WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOINGS

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 870, 9 March 1917, Page 18

WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOINGS

Picture Attractions. The Eing'th—" The Hidden Valley " ' The Empress—" All Man " : Everybody's—" The Beggar of Cawnpore " The.Queen's—"The Rescue of the Stefanson Arctic Expedition " ■: King's. ' "F|IHE StrongQr Love", is the head--liner this week in a . decidedly : strong programme. It is a drama illustrating the strange family feuds— quite Corsican in their intensity—that are to be met with in the way-backs of Virginia and- Kentucky. The. plot is . Jbrightened by a love-story, bringing insto strong relief Vivian Martin, a "dainty little, beauty fit to rank with Mary Pickford and Marguerite .Clark. "Gaumont Graphic" is very good this .. week, and the other supporting films are also meritorious. ~ ■■■ .*■ . * .j • * " The Hidden Valley." This-is to be the chief attraction of -the new programme to-morrow (Satur--day) It is a-mysteiy story somewhat like '''Slie 2 " but with a modern setting. Valkyrien, the heroine, is the Countess.de Witz, a Danish actress, : who. won the great beauty prize given . in Denmark at certain periods. She is graceful and-perfectly formed,- and the 1 - hero's enthusiasm when he finds her in the. secret temple, is_quite natural.- The photography in the " heart of - Africa . scenes is-exceedingly fine. ' ° S ' ' Everybody's. "Reggie Mixes In,which is 'running:.' ...this week with splendid. effect,. shows . that popular : .American film actor, . Douglas Fairbanks, at . the very !.top of his form. He - plays the pari- of a , "chucker-out" in a Bowery ." theatre. . The Bowery at . New York corresponds" , to the Whitechapel; part .. of London. There you see : .the lower strata of so- ' ciety in the big metropolis. But Doug-• las is only a make-believe Bowery boy.' He is really a fashionable young -man; . and has merely •' 'taken on the job" to; win the hand of pretty Bessie Love. a " dancer, iri the. theatre. Charming Billie Burke in the second chapter! of Gloria's Romance" completes a tip-top bill.' " — « ; * » »■ 'VThe Beggar of Cawnpore." Look: out for this fine Triangle play - in the new programme to-morrow. H. • B. Warner gives a wonderful perform- " ance .in "the leading part. The matinee "idol becomes a drug-ridden tatfer- • demalian with hopeless eyes and despairing "gesture—yet when his one-, time sweetheart is in awful danger, his . heroism flames to life. The story is a strong one, and there is a vivid presentation of the Massacre of Cawnpore ■with all its accompaniment of horv ror and slaughter. - "A Perilous Love" is another capital film in which the ac- / tion moves swiftly. . * * * «• ''Gloria's Romance." 7 / Chapter 111. of this delightful serial, . now crowding Everybody's all. day long • and well , into the night,- will show the bounder Fresrieau now glorified as a hero in" Gloria's'.girlish mind. However, she is packed. off to boarding school, the millionaire father promising she may marry only after five years. ■ Her pranks at tlie boarding school are = full of quaint humour. . The school : scenes are fascinating, and Billie

Burke, in her gymnasium costume, is deliciously boyish. Gloria's return from school to her home- is an occasion of great rejoicing. She has>grown into . a lovely woman, full of charm, and still the winsome deviltry that lias been one of her characteristics. In the meantime her-brother"" has married Lois Freeman, who likes " him mainly for. his. money, and. continues an illicit flirtation with Freneau. - Gloria's return from' school -is celebrated by. a Visit to the. opera, and she., is-, full of sup- : pressed. excitement- at the thought of seeing-Freneau.: In the: gorgeous foyer of " the Metropolitan Opera House * she <meets him. He, 'engrossed .with business and numerous flirtations, looks ■ blankly at her. He has forgotten her. Thisf Chapter III." will he, screened for the first time to-morrow (Saturday). The Queen's. The.Lasky drama, -'To Have and to Hold." is a puller and a filler as the crowded state of the; Queen's this week abundantly shows. Mae Murray and Wallace Reid are "a, very strong team in the leading parts. Stefansson Expedition Pictures. Look out for. this Very, special attraction, which starts with a. special exhibition to-night -(Friday)" to which leading members ; of the community have been- invited. . --Strong representations have "been made from time to time; by public -bodies, and in the press that picture programmes wanted toning up and that films depicting: important events in current history and others of educational value were the kind most desired by the people. ;. ' Well, Manager MeCallum believes in ■ always being out to anticipate and ; gratify legitimate public wants, and. he has gone to considerable trouble and expense to meet this alleged want. It is but the other day, so to speak,'that the Stefansson Expedition returned from .the North Polar regions, and Manager MeCallum. has secured the right to, screen in Wellington the photos- tliey brought back-.' Nothing surely could be more up to date and of.greater • interest and educational value than this nniquo 6000-feet film. - Alaska and Siberia, are shown in their, manifold . everyday aspects. The 1 life of those curious people, the Esquimaux, is -v ividly pourtrayed. .Then there is the animal life : Polar-bears, Arctic foxes, seals, walruses, penguins, and so on. The Stefansson explorers were reduced to very short commons when the rescue party arrived, and their joy is ; quite touching. Don't fail to see these pic- • til res. " ■-. ■ : {- .; '• «• . . * The Empress If you haven't- seen "The Scarlet Oath," which is- now running, don't miss It. As a. detective drama it takes high rank. "The House of a Thousand -./Sins" is the name bestowed, by the Nihilists: upon the residence of Savaroff._ chief of . the Russian Secret Police in Warsaw. Handsome Gail Kane plays si strong dual role in the drama—-tliat- of two sisters—culminating in one of the sisters assassinating Savaroff for which she is. shot. 1- -PAH Man. v In the new Empress programme - to be presented to-morrow -(Saturday) a cheque-writing father- and sunny ways contrive. to make the hero of this play a more than useless prodigal. -How-' ' ever the cheque stream dries very suddenly, and the hero meets with a- col-

lection of hard facts. But he has. good stuff in him and makes good. Robert Wai-wicky - the liero, finds; that making good has not settled- his ' troubles by- a considerable deal. Tie is faced with the offer of a life's d.evotion from two such beauties as Gerda Holmes and Mollie King, and only after a very stormy passage does the happy ending arrive. Palmerston North Pictures. The Palace. "The Common Law" is the extraspecial attraction which accounts forth e crowds thronging this fine theatre. It is a drama which everybody ought to see. Those 'who miss it will feel like kicking themselves. Clara Kimball Young has a very fine part in this play,, which will be screened for the last., time on Saturday night. On Monday, night . it-will-give way to - -

' T tie Question.'' a Manhattan feature film, in which the talented English actress, Marguerite Leslie, appears as the wife who preferred ,pet_ poodles to babies. It is a strong indictment against a recognised social evil. ■ «• ■ . *• . ■» The Kosy. .. "The Wheel of;the Law,", with that charming Metro, star, Emily Stevens, in the heroine role, .is the powerful magnet .-ofthis week's programme, which commenced on" Thursday, and the "continuous" crowds have proclaimed the glad fact. On Monday a bright new programme, comes into vogue with o " The Rieturra of Draw Egan." William- Hart and Louise Glaum are fitted with very strong fole& in this back-blocks- drama," which is full of exciting situations. It shows . how ; "Draw" Egan,. in the part of.Sheriff, "makes a- clean job of tidying a noisy town, and after being faced with the : evils of his past bandit life, .asserts his ' manhood and -■ makes good. . Louise ■ Glaum is the vampire of "Yellow Dog," ' and the final, struggle is between her evil charm. ancL the .-'purity* of the hero-. -;ine with whom "Draw" falls in loves.