"THE TRIUMPH OF THE RAT."

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 19400, 28 August 1928, Page 11

"THE TRIUMPH OF THE RAT."

! COWBOWS.»» DOUBLE BILL AT OBYBTAL PALACE. The progr»mmo showing at Cryatal Palace Theatre thxs we«k is one of the most satisying the njanagement hu offer*!. In poriaying two wtirely di»erg«mt typea of life, the feature fdag, .. The Triumph the Rat, »ad "Birtn. Cowboys,' there could nob have been a better contrast. One inv a ir B „ no ° 6 aad roman « in the tht W?„; devil-may-care incidents of ♦ ' a wmedy-draniß of the IS£LT n BPttMB - Ivor Novello, one of ™Sf ? .tj m ,° S A diß tinguißhed men o£ art, '„„ Jetters ' has the screen ?i %*??. in "Tho Triumph of the Bat, classic of if a typo that delighted the crowded house, while the hair-raising wuofcfttic stunts of Hoot Gibra in "Flyin' Cowboys m hounding down villains to win the heart of the girl he loves provided equal interest. , of . the R* l ." J* the sequel J" •ft t ' which was presented in Chnstchurch last year, and those who witnessed that fiim will follow with keen interest the intriguing life of "The Rat," portrayed by Ivor Novello. Around the twin existence, a, veritable Jekyll and Hyde career of Pierre Boucheron the apache, the society leader, is woven the plot of "The Triumph of the Hat. The scenes of intrigue upon intrigue, delightfully refreshing by the vividness of their contrasts, are set in Paris and on the Western Front. A3 ''The Rat " Pierre Boucheron divides his time between two worlds, the salons and boulevards of the upper classes, and the haunts of the dirty, quarrelsome, lawless world of the apaches. A strikingly handsome man The Rat becomes the leader and favourite of both societies by the grace of his looks. But in seeking the love of a good woman) be arouses the jealousy and finally bitter hatred of the "vamp," the woman who introduced him into the world of tociety to satisfy her whims. she exposes him, and in his fall, till he becomes an outcast from both societies, is portrayed the power of a woman's. hatred. But equally as strong is another woman's love, and how The Bat finally finds happiness forms an excellent finale to the well-wrought intrigue that sustains the interest in the picture. The elucidation of the Jekyll and Hyde existence is worked out in a logical and delightfully portrayed story, invested with considerable dramatic force. The role of Pierre Boucheron, The Rat, gives Ivor Novello ample scope for individual action in the portrayal of two distinctive characters. His style iB pleasing and well sustained. As the vamp, Isabel Jeans enhances her reputation by an alluring portrayal of this type. She figures for a great part in the picture and is in no small measure responsible for its success. Bright and humorous, scintillating with sparkling incidents, "Flyin' Cowboys, with the popular Hoot Gibson at its head, is a typical "Westerner," and fairly bristles with thrills. Hoot Gibson takes his usual part, performing miny remarkable acrobatic stunts in combating a band of villains, to win his way finally to the heart of tho girl he loves. There is a light humour pervading the whole story. Hoot Gibson and an excellent cast keep the audience well supplied with laughable incidents. Under the baton of Mr A. J. Bunz, the Symphony Orchestra played a delightfully arranged programme of music.