Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21714, 22 February 1936, Page 10

Cinema Reviews

REGENT" -' " "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" The successful translation to the Jailcing ccreen of Shakespeare's fanciful remedy. "A Midsummer Night's Dream." marks yet another step forward in the art of the cinema. New problems have been met by Warner Brothers' technical staff and the producer, Max Reinhardt, and triumphin tiy have all been surmounted. Literary purists may quarrel with certain aspects of this great experiment, but Hie picture-going public will definitely welcome it as a new and entirely delightful form of screen entertainment. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opened its Christchurch season at the Regent Theatre last evening to a very large It is a very long picture—it takes up the whole of the programme with the exception of a news reel and a brief intermision —yet it seems as short as the usual feature film. With ■but Very few exceptions every sequence of this magnificently-con-ceived and remarkably-engineered film grips the attention. The film brought Max Reinhardt into the cinema studios ,for the first time, and no one could more appropriately have undertaken the big task. Reinhardt, .in bringing about a renaissance of German stage .technique in the early part of this century, became closely identified with **A Midsummer Night's Dream." He produced this play in Berlin on a revolving stage, and after the fury of controversy which folowed he found himself famous. Reinhardt; had to leave Germany when the Nazi antiJewish activities began, and his influence has spread throughout the--world. He produced "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the open air at. Oxford, arid again in the 'Teat Hollywood Bowl, where, presumably, it was pounced the film people as a likely "novelty." No expense was spared in the production, and Reinhardt was given a free hand to call on any of Warner Brothers' stars for the casting of the film. He was given the finest technicians available, and the film is as much a tribute to their ingenuity as to the genius of the director. The atmosphere of unreality which clothes those fantastic proceedings in the Athenian woods is a remarkable achievement. Bronislawa Nijinska, sister of the famous ballerina, NijinEky, worked out the fairy ballets — dancing, mistily-garbed figures swirl in and out of the moonlit, forest, a band of dwarfs plays merry music, Oberon and his black-winded attendants sweep all the fairy spirits before them at the coming of the dawn. In these beautiful "other-worldly" " sur*}: roundings,. Lysander. Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena work out their tangled romances with the doubtful assistance of the: mischievous Puck.. Just as interesting and amusing are the adventures of the artisan'.-mum-' mers who go to the woods to rehearse for a play to be produced at the wedding of the Duke of Athens, and the diverting infatuation of the Fairy Queen with the .actor. Bottom, upon whom Oberon Puck have con-, ferred an ass's h*&s;' ■' ' The selection of lines for the dialogue could hardly have been inproved upon. In a, production of this kind, of course, it must have been a case of what to leave in rather than what to cut out. They are declaimed quite naturally by the various characters. Altogether the actors are very able in their parts—Dick Powell as Lysander, Ross Alexander as Demetrius: Jean Muir' as\k -Helena, Olivia de Havilland as Hermia—even if their interpretations seem somewha^,,novel to many people. Venre liTeasdaile makes' a very good Titania indeed. Mickey Roone" is.a most amusing Pudk, even if he does startle many people. Joe E. Brown provides a real, treat in the part of Flute, arid James. Cagney takes the role of Bottom with the ass's head most successfully. Mendelssohn's music, well handled, adds as much enjoyment to the play on the screen as on the stage. LIBERTY "CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT" As Char-lie Chan, the Chinese depictive,, Watrer Oland has .become:; a familiar figure to thousands til filmgoers,' and although he has appeared at regular intervals in a series, erf pictures he has always retained, a grip orr, his admirers. That grip has, ' never been greater than in "Charlie Chan in

Egypt," • which is now showing* at the Liberty Theatre. In/ the ■ past Charlie" Chan's enigmatical Oriental, personality has been seen against at Western background, but he loses none of his qu&int charm by being transplanted to the East. Oland's great natural abiJity is supported by the glamour of age-old Egypt, his calm, analytical mind undaunted by the suggestion that he is pitted against the malignant, unseen forces of an ancient Egyptian god. He is employed to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a gold and jewelled treasure found in a tomb. The clever Chinese detective is always entertaining, and in this picture the enjoyment is heightened by the excellent acting of the supporting characters, of whom Pat Paterson, as the daughter of the leader of the expedition, and Stepin Fetchit, as. the native who is enrolled as * Charlie Chan's unwilling assistant, are outstanding. Comedy, drama, and tragedy are crowded into the confines of an East Side New York boarding house in "East of Fifth Avenue," which is the supporting feature. Heading the cast of this production are Wallace Ford, Mary Carlisle and Dorothy Tree, with Walter Connolly, Walter Byron, Lucien Littlefleld, and Maude Ebt me in supporting roles. ... grand; ' DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME "Salomy Jane," a romance featuring Charles Farreil, Joan Bennett, and Ralph Bellamy, is now showing at the Grand Theatre. It is a stirring tale based on the Bret Harte story, "Salomy Jane's First Kiss." Directed by Raoul Walsh and filmed almost entirely in the Bret Harte country of the High Sierras, the production has many unique features in addition to its imposing cast. The story hinges on the tempestuous romance between a madcap mountain girl and a Virginian youth who has trailed his sister's betrayer to the California Sierras soon after the Civil War. "Life in the Raw," from, the story by Zane Grey, is the other feature. The story that Zane Grey has written for this George O'Brien vehicle combines the elements for which, his writings have gained world-wide fame. There is romance, adventure, danger, acts of undaunted heroism—all set against the dynamic background of the West. It is reported as a story of humans whose emotions are laid bare by the unrelenting pressure of arid wastes. Clair Trevor and Greta Nissen are in the supporting roles.

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MAYFAIR "I DREAM TOO, MUCH". A new gift in the voice and personality of Lily Pons is brought to screen audiences in "I Dream Too Much," which began at the Mayfair Theatre yesterday. Lily Pons, as petite and lovely as she is renowned,, scores a triumph in her first motion picture. Not only does she sing well but she demonstrates many talents as an actress, and the vivacious, vital charm of her personality registers perfectly from the screen. In "I Dream Too Much," RKO-Radio chose an ideal vehicle for the introduction of this new star. The story of a little French girl who is swept to unwanted fame, by her splendid voice to face the loss of the marital happiness she prizes above everything else, not only affords a logical basis for introducing the singing gifts of Miss Pons, but it also provides ample opportunities for the exercise of her talents as: an actress. Miss Pons sings two grand opera arias, "Caro Nome"- from Verdi's "Rigoletto;" And the "Bell Song," from Delibes' "Lakme." She also sings four popular melodies composed by Jerome. Kern, well known as a composer for the screen." \These are "Jockey- on the Carrousel," to a sort of barrel-organ tune, "I, Got Love," "I'm the Echo," and a ,'song by the same name as the-film,'"l Dream Too Much." Into this ..variety of vocal offerings she pours all those gifts which have brought her wide recognition as a coloratura soprano. -Henry Fonda adds new laurels to those which he has won in previous performances, his portrayal being that of the star's young composer husband. A rare sincerity marks Fonda's work, and it would not be surprising to see him before long coming before screen audiences with all the scope of a full starring role. Osgood Perkins, as an impresario who is not a villain, Eric Blore in a sparkling comedy role, Lucien Littlefield, Esther Dale, Lucille Ball, and others contribute effective supporting performances. Briefly, the storys tells of a normal woman surrounded by and at the mercy of the idiosyncrasies of those who would- have her acclaimed the finest singer in Europe. She rebels and escapes ;by a channel which is, to say the least of it, unusual. John Cromwell's direction brings out the full human flavour of the drama and is marked by deft, masterful touches. Never is the interest of the story allowed to lag. ■"<> ESTATE '" "CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI" tAs cryptic and as bland as ever, Charlie Chan once again tracks down the malefactors in his latest film, "Charlie Chan in Shanghai," which opened at the State Theatre yesterday. Though this is the ninth film featuring Warner Oland as the famous Oriental detective, there can be no suggestion that the picture-going public is wearying of his exploits. Wherever the-venue of his sleuthing is, there is always something so new and attractive about the film showing him at "work that makes each crime and each successful conclusion out of the ojßdinary. Yet, also, the theme of the story* is/mach ;the sanwas usual. There is a charming heroine whose fiance is placed in a very .dqubtful |sosi4i«(r4,i there are attempts on the life of the master detective, and* there is a-; happy- reunion.; But with!: Charlie Chan doiniriatmg the film the watcher does not realise that the story and the action are not rtew.

There is, however, one most interesting introduction. In many of the previous films photographs have been shown of the multitudinous family of the. detective, but in "Charlie Chan in Shanghai" one of his sons gives him considerable help, and ori at least one occasion saves his life. It would be unfair to divulge any of the developments of the plot, which holds the interest throughout. Charlie Chan is not in the least deceived by the tangle of false clues* which inevitably leads the .police investigators astray. . 'The-"photography is excellent, and the scenes in the native quarters, and I alonjf the seafront, are very well pre-

With Charlie Chan in; the principal role: there is/not much time to devote to. the other; actors; that they are pot 'particularly, noticeable .is because of the high standard of acting throughout. Charlie's son, -Keye Luke, makes a good v butt; for the charming humour of the' 'glieaf man,: and the romance in provided" hy Irene Hervey and Charles liOeher. •Those. who are devotees of the, Oriental. detective will not miss the picture, and there could not be a better film for those who have not yet seen him to make his acquaintance. It is sufficient to say that Warner Oland will lose none of his great reputation in. his latest escapades in the Chinese seaport of Shanghai. TIVOLI "I LIVE FOR LOVE" "I Live for Love," shown last night at the Tivoli Theatre, is a beguiling picture. The plot is neat, if it is neither new nor substantial; arid, judged by the standards of musical comedy—the film can claim to that—it is sufficient. And in Dolores Del Rio is a divertingly drawn., central [character. • Pl!i Once again, the temperamental fits of a stage-spoilt woman are the excuse for caricature. But this time there is a difference. Miss Del Rio is not unconscious of her temperamental peculiarities: it is as though she has been practising them, experimenting with them, since her early stage days. She has acquired a new tantrum, a more subtle and exacting mannerism. At the height of her tempers she announces that she is not giving way to temperament. Not at all; .'she is calm, and reasonable^' but so humiliated. There is ho scope there for acting. It is all a matter of demeanour, but it convinces. There is a touch of the virago about her attitude, something of the rapier-thrust in the flourish o' her cigarette. The play itself is uncommonly amusing. It is. too, a study in the right, way to handle temperament. It might even convey a warning. Famous- actresses are, after all, meant to havo temperament. Whatever man unfortunately stumbles on the secret of defeating it stumbles as well on worse misfortunes. Subdued, the actress has nothing left. She has to fade into comfortable oblivion by marrying the man. That, at least, would appear to be tho moral, if any is intended, of this film The comedy of the picture is severally found.. There is the usual medley of those who frequent the side-doors of theatres., They are a well-chosen crew of fools. "Certainly they seem to know what is expected of them. There is also an achievement of burlesque, a .comic opera scene, which shows that smart epigrams are not all in a film of this kind. Everett Marshall plays with Dolores Del Rio. He has sung with the Metropolitan Grand Opera Company. As a singer he seems hardly to need other commendation. The supporting I programme is remarkable, for a new venture-in colour films, f'Little Dutch. Mill." ..Apart from the seductions of the dfclour itself, a delicate story has hesn conceived around the song. A/film of Italian in Ertfrea is interesting. .