New-York tribune., 1922-12-11
On the Screen
ssBrokcn Chains" Feature Mt
Capital, "Beautiful and
Damned' nj the Strand
By Harrictte Underhill


We'll, We have seen Broken chainS"
the picture at the Capitol, which every
one has been talking about since the
story won a prize offered BY "The Chi
eago Daily News" and Il seems 10 US
a badly directed. badly titled, trite
and unintercsting picture. There Is
not one fash CT Imagination anywhere
in the whole production and Il looks
TO rs, now that Il Is viewed In retro
spection, that Il never had a chance
from the first moment Winifred Kim
ball set pen 70 paper. II bear. the
stamp Of having been eoncoctcd ae-
cording 10 formula-take situation
27 snd add situations 10 and 10, and
20 on till tho end.
II we are misjudging II, n this Is a
good picture, then we are about ready
10 resign, for IL will prove that our
standard Is all wrong and that we
cannot alter. And since n critic has
no right 20 offer anything save con-
structive criticism, we are quite pre-
pared 10 set down proofs, convincing
10 us at least, that Broken Chains"
Is all we sag II is.
The story is about a boy who was
"reared in luxury" and spoiled by his
female relatives, 80 that when he
finally discovers that he is a coward
and his hnncee breaks with him he
goes West 70 the great outdoors 1--WE
are quoting from the titlcs) and tries
life On his ranch. There again he Is
Immediately stamped as n coward, and
90 he rides about By himself a great
deal. One day he went "far Afield" and
presently stopped in a cabin on o
mountain side 70 inquire the way
home. Here he meets Mercy Boone,
the abused girl wife" OF "the crhelest
beast still unhung." She Is chained
and the director and everybody has
gone 20 great pains 20 pile agony on
agony and 70 prove that this Bryan
Boone is the DEVILS deputy. The boy
unfastens the girl wife, and then, day
after day, while tho cruelest beast is
away from home, they roam the fields
and pick flowers.
Now, 10 looks 10 US As though some
one had told the director that Dick
Barthelmcss gave EEnest Terrence a
darn good licking In "Tolable David"
and the director said: III Barthelmess
can do IL, why can't my hero do it7'
SO his hero does. Only it isn't so
thrilling 90 watch the second time and
there is too much OF IL and no imagi-
nation has been used In staging Il. So
IL seems that tie director has saeri-
feed young Malcolm MeGregor in vain.
OF course, the faithful dog takes a
hand In the fight, and the heroine
seizes a gun and offers 10 shoot her
husband If 10 will expedite matters any,
but the hero says stand back and drop
that gun; either he will kill me or
/ will kill him now" So they 20 on
the gun; either he will kill me or
How does 10 end? Need you ask
The director has not forgotten 20 ring
in a little gentle comedy now and then
with orders 20 the cutter 10 insert IL In
the pictures always at a critical mo-
ment when a man Is pitching another
one over a cliff or something like that.
The comedy concerns an old man who
drinks too much and tries TO mount his
horse backward. The "girl wife" is
homely and presumably illiterate, still
the hero announces that he Is going tc
marry her, and 10 is considered a happy
ending. She seems 70 have possibili-
ties, however, for In telling the hero
that she had a baby who died she says:
Then my baby eame-he smiled-and
went away"
Somehow you couldn't blame the
brute FOR knocking his girl wife over
the head. She had trick Of futtering