The New Pictures

Within the Law. A miracle has come to pass. Within the Law has been adapted for the screen minus the emendations and Hollywood inspirations usually deemed necessary to cinematize a play or story. The result is exactly what intelligent people (a pitifully meagre group when one reflects that 4,000,000 attend pictures daily in America) have so long prophesied: Within the Law is not only consistently interesting, but it is convincing. This may, but probably will not, prove to a few of the commercial directors that it is actually profitable to leave the original dramatist to his own devices.

Norma Talmadge is starred as " Mary Turner " and does a good job in an almost actress-proof part. A number of the original cast of the play are numbered among her colleagues.

The Ne'er-Do-Weil is one of those pictures where four reels go by and the audience is about ready to put on its bonnet and rubbers to go home when the hero is falsely accused of murder. Four more reels are necessary sary to drag him to prison and offer him opportunity for heaving, tearing and gnashing the chest, the hair and the teeth, respectively. When about half the play is junked, the remainder may prove interesting.

There is some good Panama atmosphere and a thoroughly capable cast. Despite the fact that Thomas Meighan was a trifle elderly for his part, he played in his accustomed effective style. Lila Lee, Gertrude Astor and John Miltern wasted able efforts on a cumbersome, maundering story.

Backbone. There is much of the wide open places; the males are thoroughly masculine; the hard-riding heroine resembles successive window displays at Abercrombie and Fitch's and Bedell's. The plot is concerned with the cruel villainies of a pair of French Canadians attempting to mulct the poor girl of her rightful inheritance in timber lands. The hero arrives in time to prevent the mulcting. There is a fight which spatters blood all over a perfectly good chateau and a good job in bridge dynamiting. The rest of the action is adequately exciting.

The play serves to introduce Alfred Lunt, star of Clarence, to the screen. Robbed of his voice, he is not as effective as is his wont. Even so, he towers over the rank and file of screen actors. He stiffens Backbone into fairly pleasant entertainment.