"MAYERLING."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 97, 24 April 1940, Page 18

"MAYERLING."

FRENCH FILM FOR EMBASSY. 1 Co-starring two players who have made their names in English-speaking films, "Mayerling." which opens at the Embassy on Friday, is a production that should not be missed by those who appreciate really artistic acting and technical effects. Dannielle Darrieux and Charles Boyer are the principals, and both give displays of acting of a class all too rarely seen 011 the screen. All the dialogue is in French, with English titles super-imposed 011 the film; even without the translations, however, an intelligent viewer could follow the general trend of the plot, 90 excellent is the acting by all concerned. In addition to the splendid performances by the players, the fine production technique used in the film is likely to be of interest to local patrons. Unlike American films, in which a shadow is never permitted to fall on the face of the star, except for effect, and the light is always in the right place, "Mayerling" comprises scenes in which more attention was paid to the obtaining of realistic rather than artistic effects. The simple story tells of the meeting between a Continental prince, bored and cynical, after living constantly in an artificial existence, and a sweet, unsophisticated young girl: it tells of how they fell 111 love, of their idyllic days together at the hunting lodge at Mayerling; and. finally, of the tragic end to the love story at Mayerling. when the two realise they can never marry.