Critical Moments

The huge, cold, sedate and vain old soldier, the Duke of Wellington must be writhing in his warriors’ Valhalla—that is if the Gaumant-British film “The Iron Duke” which may now be viewed at the Music Hall, has reached the heavenly picture house and the Duke stopped off while on his way to fight some of his battles over again with the other dead soldiers.

I, for one, can’t blame the Duke for feeling perturbed because the British film company is casting the elderly slightly stooped George Arliss in the role of the Duke of Wellington took not only liberties with history but made the Iron Duke into a softie. No one expects a scenario writer to stick to the facts of history but if a picture is supposed to bear some resemblance to a past event or a once living character there should be some connection between the original and the created.

A SEVERE, POMPOUS MAN

The once living Duke of Wellington was typical of England’s fighters in the early days of the nineteenth century. He was a severe, pompous relentless man, a fellow who believed in himself and thought Napoleon an uptstart and not much of a general. The Duke was a good hater. His nation’s enemies were his and he gave no thought to anything save victory. At the time of the Battle of Waterloo he was middle-aged and in the ensuing diplomatic complications that followed the victory he played an unimaginative soldier’s part. Gaumont-British have tossed that conception into the dust bin. In its place they substituted a soft-hearted, oldish gentleman who worries about his soldiers, cries when they are killed, admires General Ney’s fighting ability and saves the Bourbons from themselves. In his lighter moments he flirts innocently with pretty ladies, and shows off his wit. In questions of diplomacy he is far-seeing and humane and as a politician he is able to rout the House of Lords.

ARLISS PLAYS ARLISS

To make Arliss play the Duke as he really was, would have been both impossible and foolish, so Arliss plays Arliss and does it in his usual charming and skilful way. He is amusing and mellow and Arliss fans should find some measure of enjoyment in this film. The fine actor has a fat role, one which keeps him in front of the camera practically all the time.

Photographically the film is very good. Its weakest point is the actual scene of the Battle of Waterloo which is confused and unconvincing. The entire magnitude of this crucial battle has been lost In plot, “The Iron Duke” traces the effect of Napoleon’s escape from exile. When word comes to the Congress of Vienna that Napoleon is loose the Duke adjourns the Congress and goes off to raise an army. After the Battle of Waterloo the Duke vainly tries to save General Ney from the revengeful intentions of Louis XVIII’s niece, but he is able to force the resignation of Louis’s advisers and stave off another civil war in France. The last scene shows Arliss besting the politician in the House of Lords and delivering a speech for the preservation of peace in Europe.

Arliss is so much in evidence that the rest of the large and capable cast gets little chance to show its ability but the work of Allen Aynesworth, Lesley Waring, Gladys Cooper and A. E. Matthews is especially outstanding. “The Iron Duke” in its entirety is an unsatisfactory picture, not even up to the standard of Arliss’s “The Last Gentleman.” If Arliss is to continue to remain a favorite, one of the companies must find him another “House of Rothschild.”