Real Life

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 76, 22 December 1917, Page 12

Real Life

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i' RIGHT OFF THE REEL. i' "Rasputin, the Black Monk," screen- : ; uig ill the King's; is the true story produced in a' marvellous manner of v the illiterate peasant ~ who gained ascendancy over Russia's Royalty, aud through bis villainy was the i eal cause . oi thb Revolution. . # » ; - "Rasputin, the Black Monk," is a ; powerful seven-act Buper-feature b» the \Vorld li , ilhi ; Co},- : with seven famous j players, including Montagu Love (IlasSu'tin). Henry''Hull (Kerensky), and lino Elvidge'. ; ■ • /-». * • 'Following the'great drama of the ,7 Russian Involution now showing at ■ the Kind's, will be shown Retires of !!•'.; the Russian Revolution/ showing street* • iij^h rioting, etc. • » * * "For France." a patriotic photoplay, v produced by tne vitagraph Company, with Edward Earle and.Betty Lowe in t ' the principal parts, ' will shortly bo ; shown here. 7M''THE MAN WHO FORGOT." 7 A strange story is <told in this fine J.':. World Film drama which stars Robert ■! , Warwick and Doris'Kenyon. A man ; whose memory is destfoyed by over in--0 dulgence in whisky becomes rcgener- ; ated, and the leader of the yeat American National Prohibition movement. At the height of his fame lie is confronted by a plotting section of the opposing party, with a woman who > claims to be his wife. The whole fab- . Rio of his carer comes crasliing to earth as a result, for even to the. woman he h. loves he is unable, through his loss of / memory, to make a denial. Dons Kenyon, a lovely World star, has a rolo that iB full of line opportunities, and . sho makes the most of it. Tho j plav is lavishly mounted and crowded . wiU fine scenes.

"THE BARRIER."' Rex Beach baa added another bold adventure to hie strenuous career. He is now a producer of motion pictures. . He has taken hia greatest story, '• "The Barrier," and made it iuto the . greatest photo-drama yat produced. The fame of Res Beach as a writer .of stirring, red-blooded tales, with •nap in every. sentence and punch in every paragraph, is world wide. . His wonder stories of life in the ■ North-west , sell by the hundreds of thousands. i .Millions ... people have read "The Barrier"—thousands have seen it on ihe stage. ■ . Now, under the, supervision: of Mr. . BeiuSh, "the whole exciting story has ; been, made to live and'breathe N in motion pictures. ■Al) the -vigour : and virility +.hat'have • given the • novel ■such remarkable popu- ' laritvara in the pioture. • ' • It's a contiguous succession of '. thrilh. .:.J. , In a land where law is praotically !'nnknown, and right of might • largely Srevails, there is every opportunity for ashing adventure —for encountering •: th>- unusual and mysterious. The genius of Bex Beach Laß made - the most of this opportunity, jn "The Barrier." . In 'bringing to life the story's wonderfully "' butaan ' charaoters, Edgar "Lewis, who. directed the production for ! Mr. Beach, selected players who fit the . parts to absolute perfection. The old trader, with his tragic past, ihe win- . some Neoia—child of Nature—the heroio • commander of" the little army pwit. the quaint, lovable "Poleon of the Great Heart," the red-handed gambler and "Killer," and all the other fascinat-ing-characters appear in the pioture exactly as Mr. Beach imagined them, . *nd described them in the book; , , "The Barrier" will be presented at

the KingV Theatre commencing Sat- ' urdayj the 29th, . . SIfPERFEATURES. This word is scattered about with a free hand nowadays in connection with moving piotures. Any picture which happens to be long is dignified with the epithet. For once, however, the word is truly applied to a screen drama,, and "his remark is made with special reference to "The Barrier," the first of Rex Beach's own productions. "The Barrier" ib an extraordinary novel because, besides its wonderful Alaskan netting, it treats of a norenninl problem, "Can White Mate With Colour? 1 ' "BORROWED PLUMACE." A f>eep at the times of Paul Jones, the Amerioan naval commander who was such a thorn in the side of llio English Navv at one time, is shown in "Borrowed 'Plumage," the Triangle • plaiy which stars Bessie Barriscale. She is at her very best in this duma, and will make hosts of new friends. At the opening she is a high-spirited girl in the who longs to take part in the fashions and manners of the "grand gentry" in the great drawingroom.' Her opportunity comes abont. in tbe strangest way. The terrible iewß is heard that Paul Junes, the "Pirate." is aliout to land The castle is soon ■empty, and Bessie is left alone to ' queen it how she liltes. Troubles, however, come thick and thqt; rescue of the castle £foinea£i:troup of English-soldiery, and •JHeasie "hii# to poce .as, the mispress. It would br> a shame (o tell the queer Adventures that arrivo in quick wccrnjiion, hut thA HUtfj u wwainwi iwUua.

RUSSIA. • The extraordinary turn that events have taken in tne great Eastern country of Kurope make Russia now the topio of the hour. Its past history has been strange, but surely no period could be more remarkable than the latest, which has resulted iu the downfall of the Tsaj'doin, and the fantastic medley of rulers that pretend to rule the vast laud, in "Rasputin," the super-feature drama now screening at the King's, a faithful picture is painted of the inner workings of the Russiau Court just prior to its overthrow. The incrediblo superstition whiob was rampant in all classes, the licentiousness and wanton customs of the aristocracy, and the habits of the Nihilistß are all shown with vivid touches. The production is on a vast 6cale, and the cast is an immense one, numbering many hundreds. There is a long list of leading players, including such Btars as Montagu Love, June Elvidge, Irving Cummings, Lilian Cooke, Arthur Ashley, Julia Dean, and Henry Hull. CREAT MOVEMENTS. The American iB a believer in the spectacular, and iu all U.S.A. political movements huge processions are frequent. In "The Man Who Forgot" the [Slot deals with the National Prohibition movement, and for this purpose the gigantic parades of tho No-License societies through Washington streets are shown. Lobbying, which is an American fine art, is also shown, together with interesting glimpses of the Senate meetings. In 6harp contrast to these is a faithful reproduction of a Shanghai opium den, and the strange Oriental narrow streets' and quaint buildings of a Chinese Blum.

WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO SEE IT. THE KING'S— "Rasputin, the Black Monk" (SixStar Cast). . THE EAIPIIiiSS— "The Man Who Forgot" (Robert Warwick and Doris lienyon). EVERYBODY'S"Borrowed Plumage" (Bessie Barriscale); "The Secret Kingdom" ("Rum Cay"). THE CROWN— . "Rasputin, the Black Monk" (SixStar Cast); "The Maelstrom" ■ (Enrlo Williams). OURS, NEWTOWN"Rasputin, the Black Monk" (World Super-feature); "Borrowed Plumage,"" "The Secret Kiugdom" "The Maelstrom" (Earle Williams); "Tko Iron Claw." THE STAR, NEWTOWN— "Martha's Vindication," "Tess of the Storm Country" (Mary Pickford); "The Black Box." THE KING GEORGE, LOWER HTJTT"The Family Honour" (Robert Warwick), "The Iron Claw" (Arsene Lupin), "The Sign of the Cross." THE GRAND, I'JiTONE"The Divorce Game" (Alice Brady), "The Irou Claw," , "Nancy'B Birthright," "The Manxman" i (Henry Ainley and Elizabeth Rißden). EARLANU'S PICTURES, LEVIN— '"The Flower of No Man's Land" (Viola Dana), "Arsene Lupin" (Gerald Ameß), "Hidden Scar" j (Ethel Clayton), "Reggie | Mixes In" (Douglas FairUulta), "Gloria's ltomauW

i-'RASPUTIN, THE BLACK MONK." « The rise of this extraordinary impostor to the height of power in one of tie greatest courts of the world is one of the, mysteries of history. Called "Rasputin," a name signifying something low and indescribable, by his fellow villagers, he managed to become, to use his own words, "the real Tsar." Donning a sham costume of a monk, ■ he managed to' get to Petrograd, keeping himself on his journey by posing as a monk of a new religoiiß order. Once in the great capital, his peculiar fascination for women enabled him to become the imposing head of a new cult of a lawless, freakish creed, which advocated the abolition of restraint in sex matters. Hiß sway over a lady of the court enabled him to get an opportunity of access to the Tsarina aud her heir. The latter, kept in a state of alternate siokness and health by the ingenious use of drugs, was used by the unscrupulous monk as the instrument by whioh he climbed to terrific power. The Tsarina was in a state of collapse if he went away for a day, and slowly he became tho absolute ruler, and had the impudence to sit near the throne and take part in the royal councils. However, the revolution came with such dramatic suddenness that the whole fabrio of intrigue and secrecy was torn away, and Rasputin'met the ' doom he deserved. In the World Film | play now screening at the King's, the I trick by which Rasputin's weakness for

women was used for his entrapping is shown exactly, The play is historically accurate, And full of sensational revelations o£ Russian affairs. "RUM CAY." EIGHTH EPISODE OF "THE SECRET KINGDOM." Philip, the true successor to the crown of Mania, Julia ibis sweetheart, and Juan are drifting in one boat, Madame Savatz and Count Ptanion, the arcTi conspirators of the usurper, at home, are in another. Both boats are picked up by a passing Bchooner. Once aboard, Count Ramon attempts to murder Philip with a dagger. Ramon is set adrift again, and VaTls in with "Hum Cay," a murderous negro pirate. "Rum Cay" captures the schooner,' and in league with Ramon, plots to kill off all the male prisoners. Philip plans to escape, sets fire to the schooner, Which is filled with dynamite and rum. Ramon and "Rum Cay'" board the boat while Philip, Juan, and Julia, leave. Then comes a terrific explosion. Ramon barely esoapes. "Rum Cay" and his band are blown to smithereonii. Enemies at heart, the close of the episode finds the contending parties companions in mutual danger and misery. They drift towards an unknown fate. The ninth Episode of "The Secret Kingdom"—"Tho Swamp Adder"— leads you deeper into the plot (f the story, and sustains a continued interest because of its strength, bea,uty, and thrills.