AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 241, 11 October 1929, Page 15

AMUSEMENTS.

NATIONAL THEATRE. "G-entlemen Prefer Blondes," the headline attraction at the National Theatre, is d woman's picture. Every woman who sees it should enjoy seeing the male characters yield to the glib, innocent-seeming flattery of the little defenceless girl, who has no weapons but her sharp wits. It is the utter foolishness of the male sex that Miss Loos ridicules. It was there, hidden sometimes, but there nevertheless, in every line of 'her book. -Malcolm St. Clair and his Bplendid cast got the same spirit into the picture. Lorelei, like those famous policemen of the north, always gets her ■ man, with her ulterior motive his pocketbook. Mies Loos has simply hit on the fact that most men are simply waiting around for some clever little gold-digger to pluck them. In the picture there are ehown dozens of men succumbing to her wiles —slic gets them all. There are farm hands, business men, travelling salesmen, policemen, judges, college boys and reformers. They are American, English, and French. It makes no difference what nationality or the occupation. Lorelei is smart enough to get them all. The 6econd attraction, "A Man's Man," ie not a prize fight story, but a comedy drama of Hollywood, showing the lives of its . people away from the studios. William Haines plays a soda clerk with a correspondence school complex and an ambition to join the Elks, and Josephine Dunn plays the heroine. PLAZA THEATRE. Perhaps for the first time in motion talking pictures, a truly colossal reproduction of great historical events has been used solely as the backgroj.id for a dramatic love story. The picture is First National's '"The Divine Lady," starring Corinne Griffith. It will be presented at the Plaza Theatre to-day as one of the most important offerings of the year, and the greatest achievement of its director, Frank Lloyd. Tn '"The Divine Lady," even the love drama is a true story. * The colourful career of Lady Hamilton, whose influence in the court of Naples and whose love affair with Lord Nelson changed the pages of history for three nations, is highly dramatised, but authentic. The immortal love story of Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson is told in full detail on the screen as it was written in E. Barrington's biographical novel of that same title, and necessitated the reproduction of some of history's' most notable spectacles. These may be seen on the screen, but behind them are many fascinating details of picture making that made Lloyd's task in producing it one of the .greatest ever attempted. "Ben Hur" reaches back into legend. So did '"The King of Kings" and other great period; spectacles. The spectacular background of "The Divine Lady," however, is-*-, matter of accurate history, wherein, imagination cannot be governed to make the cinematic tasks easier. The picture should 2-i.ve a successful season. - • . . REGENT THEATRE. \ "Madame X," -which, was a. f ainoue stage play for many;,actresses .of fame, including Sarah Bernhardt, is attracting large'attendances to the, Regent Theatre, where the screen talking vereion is being presented... The, picture 'was directed ... by Lionel Barrymore, an<f Eutli ,6hattertbn has the title.role. It is gorgeously etaged, locales all over 'fche world being ehown in its swift action, and one of the most notable casts of former stage celebrities ever assembled for a screen drama appears. Lewis Stone plays the husband, and Eaymond Hackett, of "The Trial of Mary Dugan" fame, the son and attorney for the defence. Richard Carle, old-time Broadway star and now a screen player, Mitchell Lewis, Eugenie Besserer, Holmes Herbert, Haupt and Sydney Toler'are in the cast. The play opens in Paris, and then follows the tragic Madame X in her dramatic wanderings to, China, the Islands, South America and other colourful locales, showing in vivid and terrible fashion her slow degradation, until she reaches the depth of despair where she commits murder. The suppoiting featurettes are all interesting and good entertainment. TIVOLI THEATRE. The latest recruit to the ranks of talking theatres is the Tivoli, which gave its first sound presentation last night before a good house. The most up-to-date Western Electric system has just been installed. For a first try-out the plant behaved particularly well, and the programme was run through without a hitch. The sound is reproduced well, and the dialogue is very clear, no distortions being recognisable. The theatre itself is well suited for talking pictures, as its acoustic properties are excellent. The main picture shown was not a talkie, but of the sound-synchronised type. Talking featurettes, however, showed that the plant could produce dialogue in a smooth and natural manner. "Temptation,"'featuring Emil Jannings, is the chief attraction. The picture is one which gives that great actor ample 6cope to demonstrate his dramatic powers, and he gives an excellent portrayal of a difficult role. The story is one of conflicting passions, and Jannings comes through with flying colours. Gary Cooper and Esther Ralston, both well known to picture fans, fill the supporting roles, and both give good performances. A young Viennese artist falls in love with a peasant girl, and she pro : mises to wait for him. He returns to the village some months later, however, and finds that the girl has been made to marry the burgomaster. Still in love with the girl, the young man strikes up a friendship with her husband, and pays them a visit at least once every year. Tragedy steps in, and the young wife is killed while sledging. It is at this stage that Jannings brings his dramatic acting into play, and as the griefstricken husband he is excellent. The screening of this picture combined with the excellent supports constitutes an enjoyable entertainment which will long be remembered as the first talkie that the Tivoli Theatre has shown. STRAND THEATRE. A new Mary Pickford in a powerful story directed by Sam Taylor is at the Strand Theatre. "In Coquette" Miss Pickford is revealing to the world an entirely new and changed personality in a story replete with comedy and pathos, laughter and drama. The voices ot Miss Pickford and her players have been reproduced with a clarity. As Norma Eesant, Miss Pickford plays the role of the belle of a little Southern town, who laughed her merry way in and out oi countless love affairs and thrilling flirtations. With a youthful ze.;t for life and the sheer living of it, she played in the moonlight, secure in the safety of her little world. Always beside her stood Stanley Wentworth, son of her father's attorney and best friend. Stanley loved her with an unexciting and steadfast devotion, which could 6 mile with understanding at her coquetries. So life moved on for Norma in a gay whirl of kisees, dances and conquests until tragedy intervenes and laughter is turned to tears and despair. A fine list of short featurettes is also being screened.

MAJESTIC THEATRE,

When a novel first published twenty years ago is in such popular demand that the pla>tes from which it was originally printed have been worn out and replaced five times and it still finds a ready sale, the book must have superlative quality. &uch is the story "The Brass Bowl," by Louis J. Vance, from which '"Masquerade," latest Fox movietone all-talking picture, has been adapted. The screentalking version will be presented at the Majestic Theatre to-day. In adapting "Masquerade," Frederick Haslitt Brendan and Malcolm Stuart Boylan were obliged to modernise the novel. In the main it is the same story. "Masquerade" is said to have presented unusual problems in recording for the audible screen, clue to the fact 8 that Alan Birmingham, co-featured with Leila Hyams, was called upon to act a dual role. He portrays Dan Maitland, wealthy young New *York bachelor, and also Dan Anisty, a nororious society bandit. Maitland returns from abroad to* see a beautiful girl leaving 'his apartment, which he finds has been ransacked, but neither he nor his servant, Blodgett (Clyde Cook), can discover anything missing. Maitland finds the print of a hand on a dusty table top. It matches a glove the mysterious girl had dropped. That is the beginning of a series of exciting episodes. Maitland, who has fallen in love with the young woman at first eight, gets into one tangle after another through being mistaken for Anisty, whose double he is. The crook, to obtain the Maitland family jewels, poses as a man-about-town. The gems are stolen; Maitland also proves to be a victim of a stock forgery, in which the young woman displays an interest that for a time keeps him guessing. Miss Hyams, as Sylvia Graeme, the heroine, is described as. a most fascinating lady bandit. A fine programme of talking supports will also be screened. . CAPITOL THEATRE. The Capitol Theatre, Dominion Road, following the vogue has gone "talkie." The headline attraction is "Speakeasy." which had a successful run in the city recently. It is a thrilling all-talking drama with many intimate scenes of night life in New York. There are eome fine scenes of boxing contests, and the famous Madison Square Garden is eh&wn with bouts in full blast. There are a number of all-talking featurettes, including "The Happy Birthday," a comedy of two reels; Gertrude Lawrence sings, "I Don't Know;" there is a speech by King George and a news reel in sound and dialogue.

ST. JAMES , THEATRE.

Jim Gerald and his musical revue company continue to attract large audi ences to St. James' Theatre, where a bright and entertaining programme is presented. The dressing is good and the work of the ballet exceptional Gerald is an entertainment in himseli and he keeps his houses in merry mood throughout the performance. A change of programme will be made every Tue'sday. EMPRESS THEATRE. An all-dialogue picture, "The Donovan Affair," is the headline attraction at the Empress Theatre, Newton. It ij a thrilling mystery drama, with a strong vein of humour running throughout. It concerns a notorious gambler who is invited to a dinner part}', where lie is murdered when the lights are switched off to enable him to exhibit a luminous ring. Jack Holt, who takes the part of a detective, is called in, and much laughter is caused by the rough and ready means he takes to solve the mystery. Every person in the house is suspect, and the excitement is kept up to the last moment, when the criminal is discovered by means of a clever ruse. All-talkie featurettes of an interesting character are also being screened. PAPATOETOE CONCERT. A successful concert was given in the Papatoetoe Town Hall last evening by Jasper's concert party, in aid of the Otahuhu railway workshops division of the St. John Ambulance. There was a crowded audience. The programme was is follows: Vocal solo, "When the Ebb Tide Flows," Mr. Eeg. White; Scotch humour, ''It's Nice When You Love st Wee Lassie," Mr. Jock Bruce; the fun doctor, Mr. Norman Tate; song, Miss Brierley; song, "A Farmer's. Boy," Mr. Charles Massee; humorous item, Mr. H. Samuels-; song, Miss Brierley, humorous pianologue, Mr. Norman Tate; character sketch, Mr. John Rowc; song, Miss B. Poulton; the famous longarmed comedian, Mr. Harry Chatvvin. Orchestral music was provided by the Orpheus orchestra, under Mr. J. S. Morey. A feature of the evening was a dramatic sketch, entitled ' "Sherlock Holmes," adapted from Conan Doyle, the scene being the dramatic interview between Holmes (the great detective/ and Professor Mbriarty (leader of a criminal gang). Mr. Jasper Calder took the part of-Sherlock Holmes, Dr. H. A. Barraclough of Professor Moriarty, and Miss Edna Herrick of Billy (the pagp xrv). A humorous sketch, with musical interruptions, entitled "Oh, Millie," .vas given by Miss Beryl Poulton, Miss K. Williamson, Mr. Arthur Prentice and Vlr. A. Birch.