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Show ps Ff battle DEPICTED BY FILM' i Picture Called 'Civilization' j Is Declared to Be Especially Vivid. GAYETY LENDS CHARM Scenes of Pomp and Circumstance Circum-stance Give Variety to Serious Presentation. The horrors and the th rills of modern Wiirt'aro on laud and sea am powerfully powerful-ly demonstrated in "Civilization," Thomas H. Inch's great screen drama, I which in to bo shown at the Orpheuin titter today, Monday and Tuesday, 3uh an augmented orchestra and chor-'i.-i i nttTjjrLiiiy the musical score. All that h;is bt-ou told, in the present "way, ot tin machinery of hlaugUter iniii thrt processes of destruction has i I a place in this must impressive and tsl a mini; ot moving pictures. Jt is bliowii, not to lorny war and not to hcouso thu wariiko spirit, but to contrast con-trast tluise dtfds ot'. hato and murder ith tho divine command, ''J hou shalt lovo thy neighbor as thyself!" This appalling comparison between the words of divinti lovo and the deeds vi' human pride and ambition is made concrete, and vital by tho appearance in tho film of tho Savior's figure. The portrayal is made in tho spirit of rev-ercMice. rev-ercMice. The Prophet of iNa.aroth is frliown as returning to earth, in a new i nc;j ination, to preach peace, and as being subjected anew to the scorn and cruelty which ho suffered under Pontius Pon-tius Pilate in Jerusalem. His spirit then leads a warlike king through war's inferno, and shows the king his name, written in blood, on the scroll of humanity. hu-manity. This vision causes the king to accept terms of peace. In the first scene, the peaceful life of n European kingdom is shown. The blacksmith 's forge, the harvest field, the village streets, tho goatherd and his flock nnd fh-e children and their pets form an idyl of industry and plenty. Gay Scenes Depicted. Then come tho rumors of war, the debates de-bates in parliament, the decision of the king and his ministers and the beginning begin-ning of mobilization. The gay scenes in the streets of the capital city, when the troops go forth, are followed by the terrible realities of war, and by repulse and defeat of the king's forces'. The battle that appalled the world is jTne, first of the spectacular demonstra- f tions of war's fury. Here the spectators specta-tors soe tho charges and the repulse of long lines of infantry and cavalry. They see tho taking of trenches and the Stt hes of armored automobiles. They Tthe shadows and then the shapes of scouting aeroplanes. They see the firing fir-ing of great guns nnd the bursting of immense shells that leave craters in the earth. They see men shattered by bombs and torn by bayonets. They not only see, but they hear this clamor of war, for the accompanying tonal effects nro realistic in tho last degree. It could bo truly said, at the first production, produc-tion, that they smelled powder, for the detonation of actual explosives was a part of this most vivid demonstration. The first defeat causes a call for more men, and the king's recruiting officers sweep through the country, taking men from field and fireside, and tearing youths from the arms of aged and infirm in-firm mothers who have no other support. sup-port. Inventor Takes Part. The king, a masterful figure, places tho greatest reliance on a new submarine, subma-rine, which has .been invented by Count Ferdinand, a cousin of the queen. Count Ferdinand loves Katherine, a daughter of the people, and the king tells him that, if the submarine fulfills his hopes, he will grant his permission for the marriage. Katherine becomes a member of a secret league of women, whose badge is tho cross, and whose purpose is to bring the end of war. She tries to win Ferdinand to her views, but he sends out his submarine, determined to sink the enemy's dreadnoughts. Instead, the wireless telegraph brings hi in a command com-mand to sink the passenger ship Arcadia, . u hich is carrving nv: nitons of war, j bur which is alo carrying many women I and ch il-i re si. j Ferdiiui nd. standing with this order in his hand, see a vision of the horror uhir-a will follow tho torpedoing of th-paft.-f-nger e.hip. llo v-s the paner-, at play on thr deck. M.;ig2fr and fall at j the phock, then ru-h to lifeboat, tumble tum-ble hclplc3 into the water and perbh by hundreds in and around the sinking. sink-ing. Ship, by a series of remarkable effects, this is shown in mo3t convincing convinc-ing manner to the fpectators. Sinks His Submarine. The teachings of Katherine come before be-fore the submarine commander, and he tells his meii that they nriPt not be murderers. ''The day is pat, " he exclaims, ex-claims, "when aa armed ship shall drown women and children." A subordinate subor-dinate officer leads the crew in an attempt at-tempt to overpower Ferdinand, who has pla'-.-d hiniM'if between them and th" torpedo whi'h they had prepared to re-leae. re-leae. In his resistance, he throws a lever which admits the water, and all are drowned. The Arcadia finds his body and sends to to his king. To Ferdinand, in an intermediate stato between this world and the next the Savior comes, telling him that, a3 he has given his life for humanity, the Savior will return to earth in his body. Life is restored to Ferdinand, apparently appar-ently by scientific means, in the king's palace, but he goes out, not to build ! new submarines, as the monarch had hoped, but to preach peace. His words have tragic ro-enforcement when hostile aeroplanes bombard the king's capital, and when the king's ships are sunk in naval combat. Peace with honor is offered to the king, but he still has visions of conquest, con-quest, and he sentences Ferdinand to death as a traitor. Ferdinand, after persecution, which is compared by reminiscent pictures with the Savior Sa-vior 'a passion, dies in prison. The spirit of thc Savior then unfolds before be-fore the king, the final and appalling vision which leads to peace. j President's Indorsement. j The conclusion of the film story is followed by the message of President Wilson, written especially to accom-' pany the production of ' 1 Civilization, " j and" with pictures showing the president! congratulating Producer Ince upon the conception and execution of the great picture. The message, which is shown in the president's handwriting, and in print, is: The nations of the world must unite in joint guarantees that whatever what-ever is done that is likely to disturb the whole world's life must first be tested in the court of the whole world's opinion before it is attempted, at-tempted, and the United States must be ready to join in the guarantee guar-antee and back it up by her whole force and influence. Settled and secure peace can be made sure of in no other way when the present war is over. The musical accompaniment, aside from the realistic sounds of battle and aerial bombardment, is striking, particularly partic-ularly the recurrent . march, which is heard on the king's first appearance, and later in the scenes of military display. dis-play. A chorus of women's voices is heard in a hymn of peace, at the time when the women appear before the king's palace to demand that the war shall end. The music is the composition of Victor Schertzinger, and the scenario is the work of C. Gardiner Sullivan. The most impressive figure is that of the king, as played by Herschel Mayall. The role of Ferdinand is played with dignity and earnestness by Howard HicKman, and Enid Markey has the chief feminine role. George Fisher has the part of "The Christus." |