AMUSEMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1916, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS

THEATRE ROYAIi. The new programme presented at the Theatre Royal last night was JHat-lL 1 up ol an entertaining collection «f iilma of a high standard. A war picture, showing the Foreign Legion in the field, was very interesting. "The Parson Who Fled West" wag a powerful dram, while the comic elements were well provided for by several amusing films. The feature of the programme was "Wildilower," a wholesome drama, in which the lead was played by Miss Marguerite Clark. This lady is a charming access, and those wiio saw her last night -were given a difficult task to decide wkether Miss Clark or Miss Mary Pickford is the greater film actress of the day. The story of 'WiUlflower" was set amidst a, series of very beautiful pictured of wooilsnd scenery, and it told how Letty Roberts, an unsophisticated child of Nature, reams and frolics her time away on a little farm on the edge of the wsais. Arnold Boyd, a wealthy wan whs meets Letty, is delighted with lur daintiness and fragile beauty. He thinks of her only as an interesting child, however, and when visited by his scapegrace brother, Gerald, who io by his own confession "a constant worshipper at the shrine cf woman," Arnold views with alarm Gerald's flirtatious attitude toward little Letty. After a tempestuous wooing, L:tty elopes with Gerald. Arnold immediately pursue* th'e pair, reaching them just after the wedding ceremony has been concluded. Arn»ld introduces her to the members of his household as liis wife, telling Letty this course is necessary to pretect her reputation. Letty reluctantly consents to remain in the Boyd home for a while, til such a time as Cierald should came to claim her. The strange secret that Arneld is guarding from lier is at last revealed, and the stern elder brother, who had at first only sought to save a woman's reputation and guard his own' family h»Hor, now comes to dream «nly «f love. As Letty grows t# kn»w Arn#ld better she finds him the finer man of the two, and at last the droping little Wildlawer revives and Mo»ios happily. The programme will lie repeated tonight and ii decidedly worth seeiag.