The New York herald., 1922-07-24
Gorgeous Scenery
and Stage Tricks in
mysteries of India
Attack by Wild Beasts Among
Scenes of New Film Di-
rected by Joseph Man.

"The Mysteries of India" presented
by the Hamilton Theatrical Corporation
at the Rialto yesterday. Is just as ex-
trayagant as Mistress of the World.
but not so foolish. Being the product
OF the same German director. Joseph
May. 1t naturally would have many
points Of resemblance, with mysterious
passages huge doors swinging to and
fro. an attack by wild beasts. and wild
chases. but for some reason there is no
airplane in It, However. Miss Mia May,
playing a leading role In it, is again a
high priestess of some sort or other. so
you might say the modern dramatic
unities have been preserved.
When her lover, refusing to keep his
pledge to aid his old Oxford classmate,
Prince Ayan of Eshnapur, and the lat
ter offers to save him from death if his
fiancee, Laura, will be high priestess of
his own private particular temple, she
responds with those classic words. mo,
no-not that"
Yet the next scene shows her willing
to be the priestess perhaps for the sake
OF the gorgeous robes which go with the
job. But she is a priestess for this one
performance only. She rejects the ad-
vances of the fajah. quite comprehen-
sibly. for In his guise of a Hindu deity
he looks like the living skeleton all
dressed up for the .circus parade
Whereupon he lets her 60 perhaps made
dizzy and irresponsible for the momen;
by the thought that no woman loves
him.
Then begin all kinds of mad scram-
bles when Laura and her fiance seek
TO escape to the mountains with the
condemned wife, the latter clad only In
neglisee. Here comes out the vitiating
fault of the picture-false motivation
which has sapped its strength almost
from the start, when Laura goes in
headlong pursuit of her architect sweet
heart after he is Summoned to Esh-
napur, departing for no particular rea-
son except that she is needed to be
mixed up in the ensuing excitement.
| So when the architect and the princess
have safely crossed a rope bridge Laura
| cuts down the bridge to foil the pur.
suers. but stays on the enemies side
of the ravine to do it-when she might
just as easily have crossed over to the
other side to perform this little act
| Possibly, though. considering Miss
Mays proportions. II was safer for her
to remain there and take her chances
with the Pathans rather than entrust
herself to the fimsy bridge.
But becauseNof this unreality Of con-
struction what might have been very
touching and powerful moment, when
the princess casts herself into the ravine
In atonement and the prince learns that
vengeance is not for man, becomes just
more movie sob stuff. The mystery and
magic of the piece are also of the obvi.
ously clap-trap variety, Consisting OF
very mechanical disappearance and
tricks that lead ope to expect that some
one at any moment will produce rab
bit from his sleeves. Surely some oi
the actually weird effects of India might
have been employed without demanding
the credulity Of a fairy tale
The architect and his betrothed, de
spite their highly moral stand, lose sym
pathy because whenever they are Il
troubFe---as when Laura is thrust into
tigers den--they constantly rely upol
yogi to give them lift, and act as
variety of traffic cop. More admirabl
is Robert Allen, the princess's lover, who
when the princes henchmen come t
their purpose to him beforehand-nght
his way clear by the natural magic O
his fists and his legs.N One was sorry t
see him finally killed by tigers, but thel
Director May, as he showed in ',Mistres
of the World" has an extravagant wa
with heroes.
The characterization Is we'll done
especially by Conrad Veidt as the rajaI
though Olaf Fonss as the architect doe
little but heave his eyebrows. Th
prettiest girl In the cast is named Mis-
Liza de Putty, but doesn't deserve ths
appellation. The American adapters an
titlers have striven nobly with the pic
ture. especially by inserting the devic
Of having the three central character
joined by pledge. but the scenery doe
the heaviest work in putting the pictur
over. And at times 1t Is so gorgeou
that 1t suggests Luna Park.