User Reviews

Gardner Hunting, in his adaptation of the story of L.V. Jefferson, has in "Redeeming Love," the Morosco release of December 28, given us a script with a distinct literary quality. The titles are a thing apart. If in reading them you note that the words remain on the screen so long that they may be reread, you do not, as usually may be the case, give vent to a growl, but reread them with a hearty appreciation of the literary skill of the man who conceived them. An example in point is the remark of the gambler libertine who has induced the young church member to elope. It is the morning after, and the girl, fearing she has been deceived, inquires how soon the marriage ceremony is to be performed. "Why worry over a mouthful of words and a scrap of paper?" asks her seducer. Disregarding the ethics involved, there is terseness, a revelation of a point of view. The production of "Redeeming Love," which was made under the hand and eye of William Taylor, does not depend upon the language of the titles, which as a matter of fact also are notable for their insight into or rather reflection of the mind of an earnest, sincere minister of the gospel. There is a real story, finely woven and of genuine interest. The picture is elaborately staged; the interior of the gambling house owned by the woman in the case being remarkable for its size and appointments. The titles, too, are excellent examples of artistic illuminative work. Kathlyn Williams is Naomi Sterling, the churchgoer who quarrels with a pastor who seeks her hand as well as her spiritual welfare, and then elopes with Hugh Wiley, a gambler. It is a powerful portrayal, one covering a wide range of emotions of the pleasure-loving girl, of the woman deceived, of the woman who finally adopts the extremely cynical view of life, who in the working out of her new ambition accumulates a fortune as the proprietress of a gambling house, and at the end puts her fortune and her heart on the altar and at the feet of the man that a few years before she had turned her hack upon, it is Miss Williams' debut upon the Paramount program, and it is a notable one. Thomas Holding, well known for his previous appearances in Famous Players pictures, is John Bancroft, the clergyman who is chosen by wealthy men of his community to institute a reform in the town and to clean out the gambling houses. Mr. Holding is a splendid clergyman, one who in his interpretation carries conviction. Wyndham Standing is Wiley, the blasé gambler. Herbert Standing is James Plymouth, the head of the church workers. Both of these men uphold the family name for acting ability. A large cast give good support to these principals. "Redeeming Love" is a good all-around picture, one that will especially appeal to a high-class clientele. – The Moving Picture World, January 13, 1917