Cymbeline

The Shakespearian drama is here worked out in two reels, with good scenic effects. Flo LaBadie and James Cruze play the parts of Imogene and Leonatus, but the whole Thanhouser Company joins forces to make the cast a balanced one. The costuming is sumptuous and the scenes pleasing throughout because of their clean-cut staging. The visit of the Roman officer to Imogene's bed chamber, where he takes the bracelet from her wrist as she sleeps, was artistically presented. The battle scenes in the second reel hold the interest well; also the manner in which the separated family of Cymbeline finally becomes reunited. A good offering. - The Moving Picture World, April 5, 1913

This adaptation of Shakespeare's play is certainly dated, but it's not bad (except for one part) for a two-reeler from 1913. The plot of the play is rendered well enough and is self-contained—it requires no familiarity with the original source. Some tableau-style relics were still relied upon, such as the title cards that explain the action before we see it, but there's some scene dissection. Additionally, there are a good number of close-ups and, in general, the camera recorded from rather intimate positions. It's stagy, however, and the camera positions, settings and busy extras in the background create confined, cramped spaces, which, unfortunately, were common of Thanhouser productions at the time. (The studio's 1912 "Nicholas Nickleby" is even worse in that respect.) The filmmakers at least attempted some nice lighting effects for the bedchamber scene where Iachimo steals Imogen's bracelet; as a result, it's the standout sequence of the film.

On the other hand, this "Cymbeline" also features one of the most pathetic battle scenes I've ever seen captured on nitrate. A clash between the Roman army and British forces is portrayed by maybe a dozen performers who can't pretend to fight at all. Sure, this was 1913 but that's no excuse; see Griffith's battle sequence in "The Battle at Elderbush Gulch" or the Inceville Indian wars in "Custer's Last Fight" and "The Invaders". Or, the filmmakers could've done more to avoid staging the battle, which others did at this stage of the young cinema.