The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-01-24
MENTIONING THE MOVIES
BY PROTECTOR.

Here Is fine film with fool title
that will keep away the very ele-
ment that would most enjoy the pic
ture. 1t is a labor epic camoufaged
with handle that reeks of bedroom
farce. Movie titles, like newspaper
headlines, are written to catch the
cash of the mob on the street. Mel
Their title nor headline needs any
essential connection with the contents
or story, so don't let this title, "Lov-
ing Lies" scare you away from this
picture.
The story shows the keenest in
sight into the heroism and useful
ness of the life Of the workers, in
this case Of the harbor boatmen.
The scene is laid in a west coast !
lumber shipping town, the hero
Monty Blue), an ordinary, lovable,
work-a-day tugboat captain, idolized
by the ancient engineer and the
strapping young mate who make up
the crew of the tugboat "Chief."
Day or night, in fair weather or foul,
the tiny tug is ready to pull much
larger craft over the treacherous bar
which all but blocks the harbor And
day after day the harbor bell tolls
the death Of one or more of the I'M
assuming men who follow the sea.
The young captain and his mate
get married on the same day. The
mate is drowned shortly after. Ac-
cording to the usual movie hoakum
terrific storm would be used to
remove him. Not SO here. A bright !
clear day, the mate is coiling haw-
ser on the afterdeck, the heavy line
catches somewhere forward, the mate
pulls and yanks, the line suddenly |
loosens, overheard, stunned by the
propeller, and he never comes up. !
The same restraint characterizes the |
whole picture. The characters are /
human and they go along in a
laundering, muddling, undecisive way
just like real folks do.
The cap'n has a tough job to
break the news to the mates widow.
But, like a true product Of the sea,
she takes the blow with fine courage.
The acting of her part here and thru
the whole play is a treat.
The death Of the mate frightens
the caps wife more than it pros
trates the widow. The young wife
first seeks to make him leave the
sea entirely. But he knows nothing
else, how could he earn their living ? |
So they compromise with his promise !
never to go across the bar when
there is any danger.
Her acceptance of this promise
shows how utterly ignorant of his
work-of all work-the girl reall.
is. AS soon ask fireman to prom !
Use never to go near Ali blaze,
or a structural ironworker never to !
go above the second story. The
cap'n continues his work in fair
weather or foul, and every time he
tackles dangerous job he telephones
his wife that he is detained on some
harmless errand, he tells a slowing
lie" to keep her from worry.
The denouement comes in sharp
tragedy. A child is expected at the
cap'n's home. Nervous and fearful
over the impending event, the wife
makes her husband promise under
no conditions to leave the house,
she would die of fright if she awoke
and found him gone. Enter the super
intendent with an order to save
ship caught on the bar. The man
refuses to leave his house. The super
tries flattery on "the best tzgboat
cap'n on the Coast" 1t falls fat.
He cracks the economic whip, ."If
you don't go, it means your job.
The job is chucked. But the human
appeal is irresistible. "If hundred
lives are lost on the bar it will be
because a captain has quit. Many
women and children are among them.
Suppose it were your wife--and she
drowned some captain had
quit" A woman neighbor is hastily
telephoned for and he goes.
The wife wakes, finds her man
gone, and rushes out into the storm
to seek him. Her child is born
dead and her own life is barely saved.
The doctor warns, "You must be
very careful of her, the disappoint-
.ment of an empty cradle is extremely
hard for a woman to bear" And
the village gossips get to work on
the captains friendship for his mates
widow and child.
1t comes out all right in the end,
to the tune Of deaths and storms, a
ship broken on the reef and william
not wholly bad Story, direction,
photography, and acting-all of the
kind that can make the movies the
most eloquent medium of mass ex-
preston yet known to mankind.
Labor theaters should not fail to
book the film, labor audiences should
demand it, and the workers generally
support it wherever it is shown.
Swedish Ernlorer In Mnscnw