New-York tribune., 1922-03-06
On the Screeg.
'Foolish Wives" Shown 81 Capi.
toll; The Sl,eil<'s Wife"
Feature at Strand
By tiarriette lInderhill

By Harriette Underhill
Wives" has gone to the Capitol and
IN answer TO special request from
). l.. Rothafe We viewed it again YES
terday in it's new home.
Il quite agree with you. u. t." said
Mr., Rothafel when VIC met him OF the
waite marble stairs in the theatcl'
lobby. That Is the best picture
ever saw. AOd hope you1l like my
musical score which have fitted 10 Il. .
As 4 matter of fact we hadn't sup
posed that any one could improyc the
picture, but Mr.. Rothafel has done so
with his clever settings. Before "Fool-
ish Wives" is shown there are scenes
of Monte Carlo in natural colors then
gradually the curtain becomes trans
parent and you sec the orchestra play
ing in the casino. In fitting this new
score to the picture MIR. Rothsfcl ha.
departed from the usual methods.
Most directors select music which will
presumably put you in 4 franc. OF mind
eA rapport with the scene being enacted
on the screen, Masscnet's elegy for tho
death scene. Hearts and Flowerg' for
the deserted mother. etc. But MIR.
kothafel has made radical departure.
tie has chosen music such as you Nigh;
really hear in the surroundings de-
behlnd the screen. Sometimes You
hear the dreamy Diego serenade. or
the barcarole, and sometimes a military
band. but IN each case the illusion is
complete. Sometimes You hear onlv a
bugle call and again whistle or the
shrek Of motor horns and sometimes
the siren OF the fire wagons. We know
that We never got the thril out Of anv
.lre scene that We did out OF the one
in this picture and it was in a meas
ure, due 20 the musical effects. Then
there are stretches where Mr. Rothafel
has used no music at all and the
silence is far more potent than any
accompanyment could possibly be-
Durng me great storm nothing is
| heard but the roll OF thunder.
erich Won Stroheim wrote and di-
rected the story, and he is seen in the
principal role as we'll. The picture is
presented by Carl Laemmle As it is
n ten reels and runs for two hours.
there is nothing else on the program.
The Sheik's Wife" iS at the Strand
this weeE, aNd it may quite safely be
stated that "The Sheik's Wife" is not
Che better half of "The ShciR." In
TACT, we do not believe that she is any
relation to him at all
80 those who thrilled and palpitated
at the recent Rudolf Valentino nor
trait of the Shiell need not expect to
be equally thrilled by "1ho Sheik's
Wife. In the first place. the Sheik's
wlre is not thrilling person: in the
second place, the Sheik isn't either. anG
IN the third place there is nothing Of
an an amorous nature in the picture. The
Shelk doesn't carry her off and marry
her against her will, and after they
are married he seems to spend most Of
ms time in talking at mass meetings.
while she sits in a tent on cnshion
| and rocks the cradle
The picture seems to lack all d,-.-
| matte quality and resembles a series of
ratner interesting news reels, hung to-
gether with some pretty bad titles.
There are desert scenes and fpb4
scenes and worship scenes, but nothino
that is real or gripping in the lives Of
ane principal characters ever occurs.
1hey fali to interest you in the slight
est degree The wife ia rather old end
hngsafd, and the Sheik makes his eye
hrows go up and down when he talks
even if he WIS educated at Oxford.'
They had child. a daughter. and
the Shelk finally was persuaded that
Allah would never bless him with q son
because he had married an FnoljS}
girl an unbelievcr. Personally. we be-
! lleve the reason ho was so suspicious
OF MS wife was on account of the color
| OF that child. 1t was chocolate color.
while the sheik himself was quito
white and his wife was haxen haired
The picture is shown by Vitagranb
but 1T is. we believe, foreign prodrc-
tion. made BY Henry Roussen. Emm,-
Lynn is the wife and Marcel Vilbsr TT
the Sheik.
Joseph Plunkett has staged it elabor-
ately. There is d prologue filed with
oriental musicians and sword fighters
and whirling dervishes, and Herbert
Waterous, dressed like an old sheik.
sings, "A Son Of the Desert Am l."
sheik, sings "Alah. Give Me Mine.3
The overture is Queen of Sheba.'
Johnny Hines is seen in his latest
comedy "Torchy Takes a Chance Ii
is an amusing extravaganza about a
young man who throws away a chance
on a motor car because II is No. IS.
and then chases ii all over town when
he finds out it is the number which
has won the csr. Torchy does some
things which looked like brand new
ideas to lis, but, OF course, we do not
know SC. much about comedies.
E Madeleine Mac Guigan, the violinist.
is heard playing "zapoteado.'
At the Rivoli and Rialto the Arst in
stalment Of mistress Of the World"
will be presented. At the Cameo DE
termination" will be the feature.
These Will he reviewed tomorrow.
=
c." FatnaE1a Is Woods Guest
MANILA, P. l.. March s. General
Tamaka, former japanese Minister of
War, arrived here to-day aboard the
liner Empire State to pay courtesy
visit TO Govern or General Leonard
Wood. General Tamaka and his party
will be guests Of the Philippine gov