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CITY THEATRES

CIVIC "THE WANDERING JEW" So great has been the success of Twickenham's screen epic, "The Wandering Jew," at the Civic Theatre that it has been found necessary to extend the season for a further six days. The unanimous praise showered on this production by the theatre-goers of Christchurch is only an endorsement of a world-wide opinion. Wherever screened "The Wandering Jew" has not only drawn to its screenings the regular picture-goers, but has also attracted hundreds who have never before witnessed a talking picture. "The Wandering Jew" is the most colossal production to emanate from British studios and is one of the few pictures that can rightly claim the distinction of being "a screen epic." Conrad Veidt, who to-day stands as one of the world's greatest actors, is seen in the title role, and his portrayal of the Jew must rank as one of the greatest characterisations the screen has ever seen. He is supported by four leading ladies, Anne Grey, Joan Maude, Peggy Ashcroft, and Marie Ney, each of whom gives a brilliant performance in keeping with the magnificence of the production. The narrative of Eugene Sue's great book is reproduced in the picture in four parts. It concerns a Jew who mocked Christ and was condemned to a wandering existence for 15 centuries. No finer film for thoughtful men and women has ever been screened, and the success of this picture in Christchurch is only an endorsement of a world-wide opinion. The bookings are already heavy, and patrons are advised to make early application for reserves at the theatre for the remainder of the season.

REGENT

"SONS OF THE DESERT"

"Sons of the Desert " Laurel and Hardy's latest full-length comedy, will be the major attraction at the Recent Theatre to-day. Idiosyncrasy and inanity take on delightful attributes in the hands of these two players, and in "The Sons of the Desert" there is admirable scope for their particular genius. The title is misleading. The desert does not enter into the scheme of things at all, Laurel and Hardy appearing as two ordinary, law-abid-ing American citizens. The fraternity to which they belong goes under the name of "The Sons of the Desert, t and the picture is concerned witn their efforts to avoid the vigilance of two over-bearing wives and attend the annual convention of the society in Chicago. Their scheming is successful, the convention is reached ana they enjoy their freedom from marital restraint as perhaps only Laurel and Hardy could enjoy it. The difficulties begin when a liner on which they are allegedly travelling to Honolulu is reported to have foundered. As in all the pictures in which these two appear, there is no opportunity for contrasting performances. The parts are interdependent, the success of the one being governed almost entirely by the success of the other, and they thus perpetuate what is perhaps the most outstanding collaboration the screen has yet seen. The fatuous dignity of the one and the undisguised stupidity of the other make for some of tho most enjoyable sequences they have yet provided. Another exponent of shortfilm subjects, Charlie Chase, supports them to great advantage in the scenes at the convention, and its incidental festivities, while Mae Busch and Lucien Littlefield contribute splendid humo;:r in important roles. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

THEATRE ROYAL "SUPERNATURAL" AND "CASH" A first-class new double-feature programme will be offered at the Theatre Royal to-day. The major .item will be "Supernatural," an eerie mystery drama. The supporting film will be "Cash." a brilliant satire on the doings of modern big business men. "Supernatural." a weird tale of a beautiful young girl whose body is possessed by the avenging soul of a murderess. features Carole Lombard, Randolph Scott, Vivienne Osborne, Allan Farnum. The action centres round Farnum. Hhe action centres round Carole Lombard, who, on the death of her twin brother, becomes susceptible to the guile of Dinehart, a crooked spiritualist, planning to get money from her. Meanwhile, Vivienne Osborne, betrayed to the police by Dinehart, is executed in the electric chair for murder. Warner, a psychologist interested in psychic phenomena, believes •that he can prevent her spirit from wreaking further havoc, but his experiments go amiss, and the spirit enters into the body of Carole Lombard with disastrous results. That power and confidence which only hard cash can bring gives London Films' latest picture, "Cash," its theme. The theme is illustrated in a piquant and ingenious story that leads to a succession of amazing situation. Edmund Gwenn. who enhanced his reputation by his work in "The Good Companions," gives a fine characterisation as Gilbert, and Robert Donat, who was Thomas Culpeper in "The Private Life of Henry VIII." Wendy Barrie, Lawrence Grossmith, Morris Heatherley, and Hugh E. Wright are also in the cast. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

PLAZA

"FOOTLIGHT PARADE" TO HAVE EXTENDED SEASON

"Footlight Parade," which will begin the second week of its successful season at the Plaza Theatre to-day, surpasses its predecessors, "Fortysecond Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933," in story value, settings, dance numbers, and song hits for all-round entertainment. The film, from beginning to end, is one of never-ending surprises, and the action throughout is fast-moving. A big feature of the show is the four tuneful sc-ng hits, "By a Waterfall," "Sitting on a Backyard Fence," "Honeymoon Hotel," and "Shanghai Lil," which are sung by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. Backstage stories there have been before: —some of them good, more of them indifferent, and a few of them bad—and, although the public may be getting just a little tired of being told that "this is the most unusual thing of its kind you have ever seen," it can rest assured that that statement is perfectly true of "Footlight Parade." Not only does this picture tell a story of the stage from an entirely novel angle, but it also tells it in scenes that have never been surpassed for beauty and splendour. "Footlight Parade" combines comedy, drama, and romance with unique dance ensembles and catchy song hits, and it also contains a large and distinguished cast. Four popular stars, James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell, head the long list of players. sThfi pre

TIVOLI "MISS FANE'S BABY IS STOLEN" With a theme taken from the front pages of the American press—the wave of kidnapping which has stirred the entire world —"Miss Fane's Baby is Stolen," which will be the featured film at the Tivoli Theatre to-day, is reported to be one of the most compelling dramas to have reached the screen. It has many other factors that, ensure its success. In a part that gives her even greater emotional range than her first Hollywood picture, "Cradle Song," the Continental actress Dorothea Wieck gives a flawless performance as a film actress whose baby is snatched from its cot in a Hollywood mansion. Chief interest, however, centres in Baby Leßoy, the 18-months-old infant who achieved film fame overnight with his first appearance in Maurice Chevalier's "A Bedtime Story." This infant actor is even more remarkable as the victim of the kidnappers than in his first picture. Alice Erady, who has taken a succession of roles since her comparatively recent return to the screen, acts with her usual accomplishment in the part of an outback farmer's wife, who stumbles across the lair of the kidnappers on an adjoining property. "Miss Fane's. Baby is Stolen" is a splendid example of the efficiency of Hollywood in dealing with an everyday theme. Other popular actors who have important parts are George Barbier, as a sympathetic film producer, Jack Laßue, as a kidnapper who loses his nerve, and Dorothy Burgess, as one of his companions in crime. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

"QUEEN CHRISTINA"

GIIETA GARBO'S TRIUMPH

Greta Garbo has returned to the screen, serener and maturer than ever, a more glowing and gracious performer than her most ardent admirers have ever known her. At last she appears in a role which really means something to her, which she can enact with conviction and passion, which represents her with a fullness and a truthfulness that make it one of the finest portrayals ever displayed on the screen. The picture is "Queen Christina," Metro-Goldwyn's elaborate production which will be presented ax the Tivoli next Saturday. Garbo is matchless. After a protracted absence from the screen, she returns in a glamorous and stirring romance, a character study of a king who was a woman, and a valiant one. Throwing herself with all the intensity of her love for Sweden into playing its heroic queen, Garbo does the greatest work she ever has offered the screen. With passionate sincerity she presents a Christina who merits awe. The trick this woman possesses has never been mastered by her imitators. It is an abandon of self. Whether Garbo is playing Christina of Sweden or Tina of Woolworths, she plays her. And the performance is an exciting thing to watch. Her present story is a romantic interpretation of historic record. It is a simple account of a woman in love, who abandons home, throne, and country for love, rather than be forced into a marriage of state. Garbo made a wise choice in selecting her John Gilbert to impersonate the Spaniard. He gives a splendid performance. But he also seems to inspire Garbo, and it is her picture. Handsomely mounted and costumed, richly photographed, the production Has a grandeur which matches its theme. It is an impressive and lovely picture, glorified by the greatest work of the greatest actress in films.

MAJESTIC

"MADAME SPY"

Fast and thrilling action, splendid character casting and an unusual plot combine to make "Fugitive Lovers" (Madge Evans and Robert Montgomery), the featured film at the Majestic Theatre this week, first-class entertainment. The supporting items include a Thelma Todd comedy, "Babes in the Goods." In addition, the management is conducting an interesting guessing competition, for which the first prize is a wirpless set. Romance and glamour, gaiety, sadness and tragedy are all contained in "Madame Spy," Universal's story of a beautiful woman who held the fate of nations in her hands, which will begin on Monday at the Majestic Theatre. "Madame Spy" is something out of the ordinary in spy stories and has a plot that holds the audience right from the start. To divulge the story would entirely spoil the show for all who wish to see it. It will suffice to say that the story of "Madame Spy" tells of the beautiful "B-24," one of the most dangerous spies in the Russian Secret Service, and of how she finally finds herself torn between love and duty. What happens then leads to a powerful and unexpected climax. Fay Wray as the glamorous "B-24" has never before been seen to such advantage. Handsome Nils Asther, of the fascinating voice, is cast as the German officer with whom the spy falls in love. The show is well mounted and has been produced with strict attention to detail. All the minor parts are excellently handled. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

CRYSTAL PALACE "GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933" AND "JENNIE GERIIARDT" "Jennie Gerhardt," a splendid drama featuring Sylvia Sidney, and the successful musical production, "Gold Diggers of 1933," will comprise the fine programme at the Crystal Palace Theatre to-day. "Jennie Gerhardt" is a film that has many outstanding features. It is brilliantly acted, the photography is excellent; and last, but by no means least, the story is one that grips the audience from the moment the show starts to the final fade-out. "Jennie Gerhardt" deals with the life of a girl, the child of poverty-stricken parents, who possesses extreme beauty and charm. This beauty, however, finally leads to her downfall. The popular Sylvia Sidney, who was such a success in "American Tragedy," and who gave so convincing a performance in the screen version of "Madame Butterfly," is seen in the difficult role of the unfortunate Jennie. She handles the part with the greatest of skill, and manages, right from the start, to gain the complete sympathy of the audience.

"Gold Diggers of 1933" is one of the most magnificent spectacles yet offered by the screen. In addition, it has an intensely human story enacted by a particularly capable cast. The dance ensembles are on a gigantic scale—it is doubtful if their equal has ever before been presented in a talking picture—but while they are unquestionably the main feature of the film, they are purely incidental to the production, which, as a whole, satisfies every requirement of up-to-date entertainment. Box plans are at the D.LC.

LIBERTY "THE DARK HORSE" AND "THE CROSBY CASE" "The Dark Horse." an hilarious comedy, and "The Crosby Case," a mystery thriller, will comprise the new double-feature programme at the Liberty Theatre to-day. In "The Dark Horse," the makers have obtained something new in cinema backgrounds, for the picture deals with the excitements of a political campaign. An attempt to stampede a party convention results in the choice of a "dark horse" for Governor, and the problem of getting him elected seems almost insuperable. But the supporters of the "dark horse" find a new campaign manager, and the comedy is fairly launched. Warren William and Bette Davis appear in this amusing film, and both acquit themselves well. "The Crosby Case" is said to be one of the most ingenious mystery dramas of the season. Wynne Gibson and Onslow Stevens are the principals. This picture lay bare the inner workings of the New York Police Department, and follows the investigation of a crime in a manner which maintains the interest at fever heat. GRAND "THE WHITE SISTER" Helen Hayes and Clark Gable are co-starred for the first time in "The White Sister," which will begin a return season at the Grand Theatre today. Helen Hayes plays the part of Angela Chiaromonte, daughter of an Italian prince, and Clark Gable has the role of Giovanni Severi, a lieutenant in the Italian Army. The strong part of Angela's father is enacted by Lewis Stone, and important roles are taken by Louise Closser Hale, May Robson, Edward Arnold, and Alan Edwards. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19340623.2.45

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 9

Word Count
2,360

CITY THEATRES Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 9

CITY THEATRES Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 9

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