Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 8

Cinema Reviews

AVON “A STAR IS BORN*' The v. o-k cf Janet rtaynur and Tredric March in "A S‘nr T - Born" should satisfy even the mort critics' nnd it is easy to b v- tint tnomos_ enthusiastic admirers of there tulenter artists will rank incur action as a. least equal to that of any picvmus tjerforrr.anco. T.'ors v.iil no dh'i-i. n 4? many, too. who will give tn tm hi she. praise. The film began a season yesterday at the Avon Theatre. One r.. the charms cf the p;c;ure is teat it is produced in t< chn.co.cur. I - lo.t; the marked progress of _ technique in this phase and .t achieves a tei:. high standard. The colourings are unusually faithful, and they are neve, used inappropriately. Tt is uncommon to see a turn in which the acting of the prmc.p.o is so clearly the most impressive anc satisfying feature cf tr.o er.turtmn rnent as it is in ‘.his picture. i sterv could be outlined in a tew word —a country girl bursts into fame on the screen, and as she beccrtms more eminent the popularity of her actorhusband declines so much tr.at ne oocomes a handicap, and after a_ ser.es of unfortunate lapses takes his Ino This summary of the stetv gives some idea of the demands that are mod'' on the two chief characters. It is a long picture and the action is n;t-ve r fast, but there is so much obvious sincerity in the acting that ;nreren in the production never flags. It is a singularly fine opuortunitj for Janet Ga.vnor to show that she can be mere than an interpreter of the sugary-sweet roles which are so often allotted to her. The lack of such a role as she has in "A Star Is Born” has kept her out of the limelight for seme time, and it is pleasant indeed to see. her use this opportunity to such good purpose, n. as it seems, this picture was meant to mark the rebirth of Janet Gaynor as a star, it has unquestionably succeeded. But fine as she is. it is doubtful whether she shades the performance of March in its thoughtfulness and sympathy. His role requires an actor of distinction. After his exuberant ccraedy in the early scenes, it is not easy to portray the gradual decline of the movie idol to the point where he becomes merely the new star'? husband and then sinks to the disgrace ol a sanatorium for inebriates. It is restrained and convincing acting with rich variety. There is fine acting, too. by Adolphe Menjou, who is as polished as ever in the bole of the flirt, producer, and miner roles are capably taken by May Robson, Andy Devine. Lionel Stander, and Elizabeth Jenns. Outstanding of the supporting features is a Walt Disney cartoon. “Mickey's Circus,” which brilliantly : maintains the standard of this admir- ; able series. STATE “STEP LIVELY, JEEVES” There is plenty cf laughter in "Step Lively, Jeeves.” the comedy in which the well-known P G. Wodehouse character is plunged ir'o a host of incongruous situations, and v/hich began at the State yesterday. Arthur Treacher is deservedly popular, and as Jeeves he supplies further reasons for that popularity. Assembled with him arc some amusing gangsters, with John Harrington as a really hardbitten boss. Patricia Ellis and Robert Kent are a pleasant pair of lovers. Acting on the assumption that an English valet—a real "gentleman’s gentleman”—will be more likely to impress Americans as being an aristocrat than anyone else, a pair of confidence tricksters get hold of Jeeves and convince him that he is the longlost heir to a title and a few millions of money. They tell him that a few details have to be cleared up to enable him to come into his own, and get him to take them to America for the purpose. There he falls into the

CRYSTAL PALACE DO TELE-FEATURE PROGRAMME Both pictures cn the double-feature ; j programme at the Crystal Pa'ace The- : j atrc this week are well worth seeing; and excellent enc na’nment is thj re- I suit o: their combination on the cne : : rogramme, in which a typical western : story of ir-m men and fast action finds ' ideal contrast in tire old-fashioned charm of real drama. The first of these films. “Valiant is . ■ the Word for Carrie.’’ has in its lead- i mg role an actress seldom soon and | of whom little has been heard. Her work* in this film singles her out from j among a splendid cast right from the ! drat scene in which she appears; and ; 1 to the end of the story her perform- | ance maintains the same high stan-' dard. A woman with a past, which is , ;r.!y delicately hinted. Gladys George. • makes the most of, and yet does not ■•ver-3tress the dramatic opportanit.cr of the Gory. Tr.e long tonga;? and . . pry. tig eyes of typical small-town , gossips farce Mist George to leave the pleasant surroundings of her old country house and garden and break a friendship with a small boy. Tire death : <’f both of the bees' parents and hi’ refusal to be adopted by an uncle , bring the two together again; but this j time there is a further complication— | a small girl who "refuses to be won j > m a magazine contest," Miss George 1 adopts th f, se two waif?, and after a j ■ hard struggle the "family" grows up and at last appear, to be established. ! A tram accident threes interwoven ro- j mances, and an attempted escape ;rop gaol give a lost unusual twist to a I ; pleasant story. A well-balanced cast. I which includes John Howard. Arline ' , nudge, and Harry Carey, presents some j ! finished dramatic acting. A gay, amusing adventure of life on a dairy-farming cattle ranch. "It I Happened Out West." is another of « Harold Bell Wright’s series of fast- j moving wild-west stories. A back- | ground of rugged mountain scenery, j scheming cowboys, and splendid horse- j . manship is provided for a romance be- ! tween the two stars. Paul Kelly and Judith Allen. Kelly is cast as the i agent of a trust company whom first i purpose of persuading Miss Allen to ] accept an offer for her ranch suffers a drastic change oti the discovers - of ' silver deposits. Kelly’s litck and' his horsern; nship. spurred by iris mild and somewhat bcot.ou? secretary and in- ; structcr, Johnny Arthur, serve him ; tvell in an exciting climax. Judith i Allen is a convincing open-air girl in the role of the ranch-owner, and she . 1 acts at all times with a crisp direct- ' ness and smoothness. |

hands of the wife of a retired gangster ‘ -a woman* who is determined to gel mto the best society and is convinced that a real live lord is the one person who can get her there. His welcome to New York would terrify most people, for he is mixed up in a fight between police and thieves on the waterfront, with shots ' freely exchanged. He is taken as a guest into the gangster's palatial heme, and finds everything and everybody novel and highly amusing. His two, friends are also admitted to the family circle, but begin to wender what is i going to happen when they discover , who their host really is. The fun becomes fast and furious when they dis- > cover just who they arc, and they endeavour to escape. In the end, however, the lady gets what she wants ! after Jeeves has been the main attraction at a charity bazaar. , The quality of an Australian newsreel makes the supporting programme I outstanding. Views of Sydney harbour, j with its maze of waterways, taken I from an aeroplane at a height of 20,000 ; feet, show an unusual aspect of Syd- ■ ney’s famous attraction. More exciting j are scenes of kangaroo-hunting on the i open plains from fas* cars. It has to ; be seen to be believed, especially i when a kangaroo is caught by hand : from a car travelling at high speed, j “Transatlantic Lovers." another sup- : port, is an extremely fast-moving; comedy musical. ‘

I MAYFAIR i “SEA DEVILS” There is plenty of stormy adventure i and rough good-humour in "Sea Devil?." which began a season at the Mayfair Theatre yesterday. It is a .'tory of the United States Coastguard Service, in which men and patrol vessels are continually at call to assist ships in distress, to clear the seaways oi icebergs and derelicts, and to face wind and weather which drives normal coastai shipping to safe anchorage. Victor McLagien. as "Medals” Malone, petty officer on the patrol vessel Tarce. has a characteristic part which he plays v/ith obvious enjoyment. "Medals" has many years of service to his credit, several medals for bravery thence the nickname), a pair of lists which are never out ot trouble, an incredible thirst—and a daughter who is the apple of his eye. The first, the thirst, and the daughter load him into extravagances of bravery and stupidity, and eventually to a death at sea, a stermv end to a stormy life. The scenes at sea and on shore in the work and play of the coastguard? make an interesting and cheerful background to the human story of "Medals." nis daughter, and the two men who love the daughter. Of these two Mike O'Shay, seaman on the Taroe. earns the hatred of “Medals.” who =ces in the- young man too accurate a picture of himself. The other suitor. Steve Webb, is favoured by the rough potty-officer. But it is Mike who winin the end. The most exciting passage of the film follows a boat’s crov.- of the Taroe on to an iceberg which they have been instructed to destroj by explosives. A heavy charge of T.X.T. is bedded deep in the ice and a ruse is laid. But just as the fuse is lit. far up on the berg, “Medals" and A I kc come to blows at the water’s edge. In a desperate effort to stamp cut the fuse before the party is marooned by its drifting boat. Steve receives injuries which bring remorse to Mike and "Medals.” This is only one remarkable episode of the rescue work of the Taroe. A fire on an ocean liner is another; and the climax is the rescue of passengers from a drifting steam-yacht, off dangerous rooks :n a howling gale "Medals" and his enemy are the last two left on the yacht, which is rapidly breaking up under pounding seas. Characteristically, they come to blows to decide who is to take the lax chance of safety. "Medals" wins the fight anrl loses his life. Ida Lupine plays the daughter very naturally; it is her duty to keep a home for her father, for the brief spells which he spends away from "Sadie’s" drinking saloon. Her gentleness is in strange contrast to Malone's rugged appearance and behaviour, giving balance and increased efLcUvents? to a thoroughly entertaining film. Among the supports there is an excellent insect study in the "Struggle for Life" series. CHRISTCHURCH CINEMAS, LIMITED William Powell. Joan Crawford, and Robert Montgomery are the leading stars of the sparkling comcdv by Frederick Lonsdale. “The Last of Mrs Cheyney.” which is being presented at the Regent Theatre. The film was produced by Metro-Goldyn-Mayer. A topical subject forms the theme for "Wings Over Honolulu.” at the, Majestic Theatre. Wendy Barrie and i Ray Milland are the leading players 1 There is also a newsreel of the South 1 Africa v. Hawke’s Bay match. "Two Against The World” is the main attraction at the Tivoli Theatre. Beverly Roberts and Humphrey Bogart are in the leading roles. Two features are at the Liberty The- ; atre, the first, “Motor Madness,” star- • ring Allan Brook and Rosalind Keith, i and the second, "Fugitive Sheriff.”' starring Ken Maynard. , At the Grand Theatre, "Stolen Harmony,” with George Raft and Ben I Bornie starred, is being shown with 1 “Mystery Woman.” featuring Mona ; Barrie and Gilbert Roland.

Particulars of the special fares and train arrangements for the Geraldine races to be held at Orari on September 23 and 25, are advertised in this issue.

• PLAZA “CRIMSON ROMANCE” AND “OUTCAST” ! Reminiscent in many ways of ‘‘Hell’s 1 Ansels,” the new him. ‘Crimson Romance." at the Plaza Theatre, brings ’ into prominence two stars' seen only : too seldom in modern stories. Ben 1 Lyon and Sari Maritza. who share with j Erich von Stroheim the chief honours ;in a well-acted war story. In this and I ir the second film. “Outcast.” touches ‘ of drama have been introduced; but ! their inclusion is not irrelevant. Little can bo taken from the name of the principal story, ‘‘Crimson RoI mance.” The story opens with scenes '■ in the daily routine of test-pilots in ■ America during the Great War. One I< £ them is Ben Lyon. With a firm 1 friend (Hardie Albright) his work is | to tost aeroplanes being sold to the 1 allies: but Albright’s German ancestry | causes him the loss of one job after I another. Lyon accompanies him to > Germany, where Albright is driven in j desperation, and they both join an air ! squadron under the merciless von : Stroheim. I Romance enters when the pair meet ! San Maritza. who is working for the fatherland. The pair become friendly rivals. Lyon the typical, easy-going American who immediately attempts , to make ‘'dales.” and Albright the sincere German, awkward, but apprecia- : tive of Prussian code?. There are many Hying scenes. In one flight. : Lvun. an excellent stunt flyer, refuses 'to take advantage- of an opponent ' whose guns have jammed, and ho in- ; curs the antagonism of von Stroheim. ’ Von Stroheim dominates many of the I scenes, but his acting is flawless. Tne two friends ultimately fall out I because cf the girl; but when America < declares war Albright lets Lyon escape when ho is to bo shot for technical desertion. The story moves to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. “Outcast” is a more homely tale of an eminent surgeon who becomes the innocent victim of another man’s hate. Warren William plays the part of the surgeon. Lewis Stone is the retired lawyer, residing in a small country ! township, who befriends the doctor. and Karen Morley is the sister of the : man who is persecuting him. 1 Falsely believing that William is a , murderer who has been fortunate in : escaping true justice. Karen follows ! dim to the township to expose him. , Stone has seen his real qualities, and. | in the face of difficulties brings the j girl and the dec tor to understand each | dthcr; but the scandal attached to ; Williams name becomes known .and the pair face a lynching party of bigoted tov.nsfolk. Stone's acting in a tease climax is superb. CIVIC “WINGS (>F THE MORNING” After many successes m the last few 1 years the producers of England have oroduccd a film which will Jive no! for a year but for a century, in the history of moving pictures. The gi cate, t film that has ever come from England, and in many respects greater V 1 “Hfithing produced in America, ‘Wings cf the Morning,” which has entered the fourth week of a triumphseason at the Civic Theatre, places a simple love story against a perfect backscrecn of pastel shades and de- ; lightful panoramas. The natural tcch- | nicolour is nearer to perfection than i that of any other film seen in Christchurch, and even in America, where the press hails it as surpassing »J! others Having found such pastel shades : possible on the moving screen, the . nroducers might have been excused if , they had turned the picture into a i travelogue of Ireland. But they have ! retained perfect balance between the , story and the scenery, and when Steve Donoghue has won another Derby it only remains for the entire picture to 1 be shown again. In the past many colours have failed on the film because of their harshness. • and this is particularly true of blues, yellows, and greens. This is no longer ! true, for all these colours are gener--1 ously exploited and all are near to | nature. The chestnut of the horses i cairics a sheen which has not been 1 seen before, and the natural colourings

: of the faces arc so near to perfect I that in some of the close-ups the texi ture of the skin is quite distinct. “Wings of the Morning” proves that j now possible to photograph successfully any colour and to reproduce i it with fidelity. i Of Annabelia it has been said that ! she rivals the picture in beauty. And j the simplicity of her acting in a simple ; story is delightful. Perhaps her most I remarkable feat is that she is the first ! actress to carry through successfully j the masquerade in modern male clothes.- Although femininity is one of ! her greatest attributes, she looks like j a boy. deepens her voice without. I effort, and extracts the lull humour | from the situation without ever bor- ! dering on that artificial coyness which j makes other boy-impersonating actresses so embarrassing to watch. | The title is taken from the name of ! a horse owned by a band of gipsies, ; ana ridden to victory in the Derby by Steve Donoghue. Annabelia, first as i an Irish gipsy, goes to Spain. She rei turns as the great-granddaughter of : the original character with a slight Latin accent. This picture marks, too. I Henry Fonda’s greatest success as the i horse trainer who falls for Annabella’s I captivating whims. The most beautiful scenes occur at ! Epsom Downs among the gipsies be- : fere and after the running of the 1 Derby and about the lakes of Ireland. ; while John McCormack sings “Killarney.” | REX | The groat drama, “The Lady Con--1 sonts,” with Herbert Marshall and Ann i Harding, will be shown at the Rex Theatre to-night. Monday, and Tuesday. , There is the usual good supporting proI gramme.