Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22533, 15 October 1938, Page 10

Cinema Reviews

CIVIC "WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH" The rjesire to get rich quickly, which nearly always results in poverty, and leads men all over the world to where money is flowing freely, is the theme round which revolves the film, "We're Going to be Rich," starring Gracie Fields, Victor McLaglen, and Brian Donlevy, now showing at the Civic. Gracie Fields is unique. She is widely different from any other star on the screen, and is always welcome. She sings a number of well-known old songs, as only she can sing them. She is well supported in this film by Victor McLaglen, who takes the part of her husband. Gracie Fields earns the money on the music hall stage, and McLaglen tries to turn it into millions by investing it in so-called "giltedged" schemes. The story begins in a music hall in Melbourne in the eighties, as Gracie is giving her farewell performance. They leave for England, where they have planned to settle. When the boat arrives at Cape Town, McLaglen confesses that he has sunk all their money in a half share of a gold mine in Johannesburg. They go to see their "certainty," but, on arriving, find-that the company has a manager and a large staff of clerks, but there is no gold mine. It is only a racket, and he is another of the "saps." A riot breaks out, and McLaglen is brought, as a result, before the local authority. He is apparently unharmed, and as there are many bandaged men testifying against him, he is thrown into gaol for six weeks. Gracie finds work in a local music hall and gambling saloon, the proprietor and owner of which is Brian Donlevy. He falls in love with Gracie, and decides that the only way he can win her is to have McLaglen projperly thrashed. McLaglen has become a notorious fighter of the gold fields, and is causing trouble to Donlevy. Gracie admires Donlevy, but she is tied to McLaglen by a mixture of pity and loyalty as a wife. The fight is staged in Donlevy's musichall, and Donlevy is given a terrific thrashing, but the fight breaks up when a messenger comes in with news of a new gold strike. From this stage the picture rushes to a close. The first part of the programme is made up of an excellent series of shorts, including a travel film* of Hong Kong, and an excellent cartoon.

CRYSTAL PALACE DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME "I Met My Love Again," showing at the Crystal Palace now, tells the tale of the romantic Julie Weir (Joan Bennett), who ran away from her small home town and her lover (Henry Fonda) to marry the worldly writer of cheap novels (Alan Marshall), and then when he died, came back to her neglected former lover. The impetuous character of Julie is well played by Joan Bennett, and the well known high standard that made her acting popular some years ago is not lost. Henry Fonda, patient, content, with a plodding academic life in the science classroom, is ambitious enough eventually to accept the runaway Julie when she come back 10 years later with a child who does not like him, and to hope to make a success of his life. Excellent dramatic work is done by Louise Piatt, a student in Fonda's biology class, who, when attracted by her professor, dramatises herself for his benefit and is turned away. Later her more drastic efforts are also unsuccessful, but only just. Some of the most creditable acting performances in this film are the minor character parts—haggard maids and whimpering widowed mothers, disappointed in life. Amusing scenes are in the hardly formal classes of the professor. The handsome fellow even throws chalk at the ball-game players who sit in the back' row with their football jerseys on, and he indulges in none too gentle satire -while describing to them the design for Jiving ot ants.

Stewart Erwin steals the show (as i doubtless he is intended to do) in the comedy which takes up the first half | of this double feature programme. "Passport Husband" is a tale of rival gangs who find Erwin ("the dumb coot") a useful pawn in their game. He is the surprised looking quoter of proverbs, who does the wrong thing most of the time, but when slightlydrunk managed to bottle up both gangs together and deliver them one by one to the police. Leading them to believe the building they are in is on fire, he watches them all jump out the window into the firemen's net, but. of course, falls out himself, in his exuberance. His passive submission to various outrageous attempts to intimidate him is delightful work. Pauline Moore, Douglas Fowley, Joan Wo'odbury, Robert Lbwery, and Harold Huber are the rest of the leading cast, and they all play well in an uproarious comedy.

PLAZA "YOU AND ME» George Raft and Sylvia Sidney, costarred several. years ago in "Pick Up," are brought together again in "You and Me," which is now showing at the Plaza. "You and Me" is of the same type of film as the one that Brought them praise before. They have taken every advantage ol the many opportunities offered to show their abilities, and give a talented display of natural and clever acting. ■ 'ln "You and Me" romance, is woven round the fact that the laws of many American states forbid the marriage of paroled prisoners until the parole has been served. This fruitful theme, with a background of the tangled,lives that are to be expected of convicts, is powerfully developed into a romance that is both unforced and, at times, genuinely dramatic. All the complicated phases through. which the relations of a husband and wife pass when one conceals a past from the other are deftly treated. Nor has humour been forgotten; it is frequently introduced to relieve the tension of a critical moment.

The two stars play the roles of young former criminals, working for a philanthropic department store owner, whose hobby is to employ former convicts. Raft, who has served his parole, marries Sylvia Sidney after making a complete confession to her about his shady past. ' Sylvia Sydney, still on parole, conceals her past from him because she knows that by probation regulations she may not marry. She is also aware that Raft is desperately trying to steer clear of anything that will remind him of his gangster days. iWhen Raft learns of her past he becomes so embittered that he gives up his struggle to go straight, and returns to rob the store, in which he has been employed, along with his sinister friends of former days. • He is saved from another criminal career only by the daring action of his wife, who risks another term of imprisonment to rescue him. The supporting, cast A strong, and includes Jack Mulhall and Julia Fay'e, favourites of earlier film days, as well as Harry Carey, Warner Hymer, and Roscoe Karns.

AVON "LIVE, LOVE, AND LEARN" Painting in a sylvan field one day Bob Graham, penniless artist, with a touch of genius and more than a touch of temperament, was overwhelmed, literally and metaphorically, by Julie, who came on horseback and landed on her head. That was the beginning of a romance, which ended in a studio in Greenwich Village. New art colony. And it is in the studio that the story of "Live, Love, and Learn." now showing at the Avon, really begins.

There is always a certain fascination about an art colony, and artists, who cheerfully starve in garrets and studios. Not that Bob Graham, and his wife Julie, were in danger of starvation. Bob's brush kept the wolf from entering the door, but he was too true an artist to purchase success by lowering his standard. That was in the beginning. Later, when fate brought an old school friend of Julie's on to the scene, things began to look different. Lily set out, with more or less altruistic motives, probably less, to introduce the artist to men of substance. Bob, after a triumphal but brief career, took to painting society women of more years than beauty, and first his genius and then his wife deserted him. It took hardship and some struggling to bring him to a lealisation that success is not nil that counts, and there are greater factors in life than money. In the end, however, all turned out well, and Bob and his wife once again stood, as Julie said, "still on our own feet, with our thumbs against our noses."

Robert Montgomery is always a satisfying actor, convincing and reliable. He made the most of the humorous situations in which the film abounds. Rosalind Russell, for her part, entirely justified the optimism that so recently made her a star. Her Julio was vigorous and independent, but withal loyal, trusting, and true. Mention must be made of Oscar played by the inimitable Robert Brenchley, friend, boarder, encumbrance, whichever way you look at him. Oscar stayed with Bob at the studio till Bob married, then he stayed with Bob and Julie. Later, he moved with them to their new home. When the matrimonial smash came he moved out, to move in again, as good as new, when things cleared up once more. The part of Lily i s played by Helen Vinson, more glamorous than ever, and Mickey Rooney appears on the scene to disappear too soon. The supporting programme, it may be said, is remarkably good.

MAYFAIR "THE DRUM" Filmgoers who have already made the acquaintance of Sabu will be delighted to find him again in the film "The Drum," which began a season at the Mayfair Theatre yesterday; and those who have not already seen his pictures will be equally delighted with his appearance in this new film of Indian frontier life. The story is adapted from the novel by A. E. W. Mason, and has been produced by Alexander Korda, under the direction of Zoltan Korda, to show in technicolour the excitements and dangers of a disturbed period in the history of North-West Frontier tribal territory. Captain Carruthers (Roger Livesy) disguises himself as a beggar and goes into hostile country to find out what news he can: he finds that various tribes are planning a joint uprising and that large numbers of machineguns have been brought into the country. His marriage to the governor's niece (Valerie Hobson) is followed by his appointment to the position of Resident in Tokot. a border town, .where the Khan Mullah is fearful of the influence of his brother, Prince Ghul (Raymond Massey), who is plotting with tribesmen of other parts of the country to usurp the throne and banish the young Prince Azim (Sabu), son of the old Khan. He succeeds in his designs. Here the resemblance to the plot of "As You Like It" ends. Sabu becomes a friend of the youngest drummer boy (Desmond Tester), who makes a point of exaggerating, sometimes to his own discomfort, as, ! for instance, when Sabu plays "Last Post" to the commander, telling him that the drummer boy composed it specially for him. In Tokot, things go uneasily, and it soon becomes clear to those in the residency that war is being planned; the staff and escort of British soldiers are invited to a great feast in the palace of the evil Khan Ghul, who has succeeded the old Khan Mullah. Sabu, hiding for safety in Peshawar, hears of the plan to destroy the whole force at the banquet; so he attempts to warn the governor, and then takes upon himself the task of saving his friends in the Tokot residency. From this stage onwards, the film becomes more and more exciting, until the moment timed ( by the Khan for the massacre of the-English. Sabu has an impor r tant part to' play in bringing about a comparatively peaceful ending. In the cast Francis L. Sullivan, Archibald Batty, and Frederick Culley have important roles; at the palace feast an Indian dance of charming grace was followed by Scottish dances, performed by the troops. In the supporting programme there was a news sequence of films of an informative nature, and the latest "March of Time." depicting the his- / tory of medicine in the United States. The stages that followed the calling of the doctor to a case of acute appendix trouble made a most interesting section of the film.

CHRISTCHURCH CINEMAS, LIMITED "Merrily We Live," a lively comedy starring Constance Bennett, Brian Ahearne and Billie Burke, is now at the Regent William Boyd appears as Hopalong Cassidy in '"Heart of Arizona," which with "Hunted Men," starring Lloyd Nolan and Mary Carslie, is at the Majestic. "Romance For Three," starring Frank Morgan, Edna May Oliver, and Reginald Owen, has proved so popular that its season is being extended for a fourth week at the Tivoli. Arthur Treacher is starred in "Step Lively, Jeeves, which is now at the Liberty, with "Angel's Holiday," starring Jane Withers. "Lady Tubbs," starring Alice Brady, and "Yellowstone," starring Henry Hunter and Judith Barrett, are at present at the Grand. REX, RICCARTON t_ The Rex Theatre, Riccarton, will show a special-election programme tonight, starting at 7.30, and finishing at eight minutes to 12. Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power will be seen in "Thin Ice," and John Wynne .and Louise Latimer in "California Straight Ahead." Also showing will be "Ma'rch of Time," a two-reel comedy, and six picked short features.