Life — January 22, 1925 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

24 Te Sitenr DRAMA “Peter Pan” T is difficult for me to review “Peter Pan” as it appears on the screen and at the same time retain my reputation for bitterness, cynicism and dyspepsia. Were I to cut loose and say what I feel about this admirable picture I should lay bare a vein of maudlin sen- timentality that would surprise and grieve my little readers. However, “Peter Pan” is so extraor- dinarily beautiful, so utterly true to the childish spirit in which it was originally written, that I have no choice in the matter: T must fall down and blubber, HEN it was announced that ‘amous Players would pro- duce “Peter Pan,” with Herbert Brenon as director and an un- known cutie as Peter, I experi- enced many qualms. I made dei- inite mental pictures of the awful things that would be done to Barrie’s fairy story in the cellu- loid mills of Hollywood. I must have been misinformed ; for I now believe that “Peter Pan” is better as a movie than it has ever been as a play. Mr. Brenon and his co-workers have wisely refrained from substitut- ing realism for fantasy: they have not cast Strongheart, the police dog, in the rdle of Nana, and even if they have equipped Captain Hook with a real pirate ship which floats on a real ocean, they have caused it to rise from the waves and soar through the clouds in a thoroughly improb- able manner. If they have erred at all, they have done so in the right direc- tion, by following too closely the lines in Barrie's manuscript. Willis Goldbeck, who did the adaptation (and a darned good job, too), was apparently loath to sacrifice any of the speeches in the play—with the result that there is a superabundance of sub-titles, S to the cast—it is all good, with special emphasis on the work of George Ali, as Nana, Ernest Torrence, as Captain Hook, Mary Brian, as IVendy, and Betty Bronson, as Peter. Bronson is just about perfect, in appearance and in general behavior. ne Extracts from Famous Baby Books Basy Cuarres Spencer CHaritn Born April 16, 1889 MAY 1, 1889—Baby cried until he was given a custard pi: to play with. JULY 8, 1889—To-day Baty winked and nurse loughed herself into hysterics. APRIL 16, 1890—Baby's first birthdey. Threw cll his new dolls into a tub of mortar. JUNE 21, 1890—Baby walked to-day, using a lead pencil for a cane. JANUARY 3, 1891—Baby spoke for the first time. Gavz directions to the photographer taking his tintype. M. A. 7. Although I was the one who cr most loudly for Jackie Coogan to ply this part, I am now compelled retract my opinion: no one that know of could match Miss Brons in any respect. Of course, Maw Adams was pretty good, too. Some one, however, should make a point to speak to Betty Brons about the silence of the silent dran and call her attention to the maxin movie stars should be seen and nt heard. She made numerous pe sonal appearances in connectic with “Peter Pan,” and almo succeeded in ruining the remark impression that she ha made in the picture. able “So Big” N the other hand, Edna Fer ber’s fine novel, “So Big, has been mutilated beyond all recognition. Even if it was, to begin with, poor movie materi (a fact which is not to Mis Ferber'’s discredit), it has beer turned into worse movie ma. terial. Except for a few early scenes, whatever of inspiration or flaming sincerity existed in the book has been quite obliterated at the unskilled hands of ignorant adapters. Colleen Moore is excellent as the young Selina Peake, but the later developments of the story are too much for her. If there is anything worthy-in “So Big,” Miss Moore is personally re- sponsible for it. Certainly Edna Ferber has no share in the lim- ited credit or the extensive blame, as this is not even remotely her work, Those who read the novel will he violently irritated by this pic- ture. Those who did not read the novel will merely be bored. R. E. Sherwood. comicbooks.com