The idea in this film is not new; in fact, it was old when Shakespeare worked it out in "All's Well that Ends Well." Nevertheless, it is a subject that will have a good run at the electric theaters. It appeals especially to the fair sex, who are regular patrons of the moving picture shows. All the ancient dramatic traditions arc lived up to. The villain wears a high hat and smokes a cigarette; the heroine wears the usual impossible society gown; but with a large class of theatergoers these blemishes are rather virtues. Lack of attention to details and some bad acting is against the success of this film. The garden party, with the engagement of Laura to Arthur, is lacking in action and expression. The meeting of Mary with her father is unintelligible. The spectators know of Mary, but so far her father has not been presented, and consequently they have not the least idea of his identity. The drowning scene is dramatic, but too slow and lacking in realism. Mary should not so evidently have landed in shallow water, and when the man jumps to save her he should not have jumped so far away. The finale is not natural. In a regular marriage ceremony a man cannot be deceived, as the bride has to answer to her full name, and a veil is never so thick that the features of the bride cannot be recognized. As the audience in this case can see the features of Mary through the veil, I cannot understand how it could be expected that Arthur could be deceived. It is disappointing to see a film that is so expensively staged as this one is. marred by inattention to details. -- The Moving Picture World, October 3, 1908
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