The Phantom Ship

James Oppenheim, the author of this pretty effective picture is at his best only when he has a situation that demands imaginative treatment. Whenever he attempts to do conventional stuff, so it seems from his past work, he is in danger. Just at present, not form but content is his forte. This is well, for form can always be attained, though perfection in it is mighty hard for some, but ideas come from the soul and probably can't be learned. We can't help thinking that, if he had, in this picture, relied on the impression that his central idea was sure to make and left out much of the experience that was outside the ring of greatest interest, he would have put it over with more force. We didn't find much that was new or significant in many of the opening scenes nor in the "desert island" scene, which surely was thin. We did feel a stir of the imagination when he got to the heart of his story in which mental telepathy is employed to bore down into the human soul, in its effect it shows the strength and depth of love. H.W. Shaw, the producer, has done commendably and Mabel Trunnelle and Herbert Prior, as the woman and her castaway sailor husband who get "en rapport" with each other and so escape the fate of Enoch Arden's friends, are clear and steady in their portrayal. Walter Edwin, as the man who is about to marry the "widow," helps much. William Bechtel has a not very important part. The photography is very fair. The situation is not new; but it makes an effective picture. - The Moving Picture World, February 22, 1913