There are persons in the picture industry and out of it who bewail the fact that the personnel of the Biograph Company has undergone changes. So it has. Good people have gone to other companies. Likewise, good people have returned, and also good people have made their debut. In this picture it may truly be said that Biograph has put over another Biograph. It is a story with a wallop, to borrow a term from the bowlers. There is a triangle, to be sure, but the third member was drawn into it through motives of revenge, and perhaps measurably justifiable. A little child, left alone for a moment by its parents, gets out of a machine and wanders into the wings of a theater. The mother in her search for the little one, discovers her in the arms of an actress, extremely decollete, by the way, and denounces the stage girl for contaminating her child. The father remonstrates with the mother and apologizes to the actress. The next night the father has a front seat at the show. There are effective scenes showing the theater and the audience, and flashes of the stage and the dance; the father and the actress exchange glances. The friendship is formed, the mother takes the child and goes out for herself; the father meets with financial reverses, the girl throws him over. The mother, as a last resort, seeks employment in the chorus. There she comes face to face with the third corner. The manner of the actress, scornful and sneering at first, changes to pity. She puts out her hands to a sister in distress. The stage girl takes from her neck and arms the jewels the husband had given her and forces them on the wife; she goes to the wretched home of the mother with her. "Now may I kiss the baby?" inquires the actress. Yes, she may. The stage woman does more. She meets the husband, and sends him to his wife. There is a strong scene, ending in reconciliation. The stage girl is new to the company. She is an acquisition. The work of the mother is powerful; she has never been seen to better advantage. Mr. Walthall took the role of the husband; he also was at his best. - The Moving Picture World, October 5, 1912
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
