PLAZA THEATRE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20280, 4 July 1931, Page 6

PLAZA THEATRE.

"THE SPORT OF KINGS." Real humour has an irresistible appeal, an# "Tho Sport of Kings," at the Plaza Theatre this week, is a first-rate English eoraedy. It belongs to the type of the stage farce, like so many of tho English films lately, »nd with them it proves that in this field the English producers—rather the English authors (this time it is no less a person than lan Hay)—are infinitely superior to the Americans. Its situations are frankly beyond what in possible in life, but not so far beyond that peoplo cannot bo conceived, in some topsy-turvey world, as taking part ip them. Leslie Henson takes the leading role, and scores a great success, not so much from what ho says—although that is sufficiently amusing—as from what ho does, in the way in which his actions and his facial expression fit his part. The story concerns two hardened "punters," one of whom bets that nobody con resist the temptation to gamble. They go to Btay as paying guests with tho sanctimonious President of tho Anti-Betting League, and tho action revolves about the way in which that apparently high-minded gentleman gradually yiolds, under the pressure of his own cupidity, to the influence of their presence. Ho bets first of all, secretly of course, merely to get enough to pay his income tax, which ho regards as mi unwarranted demand upon him by the Government. Once begun, however, his initial success oauses him fro 'plunge wildly, so that he loses. In the end he even goes so far as to try bookmaking with the assistance of his butler, and to his surprise is thrown into a horse pond. From his experiences, however, he learns a lei sou of tolerance. There is included in tliie main plot a love-story which has very little to do with the rest of the incidents, but it is marked by ono incident—the end of tho whole picture—when the usual final embrace is given a touch which makes it one of the most comical moments of the film. The supports ircludo a British educational film which gives some Interesting and unexpected views of the lives of underwater 1 creatures, and a good nawsreel.