«6t to be taken FROM THE ROQfc* IAR 2 8 1983 t \ \ . ** * i Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/selectedfilmcritOOOOslid SELECTED □ FILM CRITICISM 1912-1920 □ edited by Anthony Slide THE SCARECROW PRESS, INC. METUCHEN, N.J., & LONDON 1982 Frontispiece: Julian Johnson In Preparation: Selected Film Criticism: 1921-1930 Selected Film Criticism: 1931-1940 Selected Film Criticism: 1941-1950 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Selected film criticism. Contents: 1. 1912-1920. 1. Moving-pictures--Reviews. I. Slide, Anthony. PR1995.S426 791.43*75 81-23344 ISBN 0-8108-1525-7 (v. 1) AACR2 Copyright © 1982 by Anthony Slide Manufactured in the United States of America This volume is dedicated to the memory of the screen’s first serious critic, Julian Johnson □ CONTENTS Preface xi The Adventures of Kathlyn (Selig, 1914) 3 An American Citizen (Famous Players, 1914) 5 Anne of Green Gables (Realart/Paramount, 1919) 6 The Avenging Conscience (Reliance-Majestic/ Mutual, 1914) 7 Baby Mine (Goldwyn, 1917) 9 Barbary Sheep (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 9 The Bargain (Ince/Paramount, 1914) 11 The Battle Cry of Peace (Vitagraph, 1915) 13 Behind the Door (Ince/Paramount-Artcraft, 1920) 15 Bella Donna (Famous Players-Lasky, 1915) 16 The Better ’Ole (Welsh-Pearson/World, 1919) 16 The Birth of a Nation (Epoch, 1915) 17 The Birth of a Race (Renco, 1919) 24 Black Orchids (Bluebird/Universal, 1917) 25 Blind Husbands (Universal, 1919) 26 The Blue Bird (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 27 Blue Blazes Rawden (Ince/Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 30 The Brat (Metro, 1919) 31 Broken Blossoms (Griffith/United Artists, 1919) 32 Bumping into Broadway (Rolin/Pathfe, 1919) 36 Cabiria (Italia, 1914) 37 The Captive (Lasky/Paramount, 1915) 41 Carmen (Lasky/Paramount, 1915) 42 The Charge of the Light Brigade (Edison, 1912) 45 The Cheat (Lasky/Paramount, 1915) 45 The Christian (Vitagraph, 1914) 47 Cinderella (Famous Players/Paramount, 1915) 49 Civilization (Ince, 1916) 60 Cleopatra (Fox, 1917) 64 The Clodhopper (Ince/Triangle, 1917) 65 Conrad in Quest of His Youth (Paramount- Artcraft, 1920) 66 The Countess Charming (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 67 The Coward (Kay-Bee/Triangle, 1915) 68 The Crisis (Selig, 1916) 69 Daddy-Long-Legs (Pickford/First National, 1919) 63 A Daughter of the Gods (Fox, 1916) 65 The Delhi Durbar (Kinemacolor, 1912) 69 v The Devil’s Pass-Key (Universal, 1920) 71 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Thanhouser, 1912) 72 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Famous Players-Lasky / Paramount, 1920) 72 Don Quixote (Fine Arts/Triangle, 1916) 74 Don’t Change Your Husband (Famous Players/ Paramount, 1919) 75 The Dumb Girl of Portici (Universal, 1916) 75 Easy Street (Mutual, 1917) 78 Enoch Arden (Majestic/Mutual, 1915) 78 The Escape (Reliance-Majestic/Mutual, 1914) 79 The Eternal City (Famous Players, 1915) 81 Evangeline (Fox, 1919) 83 Excuse My Dust (Paramount-Ar ter aft, 1920) 84 The Exploits of Elaine (Pathfe-Hearst, 1914) 84 Eyes of Youth (Equity, 1919) 85 The Fall of a Nation (National Drama Corporation, 1916) 86 The Fall of the Romanoffs (Herbert Brenon, 1917) 88 Fatty and Mabel Adrift (Key stone/Mutual, 1916) 90 Flirting with Fate (Fine Arts/Triangle, 1916) 90 A Fool There Was (Fox/Box Office Attractions, 1915) 91 The Forbidden City (Select, 1918) 95 From the Manger to the Cross (Kalem, 1912) 96 The Garden of Allah (Selig, 1917) 101 The Girl Who Stayed at Home (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 102 A Girl’s Folly (Paragon, 1917) 103 A Good Little Devil (Famous Players, 1914) 104 The Great Love (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 106 The Greatest Question (Griffith/First National, 1919) 107 The Greatest Thing in Life (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 108 The Gulf Between (Technicolor, 1917) 108 The Heart of Humanity (Jewel/Universal, 1919) 109 The Heart of Texas Ryan (Selig/K-E-S-E, 1917) HI Hearts of the World (Griffith/Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) H3 Hell’s Hinges (Kay-Bee/Triangle, 1916) 118 His Majesty, the American (Fairbanks/United Artists, 1919) 119 His Royal Slyness (Rolin/Pathfe, 1920) 120 Home, Sweet Home (Reliance-Majestic/Mutual, 1914) 120 The Honor System (Fox, 1917) 122 Hoodoo Ann (Fine Arts/Triangle, 1916) 123 Hypocrites (Bosworth, 1914) 125 The Idol Dancer (Griffith/First National, 1920) 125 The Immigrant (Mutual, 1917) 126 In the Bishop’s Carriage (Famous Players, 1913) 127 In the Days of the Thundering Herd (Selig, 1914) 129 Intolerance (Wark, 1916) 132 The Italian (Ince/Paramount, 1915) 140 Joan the Woman (DeMille-Lasky/Cardinal, 1916) 141 John Barleycorn (Bosworth, 1914) 144 Jubilo (Goldwyn, 1919) 145 Judith of Bethulia (American Biograph, 1914) 146 The Juggernaut (Vitagraph/V-L-S-E, 1915) 149 vi The Jungle (All-Star Feature Corporation, 1914) 150 Just Pals (Fox, 1920) 151 The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin (Renowned Pictures Corporation, 1918) 152 The Kerry Gow (Kalem, 1912) 154 Kismet (Robertson-Cole, 1920) 154 The Lamb (Fine Arts/Triangle, 1915) 155 The Last of the Mohicans (Tourneur /Associated Producers, 1920) 156 Les Miserables (Fox, 1917) 158 Let Katy Do It (Fine Arts/Triangle, 1916) 161 Little Orphant Annie (Pioneer, 1918) 163 The Love Flower (Griffith/United Artists, 1920) 164 Macbeth (Reliance, 1916) 164 Madame X (Goldwyn, 1920) 167 Male and Female (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 168 The Mark of Zorro (Fairbanks/United Artists, 1920) 170 Men Who Have Made Love to Me (Essanay, 1918) 170 Mickey (Mabel Normand Feature Film Company/ Western Import, 1918) 172 The Miracle Man (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 174 A Modern Musketeer (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 176 A Mormon Maid (Friedman, 1917) 177 The Mothering Heart (American Biograph, 1913) 178 The Musketeers of Pig Alley (American Biograph, 1912) 178 My Cousin (Famous Players-Lasky, 1918) 179 My Four Years in Germany (Warner Bros. , 1918) 180 My Official Wife (Vitagraph, 1914) 182 Neptune’s Daughter (Universal, 1914) 183 Old Wives for New (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 184 Oliver Twist (Lasky/Paramount, 1916) 184 Over the Hill to the Poorhouse (Fox, 1920) 185 The Painted Lady (American Biograph, 1912) 188 Panthea (Selznick, 1917) 188 Passing of the Third Floor Back (Ideal/First National, 1918) 190 Passion (Union-Ufa/First National, 1920) 191 Patria (International Film Service, 1917) 193 Peggy (Kay-Bee/Triangle, 1916) 194 The Penalty (Goldwyn, 1920) 195 The Perils of Pauline (Eclectic /Path6, 1914) 197 Polly of the Circus (Goldwyn, 1917) 199 Pollyanna (Pickford/United Artists, 1920) 200 The Pool Sharks (Gaumont/Mutual, 1915) 201 A Poor Little Rich Girl (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 202 Poppy (Selznick, 1917) 203 The Pride of the Clan (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 204 Princess Virtue (Bluebird/Universal, 1917) 206 The Prisoner of Zenda (Famous Players, 1913) 207 Prunella (Famous Players-Lasky/Paramount, 1918) 209 Queen Elizabeth (Famous Players, 1912) 211 Quo Vadis? (Cines, 1913) 212 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 215 vii The Red Lantern (Metro, 1919) 217 Regeneration (Fox, 1915) 219 Remodeling Her Husband (Paramount-Artcraft, 1920) 219 Revelation (Metro, 1918) 221 The Reward of the Faithless (Bluebird/Universal, 1917) 222 Romance (United Artists, 1920) 223 A Romance of Happy Valley (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 224 Romeo and Juliet (Metro, 1916) 225 The Rosary (Selig/V-L-S-E, 1915) 229 Scarlet Days (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 231 The Sea-Wolf (Bosworth, 1913) 231 Seven Keys to Baldpate (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 233 Sherlock Holmes (Essanay/V-L-S-E, 1916) 234 Shore Acres (Metro, 1920) 237 Shoulder Arms (Chaplin/First National, 1918) 237 Sick Abed (Paramount-Artcraft, 1920) 238 The Sinking of the Lusitania (Winsor McKay/Jewel, 1918) 238 Snow White (Famous Players/Paramount, 1917) 239 The Spirit of ’76 (Continental, 1917) 241 The Spoilers (Selig, 1914) 242 The Squaw Man (Lasky, 1914) 243 Stella Maris (Paramount-Artcraft, 1918) 246 Straight Shooting (Butterfly/Universal, 1917) 249 Suds (Pickford/United Artists, 1920) 250 A Tale of Two Cities (Fox, 1917) 250 Tarzan of the Apes (National Film Corporation, 1918) 252 Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Famous Players, 1913) 253 Tess of the Storm Country (Famous Players /Paramount, 1914) 255 Thais (Goldwyn, 1917) 256 39 East (Paramount-Realart, 1920) 257 Tillie’s Punctured Romance (Keystone, 1914) 258 The Toll Gate (Paramount-Artcraft, 1920) 259 Tom Sawyer (Lasky/Paramount, 1917) 260 Traffic in Souls (Imp/Universal, 1913) 262 Treasure Island (Paramount-Artcraft, 1920) 264 Trilby (World, 1917) 265 True Heart Susie (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 266 The Turn in the Road (Brentwood, 1919) 266 23f Hours Leave (Ince/Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 267 Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Famous Players-Lasky/ Paramount, 1918) 268 The Unpardonable Sin (Harry Garson, 1919) 269 An Unseen Enemy (American Biograph, 1912) 269 Victory (Paramount-Artcraft, 1919) 270 War Brides (Selznick, 1916) 271 War on the Plains (Bison/New York Motion Picture Company, 1912) 274 The Warrens of Virginia (Lasky Feature Play Company/ Paramount, 1915) 275 Way Down East (Griffith/United Artists, 1920) 276 Where Are My Children (Universal, 1916) 279 While New York Sleeps (Fox, 1920) 280 viii The Whispering Chorus (Famous Players-Lasky / Paramount, 1918) - 282 Whom the Gods Destroy (Vitagraph/V-L-S-E, 1916) 285 Within the Law (Vitagraph, 1917) 286 The Woman God Forgot (Paramount-Artcraft, 1917) 286 Womanhood, the Glory of a Nation (Vitagraph, 1917) 288 The Wrath of the Gods (New York Motion Picture Company, 1914) 288 Yankee Doodle in Berlin (Sennett, 1919) 290 Appendixes A. The Shadow Stage: The Year’s Acting, a Review of Personal Performances, by Julian Johnson 292 B. The Screen Year in Review, by Frederick James Smith 303 □ PREFACE Selected Film Criticism: 1912-1920 is the first of four volumes providing extensive coverage of contemporary American film criticism from the early teens through the late forties. This present volume offers contemporary reviews of almost two hundred films, American and foreign, features and shorts, released during the cinema’s form¬ ative years.