Life — April 10, 1924 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

24 “Lilies of the Field” “(ROOD of its kind” is the faint phrase that springs to the front in Jeration of “Lilies of the any consic “ield.” It has an excellent cast—in cluding the decorative Corinne Griffith ‘earle—and ecutive and sound. and the decor« Conway its continuity is ¢ the story is a shabby affair—a not frank discussion of various allur- ject is to tickle in the audi ence and at the same time to dodge the terrifying shears of the “Lilies of tt enough to be a good box-office attrac subjects. he « ct the perpetual adolescents Field” is just naughty tion, and not naughty enough ublic m wholesomely offensive to p have banned s in Ohic man of Paris,” and have ies of the Field” to pa rwed “1 without so much as the elevation n eyebrow. Which is all that you need to know about the censors in Ohio. Sport Pictures N frequent occ ions T have called attention to the short sport pictures which Grantland Rice is producing ; since their inception they have been istently amusing and instructive: new series is better than eve tice has improved his photc raphy and his subject-matter, and his current crop of products is exceptionally meri torious. Indeed, the most entertaining two-recler that I have seen since Buster Keaton’s graduation is “Olympic Mer maids.” featuring four of the graceful young ladies who will represent. this country at the ¢ in France next summer Tie SILENT DRAMA “tributed materially to the It isn't often that a newspaper col- umi ist ca mnt n turn his editorial ability to ac the screen, but Grantland Rice has done it, and done it remark- ably well “The Thief of Bagdad” AST week I devotec in this department to a considera of banks's picture, all the: space “The Thief of Bagdad. My summary may roughly be described adequate ume of Lire at my command, I should still fail to convey so much as a glimmering sug or, had Tan entire vol gestion of the miracle that has been wrought in this Arabian Nights’ Enter- tainment Its enchantment, its fan. ta iveness, its b tic impres auty the descriptive powers of better cor respondents than I — and Rupert Hughes would not be the first to deny that there are such However, credit is due to certain individuals whose names were omitted in my swooning review last’ week Anna May Wong and So-Jin, whose performances of two Mongolian char- acters are rich in beauty and in au- thentic power, and, among many others. Snitz Edwards, Julanne Johnston and Charles Belcher There are, also, Raoul Walsh, the director; Arthy Edeson, the chief camera-man; Lotta Woods, the con tinuity expert, and William) Menzie: and Irvin Martin, the art directors. A list of credits like the foregoing does not provide particularly exciting literature, nd is usually assiduously avoided on this page. But it contains names that must be read into the ree- these people has con- ord; cach ¢ greatest up: at fH a3 4D lift the Silent Drama has ever known Cita! megapl brought the Moscow Art. Thea America, and who i Hollywood Art TI Mr. Gest has fc Bagdad” the perf st be made of the official wielder— Morris Gest, who to now bringing the re to the world nd in “The Thief of «ct medium for the of his inspired showman: wmanship which, by the dicated on the conviction that it is always advisable to have something w while to sh Ww OR should it be forgotten (3 m inclined to believe that it won otten) that De irbanks foes the best work of his life in “The Thief of Bagdad.” Heghas surpassed his own D'Artagnan and Robin Hood by a long series of leaps and bc Is He visualized le story is remark. in his own effervescent mind; with in finite care and. inspired artistry, he set it forth living shadows on the screen. I have never been loath to back him with all the verbal capital at my disposal, but now I am com pelled to shoot the works He is a gen inely great man. [s one respect—and only one—"The Thief of Bagdad” is cause for criti cal alarm; it throws the casual reviewer entirely off his ba ce, it warps his t of view, it upsets his perspective For myself, I am considerably disturbed by the thought that there are still thousands and thousands of pictures for me to appraise in t I am left with nothing more to say he thought that I have been struck 11 hear se pages, and here speechless is appalling. (I a voice inqu whom rt E, Sherwood. s comicbooks.com