Judge — May 19, 1923 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Alma Rubens and Lionel Barrymore are at swords’ points in “Enemies of Women.” SIN AND THE CINEMA by George Mitchell HEREAS it was our pious custom W to spend the greater part of the bbath on our bended knees, we now find ourself on our tiptoes in de- voted adoration of Miss Talmadge, the Messrs. Barthelmess, Meighan and other celluloid deities. One of the most interesting gangs of crooks that ever evaded the police broke into the Strand Theater on Sunday to preach a sermon that was well worth the price of admission. Our Norma turns crook. “Within the Law,” with Norma Tal- madge as the leader of these highly respectable but thoroughly artful dodgers, is full of intense and gripping episodes. Its moral teaches us that no matter how deep-seated be your revenge, little Dan Cupid is always lurking about ready to trip you up and induce you to feed the mouth that bit you. Principally it gives Norma splendid opportunities to register her very en- grossing personality. She is shot close-up with great frequency, but always comes away a little the better of her encounter with the camera. She wears a line of clothing that will turn every woman in the audience green with envy and every man pink with the contentment that it isn’t he who must foot the bills. Frank Lloyd has directed with in- telligence, and you will be pleased with this picture. You'll like Norma the more as you stagger out into the sunlight determined to swap your kit of burglar tools for a Bible and play straight for the rest of your career. We like Lew Cody better every time we see him. He’s a fine example of the filmagram we've just made up: If you do not register, you cannot act.’ Cody registers as often as a Tammany voter. Jack Mulhall is a manly hero. Helen Ferguson is good, and Eileen Percy does a light comedy role gracefully. You'll like “Within the Law.” W. E WISH we might say as much for [he Ne’er Do Weil,” but it seems unsubstantial, probably because its theme has been knocking about so long as to have become trite. The story cut- and-dried as an apple. We've little en- thusiasm left for the plot, in which the Money makes the “Ne’er Do Well.” 20 young son of a wealthy New York rail- road owner is cut off and shanghaied to Central America. Panama must have more good-for-nothing young spendthrifts than it has hats. No wonder these little governments so often revolt. It is almost treason to say we don’t like Tommy Meighan, and yet we don’t know ny actor who can sit with us for an hour and @ half in the dark without a plot or two up his sleeve, and the “Neer Do Well,” with the exception of the marriage >, hasn't a surprise in it. Gertrude Astor does very well as a sym- pathetic woman who is dissatified with the leg of the triangle on which she is being supported and would shift to Tommy's and Lila Lee is a sweet little Panama girl who falls for Tommy as readily as if she'd been born anywhere in the United States. But if you like Tommy Meighan and don’t care much about the picture, you'll enjoy “The Ne’er Do Well.” see HE Bricut Suawt” has been un- furled to our gaze, and we hasten to pay our respects to John Robertson, under whose skillful direction the picture was made. Robertson has a batting average which puts him in Babe Ruth’s class. He's one of the few men in the fillums who could have stretched Hergesheimer's scratch hit into a home run. Barthelmess is a splendid screen artist. There are few actors as convincing. As The Gish and the Barthelmess. the insipid Charles, he has added another fine portrait to his already large gallery. He has more reserve than the United States Treasury, and always gives us the impression that if he ever did let go he’d melt the celluloid. His duel with Wi Powell and that man’s sincere playing throughout are memorable achievements. Dorothy Gish as La Clavel does one of the best bits of suppressed acting of her young life. Hers are the loveliest shoul- ders we've ever seen a shawl hung on, and she plays a losing hand in the game of love with a wistfulness that makes you wish Hergesheimer had put a little amour into and less armor on the Abbott. Either that, or have put him back in the cloister where he belonged. We are strong for Barthelmess as an actor, but if he ever chooses Mary Astor above Dorothy Gish again we'll walk out on him. The rest of the cast is good, the photog- raphy fine, and all in all the picture is one you should see. comicbooks.com