ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1918, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

THE; GEE AT MOTION PICTURE TEI-. : UMPII OF THIS YEAR. ''THE HONOR SYSTEM." '"The Honor -System" is a, picture lor every section of the community. Apart Iran the absorbing plot, it- serves to tifacli that, "granting that lawbreakers are men who have shown themselves un- * worthy of society, they are still men, c and it is society's job to make them worthy." And it teaches the lesson in the most convincing manner. To see Joseph Stanton and his hundreds of pri- ( son companions, the subjects' of cruel j and vindictive, miscalled corrective pun- j ishmeut, to sec Stanton collapse and cry , in the Governor's arms when at last j that gentleman lias investigated the prison, is very tragic. Afterwards, when the self-same men are shown in light, airy cells, working in congenial surroundings, and being treated in ] every respect like human beings, one begins to understand what is meant by the honor system, and why it is to-day being introduced by a number of the ' most enlightened Governments of the . [world. G-. A. Walsh secured a basis for the picture from a book by ltenry C. Warnack, It is nearly half-way through the picture before Stanton is arrested. The introductory footage is taken up as a preface to the plot proper. In it there is a surprisingly tierce raid of Mexicans under Villa, on an American border town. The cause of the unpremeditated crime,- with Stanton's trial and -conviction, ends the first part of the picture. This first part is a marvel of sensational incident. There is the mad dash of the prisoners for liberty, a fight in an underworld "joint" between rival factions, and a fight of words in the House of Representatives between the Governor and the grafting member. A pardon for Stanton is not lacking, which removes all obstacles between him and the consummation of liis desired wishes. Such are the main points of the story. The cast of players is most noteworthy. The large number of supernumeraries have been handled to excellent effect. Marked attention throughout has been paid to detail. "The Honor System" shows in New Plymouth at Everybody's to-mof-row and Wednesday, with a special matinee Wednesday at 3,15. THE EMPIRE IRENE CASTLE IN "THE MARK OP CAIN." j It.is an attractivo thing for the look-er-on, this unravelling of all sorts of contradictory clues so as to get at the author of a mysterious event, especially when everything tangible points to one person, and all the more or less obscure reasons and motives arc found to direct the finger of accusation at another. This is what happens in "The Mark of Cain," the picture showing tonight and following two nights at t-ho Empire, which has been made by the famous mystery picture company— Pathe. Mrs Vernon Castle play's as the woman in the case, which centres around an unexplained death. It cannot really bo called murder or crime till the guilt home, and this event .does iiot Sfeft till the (rather astounding conclusion of the play. "The mark of Cain" is built round a story originally written by Caroline Wells, the authoress. Among the supporting themes are some very amusing, and others instructive, including the seventh episode of "Tihe Great Secret." * EVERYBODY'S. "THE HEIRESS 03? COFFEE DANS." The quaint Trianglo feature, "The Heiress of Coffee Dans," with Bessie Love in the lead proved a popular item with tho crowded house at Everybody's on Saturday night, likewise the clever Fox comedy, "Love and Logs." Both these pictures aro being screened again to-night for the last time. To-morrow the great Fox Standard super-film, "Tho Honor System," will be the attraction at this theatre.