Evening star., 1924-03-09
ny HALLETT ABEND.

los ANGELES. March 7.-After all
the talk about better pictures, after
the stupendous outlay involved in the
making of some successes and some
failures, after the adroitness or oi-
rection and production and the nf1i-
lance of costuming and spectacle
motion picture has at last been COM
pleted, which, in my opinion, is the
greatest Of them all. I refer to the
Joseph NJ Schenck production OF Sc
crets," with Norma Talmadge as the
star.
Secrets" is we'll staged. well d.
rected by Frank Borsage and expen-
siveIy cast But these are not the
things which make it great. Norma
tion to a level of beauty, poetry ana
excellence never before attained or
so long sustained upon the screen: IN
this picture she fulfills the orill1ant
promise of "SmiIin' Through" Of near
" four years ago, and far surpasses
even that screen classic.
In my opinion Secrets dehnltely
ends all discussion as to VINO IS me
greatest actress of the screen. Ihete
has been talk in plenty about tnis
box Office test, some the so-called pop
uIarity test, and there have been Vot-
ing contests beyond number. But a
proper test OF artistry. il seems 70
which she passes through each of
life's periods and most of hte's emo
tions. II she is equally convincing
in all, then surely she Is naenln-
cent actress, and if no other actress
has done anything like it surely such
an ACCOMPLISHMENT makes her with
out peer.
In Secrets" Miss Talmadge is a
young girl of eighteen, a young wl1e
of twenty-three. a matron of thirty
nine and a frail old gentlewoman
more than seventy years of age. The
play is a story of her love for John
Carlton. her husband. and of her life
with him for more than half a cen
tury. The situations run all the way
from light comedy to tragedy; from
melodrama to society drama, and the
settings and social backgrounds vary
from English provincialism to the
log hut of q struggling cattleman in
Montana, then to the drawing room
of a wealthy and titled society leader
in mid Victorian London. There is
not a period in which the spectator,
If he or she is sensitive, Will not
shed tears, and Yet the whole play
even.
Secrets" has been a stage success
in this country and in England for
seven years. 1 have seen two stage
productions, out the screen VERSION,
written by Frances Marion, seems to
me to be superior to that used on the
stage.
The photoplav will be released early
in April, and when il is shown there
will be a haSty revision of all lists
Of 1.-The six best plays Of the screen"
Satire on Southern Code.
James Cruze, who directed The
Covered Wagon and several other
of last years big successes. has
scored once more, this time with a
play, Magnolia" At the last mo-
ment the name was changed to THE
Fighting Coward" which is a piffiing
name and misleading, for the leading
character is not coward at all, but
the inane title does not spoil the
picture.
"The fighting coward" much of
which was filmed in and near
Natchez. Miss. is a. satire-almost a
burlesque-upon the code of honor
and chivalry of the old south before
the civil war. II shows the old
steamboat life and plantation life of
the Mississippi. Cullen Lands has
the name part and is beautifully sup
ported by Mary AStor. Ernest Tor
renee and Noah Beery have much OF
the comedy to handle, which means
that it is handled very well. The
production will be released in March
and enhances Mr.. Cruces reputation
as comedy director and a splendid
teller of tales. on the screen. Incl
dentally. Mr.. Cruze admits that h.
and Betty Compson are soon to be