New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-06-27
On the Screen
Carnival at Capitol Without
Festival; ssBronze BelI'' at
RivoIi Rings Tunelessly
BY EIarriette UnderhiIl

Why will all these pictures which
promise SO much in the way Of romance
ard atmosphere and thrills prove such
dull AFFAIR."? A picture called Gar
nival" is at the Capitol Theater, and
after you see the prologue which Sam
Rothafel has put on you hope that 1t
Is going to be a pretty interesting
picture, and then when you learn that
the scenes are really laid In Venice
and that il is the story of a Jealous
husband who plays Othello in real life
you are sure of it. But nothing hap
pens. There are scenes of the carnival
and scenes at home; love scenes and
papa love mamma" scenes; scenes Of
determinations and scenes Of recon-
citations and, as Nora Bayes used to
say, $50 on till DEATH; hut never once
do you take the alightest interest in
any Of the people nor care what hap
pens to them
1t seemed to US that the husband
acted rather like a jackass. He is a
popular Shakesperean actor in Venice,
and he is, like SO many screen.h heroes,
wrapped up in his work, so that he
neglects his young wife. Wife is so
in love with him that she will listen to
no word of love from another, and yet
one night because she Goes to the CAR
nival with his best friend, while he is
out of town, he suspects the worst and
is going to kill her. Being loyal
husband and perfect gentleman he
first calls his best friend to him and
says: my wife, Simonetta, has lover
and ! want you to find out for me who
it is" Then the friend makes an
about Simonetta's Bacchante dress
which she wore to the carnival, and her
husband says, Chow did you know she
wore that costume? You are the mani"
Just then he is called for his scene
on the stage, whore he kills Desdemona,
and all through the scene he keeps call
ing her "Simonetta," and he strangles
her. When they tear him away Simo-
Meta is nearly ded, bu when she does
recover tho doctor leaves the husband
and wife alone together, with the part
ing words, "Be gentle with her"
"Can you ever forgive me? ?" she says
to him. He says that he can, then
steps to the door and says, Games,
my gondola at once" and SO they go
home together.
"SNASSNN +~AH63 WIZ SlCdtSu CIiS
role on the stage plays the husband;
Hilda Bailey is the wife-Miss Bailey
was also in the stage version; Duchess
D'Ansola plays the sister and she
seems to be the only person in the
story who has any common sense.
Carnival" was directed by Harley
Knoles and presented by the United
artists.
The prologue is elaborate with Erik
Bye, the Capitol ensemble, and the
ballet with Gambarelli and Oumansky.
The overture is from "Thais," and Mile.
Fanny Regia, of the Paris Opera
Comique, is heard in the Mirror Song.
How often one hears the phrase:
Clear as bell" but it couldn't have
meant "The Bronze Bell" which is the
feature at the Rivoli this week. for
there Is nothing very clear about that.
A great deal is said about "the orceal'
and we waited patiently all through
the picture to find out what this hor-
rible ordeal was; and then, When the
hero is about to live through it the
secret service husts in with thousands
of British soldiers, and the ordeal is
all off. Earlier in the picture, when