Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21289, 8 October 1934, Page 8

Cinema Reviews

KEGGNT I "TAKZAN AM) lIJS .MATE" j Children, nl course, will io\e "Tar- ! zan and His Male." and thrre. is a j great deal in if to compel the admiri ation of adult'-'. For if it sometime? J fr.ills in'o bathos, jus! ns often i! i reaches quUe lofty emotional heights | The featured players are again Johnny j Wejssniuller and Maureen O'Sullivan j but the real stars of the picture arc ! the apes, elephants, lions, and rhino- ] ceroses which abound in great numbers, and which play their parts with | quite amazing skill. Scenes almost j lyrical in character are alternated with ! passages of combat and bloody slaughi tor. One of the finest things in the | picture is the mourning of the apes i over the body oil the wounded Tarzan

; and their -unbounded delight when he : recovers and once more goes to the I rescue of his mate, swinging rhythmici ally from tree to tree. There is very | little in the story, which describes the j adventures of two Englishmen and j 'heir safari, when they try to reach a j centuries-old burial ground of ele- | phants to loot their ivory tusks. This I burial ground is an immense rocky i chasm, to which entrance can be made I only through a waterfall. It lends itself to ; pictorial treatment, and the producers I have excelled themselves in setting out ' the scene. The Englishmen get the i i\ory and plan to take Tarzan's mate , back to civilisation: but in the end i they are defeated and the exploit costs j them their lives. Tarzan himself it' j of course rather a preposterous per- , son; but he makes a magnificent figj uve as lie goes (lying through the trees i nt a pace which puis the apes to shame, i or when he is engaged in terrific coin- ! hat with crocodiles or lions. There are ! plenty of scenes like this, some of them | very exuberant. There are also very / beautiful under-wafcr scenes when I Tarzan and his mate go for an early | morning swim. A vast, number of elephants, apes, lions, and rhinoceroses J rush over the screen in a complicated t scries of hostilities which culminate in a j quadrilateral battle among the elc- ; phants and apes, the lions, cannibals. ; and the Englishmen. One of the best , sequences shows Tarzan mobilising the ! apes and elephants for this fray, and i adults as well as children will catch ' some of the excitement as the .-mimnls ! c"iiie rushing to the battlefield. But

; the scene which most adults will roi member is that showing the rescue j and nitrsmg of Tarzan by the apes i The only sound in this long passage is 1 their agitated chattering. Little I glimpses of ape- clambering through i the trees. v> HI, anxious, expressions o". j their face-, been assembled wit]; j great .-.kill and humour, i "Taiv.an" is a long picture, and the j supporting programme ~\ (he Regent ,is necessarily brief. It comprises a : cartoon, interesting news-reels, and one j of the "Strange as it Seems" series.

TJYOLI "PRINCESS CHARMING" There i-' an exci ptinciail." well ,e- , looted ptegramme at the Tivo'i Theatre tin;, week consisting entirely of, , Pritish films. The feature is "Princes;, I Charming." a delightful musical ro- j i mance m which Evelyn Layc has the i i leading part, and in which some of the ■ ' foremost actors of the British stage' ' appear. The comedy ;;■■ one of those .dealing with mythical k : "':de,iii, pi'"-. ' sumably ttalkau, but. in thgs case very j cleverly disguised, in which occur all I the many .sorts of trouble that thewriter of musical comedy is able to j turn to such good u c e. "Princess j I Charming," which has had a tremend-; j ous sueec.s as a stage production in! ! England, is one of t'nc best of this! j sort of comely ever to come to the ::<aoen. and it has been mad'' with 1 1 all I lie artistry that sound direction | jean give it when it has the most] I approved modern methods at its com-! 1 rnand. The picture if, one that, must; ! immediately commend itself to every; I discriminating audience as a musical; : play quite above the usual standard. IThe music is cxcilent, the acting is : very good, and the plot is much more j | efficient than the plots usually associ-j ated with entertainments of this type | Evelyn Laye, in the character of the princess, is a most charming person, i and brings to her part all the great i ability that has made her an outstandj ing figure on the musical comedy stage iof ('lis go l .cratioo. She makes the prince,- live, and bc.-ides sin.' .sings: ; .-evcral song- in the ino.-l caplivatims : manner. She is very ably supported 1 j ]). v George Gro.'.-mith, whooi: smooth .acting as the king is all that is rei quired. Henry Wilco.xoo has the unenviable part, of Site hero, but, carries i it off with distinction, and Max Miller, i is his: usual humorous self as an ini surance canvasser who is not, to be de- ; nied. The story (ells of a bankrupt ; kingdom, whose king, to save the state 'from complete financial disaster, ai- ;' ranges to marry the princess of a ! neighbouring 1 -tate. The wealth'.- and j charming princess, who ; ,t. the time the j marriage is to take place i,-> embroiled ■ in a revolution, is not, a bit. keen to , marry the king she lias never seen, '■ and when she meets him and finds that he is middle-aged, and not, at all her idea of what a hero should be, i she becomes determined not to go [ through with the ceremony. In the ; meantime, to straighten out a number ;of happy complications with the re- ' volutionaries and with the pressing in- < surance man. she has gone through the form of marriage with one of the emissaries of the king. She falls in love with him, but with hir strong sense of duty he is rather a backward swain, and requires u great deal of coaxing before he can be brought to the realisation that he is in love with the princess. In the best, musical comedy (style, everything (urns out happily in ; the end.

The short, features are admirably selected, and contain items of the widest interest. GRAND "I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG" A picture ul' the kind nt" realistic drama seldom seen on the screen was shown to a crowded audience at the Grand Theatre on Saturday night. "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is an adaptation of the sensational book of the same name by Robert E. Burns, in which the author Rives "ii account of a period in his own life. The picture is thus a very real and true representation of actual fact, and for this reason if for no other would be worthy of commendation. The revelation of the infamous American chain gang prison system in all its details is at once illuminating and amazingly well done; one is left with the feeling I hat. were it not. known for certain that, the Picture is based un fact it could not anpear other than unbelievable. , . The acting of Paul Mum in the cine: pari, is a tine piece of dramatic characterisation, and he is ably supported by Glenda Farrel!. Helen Vinton, and Sally Blanc.

MAJESTIC

"MUKDEIt AT THE VANITIES"! Earl Carroll's "Murder at the Vanities.'' which was screened before a full house at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday night, is a picture of a rare kind. Each oi the two widely differ- ! ent types of piay. the spectacular j stage show and the mystery tale, has a special appeal: a combination of those two types in a single picture, if] carried out with any degree of success, i assures a wonderful evening's enter- I lainment. In "Murder at. the Vanities'' j there is no room for dullness. If the | audience is not being delighted by the extraordinarily brilliant stage settings and the splendid dancing of the ballet, it is being thrilled by the series of mysterious actions which are happen-j ing back-stage, and result in two mm- \ ders.

In the acting there are some performances which are outstanding. A ■ Jack Ellery, stage manager at the Vanities. Jack Oakie balances well between the harassed stage manager on the opening night, and the fine comedian one knows him to be; Carl Brisson and Kitty Carlisle, as the leading man and lady of the show, are pleasing, in their acting as in their singing. A minor part deserving special commendation is that of Norma Watson, played by Dorothy Stickncy. Victor MeLaglen, as the not-over-clever detective, is good, and the repartee in which he engaucs, with Jack Oakie, is of a most pleasing character. Particular credit for a good presentation (if a difiicul; pari is "due 1o Gertrude Michael, as l'lila l'toss. the villainess in the piece.

Much of Hie picture is devoted to I the presentation of !lie "Vanities."! which in themselves provide the! amount of enlorlainiuent, of, ;m ordin- j ary picture. The atmosphere of fear I and suspicion is early created, and I the change from the feeling thus pro- i ducod to that evoked by witnessing i most attractive dancing and spectacular stage settings is a rare and pleasant sensation. There is a lavishness in the production, and a coherence ana beauty in the dancing, which are worthy of great commendation. Of especial note are two scenes, "Tlie Rape of the Rhapsody," and the island scene where the illusion of waves is created by I lie movement, 'of large spreading plumes. Some notablesongs, among which "Cocktails for Two" stands out, complete the musical side of the picture. The action all takes place on the opening night of the "Vanities." Ellery's worry is increased when the leading man and lady arrive late, and announce that they intend to get marvied, an announcement, which arouses the fury of Rita Koss. vho.-e lover the lending man has been Tie lias recently employed •'■• private detective to recover letters from Rita, which disclose that the wardrobe mistress. Mrs Smith, is his mother, and is still being searched for by the Vienna police for a crirui committed many years before. The detective '..- tliorlly afterwards found dead, on the catwalk above the stage, the fact being disclosed by blood dropping on to one of the ballet girls on the stage. Suspicion rests on Mrs Smith, Rita clonic all in her power to increase that, suspicion. In a subsequent number on the stage, ending with a mock slaughter of chorus girls bv a machine-aim, Rita is actually shot and killed. Defective Bill Murdoch is thu.-. left, with two murders to which he must lind solutions, and that while the play still goes on. It is not Murdoch, however, but Norma, who eventually supplies the solution. The supporting programme is of high standard. ÜBKKTY DOl RLE FEATURE PROGRAMME The importance of con.-.!rue! ion- to the success of a motion picture murder mystery, just as to a novel, could hardly be bel.ti-r ilm-lrak d than by the success achieved by the crisp neatness distinguishing that of "The Night 1 of the Party," which is one of the two features comprising the double feature programme which opened its season at ; the 'Liberty Theatre on Saturday. A i British film, it may be classed as one : of the best dramas to be screened in recent months. The threads of th* 3 story are closely interwoven, and it is noteworthy than even the flashes of comedy relief have a direct bearing on the plot. There is not a scene, nor portion of a scene, which is redundant. The story is of a dinner party at which the gnr.'fs agreed to play a parlour game of -murder." While the light- ; were out for the game, the host. Lord \ Studholme. is murdered. Eight guests ; were at the party. Each bad cause to hate and fear the host. The s;cr-

B ! ! 3 ■ vants hated and feared him also. The] I | solving of the mystery of Lord Stud-1 s holme's death, with so many person,--! t against whom circumstantial cases ; . i could be built, taxed the ingenuity of <- I Scotland Yard. An unexpected 'and - i thrilling climax rounds oil a splendid - i film. The stars are Leslie Banks. Carol r j Goodner, Muriel Akcd, and Ernest 3 j Thesiger. - j James Caguey plays the part of "a i } hard-boiled hombre," alias "a ten-mil-s' ; ute i-ng" in the second film. "Jimmv <> j the Gent."' It would bo hard to imag- ? j ioe a tiim more crammed with Amerii ; can siung and fantastic racketeering t; action Cngney plays (lie title role. - i the director of a large racketeers' _ agency in g.; American) citv, the busi- : ! ness ot which is organised' heir chas- : I ! ng v . Unclaimed fortunes arc claimed i ; by luu- or foul means—mainly the lnt- * i ter. jurising by the potion's of V-r | action and dialogue, which are eoin- | prehensiDle—and there are romantic =| arid legal complications in abundance. | The story pretends that American racketeers have consciences. Cagnev'putsmartmg of Alan Dinehart. a rival - l n n . eu " ehasing. makes Bette Davis the 7 feminine star, say that Cagney could . sin!: deep ethically, stay under! , | Kinder, and come up dirtier than anyi i man I know." Thai injured Cagnov's '• ! undo ana pricked his conscience • • I here i, a wealth of cmticHv u, >I IC . a lana!«. ' ■ \

CIVIC j ! "LILY OF KILLAKNEY" | I ' ■ i The old-world charm of -rural Ire- { ! land, its 'magnificent scenery and : natural beauty arc realistically de- ] i picted in the "Lily of Killarney,'' now j j showing at the Civic Theatre. It is a.' | film that recaptures the early healthy ■ i spirit of the screen in a play of Irish t life mingled with love and laughter, j Among a talented cast John Gamck > as the improvident Sir Patrick Cree- ? gan. and Stanley Holloway, the jovial j hard-riding prie'st. Father O'Flynn. are outstanding. The former's pleasing baritone voice is heard once again to i good effect in the Irish national airs. i which include -Dear Little Shamrock, I "Killarnev," "Little Irish Gig,' and many other famous songs which have come from the Emerald Isle. i The scenic settings round Castle i Creesan are most lifelike and true representations of the country near ! Tralee or Parknasilla, in County Kerry, The beautiful and dainty Gma Malo makes a charming colleen, who a. once catches the eye with her artistry. But it is difficult to single out any one 1 ijertormaneo, for each member oi the j feast is admirably suited to his role, j and portrays it with real talent. One ! of the features oi the film is the rejmarkable singing by the male choir of 50 voices, which blends harmoni- j ously with the well-modulated voices of the principals. . Although the plot is inclined to be ; thin and probably unduly drawn out, , the picture is a success by reason of its atmosphere, and the excellence of ithc production, in which department I the producer, Maurice Elvey has, j availed himself of the wealtl of . ! material present. After the Plethora loi sophisticated social, dramas this j captivating romance brings with it a ! healthy tang of the countryside and a peep into the lives of simple homely t ifolk and its enthusiastic reception is j i well merited. . <•„.,*,.,.» I ! In addition 1o l.tir- niam i j (here is splendid support m two news , ! reels a musical revue and , a _ film, j ! -Australia's Playground," winch is out , ! of the ordinary as a scenic film. ,

CRYSTAL I'AI.ACU .'FOOTLIGHT PARADE" AND "UNCERTAIN LADY'* Fur sheer extravagance in a talkin, film it would be hard to better "Footlight Parade." one of Wamei Brothers' great productions. It moves with a rapidity that is dazzling, ana includes some amazing scenes, which must represent practically the extreme to which musical comedy can go. In a velum seat*n, together with a good comedv. "Uncertain Lady," it provides a good programme at the Crystal 1 aiacc this week. , . A beautiful waterfall scene, which has probably not been equalled for its. originality and its music, is outstanding in "Footlight Parade." It is this and one or two other original and elaborate scents that make the him an attractive one. With them, particularly with the waterfall scene, there are % nio interesting and good songs, most of them sung by Dick Powell. A light story running through the film has provided plenty of opportunity for the director to bring in the extravagant scenes. It takes the audience inside- the walls of one of the scores o. American musical comedy studios, ana displays all the inner workings of it, at the same time bringing in some good numbers in the rehearsals. The cast is headed by James Gagney, a remarkably youthful director, who dashes abo'ul in a desperation typically American, in search of ideas for new "units." Joan Blondell plays opposite him, and with them are Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell. "Uncertain Lady" is a good comedy with a new turn to the old story about a husband and wife wdio have become tired of one another—the sort of comedy in which Edward Everett Hortou. v.-ho heads (lie east, is very much at home. Tie is once again the o'd-fashioned thick-headed husband wlio finds it hard to see further than his nose and does and says ludicrous things, and once again he manages to provide plenty of amusement. Genevieve Job in is the "Uncertain Lady," a very uncertain and rather unusual sort, of person. She is the wife from whom Edward Everett llorton, called Eliott in this film, seeks freedom to marry someone else. There is ample scope for a good story and plenty of comedy when she tells him that if he wants to be relieved from the duties of husband to her he must find her another. Only three prospective husbands have "to be introduced before the right, one is found, and by the time lie has come to light the original husband decides that he wants to retain Ins position. His wife is uncer-

j tain. The final scenes are exceedI iiigly funny. ; A Metre-tone news reel completes the programme. ■[ THEATRE ROYAL "THE WARKEX CA;E" AND "CONVENTION ('ITY" ;, - \ , The tyo principal features at the |i Theatre Royal offer sharp contrasts in ': entertainment. One is pure farce, and ; : the other a thrilling drama of the [highest order: but the whole pro- . ■ gramme satisfies as few doublc- , feature programmes are able to. "The Warren Case" justifies the high ■ i praise which has been bestowed on .! this English production. It can boast i i of a perfect court scene—a real film j rarity—and the ability to maintain ;! suspense in a complicated mystery -; which, but for the excellent acting, [ might have lagged. The story is ■ ; strange in the extreme, and some ■ i critics would even maintain that it is i! essentially impossible. A demented i journalist, harbouring an imaginary • ■ grudge against his employer and a ■■ woman, contrives a cunningly staged

murder. He commits the murder and', audaciously writes the story for his newspaper. Purposely he implicates an entirely innocent man and sees this mnn tried find sentenced to death. Willi the traditional blundering of the police—traditional as usually port-; rayed on the screen—his cunning al-j most succeeds, but the story retrieves! the honour and dignity of Scotland! Yard bv allowing a junior detective to < discover that the journalist is the; murderer. This story reads as being | original enough to succeed in a film i on its own merit alone, but with the ; additional virtue of extremely sound acting "The Warren Case" becomes an enthralling, gripping mystery drama which holds one in suspense until the last line. With customary English subtlety the film seems also to have been used in a propagandist way to throw light on the evils of a sensa-tion-mongering press. Richard Bird, j Diana Napier, and Nancy Bume are j three of the really brilliant young people who make up the fine cast. j "Convention City" is thoroughly i amusing. Some hundreds of commer- [ cial travellers fsalesmen in the film) i get more or Jess "loose" in an Ameri-J can city while attending a conference. 5 They behave with a boisterousness al- \ most as uncontrolled as their keen-! ness for business. The story deals with the experiences of a few of their. number, who are in the apparently ■ unfortunate position of having their j wives with them. Joan Blondell, i Adolphe Menjou, Dick Powell, Mary ; Astor, and Guy Kibee are the princi- j pal members of a cast which manages '■ this typical American farce with ex- j cellent spirit. i PLAZA I "THE SONG OF THE PLOUGH" The quiet beauty of the English countryside, and what remains of the old tradition of village life, have rarely been better shown than in "The Song of the Plough," which begun its season at the Plaza Theatre on Saturday evening. The story i.; really unimportant in the. iilm, vthich is chiefly interesting as an admirable English example of the documentary films in which the Russians have held the lead. The sweep of downs, the moving sky, the lowlands patterned with hedges, the sheep, cattle, and horses, these are the actors in the iilm as much as the men and women of the village. This use of sceuerv i* i new, but it has not often been done so well in English films, and to those I who have found many scenics merely boring, "The Song of the Plough" will be a revelation. The unity of effect achieved is the outcome of unusually i skilful photography and verv careful selection. The film does perhaps earrv an element of propaganda—but it Ys prona[Kanda for the things that not only ; Englishmen, but the oeoplc of n- e ; whole Empire, like to think of as mc«t ; characteristic of England. On this I score sn occasional over-weiehmii of : sentiment, may be excused, to' New ,/ealanders it is interesting because it L-hows !ne English farmers in the sure ! plight as tnc farmers of the Do'nin- , ion— raeeo with the need to moot C er j tain fixed charges while I lor produce are constantly falling I But too much is not made of t n u <•-,<"' ; end most of the film is concerned with giving an impression of the uleasant siue of English rural life . T ''° -\u~y grafted on to Vnis purnogf is so slight and so much depeuden* on stock .situation:-, that it seems to" have been introduced merely because all good films must have a story But it does give an excuse for the pVescntation of many entertaining and natural characters. John Freeland (Stewart Rome), the central character, i? one of the best types of open-air Englishmen, quiet and unassuming, h'j? struggle to pay the expenses of the j farm, and ■ notably three years' overdue tithe rent brings hini into co><. Mlict with the objectionable Joe Suxby f Allan Jeayes) and thereafter ihe story

is mainlv about the sheep-dog taw at the annual show, which are woo Vf his dog. in spite of attempts at a» terference by Saxby. . The skill of good sheep co&s is »S mirably shown in the deg_tnals. «** wiio ifave seen such trials at a£;cultural and pastoral shows in (X- j terbury—in which they are aluaysoce ! of the" most attractive features—tboe ■ scenes are exceptionally interestfe*. Of the other characters the y«2£ squire (Jack Livesey) is a partoflariy good type, and his city friend (K«5; ncth Kore) provides a great d«al c amusement by his ignorance of can' ■ try ways. A scene at an inn pww** | an opportunity to present a muIUJMW [ of true country people, and for the sn** j ing of a number of traditional WH& i Here and in many of the scenes stowing Freeland's relation to the men Oft- j ployed on his farm, there is a gM* j deal of quiet humour. . j Of the supporting pictures, a esse- ; sound review, and an interpretatta ■ of Wagner's "Flying Dutchman," P«- ■ seating some fine studies of WCT movement, and some remarjaK* scenes taken on board a sailing. iEP in a storm, are most interesting." NEXT CHANGES '•MORNING GLORY" COM©* TO TIVOLI Regarded as one of ihe greatest <t contemporary screen actresses, arine Hepburn gives a magnificentPJ£ formance in "Morning Glory." *?j2 will be shown at the Tivoli IkeaW r.ext Saturday. "THE THIN MAN" FOR TBI | REGENT ! Wellington and Auckland audieccel I have accorded Dashiell Hamaj**" ; famous mystery story, "The fl& j Man," great praise. Without a doeK "The Thin Man" has a cast of start whose parts fit them like the proverbial glove. William Powell and Myraa Loy head the notable cast, which al=« includes Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Peadieton, Porter Hall. Natalie Moorehead, and Henry Wadsworth. "7 1 * i Thin Man" is the story of N«» ! Charles, a detective who is Shertoe* j Holmes, S. S. Van Dine, and all «n» J crack detectives rolled into one. | MICKEY MOUSE BIBTHDAI PARTY j The annual Mickev Mouse party will be held at the Maje& e j Theatre at 11 a.m. on Saturday, 0c»o----j ber 13. Birthday cake will be distributed, and all of Mickey's friends. i£ i eluding Mimic and Pluto, togetlieI with luany well-known i screen favourites, will be there, ! can be reserved at the U.I.C at a «-• i of sixpence. ! Druwmn- accidents in B {^! iare decreasing steadilv each year. py-*' j 2000 just after the war. the total 1»» fallen to 1500.