WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOINGS

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 878, 4 May 1917, Page 10

WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOINGS

41 Where Are My Children ?" riIHE- now-famous Universal film; . v rh. which is-to be screened at. ■ the Kind's Theatre for if season commene- : -.".ing <at the, matinee to-morrow. Satur- -. day afternoon, - lias -the reputation of ■ being the most impressive, most dignified, yet- the most -sensational production of. its character in the history of - the: picture business: It- is a film with ' •.-..a purpose, \dealing strikingly -with race suieidfe. It is calculated to make the . fair sex do some hard * thinking, and men "hesitate before vthey '/participate . in a practiee that is heinous and crimi- •• y nal. It is a daring subject,', treated in a daring way. There is absolutely. ,-i nothing'-indecent.'.or indelicate' through- : ,r out the 'whole picture, hut, as no good . . purpose - would -be served by the 'admit-* ting of. those of tender- yeai's, • tlie • New Zealand- Censor, -stipulated, that no .one: : under the age' of eighteen years was to; be \admitted..-- *.--

a . / The film is a master-piece-' of: -modern.' /• photography. The dramatic, role of the . -Jll-understood-.District Attorney- is/'en- :, acted by that eminent dramatic actor, ; i Mr. Tyrone Powfei\- The story is engrossing to a decree. -Through years of .childlessness the District Attorney had lived a life of loneliness with a . beautiful wife devoted entirely to fash- , ionable. society.' Wlien be discovered : .../that his wife was. to blame for the lack ; of the children that he craved for, vjhen he' Imtew~her as guilty as tlie practitioner Jhat he had sent to prison \ 'for fifteen years, lie dashed her to 'the. • ground .with: a wail wrung/ from his - soul, "Where are ; my children?" The , , scene .that , follows is perhaps .one of the strongest'"that- has been in the history of the 'screen. .' .. ' 'I;.. y f The King's.

Standing room only was the affairs at the King's on Saturday night . when the Greater .Vitagraph film-, drama, "The Enemy,-was- screened. • It: is a powerful, plea for temperance,; .' and the story is brimful of interest. Pure fun is supplied in generous measure by the Mutual comedyY which ■ portrays the inimitable Charlie Chap-: ■' .. lin as ' 'The "Vagabond," and 1 shows how he rescued his sweetheart from a band .of gypsies. The Gaumont Graphic en- . a hies' you to have' peeps at the war in v ' Asia on the Black Sea coast and a ..in Frances ..... . The Empress. 7 Although the advertised films went , ■ astray on the railway; the management were to; the. fore with a - captivating . programme., *'The Sou] of is a drama in which a man. re- : penting of a fast life, falls in love with . a good.woman,- wins her consent to marriage,> and starts to lead an honj ? ourable career, in opposition to the -plots and wiles of his former evil associate. He wins through' after many pitfalls. Charlie Chaplin in "The Vagabond" fills the house with laughs tor for a - lively -half-hour, 'and. the

latest -."Topical. ■ Gazette" keeps you abreast, of the latest happenings /in -Europe., - ». ■■■ .■■■ ■-.■■» . '■ «■ : ■ .St v " Vera the Medium." Kitty" Gordon as a • screen - siren is • without .peer. She is not the oyer-aet-ing, writhing, evil figure usually seen, but a breathing,- dangerous woman, who sees the effects of her wrongdoing. Tlie^.play has been produced without any. regard to expense., -The dresses are miracles ofbeauty r there is a fresh costume; every few fieet of film, and the luxuiious interiors of the fashionable flats, casinos, arid-restaurants in which most of the action lies, .ive i. marvels of studio work. The, story is a strong one, written originally by Richard Harding Davis. '- Vera the Me-- " dium ; ' commences at tlie" Empress , to-; morrow (Saturday), .; Everybody's. -' ~ V"'; ;

The fine spectacular Bland Holt drama,- "Woman "and- Wine," full of- . strong situations, haskept Everybody's thronged to,.the doors .this week. A designing adventuress employed as '• a painter's model ' lures. away " a rich man's .son and heir to Gay Paree and ' makes' Mm go; the/pace there xintil' the ' - dollars are. blown. 'After' that repent- , ance gets in its work and the young 'Jfool gets forgiven by the-, true girl he left behind' him.,: "His Last Scent 1 J is a screaming dQtective-hurlesque, which sendg the . audience into paroxysms. A•- ; &'st-'elass chapter'-ik'given of "Gloria's/' /Romance," in which beauteous Billie: Burke captures' all (hearts. ■ The Americano '• aud"The Fugi- ; tive /Witness," , ,v

Douglas Fairbanks; iii "Ike Americano" -(to be- screened at Everybody's starting this week-end) has excelled himself.. The drama is the best he has yet\shown in. He is-a-young American engineer who proceeds to. a little-jewel of; a country called/Paragonia and runs a revolution. He performs a lightning succession of amazing stunts • and keeps: the Fairbanks -smile going at high pressure all the time, eventually clearing up the country arid annexing the President's daughter. ".The Fugitive Witness," the next instalment of

"Gloria's Romance!,' 1 is full of fine acting, and the interest of this film novel is still; increasing •*

. ''Mothers of France,'' the photodrama for which : Sarali Bernhardt acted under the auspices of the French: Government, has recently been screened - in New York. Files to hand state, that the picture is one of the finest v things the screen has — offered. It is ; pointed outj 'however, that it failed to attract .the ,erow:ds as :' did \ ' 'The/Girl Phiiippa," a. screen version of Robert W. Chambers' story,with J the pretty -. Anita Stewart in.jthe principal role, "j ■ Commenting on the public's preference for the latter, one paper remarks that the fact' that a wholly artificial photoplay should prove more' popular than a human document, such as "Mothers of .

France," is a commentary on. the taste of the public. The. paper < did not in any way reflect on "The- GirlPhpippa," which was described as an - excellent film of its land, but ' was merely taken as indicating what of the theatre-goingpubJic wants. -■»: ■■■■ We had the pleasure on Wednesday afternoon of responding; to a courteous invitation from Lieut. Jim P. Anderson (managing director) and Mr. W.' W. Wadman (manager for New Zealand) of the Fox Film Corporation" to "attenda special private "screening of Fox-.-Film comedies in .the King's Theatre', the said comedies having been-kindle lent for the occasion by New 'Zealand Picture S applies - , Ltd. It was an ex-, ceedingly enjoyable programme, the comedies being all. acted by first-class artistes,, and the pictures/being singularly clear and "otherwise'effective.---