DeMille Glorifies Pagan Rome

Beauty, Thrills, Shocks, Horrors

in Ohio's Film

BY W. WARD MARSH. Cecil B. DeMille with his "Sign of the Cross," which opened an extended run in the Ohio Theater yesterday, in some respects has returned the photo play, speech and all, to the gold-bound eminence it held in the hey-day of its silent adolescence.

Here again is A production. the first talkie spectacle, aimed solely at the emotions which are fondled. walloped and on debased and ravaged more

dare even suggest.

A Pagan Sequel.

in turn

Occasion than I

In the silent era the greater spectacles-Rirth of a Nation." "Intol-i erance. The Ten Commandments,' "Noah's Ark."' "Ben-Hur" and "King re!of Kingst were grounded in gious beliefs.

But this is the days of the talkies; the screen has leaped suddenly into adulthood. and now "Sign of the Cross. really DeMille's own sequel to his Ten Commandments" and **King of Kinge," both of which emphatically religious in nature, makes religion and martyrdom shadowy excuses for the portrayal of and excesses pagan 10 old Rome. orgiastic debauches

were

Shock and lust ride high and mighty over the faith of its celluloid forefathers, less than a decade old.

all a great and glorious ! bacchanalian banquet for the emo-

tions.

Silent Technique.

Not only in emotional appeal is this picture reminiscent of the older Even its dialog which, screen days. being modern, does not destroy the silent styles, but it is at the outset difficult to reconcile it to the action. locale and time of the play.

Then there is the technique and the development of the tale, both essentially silent in nature, but there is still one other point.

There are no shadows in characterization. A character is either all black or all white, sinful or good. They are easily identified.

Garbs.

Woinen wear long, The virtuous flowing gowns and are completely. clothed. Those of questionable virtue are garbed in loin cloth and the youknow-what, while those downright sinful wear next to nothing at all. Men are dressed according to social scale. The Christians' attire is not unlike the vestment of the virtuous Jadies. The higher and mightier ofAcials go for armor and velvet shorts -and there is none to surpass Fredric March with his hair curled and his Francis X. Bushman legs exposed to the sun and mosquitos of the DeMillian Rome.

Soldiers, gladiators and the like are encased the in heavy armor. and corner loafers, pagan muscle-men on the Christian racket, and their ilk keep a few rags carefully in place.

In other words, the Rome of "Sign, of the Closs" might be a Jerusalem, a Babylon or any of the gelatinous rities from "Ben-Hur." They are all alike on the screen.

Their streets are cluttered with the strange assortment of beggars, pretty naids, tradesmen, chariots, goats and beasts of burden.

The whole lot of them are as F11achronistic as a house fly perched atop the North Pole but quite as curious and as spell-binding!

.....

The Story.

The picture opens on one of the greatest dramatic spectacles of all ages--the burning of Rome, with the Nero of Charles Laughton strummming his lyre and composing appropriate verse. After that, other characters are introduced as rapidly 23 possible.

CHARLES LAUGHTON

CLAUDETTE COLBERT

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS"

FREDRI MAR

PEDRICH

Footlights and Bright Lights

William Farrell, Clevelander and sister, to have a reunion on Christformer circus acrobat who dances at mas Day. the State with his son and wife, is proved because a local reporter said he was 68 years old. "I'm really 74," he protested. "My wife is 72-and proud of it--but she doesn't want to think I'm people younger than her! Farrell proudly boasts that he has six children, eleven grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and that he celebrated his golden anniversary last month The entire family crowded into the East Side home of Mrs. Georgia, Nessler, his

key and violently offensive.

Probably many know that such practices were not uncommon in pagan days but I think most of us pre-j fer auch information to come to us via the printed page.

In all, cruelty, lust, persecution, horror and shame ride steel-shod over faith, belief, Christian love and teaching in the tragic story of Christian girl who could not be tempted but went to her death with a prayer on her lips and the strong army of a convert around her. Excellent Cast.

His interpretation of this vainest of Caesars should make his character the patron saint of twilight dwellers. In a sense, he is the comedy relief of the production.

You will see the Christian girl of Elissa Landi bargaining for bread. the Christian leaders of Harry Beresford and Arthur Hohl meeting for i the first time, Nero's shameless wife ¦ Of the cast, Charles Laughton in (Claudette Colbert) bathing in a pool the role of Nero outshines all others. of assex' milk, with DeMille first taking you through the outdoor atable, and the prefect of Rome (Frederic Marchi hurtling his chariot through the streets to rogene * Chrittan trio assailed by the mob. After that the story Kets under way. It is a brief, simple tale, dealing with the prefect's love for the Christian girl, a love an mighty and noble that he dares, eventually, to defy Nero and at the end climb the arena's stairs with his one love in his arms* going out to feed the lions, preferring death with the girl to life with all that Poppaea had promised. That story, based the Wilson on Barrett play, is the framework for the greatest orgy in paganism the: screen has ever had.

him.

Shocks.

The picture conquers through its sheer magnitude. No spectacle with-

He plays this hussy-emperor with all the perfume and incense of A perverted pleasure-lover, but he does 11 xo engagingly and 30 amusingly that he never offends taste or sense. He is a source of delight throughout The film.

I though that March as the prefect and Miss Cothert ឆន the wickedest Woman in all Rome, while both considerably out of their natural element, were excellent in their respective roles.

Miss Landi gives a fine performance as the Christian girl, unswerving in her faith and faithful to the end. Ian Keith as the villain, Beresford and Hohl as the Christian leadere. Richard Alexander na the tor-

in my memorV contain 80 much tured Chistian boy, Joyzelle as the sheer and utter grandeur.

dweller in Lesbos and all the others including Vivian Tobin, Ferdinand Gottschalk and William V. Mong are entirely satisfying.

Set after set of unbelievable size and opulence are swirled before you. Nero'a throne, the interiors of the palaces, the great street scenes and, Recommended to Adults. finally the Arena where De Mille stages a spectacle bloodier than anyDeMille has proven again that he thing the screen has ever attempted. can handle the spectacle so that it The picture shocks, both gently will lay the emotions, and I recomand violently. If DeMille he mend this production to adults--not credited with glorifying the first bath because its shock its power lies in room. then certainly he has glorified but because it a sails the eye with Rome At its wildest, a wickedest grandeurs and glories which and its most obserne in pagan demay have once been Rome's that it lights and practices. more than satisfies: it also awes

It often smacks of Sadism. Lesbianism and perversion, and it shocks the gasping point with there very qualities.

I cannot reconcile all these scenes with the text of the play. One may feel that the shots within the arena are unnecessarily vavd those views of gladiators stabbing each other to death, lions feasting on Christians. R gorilla approaching an almost made girl lashed to a post. and other kindred pastimes of old Rome, but I did feel that the Desbian dance intended to melt Christian ¡einess into the hero's arms wha distinctly of

AMUSEMENTS,

se the Kiddies

s for you!.

PRICES YOU CAN AFFORD

SATURDA+A, SUPRA VE

ENG POLIGAMI

The Season's Fastest Dramatic Comedy!