SOUL OF THE BEAST
Starring Madge Bellamy, Cullen Landis and Noah Beery
PHOTOPLAY
July 1923
A little abused Cinderella of the circus runs away with an elephant.
They romp off, together, into the depths of the Canadian forest,
and have ever so many adventures! Finally they become separated,
and the girl is again reduced to the estate of a little drudge
in a cheap tavern. But love enters the scene, and all ends well.
Even the elephant is in the final happy fade-out!
SOUL OF THE BEAST
Starring Madge Bellamy, Cullen Landis and Noah Beery
PICTURE PLAY
August 1923
Is the hero of "The Soul of the Beast" a cave man? Is
this picture one of those woof, woof! affairs about a strong man
in pursuit of a frail woman? It is not. The beast with the soul,
mentioned in the title, is an elephant and one of the nicest little
elephants that ever aided a lady in distress. His real name is
Oscar, and he deserves a big bag of peanuts for the excellence
of his work before Thomas H. Ince's cameras.
"The Soul of the Beast" is a pleasant little picture that has a circus background. It has rather more action than most of Mr. Ince's pictures. If you will recall some of his other production, you will remember that Mr. Ince has a habit of making his actors stand in front of the cameras for long close-ups, all the time thinking intensely. But "The Soul of he Beast" manages to cover a great deal of ground and introduce us to some fascinating atmosphere, back scenes in a circus tent and I the Canadian woods. Moreover, it has a good cast. Madge Bellamy is delightful as the little circus girl. I was one of the unbelievers about Miss Bellamy's talents, and now I am glad to see her coming along. Cullen Landis ha a rather dull part, but he plays it well, while Noah Beery does some great bits of villaining. But Oscar is the real star of the show.
SOUL OF THE BEAST
Starring Madge Bellamy, Cullen Landis, Noah Beery
Motion Picture Classic
July 1923
We have had stories which have featured horses, monkeys, mules, storks, ducks, chickens and bears, but when you see "The Soul of the Beast" (Ince-Metro) you will see an elephant (his name is Oscar, but he isn't wild) carrying the plot and Madge Bellamy thru' to the plaudits of the multitude. Because of the presence of the big pachyderm, the expression must be listed as a real novelty, although the idea itself is a sort of second cousin to the circus formula.
"The Soul of the Beast" carries, as it asserts, a gorgeous woodland background, a complete set of unadulterated thrills which show Oscar rushing to the rescue of Madge when a cyclone sweeps away the tent - and who saves her again when the ornery villain attempts to embarrass her after she had felt the call of romance with a crippled musician. The atmosphere is of the French-Canadian brand, and the comedy and novelty are highly enjoyable in those scenes which offer Oscar giving the scamp a "shower bath" with his trunk. Let it be said that the North Country hokum is given an airing. Why not - with a canoe chase, fistic battles and a knife duel?
Oscar is big enough to walk away with the picture, yet there are Noah Beery and Cullen Landis - to say nothing of Miss Bellamy to give him good support. John Griffith Wray directed this neat study from a story by C. Gardner Sullivan. As yet no one has come along who can displace the author as the best scenario writer in the game.
For more information, see "Soul of the Beast" as our "Feature of the Month."