Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21436, 30 March 1935, Page 7

Cinema Reviews

MAJESTIC "MARIE GALANTE" "Marie Galante,'' which yesterday ! began a season at the Majestic Theatre, does not belie its splendid advance reputation. Notable for the dramatic nature of its story, it is also to be commended for the very fine acting of at least five of the cast, particularly the attractive Ketti Gallien and Spencer Tracy. The story is concerned with the attempt of some persons unknown, but hinted at as formenters of wars, to damage the Panama Canal during the passage of the American fleet; to this extent, the picture ranks as mild anti-war propaganda. of the type which Hollywood and other producers have sent out in large quantities recently. The story is constructed in careful fashion, the tracking down and final thwarting of the man who is endeavouring to create trouble being shown in a series of increasingly exciting incidents. In the centre of the action is Marie Galante, a French girl kidnapped from her j home on the French coast, who I escapes in South America and finds her way to the Canal zone. There different men, one an American, another a Japanese, and another a man with a French name but ignorant of the language, endeavour to persuade her to work for them. Two of the three are secret agents, attempting to track down Ryner (Siegfried Rumann), a man who is known to have fomented trouble in many lands, but whose identity has never been established. Ketti Gallien's acting, in the middle part of the picture, where she is showing her increasing knowledge of English and begging for help to enable her to return to her native land, is indeed excellent. She lends assistance to Brogard and to Tenoki (Leslie Fentcn), both of whom are suspected by the Governor of the Canal zone as being, perhaps, the elusive Ryner, her actions being carried out in entire innocence of the real purpose of both of these men. Brogard proves to be the villain, but his plain to blow up the power house and so prevent the passage of the fleet is frustrated. Good acting, a well-constructed and exciting story, some fine scenes of the canal, and a splendid climax are the features of "Marie Galante." There is also an admixture of humour, provided mainly by one of the most laughable of negro actors, Stepin Fetchit. On the stage Fred Argyie presents a song and dance turn entitled "Navy Knights," one item alone in which is worth the price of admission. The clever, sinuous steps of Bob Tonge and his graceful contortions in themselves are a whole entertainment. There is, in addition, a very attractive ballet, some good musical numbers, and a modicum ol humourous dialogue. This variation of the picture programme offers a commendable change of entertainment.

TIVOLI "GAMBLING LADY" There came to the Tivoli yesterday a lilm that is full of the glamour of gambling halls, full of crooks and • '"I-birds, and yet refreshingly honest. From the glut of sophisticated trash that has been dimmed upon the screen lately "Gambling Ladv'' stands out as a lilm that is entertain 1 ng. It has a really good, "different." and satisfying story. Id i)s leading role is a star who is glamorous if ever a lilm star was, yet who appeals genuinely to that emotion called sympathy. Barbara Stanwyck is the gambling lady, who gambles with cards. witli crooks, with love and with marriage, threatens to drain even the eofTers of Monte Carlo, takes her husband by a cut of the pack, and can never lose. Barbara Stanwyck is seldom in such a role. She has achieved her earlier success as the unlikeable woman in several outstanding films, but here for probably the first time she has her opportunity in a role that calls not only for that glamour that is natural to her but for sympathetic presentation of a character at once arousing sympathy and dazzling with its glamour. Barbara Stanwyck takes practically the whole film to herself, but the supporting east is also admirable. C. Aubrey Smith has become well known and well liked as the player of small parts in a number of big pictures, and here again he achieves a thorough and satisfying performance in a pleasant role. Joel McCrea, as the society man. and Pat O'Brien as the bookmaker, the rather unequal rivals for the love of the gambling lady, arc also pleasing.

The story is one that breathes the excitement of the gambling hall and the thrill of constant success. It sets up gambling as it seldom is—a highly entertaining pastime with a substantial return attached to it. The gambling lady cannot lose. She finds herself in a world of crooks and cardsharpers but stands by the principle of honesty in gambling. She begins with cards, then with love and marriage. and, carrying out her principle of "playing the game through" sacrifices her husband to another woman to save him from sentence, on a crime of which she knows him to be innocent. The "other woman" plays a clever hand, but the gambling lady stands by her honesty, and from first to last site cannot lose.

So from first to last "The Gambling Lady" cannot lose. It is thorough entertainment, full of good acting and blessed with a really good story. The supporting programme includes a musical novelty, a cartoon, and a Fox Movietone Newsreel. GRAND "DANCING I.ADY" "Dancing Lady," which began a relurn season at the Grand Theatre yesterday, is not just another picture. Tt is the screen's crowning achievement in the production of elaborate musical extravaganzas. First there is one of the finest, casts ever assembled —Joan Crawford. Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, May Robson, Winnie Lightner, Fred. Astaire, Robert Benchley. and Ted Healey; and next, a tensely dramatic story that would make a great picture without its extravagant musical background; then the most pretentious production numbers ever staged, with 300 glorious beauties to enhance these settings; and, in addition, several song hits. The dancing —particuiarlv Joan Crawford's routines with the world-famed Fred Astaire—is exceptional, and the brilliant ensemble work and presentation of the musical numbers set a new siandard for spectacular and luxurious film entertainment. The supports are headed by chapter 3 of the exciting serial, "The Perils of Pauline."

REGENT "THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET" I It is difficult for a screen version of j a successful play to prove itself on the i screen as the play proved itself on the stage. The "film is too often a seconI dary affair, merely a means of making a version of the play available to a larger public. But this cannot be said of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street," which on its first showing at the Regent Theatre last evening revealed rather the shortcomings of the average picture-theatre audience than any of its own. The play is a masterly and subtle study of family life, the life of an abnormal family, it must be admitted, yet a nearer expression of the truth than possibly is generally realised; the film, thanks to the really distinguished acting of Charles Laughton and the sound work of an excellent cast, is an almost incredibly effective translation. Elizabeth Barrett's was a strange case. From childhood she had been an invalid, or so her father chose to imagine. Her brothers and sisters, with herself suffering the tyranny of Edward Barrett, believed that her weakness was constitutional and incurable. The truth was that early signs that she was delicate had been seized on by her father as an excuse for keeping her confined at home, unable to move, and a helpless object of his perverted affection. Barrett himself was a devout Christian —there is no doubt about that —but a continual struggle with a morbid and sensual nature had bred in him a calculated cruelty and an insane, passionate affection for his eldest daughter. His day to day utterances, his intonation of family prayers, and his whole manner were a natural, if unhealthy, growth of Victorian piety. The whole point of the play would have been lost if it had not been made clear that Barrett did not realise himself; and it is to the credit of Charles Laughton that his Edward Barrett appears to any thinking person rather the tragedy of circumstance and religious tradition than a mt.'e hypocritical stage villain. There is only one criticism which might be made, and that may be unjust: It is that Barrett is the central figure of the play and that the film seems to emphasise the figures of Elizabeth and Robert Browning as the conventional lovers. The criticism may be unjust because the apparent emphasis on these two may be due to the admirable acting and vital personalities of Norma Shearer and Fredric March. Norma Shearer has almost as difficult a part as Laughton, and she acquits herself wonderfully well. March is well suited to the part of Robert Browning. He is keen and impetuous without being clownish. In conclusion, it is surprising that at the end of such a really impressive and workmanlike production. the last scene should have departed from the original text, and without improving i(. The supporting programme is brightened by a good coloured cartoon.

LIBERTY "I'l'KSl'KD" AND "EMBARRASSING MOMENTS" Entertainment of an exceptionally well-varied nature is providexl by Ihe new double feature programme which was shown at the Liberty Theatre yesterday. "Pursued." the principal attraction. has the glamorous East for its background, and the story, based on the tale by Larry Evans. abounds willi thrills and drama. The principal parts are taken by Rosemary Ames and Victor .Tory, with Pert Kelton and Russell Hardic giving them strong support. Chief honours must, perhaps, go to Victor Jory, who makes the unscrupulous half-caste. Beauregard, a sartorial and terrifying figure. He is suave and oily-tcngued, fastidious as to his appearance, and entirely without scruple in his ambitions and desires. A part such as his—the villain's part—is considerably more difficult than that of the hero, but Jory, as Beauregard, plays the part to perfection. Rosemary Ames, as Mona, an entertainer in an unsavoury Eastern cafe, moves through the picture with understanding and skill. Much is required of her in some of the more emotional and dramatic scenes, but it would be difficult indeed to find another actress more capable than she. Besides a fine acting ability, and beauty of a very striking type. Miss Ames possesses a pleasing singing voice—a combination found only too rarely—and she uses it. to advantage on several occasions. She is given an excellent foil in Pert Kelton. in the role of her friend Gilda, a fast-talking, quickwitted cafe dancer. Russell Hardic makes an attractive hero, and a welcome contrast to the villainous Baurcgard. "Pursued" is in places highly dramatic, and contains thrills and excitement in no small measure. Its background is a rather unusual one, but this is a welcome change from the more prosaic, and it gives an insight into a glamorous and picturesque land. "Embarrassing Moments," which is shown in support of the main feature, is a comedy farce of the first order, and it combines comedy with some-' excellent singing, contributed, incidentally. by Walter Woolf, the wellknown New York stage actor, and not a few thrills. The leading part is taken by Chester Morris, who dominates the whole picture. Morris is cast as a young architect who refuses to take life seriously, and who is constantly playing practical jokes on other people. The role offers him unlimited scope, and he makes the most of the many opportunities the story offers. He goes through the picture with happy, care-free ease, and even his best friends become the butt of his uncontrollable wit. But when they give him some of his own medicine, things become complicated, and the "success" of the joke grows far beyond their wildest expectations. Walter Woolf offers Morris excellent support, and he is given the opportunity to introduce two tuneful song hits, "I Won't Think About To-morrow," and, in the circumstances, appropriately enough. "What a Fool am I." Marion Nixon takes the part of the girl who alternates between one lover and another. and she makes an admirable heroine. The leading players are delightful in their roles, and are ably supported by a fine cast, including Alan Mowbray. John Wray. George E. Stone, Henry ArmeUa, and Huntley Gordon.

MAYFAIR "ONIS MGHT OF LOVE" It would seem idle to add to the praise which has already been given to "One Night of Love." Grace Moore's exquisite voice and the splendid use she makes of it in the well-chosen operatic nurpbers would, as many audiences have already felt, be sufficient to make the picture an attraction of the first order. There is no denying the happy chance or design by which such wonderful singing was set so naturally in place in a dramatic story; but it must be added that the story itself and the acting of it are in every way worthy of the singing. Not that it is strikingly novel in theme —indeed it is a romance of quite an old-fashioned kind—but it has been

so skilfully directed by Victor Schertzinger and so beautifully photographed that the sympathy of the audience is won and held from the start. It is serious enough and humorous enough to please everybody, and these is no drag in the plot. It moves lightly but conlidently to a conclusion tnat may indeed have been suspected but at times with piquancy and not a little doubt. The whole atmosphere is convincing; everyone seems to behave very naturally indeed. Moreover, Grace Moore can act as well as sing. She has a manner that is altogether irresistible, and her speaking voice is good too. She could sustain a picture with her acting and personality alone; and that reminds one that this is just what Tullio Carminati does in his part. One wonders why he does not sing, for he has sung so well in many pictures before. But it does not matter; he is an unqualified success as the thorough-going, and, almost to the end, unrelenting maestro to the rising young opera star. And the other lady is very good, too. Mona Barrie as Lalli, the sleek and glamorous vamp, and an excellent foil to the youthful and nearly always ingenuous character of the heroine. And then there is Lyle Talbot, a very pleasant young man, most pleasant, perhaps when he refrains from making unnecessary complications in the story when his fiancee finds that she really loves her tutor after all. The principals provide quite an amount of humour at odd times, but Luis Alberni specialises in it. He gives quite a brisk little sketch as the mastro's servant. It is remarkable that so many good qualities should have come in one picture, and remarkable that such fine singing should have coincided, with such excellent recording. But to say this may be to refuse the producers their due. At any rate, there it is—a picture in every respect outstanding as entertainment. The support is notable for a "colour rhapsody," "Babes at Sea," a very charming and picturesque feature.

NEW PROGRAMMES CRYSTAL PALACE "UETUIIN OF THE TERROR" Based on one of Edgar Wallace's novels, "Return of the Terror," which will commence at the Crystal Palace Theatre to-day, does full justice to that famous author of mystery and thrillers. The story is handled by an excellent east, with Mary Astor, Lyle Talbot. John Halliday, and Frank Mcliugh in the leading roles. Amid a welter of murder and suspicion, a welcome touch of humour is introduced by McHugh, as Joe, a newspaper reporter who combines crime investigation with an unconventional wooing. The story concerns a series of crimes the first of which is the killing of a number of patients at a private sanitarium for which the superintendent is convicted and confined to an insane asylum. Three other slayings and two attempted murders follow upon the escape of the asylum inmate, all taking place on a single night of terror at the very sanitarium at which the patients have been slain. A novel twist is given to the baffling mystery through the vanishing and reappearance of the escaped prisoner at intervals through the terrifying night. He conceals himself under a fiurex-ray lamp, the rays of which pass through the flesh and reveal the body as nothing more than a skeleton. The picture also contains a double romance, one the love affair of the feminine owner of the sanitarium and the accused superintendent, and the other that of the reporter and a nurse in the institution. In addition it is sprinkled generously with touches of humour which come as a relief for thc terrilic tension caused by the harrowing situations. The principals are supported by su'-h talented players as Robert Barrat, Irving Pichcl, George E. Stone. J. Carrol! Naish, Frank Reicher. Robert Emmett O'Connor, Renec Whitney, Etienne Giradot, Maude Eburne, Charles Grapewin, George Cooper, and Frank Conroy.

MADMEN TON DEMONSTRATED Members of the visiting Southern Associations' lawn tennis team, as well as many Chrislclnirch enthusiasts, were interested spectators at a private screening at the Crystal Palace Theatre yesterday morning of a featurette dealing with the game of badminton. This will be one of the "shorts" on the new programme commencing at the theatre to-day. Badminton has become even more popular in Dunedin than it has in Chrisiehurch. and several of the visitors are leading exponents of the game. They were unanimous in describing the film as instructive and attractive. "The world's fastest game" is how Mr de Leon Anthony describes badminton in the accompanying dialogue and certainly the audience had seen few games of such speed as that exhibited in this film by Jess Willard, the American champion, and Cliff Sawyer, another prominent player. The speed and co-ordination of eye, foot and hand required demands perfect physical condition and this is one of the reasons why tennis players are taking up badminton during the winter months. It is at once an intensive training, and a most interesting game. In addition to demonstrating the modern game, the picture gives something of Ihe history of badminton from its earliest known form in China more than 2000 years ago, and its introduction into England through India as "battledore and shuttlecock."

CIVIC "THE KING OF I'ARIS" Very few pictures have received from critics such glowing praise as "The King of Paris," the British Dominions Films' production, which will be screened for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere at the Civic AllBritish Theatre to-day. The story is an adaptation of Alfred Savoir's brilliant stage play, and offers unbounded scope to the players, all of whom take full advantage of .the opportunities offered them. Sir Cedric Hardv/icke heads the cast, and as "Max Till," king of the French stage, is seen in what is credited to be the most magnetic portrayal of his successful career. "Co-starred with Sir Cedric is Marie Glory, ihe original "Sunshine Susie" of the stage production. who is making her first screen appearance. Possessing a rare, soft charm and an irresistible personality, Miss Glory is a welcome addition to the ranks of screen stars. Her performance as the stage king's second wife, Maika, lets one see how she became the idol of the Comedie Fran* craise audiences in France. Other members of the cast include Joan Maude, Jeanne Stuart, Ralph Richardson. and O. B. Clarence.

Hardwicke':; make-up in the picture is that of a youthful Frenchman —almost the lirst time the actor has been seen looking anything like iiis real self—and in the role he portrays as the uncrowned king of Paris's theatreland —author, producer, and actormanager—he is seen as a man who, at the zenith of his theatrical success, can think of life only in terms o£ the theatre. Bombastic and egoistic, Till lives only for power and applause, and his nerve almost leaves him when a girl (Marie Glory), whom he has built up from nothing becomes more popular than he. Both convincing and arresting from' the commencement of the film, the story continues to a climax that iinds favour with all.

Box plans are now open at the theatre, where seats may be reserved at no extra cost.

THEATRE ROYAL TWO FINE MYSTERY FEATURES A fine double-feature programme—"Seventy Thousand Witnesses,"a football murder mystery; and "The Secret Bride," a mystery drama —was shown last night at the Theatre Royal. In "Seventy Thousand Witnesses" a great deal of the action takes place in a gigantic American sports stadium, and here direction, photography, acting, and everything else are combined to make the scenes as realistic as human effort could make them. In a game between State and University, Walter Clark, star player for the State team, suddenly collapses in the middle of a sensational run before the gaze of the 70,000 thousand spectators. Later he dies and his murder provides one of the most enthralling and ertfertaining mysteries seen for some time. The romantic interet in the film is provided by Clark's sister (Dorothy Jordan), who is in love with his friend (Phillips Holmes), and stands by him even during the time when he is suspected of murdering her brother. The acting of Phillips Holmes shows him at his best, and Dorothy Jordan is cast in a role specially suited to her. Not the least interesting feature of the film is the Ruggles type of hunwur with which it is spiced. As the gin-drink-ing reporter-radio announcer, Charles Ruggles is provided with innumerable situations where his particular style of humour is brought to the fore and time and again he sends the audience into fits of laughter. As the detective in charge of the investigations, David Landau gives a polished performance. Right from the opening scenes to the end of the picture, when the mystery is solved, interest is sustained and the action is never lagging. The second feature—"The Secret Bride," is based on the unravelling of another mystery. In this the plot is exceedingly complicated. As the Attorney-General, Warren William finds it his duty to impeach the Governor of the State, though he is secretly married to the Governor's daughter (Barbara Stanwyck). Setting out to vindicate the honour of his father-in-law, it is necessary for his marriage to remain a secret. However, unforeseen difficulty arise when his wife sees a murder committed from his apartment and they are faced with the problem of making their relationship known or letting an innocent girl go to the electric chair for the murder. The exposing of the "framed-up" charge against the Governor and the solving or the two murders and the suicide which is brought in its wake provide tense situations and thrilling entertainment. Barbara Stanwyck gives one of her best performances to date, and watching her makes it apparent why her success is not .iust ephemeral as is the case with many others. Warren William, cnce again as a law attorney, gives a really fine performance in a role is ideally suited to him; and playing a more difficult part than is apparent, Glenda Farrell as the stenographer with always a ready answer, is exceptionally fine. Box plans are at the D.I.C.

THE PLAZA * "WE LIVE AGAIN" It could bo expected that Tolstoy's bool?, "The Resurrection," which has stirred hearts of every shade of society with its fiery philosophy, should make a great screen success. "We Live Again," which will begin the second week of a successful season at the Plaza Theatre to-day, is a notable success, and representing the transposition of Tolstoy's book on to the screen, has a certain significance not only lor the urama but for art in a wider sense. In this picture there is all the terrible fatalism of the mass of the Russian peasants before that revolution which turned the tables on the aristocracy and sent to Siberia the men and women who were sending the peasantry there in the years before. The iilm can claim what was most notable in the novel, that complete expression of the eventful life of those dark clays in Russia; a bird's-eye view, as it were, of everything that could explain the frightful outburst of repressed humanity which followed those years. It might be said that on the screen the life of Katusha Maslova, so finely played by Anna Sten, has been made just a little too sombre and dramatic. Perhaps that is more the result of Anna Sten's remarkable dramatic ability than the design of those responsible for the production. And perhaps oppressive fatalism and stark sorrow and suffering ought to be the predominant atmosphere of the story. In any case Anna Sten, by the force of her fine acting and her sensitive appreciation of the story, forces the interest so much on herself that there is a slight danger of the prince Dmitri, who is meant to carry the burden of the tale, falling just a little out of the light which is his due. But on the whole, both Anna Sten and March triumph in a very difficult work, subjecting themselves to the peculiar claims of their story, and giving us a noble, touching, and not easily forgotten production.