The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-23
CAPTAIN BLOOD
 SHOWS SABATINI
 AT HIS ZENITH
Picture Is Greatest Of All Vitagraph Has Pro-
 duced

The Premiere SoutheCn presentation at the Temple theater Monday of Rafael Sabatini's latest and most TO- mantle novel, Captain Blood" dis closes Sabatini in a splendid mood and plainly speaking presents one of the finest American-made costume plays that has been produced in some time. The story contains better film material than any of the other Sabatini novels and it's transposition to the screen bore out this surmise.
 Captain Bloodp has had lavish ex- penditure of intelligence, which is much more important in the last analysis than scattering bankrolls to the four winds. The credit, for this feature to great extent, is due to the director, David Smith. In Captain Blood" Mir. Smith has produced his masterpiece. It is the greatest picture of the many fine ones that Vitagraph has. produced dur ing it's long career.
 The story is that of Peter Blood, young Irish physician in the~time of King James. Blood is embroiled in the fight between King James and the Duke of Monmouth, and is wrongly accused of being in sympathy with the duke. He is sentenced to be hanged, but later this
 
 the town of Barbadoes. He escapes ahd later becomes the notorious Cap tain Blood of the pirate ship Arabella
 Love Romance
 The romance between Captain Blood, as portrayed by ]. Warren Kerrigan, and Jean Paighe as Arabella, is a charming reproduction of seventeenth century idyl. yIn the lead, Kerrigan gives an unusually fine performance and we think the best of his career, while Jean Paigh as the leading woman is one of the few stars of the screen that suggest the aristocratic refinement of ladyship instead O. the usual, pretty motion picture girl bedecked with beau tiful clothes. Sc is to the life the high born Arabella Bishop, neice of Gov erner Bishop of Barbadoes.
 James Morrison and Allan FoVest contribute excellent performances and the Diego of Bertram Brasby was very good indeed. Wilfred North, as Ara bella's uncle is good. Captain Blood" contains the most thrilling sea fights ever pictured. It is truly wonderful They fairly breathe with action, sus- pense, thrills and beauty. The romance that permeates the entire story of Cap tain Blood" is the most beautiful ever shown in picture in this city, and it fairly makes one gasp with it's strength, beauty and cleanness.
 Overture a Feature
 In addition to the feature production, Temple is presenting Captain Blood, the Yo-Ho," and overture-prolouge con- ceived and staged by Fred Stark, con ductor of the Temple concert orchestra, which in itself is worth the admission. price. This prolouge is pirate episode. The scenic effects are beautiful to the extreme and the lighting evidently is in the hands of an artist in this line of work. : The singing of the original four male quartette is good and their repertoire includes, Sailing" Sweet and Low" Rocked In The Cradle of the Deep" and Nancy Lee"
 The symphonic musical score which accompanies the picture was arranged and built up by Fred Stark, and largely contains numbers characteristic of the atmosphere of the Spanish main. Sev- eral old English sailor songs are in- cluded, and one of the high climaxes of the picture being the complete overture of ''The Flying Dutchman," while the beautiful love strain for Peter Blood and Arabella which is heard throughout the picture is .'The Passion Flower"
 Perfect Production
 It would seem to us that special care has been taken to obtain perfect syn cronization, so that an exceptionally fine musical setting accompanies the picture like an operatic score. Taken as a whole, the entire performances as given this week at the Temple theater, is one of the most perfect, as well as one of the most entertaining presented in Birmingham in many months, and deserves the wholehearted support of every lover of good, clean motion pie ture entertainment in this city. The performances starts daily at Il, 1, 3, 5, and 9 p. m.
 If the patronage is as heavy the balance of this week as it was yester- day afternoon and last night, we would suggest that those who want to see Captain Blood" go as early as possible, for the Temple certainly played to ex- cellent houses yesterday.
 
 GETTING SELF.CONSCIOUS
 Jud Tunkins says there has been so many insinuations about his being descended from monkeys that he's get ting bashful about ordering a piece of