A FILM OF NOTE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21449, 15 April 1935, Page 8

A FILM OF NOTE

"THE LITTLE MINISTER" PREVIEW AT MAYFAIR THEATRE It is almost impossible to offer criticism of "The Little Minister," which was seen at a preview at the Mayfair Theatre last evening. There are those who, for personal and justifiable reai sons, will lay stress on some aspects of the production at the expense of others; others again may be made a little uncomfortable through its perfection, particularly in its reproduction of the atmosphere created by the author o f the novel from which the plot is drawn, Sir James Barrie's work of the same title. Criticism, however, must be largely silenced, and one is left with the very pleasant task of describing in some measure the picture's many virtues. Those familiar with the works of Sir James Barrie will know to expect a picture in which there is a large measure of sentiment; ana it might truly be said that .hen a sentimental theme is handled with taste and restraint the picture which results will have not only that virtue but others which tend to greatness. "The Little Minister" is a film which might easily have been spoilt. To succeed, it had to reproduce the atmosphere of a Scottish village, mingle emotion and humour, retain a balance between the two so that a feeling of credibility is at once created—a task which demanded extraordinarily good acting and a fine touch in the production. The task has been nobly accomplished. Given the play and the production, there remain the players and the settings. First and foremost there is Katharine whom many will remember wj"i extreme pleasure from "Morning Glory" and "Little Women." Her quality as an actress is a rare gift She possesses a spirituality which determines the impression she creates both by her appearance and her voice. In the opening scenes, as Babbie, the gipsy girl, she acts with an elfin grace, carefree, alluring, kind at heart. A gipsy by birth but brought up under the care of a lord, she is a devastating mixture of wiles and graces. It is one characteristic of Miss Hepburn's art that she is able to make eac! of her successive characters ap- ; pear young, ingenuous, and yet with the requisite differences implied in their life and upbringing. She is delightful, in the early part of this film, in her attitude towards the minister, ; whom she tricks and cajoles with a : fine artistry; and she is no less a fine actress in the later scenes, when more seriousness is demanded by the story, As Gavin Dishart, the Minister him-

self, who has come to the small Scottish village of Thrums to take over his first charge, the Auld Licht Kirk, John Beal, an actor rarely seen before now, is indeed excellent. It is no easy task to play opposite an actress of th« accomplishments of Katharine Hepburn and retain individuality. Yet John Beal does this, in an almost perfect portrayal of a young minister, whose character has been formed is. a strong mould, but who must inevitably, to the short-lasting scandal d the elders of his kirk, succumb to the gipsy girl. There are no weak actors in "The Little Minister." One could with justice speak at length of Rob Dow (Alan Hale), the drunkard, whose regeneration suffers a temporary relapse wfcefi he finds that the minister is not the idol of his imagination: Dr. McQueen (Donald Crisp), the blunt, shrewd doctor who knows men: "Wearyworld.'* the unhappy policeman, whose troubles date from the day he donned a uniform and whose actions and vortif provide not a little of the comedy: Mrs Dishart (Beryl Mercer), the minister's mother, a rather pathetic figure. Nocan one omit to pay a tribute to the splendid way in which the atmosphere of the Scottish village has been reproduced and the faithfulness to the enginal work. "The Little Minister™ is in all respects a notable picture: a_«J : not the least so in the excellence of ; the settings.