Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-28
'NEv
ON'L0CAL SCREENS
Norma TsImadgs Doss Fine Act
Ing In Wsak Story kan
Paige In ''Prodlgal judge

cSSuhcy-Inere are Ju0t o"Oue" 80
mentary flashes Of something really
good in Loves Redemption" Norma
Talmadge's latest picture, 70 make II q
crying shame that the picture. 40 q
whole, Is 90 hopeless piece Of stereo:-,
typed. machine made screen cruel.
And what makes It oil the more az.
gravating is the splendid setting con-
tributed by a cast which actually de-
serves the title, 'all.star." Add to
these points the fact that the camera
man generally covered himself with dis
tinction,. and the director, Albert
Parker, did the best he could to add .
touch Of artistry to the Aim, and you
can readily see that Loves Redemp-
tion" is one Of those many ''if' Pic
lures that come to town 20 often.
| The setting Tor most Of IT. 10 ia
maica, and the scenes were actually
taken there. At the first. there are
| occasional flashes Of Conrad In the in >
PRODUCTION of the dissolute young Eng.
lishman. scion Of a noble family, and
even more, in the figure Of old Captain
Hennessey," who is leaving tie island,
and regrets, most Of all. the parting
housekeeper, Child Of q Spanish
mother. and dimly remembered English
father"
"Ginger." with a continual desire to
be Of use to some one, decides to try to
reform Clifford Standish," the young
Englishman with typical beach
comber's beard and perpetual atmo-
sphere Of gin. She succeeds 70 well
that he turns over a new leaf and mar
ries her. Up to that point the Aim is
fairly interesting. but when Standish' g
family from England arrive with the
news that he has fallen heir to for.
tune, when he takes his bride home to
meet his folks. when they turn up their
convince her that It is her place to- give
him up--why, then It becomes merely
zone of those things treading much
tramplcd path. insincere, pif1ing. One
longs for at least one Of the characters
to do one single thing different from
pattern.
| 1t becomes more and more apparent
with every picture how really big and
sincere an actress Norma Talmadge fs,
and how wasted she is, too, on trining,
hackneyed stories. She has overcome
the tendency Of her earlier days to over
act occasionally. and Is now, probably
tno ohiy actTesS OIL tue screen dDOut
whom you never feel the least worry as
to how she will carry n certain situa
ton. And she Is becoming more at
tractive every day.
Harrison Ford Is an outstanding
figure as the young Englishman. He
managed to make him q vivid, real sort
of person. even in the earlier scenes,
which parallel long succession OF
beach .comber" parts, back to Guy
Bates Post and beyond. Montagu Love
is great actor lost in an incOnspicu- :
GUS role. II. Cooper Clihfe is splendid
in another small role :, 80 IL, Charles
Browne as monocled "silly ass type.
stanton-No pptter what othei
shortcomings a pidsIre may have, It IL
something to its credit to- produce such
a. compelling and altogether human
gives In "The Prodigal Judge" Thi.
veteran of both stage and screen has
never seemed so convincingly real as he
does In this part Of the fine old South
ern gentleman who. deserted by his
wife, drifts from bad to worse. only tC
be redeemed finally by the finding of his
little son and the revenge upon the
man who won the wife from him.
There are other outstanding studies
of unusual characters in the cast, too
Ernest Terrence is little short of re.
markQble in his impersonation of th'
sinister but faithful Solomon Mahafy
who sticks to the Judge as leech II
prosperity but as friend in adversit!
and finally gives up his life for hi
friend for the sake of the little boy
Robert Millasch Is also EXCEPTIONAL,
fine as the gaunt and faithful "Cncl'
Bob who first adopts the boy ant
George Bancroft develops a new toucl
in n small bit as Cavendish. the 0wne
Of raft boat. The Vaughan kesteI
novel from which the film ia made Ia to-
we'll known to make relation OF tn
plot necessary.
Aside from this fine character work
there is little to recommend the film. i
oyeremphasizes the melodramatic point
of the story and allows it to fall shor
of what should have been notabl!
fine production. Jean Paige Is starre'
but makes nothing outstanding Of he
role, nor do Earl Fox, ns Bruce Car
rington, or Horace Braham Us Charlie
Norton. The phOtopay Is up to stand
ard and the scenes nrc we'll set.
, Arcadia--Domestic relations, trcate
much more seriously, but in much tn
same general way as in "Dangerou
Curve Ahead" form the basis of "Pov
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