THE SCREEN; A Jules Verne Fantasy. The Lucky Gambler.
The New York Times Mordaunt Hall
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A fantastic undersea melodrama, known as "The Mysterious Island," which was inspired by the Jules Verne story of the same name, is now on view at the Capitol. It is a craftily contrived film, most of which is photographed in technicolor, and just the sort of thing that will fill children with mingled feelings of awe and delight. There are a few dialogue sequences, but the greater part is silent except for the so-called sound effects.It is a long film, perhaps a trifle too long, but it is strikingly ingenious and effectively directed by Lucien Hubbard. It is also well served by the J. E. Williamson's undersea photographic work, which was filmed off the Bahamas. This production has had a hectic career, for work was started on it more than two years ago, but after a few months it was temporarily abandoned.In this production Lionel Barrymore delivers another of his competent portrayals, and even though this film is a thriller, and a queer one at that, Mr. Barrymore is always human as the marvelous scientist, who invents a submarine with a special gauge air-pressure which permits the craft to travel down to and along the bottom of the sea and stay for what seems to be an indefinite period. But woe is it to the crew of the fish-like submersible if the air gauge goes wrong, as it does aboard one of the craft.There are underwater sequences with rocks like a skyline of New York and Martian-like creatures whose bodies look as if they were an evolution of the diving suit.There are, in fact, diving suits aboard the strange submarines fixed so that the crew can stand in the leg part and touch a lever and the upper section drops over the wearer. After clamping down the fastenings the individual is able to leave via the bottom of the submarine and go forth for a promenade on the bottom, of the sea or for a clash with the querulous, gluttonous natives. He can even go big-fish hunting, for now and again in these absorbing scenes one perceives an octopus ready to attack anything from a crowd of submarine natives to the submersible.There's no end to the sights in this film. As one thinks of the dragou of the deep, which crawls around like a brontosaurus and is ready to make a meal of a crowd of sea dwellers, one also remembers that this forbidding specimen of life makes his abode in the vicinity of a sunken Roman galley, on which are seen the skeletons of slaves shackled to the seats.The sea-dwellers are as busy as ants. There are swarms of them getting ready to take possession of the submarine, while the heroine, Sonia, a gentle creature, keeps her word to the crew of one submarine by asking the hero, Lloyd Hughes, to bring with him to the other craft the all-important air-pressure gauge, which is not working on submersible No. 1. And one recollects the coming of the happy ending, when Sonia and Nikolai (Mr. Hughes) are not a little disappointed that they cannot kiss under the sea in their bronzehued diving suits.Montagu Love is seen as a theatric villain named Falon, who would steal secrets from Dakkar (Mr. Barrymore) and if possible the whole Mysterious Island. He meets with an end deserving of his wicked nature—a death undersea, with scores of sea-natives gloating over his blood, red stuff that astonishes them and causes the little creatures to want to give the flesh and blood persons a run for their lives.Although this picture may be overlong, it is never tedious, for Mr. Hubbard and Mr. Williamson have used imagination and skill in dealing with the weird scenes.

A Jules Verne Fantasy.THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, with Lionel Barrymore, Jane Daly, Lloyd Hughes, Montagu Love, Harry Gribbon, Snitz Edwards, Gibson Gowland, Dolores Brinkman and others, based on the Jules Verne story, directed by Lucien Hubbard; "Laceland," a stage offering, devised by Arthur Knorr; sound news reel. At the Capitol.Paramount's picturization of "The Kibitzer," with Harry Green in the rôle played on the stage by Edward G. Robinson, has plenty of good laughs, especially when Ike Lazarus (Mr. Green) is having an exciting half hour with a ticker in his humble cigar emporium.Mr. Green does quite well with this comedy, and his impudence, or at least Mr. Lazarus's, knows no bounds. His confidence in his own prognostications is annoying enough before he is forced to admit that he is mistaken, but when the horse-race incident takes place one would like to submit him to an inquisition torture. He does not think the horse will win, he knows it will. Why? Because this horse has run in a number of races and it is going to retire and every horse must win at least one race before he resigns from the track. Lazarus bets his $1, and Eddie Brown, he who is infatuated with Miss Josie Lazarus, hazards $1,000 on this piece of horseflesh, which after a few spurts finally decides to dawdle in last.The story begins a trifle tamely, but it grows gradually more and more amusing, especially after the meeting between Lazarus and the wealthy James Livingstone. These scenes are well directed, and Mr. Green's indecision concerning the reward he should receive for having saved Livingstone from his secretary's revolver aroused no end of laughter in the Paramount yesterday afternoon.Mary Brian, who captured the hearts of the audiences in "The Marriage Playground," is once again the heroine in the Paramount's film. She does well as Lazarus's attractive daughter. Albert Gran's acting is pleasing and Neil Hamilton is acceptable in his part.Paul Ash is back at the Paramount again. He is to be seen as the master of ceremonies of the stage production "White Caps," staged by Lewis W. McDermott.

The Lucky Gambler.THE KIBITZER, with Harry Green, Mary Brian, Neil Hamilton, David Newell, Lee Kohlmar, Henry Fink, Tenen Holtz, Guy Oliver, Albert Gran and Eddie Kane, based on the play of the same name, directed by Edward Sloman; "White Caps," staged by Lewis W. McDermott, with Paul Ash, Bill and Harriet Huchins, Pauline Gaskins and others; Jesse Crawford, organist. At the Paramount Theatre.