"WITH COBHAM TO THE CAPE."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19111, 21 September 1927, Page 6

"WITH COBHAM TO THE CAPE."

THE GREAT AVIATOR TELLS HIS STORY. GRAND THEATIIE, MONDAY. If Sir Alan Cobbam were to issue an invitation to a few privileged persons' cf Cbristchurcb to take a journey with biro on one oi his own individual, daring,, reckless flightß,' who would not go? But such a thing, no matter how tempting, cannot bo. But? it is always possible to take a journey with anyone via the motion picture route, and bo far has this most modern of arts progressed that even Sir Alan Cobbam ia not safe from its exploring tentacles Thus, on one of the great aviator's sensational and lonely Qights, the famous Gauroont Company, whose celebrated Gaumotit Graphics are eo popular on theatre programmes, sent one of its most intrepid cameraman with the fiytr and his late mechanic, Elliott, and . this photographer, Basil .Emmett, has followed with his magic and allseeing lens tho . Bpecta-culur tind eventful journey to tlio CJs.pe, across tlic M.6<literran* ean from' the take-off at- Cvoydon, over to Egypt, through the Soudan, colourful with brave talcs of .Gordon and British heroism, along the valley of the Nile, with . its memories of Cleopatra and her gorgeous passage to meet Antony, over tha silent Sphinx, the Pyramids, - down the African Continent, over the Assuan ■ dam, down through Abyssinia, to Rhodesia, over tho Victoria Falls on the Zambesi, and thus on to-move civilised parts and to Cape Town. "With Cobham to 'the Cape" opens at the Grand Theatre next Monday. Hero follows the welcome afforded by the vociforous DutchEnglish population to the cool heroes, making a delightfully human and humorous touch to the thrilling and romantic narrative. One event on the journey is worthy of i mention in this necessarily brief review. As Cobbam was flying low over the Victoria Falls (the largest falls in the world), to enable Emmott to get some exceptional "shots.' the spray which reaches over a thousand feet high into the air got into the carburetter, and the engine stalled over the yawning chasm of raging waters. All three men thought their last hour had come but Emmott kept grimly grinding away at his camera hoping that the ' film might. be saved, when the aeroplane made a sensational recovery, and rose to safety. I «is incident is brought vividly out on tho scieen story, alid lends a further human touch to the whole brilliant, courageous, and ertertaining ensemble. On the way back to London wa pa&s over France, Italy, and Greece-, France, "the chosen land of chivalry, the garden of romance"; "we near the land where' beautv smiles, the sunny shores of the. Grecian Isles," and as for Italy, all -literature is flooded with extravagant verses»of her/ beauty and charm. All this wealth of loveliness and , historic interest is 'captured, and the circling over the Pantheon, v the Acropolis and other vantages of "wonder and interest in Athens' lend another note of colour and romance in this remark able film There is no doubt that the picture. "With Cobham to the Cape' is one of the most interesting and unusual film productions of the times. It has two 'star attractions in Cobham and the late Elliott, whereas the story ,it tells and the backgrounds against which the "plot is so thrulinglv developed are aspects no Holly wood fabrication could ever duplicate. The box plans will open ,at The Bristol Piano Company for tho season on Thursday,