The New York herald., 1921-08-01
Spell of Orient in
2 New Films; One
WithJapaneseStar
SHAME a Fox Production, Is
Full of Action-Hayakawa
in where Lights Are Low


the screen is just beginning to awaken
to the yellow peril. At least the photo
plays at the Lyric and the Capitol are
both full OF the spell of the Orient. or
as near to It as film producers can set.
which is San Francisco's Chinatown.
Shame William Fox's production.
which started a limited engagement of
two weeks at the Lyric yesterday was
mingling of Chinese opium and Alaskan
snow, but the result was far from slush.
The idea implanted in 1t by the authors.
Bernard McConville and Emmett J.
Flynn, with the latter acting as director.
was that half-breed is welcome neither
to Chinese nor Causasians. but possibly
loving wife may make an exception
In such mans case.
DGrid Fielding. saved after his father.
wealthy importer. is killed in Shanghai
| because OF a love affair with a man
darin's daughter comes to believe
when he reaches manhood that he is
a half-caste--in fact he believes it so
strongly that he smashes a mirror and
claws the air. This conviction Is fos-
tered In him by the insidious words of
Foo Chang, Manchu trader who takes
this means to force Fielding 10 lend his
ships to huge opium smuggling plot,
as Fielding is so opposed to opium he
might be called blue-nised about 1t.
Tortured by the dread of being ostra-
oised by both races, the young man re-
veals his secret finally to his wife and
then. seizing his newborn babe. rushes
/ OFF to Alaska. where presumably laundry
men are little known and never thought
OF. But in the end everything is cleared
up. with the help Of a stirring wolf
fight that is evidently thrown In just TO
make 1t harder.
story Moves with vfgor.
To the Occidental eye there Is patent
absurdity In dragging Off a couple OF
Chinese. one a faithful henchman of the
Fielding family and the other Foo
\ Chang, seeking vengeance on the son of
the man who stole his early love. TO
Alaska, where the temperature seems
I likely to reach the absolute zero of
Oriental endurance. Moreover 1t hardly
seems likely that young man would
! be so crazed by the sudden disclosure
Of his immediate ancestry. particularly
as he had such q large fortune as to
close every ones mouths with bills.
But granted these incongruities, the
story moves with spirit and vigor. with
touch of the mysterious, bit of the
romantic and several good fights that
| participants. The settings of Chinatown,
with It's underground and backyard pas
sages. are effectively picturesque. and
the snowstorm scenes in Alaska are
| stirring, even though close inspection
reveals many of them to be home made.
! The struggle between a wolf and the
hero is quite an exciting climax, but one
would wager something that the sup
| posed wolf would wag his tail il handed
a dog biscuit.
! John Gilbert, in the dual role of
| father and son, runs most of the gamut
of arson. murder and sudden death. and
shows as much emotional power on oc-
casion as prima donna, especially
with the small of his back. William v.
Mong is an acceptable philosopher who's
not above shooting, while George Sieg-
man Is ferocious Foo Chang, bearing
| In his Arctic clothes a strong. bro.herly
resemblance to the Golcm Miss Rose
mary Theby plays an opium vamp with
out wriggle, strangely enough, while
Miss Doris Pawn has little opportunity
to be more than her name implies
where Lights Are Low
Sessue Hayakawa. in Where Lights
Are Low" at the Capitol. proves him
\ self an Oriental Douglas Fairbanks,
milling around with another yellow ac-
tor In n terrific fight until, with most
of the furniture smashed. it's a wonder
any lights at all are left let alone low
ones. That furious encounter comes as
the climax to Lloyd Osbourne's colorful
story for Robertson-Cole when Haya-
kawa attacks the leader of Chinatown,
who has stolen from him his girl. for IN
Chinese also they appear to have the
'cherchez Ia femme" motive
| Hayakawa as a prince has given up
| his family and royal estate to fall in
love with the daughter OF a gardener.
| which means that he must come to
America TO have II starched out of him.
Here. however. he finds her as a slave
| girl. and again gives up everything for
her. even to his watch and cuff links to
buy her. He even works at dishwashing
in restaurant to make up the re-
mainder of her ransom. In this scene
Hayakawa distinctly refuted the impu-
tation that movie stars do no hard labor
and his perspiration seemed decidedly
sincere. After all this sacrifice he is
quite put out, 70 say the least. TO find
that the slave dealer has handed her
over to his rival. and only jiu-jitsu can
settle matters.
IL seems improbable that such con ;
ception or romantic love here vouch-
safed should exist among Chinese. but
perhaps. like the chewing gum habit.
that is something the prince could ac-
duire In America. The Japanese star
depicts this role with more than usual
emotional power, heightened occasionally
by spiritual quality. and literally. in
that glorified scuffle, plays the part "on
his head" Close behind him comes Togo
Yamamoto as his rival. and indeed the
Oriental members OF the cast run away
with the honors, for Gloria Payton, por-
traying tho wan slave girl, Is only a
pale imitation OF Chinese.
This interesting feature has, besides
an orchestral rendition OF Offenbach's
"Orpheus'' and Lyman II. Howe's
QUAINT Holland" scenic. a study Of
China and "Chlnese Fantasy" In
which the orchestra, the mixed quartet
and the ballet corps foregather to rally
| tho appropriate atrnosnhere round III