AMUSEMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 167, 12 July 1918, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS

HAY WARD'S PICTURES:

.Melbourne McDowell,.' who was "Black Jack" in "The Flame of the Yukon," was the central figure in "The Bond of Fear," which was warmly received by the large atten3an.ee at the Empire Theatre last night. His role is ;the judge, who mercilessly seuteir.es a maiii totwenty years' hard labour, and then the same night finds himself a fngiitirve from the law. McDowell gives a wonderful . piece of powerful and intensely dramatic acting. To the heroine special ateutiou niu'-iL be paid, as she is the new star who.ie accession to tin forces ha.s created such interest in American film circles, This itBel'e Bennett, a beauty who possesses qui 6 unusual charm a,i:d eiuotioual foivc. With her is also .Roy Stewart, the actor chosen by Triangle to play an:: important role. In addition to the above drama, was shown, amid an uproar of laughter, "The Cure," the latest and best M-utual-Chaplin comedy, two thousand feet of the essence of this extraordinary personality's fastest fun-making. His nerves wrei-ked owing, to dissipation, he goes to a sanatorium to get cured. He takes with him his trunk, which is a woefully popular article very promptly in the home. It is packed with bottles of every comforting brand, and their discovery is one of the finest "screams" ever perpetrated. Charlie'* efforts to wrap himself round a glass or two of the. nasty health waters are well worth watching, and his adventures in the Turkish bath chambers are a series '-' laugh-extrscters. The programme will be shown for the last time to-night.' PEOPLE'S PICTURES. There was another big and enthusiastic attendance at the Theatre Royal la?t night, and the excellence of the prognrmme should ensure another suc- . cesiful session this evening, when' it will be filially shown. The gaol-wedding in "The World Against-'. Him" is.;'weird and strangely dramatic. The bridegroom has been chosen solely because he is under the sentence of death, and because .the marriage wiCl give. the. bride a fortune. The etory is as follows: Mark West falls in love with a. sooietv belle, Alice Ridgway, who flirts with him, and then becomes engaged to a famous surgeon, Dt Welsh. Mark West has a young and crippled sister, and lie. saves up enough money to take her to Dr Welsh. The latter tries an operation that he knows wild probably kill the Jittle- girl. She dies, ami Mark, fiudkig out the truth and blind with fury, rushes to the doctor's office and kills the assistant. He is tried and condemned to death. Alice Ridgway has been left a .foutline on the .'condition- that she marries .within three days, and, her fiancee having gone West, Mark is approaclied. He consents, the marriage is performed, and the bridegroom escapes. It can be imagined from .the foregoinp how thrilling the remainder of the story, which ends well, must be. The acting of £. K. Lincoln is superb, and nothing too good can be -said of Junp Elvidge. . That great serial "The Iron Claw," is now in its final episode. This feature has now ran for five months, without a dull chapter, and at last the mystery of "Who is the Laughing Mask," which has been responsible for so much argument, isfactorily settled. An interesting Topical is included ire the programme, which wil be shown again tonight.