The Leopard Queen (1909) User Reviews

The jungle scenes are particularly luxuriant

[deickemeyer · 13 December 2014]

This is a character production of the famous Chicago house, in which the wonders of natural history and the tender passion are adroitly mixed with game hunting, foreign adventure and stage life of a kind. A British ship having foundered off the East Coast of Africa, a girl and her father are among the castaways. After a time the latter dies, and the girl becomes something of a Queen of the Animal Kingdom, controlling and dominating amongst other things some beautiful leopards. By and by into this "Adamless Eden" there penetrates an expedition in search of animals, with the discovery of the Leopard Queen by the head of the party, who falls in love with the girl and she with him. Having successfully demonstrated her powers over the animals, the Leopard Queen and her pets are shipped to Paris; in the Hippodrome of which city we see her going through her performance to the plaudits of an appreciative audience. She seemed a nice girl and the hunter a nice man, and we hope they were married and lived happily ever afterwards. By the way, at the risk of being charged with hypercriticism, we must point out that French is the common language of Paris, whereas the bill announcing the performance of the Leopard Queen was printed in English. But this is a trifle. The Selig Company have worked out this attractive film in their customary lavish manner, and the impression that it made upon the audience at the time we saw it was extremely favorable. The jungle scenes are particularly luxuriant to look upon. The girl and her father act well, so do the hunters and their crowds of dusky auxiliaries, whilst the scenes in the jungle, which include the netting of a leopard, are scientifically staged. Essie, too, the Leopard Queen, shows perfect control over her bevy of leopards, whom she fondles and plays with as though they were merely kittens. This film is not the least of recent Selig successes and its photographic qualities are, if anything, an advance noon what has been done before. All concerned in the production of "The Leopard Queen" are to be congratulated. - The Moving Picture World, August 21, 1909