User Reviews

From the Edison studio comes an illustration of Scott's stirring ballad, and one must say at the start that the pictures help to a better understanding of the familiar lines. The ballad is stirring and the pictures are alive with energy and intense interest. Everyone knows the poem, how young Lochinvar came out of the West and under the very eyes of all the guards in the castle carried away his bride. The producers exercised restraint in some directions. For example, the audience is not treated to a long chase to prove whether they are fleet steeds that follow. On the contrary the couple ride leisurely away and the knights follow quite as leisurely. The scene shifts and the couple are seen entering a monastery and when they have come out they have been wedded. The father and would-be bridegroom arrive just in time to congratulate them as they come from the altar. As Scott left it the bride and groom were never seen again, but in this instance perhaps dramatic necessities forced the meeting at the close. The staging of this piece is excellent. There is little to be desired and it must be confessed that the action causes a feeling of exultation, though the exit of Lochinvar and Ellen is not managed as spectacularly as it might be. One has to follow closely to see them when they go, yet this is the most important part of the piece and might he emphasized without injuring the balance of the drama. The photographic quality of the film is good, with the possible exception that it is a trifle dark in places. - The Moving Picture World, August 21, 1909