc
Shcik g favOrite wife and the madcap
that of the exotic. seductive Miss Ncgri,
who however. is splendid.
. IN" star of the picture, though. IS
Ernest Lubitsch himself. Ms the hunch E
back clown. Quasimodo sort of part.
tragic. gruesOmc. The actor paints il
In bold. Colorful strokes that make 1t
one OF the outstanding pieces of acting
Of the year. The other parts also
arc well taken, although over acting Is
| noticeable in some scenes.
| The action takes place, as the intro
| duCtory title said, Between suns" I"
The effect would have been much greater
in the film had been vigorously cut in
many places.
karlton--The much used great
Northwest" of moving picture films
takes the leading role in "Snowblind. y
! This is II piCturization of novel by
Katherine Npwlin Burt. author of The
| Branding lrOn,' which entered best
seller society couple of years ago
and which was also screened.
The stories are much alike, and both
Of them make good cinema material,
though they do not contain anything
strikingly original or artistic. "SnOw-
blind" admits that it is Il two listed
out of doors picture, and it lives up
!
Is the rugged leading man. Pauline
Starkc. the heroine, and Cullen Lam
dis and Mary Alden have parts.
Most viewers are likely to forget the
plot before they have been out of the
theatre ten minutes. but the pictures of
snow capped mountain ranges. icy cas-
cades. towering pine trees ard realistic
storms were so remarkably we'll photo
graphed that they are bound to impress
any audience. 1t isn't the fault of the
actors that they must play minor roles
IN support of Mature.
Arcadia-A wholly delightful and en-
tertaining film is "Bunty Pulls the
Strings" transformed from stage to
photoplay form. The simple Scotch
story has been directly and plainly
told. artistically directed and unusually
we'll acted.
Raymond Hatton. for instance. Is an
inimitablc "Weelum' quite as good
az the stage character. He dominates
the scenes lie appears in, and shows n
comedy sense that is every bit aS good
as his skill at heavy CEaracteriZntiOnS
has been. Lcntrice Joy is a charming
Bunty. not quite as Scotch aS Molly
Pearson was. bur always appealing.
Russell Simpson. Cullen LNndiS. Cas-
son Ferguson and others also do fine
work
In comparison with that Scotch clas-
sic. Sentimental Tommy" it may hc
said that "Runty" has n NOR" incon-
seQuential plot, not quite the sub
tlrty IF direction. and much better all
around acting. Incidentally, "Bunty'
has few cxtraneous scenes; 1t is short.
direct and to the point. Taken as a
whole, it stands out above most pro-
gram pictures.
Palace - "Tho Song Of Songs.
ADAPTED from the stage play of Ed
ward sheldon. which, in turn, was
taken from the German of Sudernann,
Is II good vehicle for Elsie Ferguson
As Lilly Kardos, Miss Ferguson has
a chance to put her fascinating per
sonality across TO good effect.
The fact that it is, in way, So
Geological drama has not hurt the in
trrcSt Of the story. There are parts oI
Lilys life which are rather ugly and
crude, such rs the affair with the elderly
roue, but the direction and acting are
50 restrained and in such good taste
that any possible ofens" IS removed.
Frank IOsce and Crawfurd Kent dc
SHlGnulU ltllHB III th' TNH' F'"l'p''t
40 one would realize, except by mnOl
differences in styles, that this tilm Wa'
made in 1918, and is only now reach
Ing Pennsylvania.
Observation-Disclosures Remington 5 vivic
and colorful pictures of the Far NeS
in the early pioneer days have beer
made the basis for picture which
while it does not differ to any great cX
tent from many other Western films
has splendid atmosphere and genera
high grade production.
, Stage coaches. army posts Indian at
| tncka and bad men vic with the beauti
ful Western scenery in the picture
which has, it cannot be denied, his
. torical value. Russell Simpson, DorCa
| Matthews and little Pat Moore pIa
a their leading roles we'll, but acting hon
= ors should go to Robert McKim for hi
, remarkable heavy part.
Regent-E Phillips Oppenheim is get
ting to be almost as well known nam
on the screen as it has been on the TIT
nogos of novels. dangerous Lies.
p made by an American company in Eng
9 land. is his latest. David Powell, lead
Q ing man, uphOlds the honor of III
t I'nited States, while Mary Glynne, tn
Il attractive heroine, il an English act
Il rcss. Both do acceptable work In
=, story which has interesting atmosphere
# good technical merits but nothing strik
y ing or out of the ordinary in story. tn