The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-07-19
Curious Twisting
of Recorded Facts
in Spirit of TO-
GOldstein Film Fills the Amer
lean Revolution With Sex
Interest.

THE Spirit of 49," unveiled at the
Town Hall last night. proved TO be u
modern example of the dime novel
thriller done in the most lurid blood and
thunder style. The thunder was supplied
by a rhythmicaly prespirins orchestra,
while the blood was shed regardless of
expense by the producer and arthor,
Robert Goldstein.
He has filed the American Revolu-
ton to the brim with sex interest. Oc-
easionally his imaginative fights OF his
tory are swept aside entirely while his
character stand and look deeply into
enc another's eyes and let the Revolu-
ton so harg. According to this writer,
1t was the jealous rage of Catherine
Montour. a Quaker girl, who entered
INTO a nlorganatic marriage with King
George III. of England, that started
l.er on a mad scheme TO subdue the
American colonists as an empire of her
own, because she was decidedly put
out, to say the least, at the prospect
Of losing the King to his legal consort
Charlotte, though he seemed, as pre-
sented in the picture, husband well
worth losing
Again it was indicated that 1t was her
infatuation for Lionel Esmond---in real
ity her brother--that caused her at
bottom on her arrival in America to
incite the Cherry and Wyoming Valley
N assacres, though an exact connection
between her motive and these ferocious
events seemed lost in the resultant smoke.
OF such purely individual and erotic I'M
pulses. the author would have the public
believe. are wars made. thus attributing
to woman more power in shaping the
world than she probably would care II
credit.
The picture is a compost of such
curious twistings of recorded facts,
though In this case the author scarcely
has the excuse that he has a coherent
story to tell and therefore can sit down
on history at WILL Virtually he makes
the massacres representative of the
whole British conduct of the war against
the colonies, which seems a step beyond
what even the painstalling German his
torians might do. And though the his
torical references to Fisks and other
work which lard the programme dis
tinctly state that these atrocities were
perpetrated by Indians and Tory irreg-
ulars, the picture makes 1t appear that
they were largely done by British reg
ular troops with nicely powdered wigs.
Every time those redcoats appeared
they were heartily Kissed by an audi
ence whose character can be understood
from the fact that they applauded tre-
mendously the appearance on the screen
of Tim Murphy famous sharpshooter
with Morgan's riiemen.' A detail OF
policemen were stationed outside the
Town Hall ready for any disturbance
that might ensue over the fact that
anti British propaganda had been
charged against the film. but they were
unnecessary. for the spectators were
more heartily in accord with the photo
play than, say, the rest of Ireland Is
with Ulster.
On the whole the picture is badly
lighted, based on false values and
crudely motivated, while the continuity
made II appear that most of the scenes
had been shovelled together. The bat
tie of Lexington and Paul Revere's ride
were stirringly done, but even In the
latter case Paul carried a huge flare
that illuminated him like lighthouse.
One can hardly believe that George III.
boor though he was. drank from
saucer and wiped his mouth on the
tablecIoth, nor Is il inspiring to note
that the youth who was representative
of the flower of American manhood was
effeminate and took snuff. Some of the
scenes touch the nadir of the disagree
able. as when the morganatc queen
solicits her own brother. and the King
makes the drama more tense by throw
ing an epileptic At. Part of the OBJ
iectionable features are said to have
been eliminated. but there would be no
trouble in finding others that remain.
The names of Miss Jane Novak and
Miss Norah Berry appear In the cast OF
this spectacle. first presented three
years ago. but perhaps those cinema
favorites are not now advertising that