Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22895, 16 December 1939, Page 4

Cinema Reviews

MAYFAIR “SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES” For the fourth year in succession Shirley Temple has been voted by audiences throughout the world the most popular star in motion pictures. In Christchurch as in hundreds of towns and cities in the United States this child is found amusing and charming by audiences of adults as by audiences of children. Few people will deny the acting ability of this most consistent of all screen players; none will deny the charm and talent she shows in her latest film, “Susannah of the Mounties.” which began a season at the Mayfair Theatre yesterday to the delight of large audiences at three sessions. With Margaret Lockwood, the star of last year’s very successful British film, “The Lady Vanishes,” and ■Randolph Scott in the two adult leading roles, the film has players of high acting ability. Besides this it has a stirring story of the days of pioneering when the Canadian Pacific Railway was being built, and a great deal of fast and exciting action. Susannah is the sole survivor of an Indian massacre and is rescued by a Mountie patrol led by Randolph Scott. The Indians fear the Redcoats and believe that their appearance means that soon there will be soldiers to crush them In their native homes. But Susannah assures them that the Mounties are there precisely so that the soldiers will not be necessary. The chief of the Indians comes to talk things over with Scott and he leaves behind him his young son as a promise of his good faith when he leaves to return to stop his braves from marauding any more. Susannah and the Little Chief become very fast friends and make an extremely important treaty between ’ themselves. This treaty is to have the most important results in the lives of Scott and Shirley, and, indeed, the Mounties themselves. But as these friendly relations improve the Indians suddenly attack again and the railroad men decide to get the help of the army. Because of this all the tribes in the neighbourhood unite and attack the ■ Mountie post, taking Scott prisoner. Shirley manages to ride in pursuit and is thrown into prison with Scott. When all hope of help has been given up and when Scott is tied to the stake and the fire is about to be lighted the treaty of Shirley and the Little Chief is suddenly brought to light. And what happens then is highly dramatic and exciting. The film ends happily for all with Shirley smoking the pipe of peace with the white men and the Indians. What the pipe of peace does to Shirley can best be described by her own very expressive face, This is a film for people of all ages. In the supporting programme a most interesting short item considers the great names in sport in the past, showing the high achievements in the careers of such people as Bobby Jones, Sysanrte Lenglen, Helen Wills, Man-o’-War (he is seen moving beautifully in the long paddocks of his retirement and the portrait of his head shows a most noble horse), and Sonja Henie. Bonja is 12 years of age and bows to the camera with the very same smile and the same roundness and dimples that make her face bright and comely to-day. LIBERTY “SECOND FIDDLE” After a successful extended season at the State Theatre “Second Fiddle,” Irving Berlin’s musical romance, starring Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power, has been transferred to the Liberty in a cheerful double-feature proframrae with "Wife, Husband, and ’liend,” the three-cornered comedy that amused Christchurch audiences some months ago. The stars in this comedy, which is also musical, are Loretta Young, Warner Baxter, and Binnie Barnes. ’ A highlight in “Second Fiddle” is the splendid collection of music, singing, dancing, and the incomparable skating of Sonja Henie, ,This star is, of course, at her best as a skater. Her work in this film is most moving, par- . ticularly in a scene in which she takes the ice towards the end, and achieves something that is very like ballet. The story tells how Sonja Henie, a backwoods school- teacher, suddenly finds herself a movie star selected out of the blue for the part in a famous film for which a heroine has been sought the world over. She is piloted through Jier initiation, and is beholden for not a little of her success to her hustling press agent, Jimmy Sutton, who Is portrayed by Tyrone Power. It . is a new Power in “Second Fiddle,” a debonair fellow, and in his line a man of action rather than of dalliance, . and it is a very attractive Power, He, of course, falls in love with the new . Star, but the course of this emotion never for movie purposes having been known to run smoothly, he has a lot of trouble before everything ends happily. Mr Power sings in this film, no small accomplishment for an actor who has never before appeared as a singer, end his singing is most effective. His Whale performance hangs tegother superlatively "well. Rudy Vallee has a voice that perhaps everyone who owns, a radio, even if he has never been to the pictures, has heard. He also has great ability as an actor, and the part that he takes is ideal for his powers in both directions. Edna May Oliver ‘•is at her very best in the character of the whimsical old aunt of the new star. It Is one of the best performances Of this really fine actress., Mary Healy 1 has the sort of voice that one imagines Irving Berlin would have designed, had he had the chance ; “Wife, Husband, and Friend, is the . story of a wealthy and spoiled wife who believed she could sing; only her ‘ mother, however, shared her belief. ’ But the wife (Loretta Young) persisted and by her persistence almost wrecked ‘ her happiness and that of her husband. Loretta Young ig the star about whom a noted American critic said; ‘She is ' the only star who could successfully play Juliet." She is. all will agree, both younfi and beautiful in this film, Binnie Barnes is her usual g-dropping and Witty self; and Warner Baxter proves that he can sing with what power audiences will see to tueir amusement, ' CHRISTCHURCH CINEMAS. LIMITED “Ice Follies of 1939,” with Joan Crawford, Lew Ayres, and James Stewart Is now at the Regent. Nelson Eddy. Virginia Bruce, and Lionel Barrymore ‘ are the stars of ‘•Song of the Plains,” at the Majestic, “Boys* Town.” in which Spencer Tracy acts a notable role, is at the Tivoli., “King of Gamblers,” with Akim Tamirolf and Lloyd Nolan, and IZane Grey’s “Forlorn River”- are at the Grand, The St. James’ has “Alexander's Ragtime Band” with Alice Faye and Tyrone Power, and “It Happened in ■* Hollywood,” with Richard Bix and : Pay Wray. . REX THEATRE The sensational English comedy drama, “Clouds Over Europe,” with . Ralph Richardson, Valerie Hobson, ; f and Laurence Oliver; and Jack Benny, With Joan Bennett, in “Stranded in Paris,” are .the two pictures showing at the Hex Theatre, Riccarton, tonight and on Monday and Tuesday, commencing each evening at 7.30.

AVON “GOING PLACES” “Going Places,” now showing at the Avon Theatre, is one of Warner Brothers’ most hilarious comedies. Dick Powell plays the leading role, and of course there are many bright musical numbers. Anita Louise plays the feminine lead in this gay, tuneful comedy of racehorses, romance, and songs with a swing. The rest of the cast is made up primarily of comedians, including such experts in that line as Allen Jenkins, Walter Catlett, Harold Huber, Thurston Hall, and Minna Gombell. Most of the musical entertainment is shared with Dick Powell by those two great coloured singers, Louis Armstrong and Maxine Sullivan. Four new songs were written for the production; “Say It With a Kiss,” a romantic melody sung by Poweli; “Mutiny in the Nursery,” a bright swing number presented by Armstrong and Miss Sullivan. Ai'mstrong goes crazy with his trumpet in syncopated swing interpretations of nursery rhymes, and Miss Sullivan gives a charming version of swing music in softer melodies. She sings the childhood favourites “Little Bo Peep” and “Rockaby Baby.” “Oh What a Horse was Charlie” is a very amusing comedy, sung by and danced to by Messrs Powell, Jenkins. Catlett, and Huber. “Jeepers Creepers” is another bright number sung bv Powell and trumpeted to by Armstrong, all for the calming of a temperamental horse. The story tells of Powell’s adventures with a brilliant but very unruly racehorse. Powell was a salesman in a sporting goods store, and it is his own idea to boost the business of the place by masquerading as a famous Australian steeplechase rider and attending the Maryland steeplechase to boost business for his firm's riding gear and clothes. Once at the Maryland inn where all the sporting people stay, Powell is made a hero and adored by society. He meets and falls in love with Anita Louise, a beautiful debutante whose uncle owns the terrifying horse “Jeepers Creepers.” The uncle is the only person in Dick’s secret of identity, as he had previously bought some stuffed wild animals at the sporting goods firm. Since he had brought them home as trophies of an African "expedition” he is in no position to expose Powell as an imposter. Powell rides the wild horse in the big race and provides excellent fun. The story becomes more hilarious and exciting and ends in a fitting way. The supporting programme includes “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Little Pancho Vanilla,” a colour cartoon; “Toyland Casino,” an outstanding musicale; and Avon News Service. PLAZA DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME In the double-feature programme at present showing at the Plaza Theatre there is enough action to satisfy even the most thrill-hardened audience. The main film “Code of the Streets,” in which the now well-known “Dead-end Kids” appear, presents a graphic picture of life in the alley slums, while the second feature, “Renfrew on the Great White Trail,” with James Newell and Terry Walker as the stars, is packed with thrills, and is set in the rugged background of a land of ice and snow. With the action characteristic of each picture, are included fine acting and entertainment. In the first picture, the “dead-end kids” are cast as a gang of street arabs driven, through scarcity of work, to earn their livings, by crime. One of the 'gang has an elder brother who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. - When in prison the condemned man begs his brother to break away from the sordid existence he is leading among the squalor of the streets and to try to make himself a decent citizen. The detective responsible for his arrest (Harry Carey) is at heart convinced of his innocence, but is demoted for criticising the action of his superior officers in refusing to allow a retrial. Here the detective’s son enters the story and, with the help of the street arabs, endeavours to expose the real murderer. How they outwit their opponents by a number of ruses, and the thrilling action and fight sequences that ensure, combine to make a very exciting picture even more thrilling. The real criminal is caught, the condemned man is released, and the picture ends'on a happier note. The genius for dramatic art which some of these young actors have shown in the-past is brought into relief in this film by clever casting for supporting roles. Harry Carey, who has played the grim-faced “he-man” role in numerous films which have proved popular in Christchurch, gives his usual excellent performance. The story itself IS a grimly realistic drama with the typically sordid setting of America’s worst slum areas, and provides all the suspense and play on emotions which its predecessors of the type have done. In the supporting film of death and daring in the frozen north, a happy choice was made in the selection of James Newell as the two-fisted hero. He also has an excellent singing voice, which the film gives him pleasing opportunities to use. He is supported by Terry Walker and “Silver King,” the wonder dog. The outdoor setting of this film provides a pleasing contrast to the squalid background of the first film in the programme. Apart from this, it offers the typically virile action which is the necessary accompaniment of stories of the great north. It contains something of romance, of fighting, of dogs and sledges, and it portrays vividly the privations and callous splendour characteristic of the frozen, land, and. the types of men who make that land their home.

CRYSTAL PALACE

DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME Adopting a new role, that of private detectives, the ever-popular Ritz brothers are featured in an unusual comedy. “The Gorilla/’ which opened at the Crystal Palace yesterday, with “Chasing Danger." The scene is set in a country home with many strange actions taking place. The background is appropriate, with thunderclaps when lights mysteriously fail, and flashes of lightning which illuminate weird objects. The acting of the Ritz brothers leaves little- to be desired. Their technique as detectives is far removed from that of a Charlie Chan or Mr Moto. Their sallies are amusing, their methods of unravelling crimes are strictly orthodox, but their methods of extricating themselves from tight corners into which they inevitably get, cause great amusement. They are called in to assist Lionel Atwill Whose life has been threatened by a mysterious gorilla—whether it is man or beast is not established until near the end of the picture. Lionel Atwill plays his part well and is ably assisted by Anitq Louise, Patsy Kelly, and Bela Lugosi. The last-named is the butler who is never present when the lights fail, but who turns up immediately after. He was not an ideal butler and on several occasions drew suspicion on himself by bis actions. He quickly incurred the displeasure Qf the Ritz brothers when soon after their arrival to take up the case, he showed One of them a clever ju-jitsu tricjc Which was not appreciated. The film is a good comedy and, the action changes quickly all through. The second feature, “Chasing Danger,” deals with gun-running in French k '

possessions in North Africa, and how two newsreel cameramen unwittingly help the French police to put the practice down, Preston Foster has the leading role, as one of the cameramen, his assistant being Wally Vernon, who does not like the idea of being sent from France to North Africa when he has promised to marry. Lynn Ban plays opposite Foster, as the daughter of an Arab who wag sworn to drive the French from North Africa. She is caught in the act of gun-running, but is later allowed to go free in order that she may lead the police to the leaders of the Arabs who are inciting their tribes to revolt. Many exciting adventures come the way of Foster and) Vernon, who, in company with Miss Bari drive through North African deserts, the former pair in hopes of securing a “scoop” newsreel, the latter to get back to the Arabs. Through no fault of Miss Bari’s the cameramen are thrown into prison. However, Foster conceives a brilliant idea of escaping when he wishes and is able to call for assistance. They encounter much trouble before help does arrive, but the picture ends happily for all except Vernon, who finds himself pledged to marry an Arab girl, because he inadvertently an Arab custom.

STATE

“THE FOUR FEATHERS”

A brilliant technicolour film, “The Four Feathers,” is now being shown at the State Theatre. This stirring story of warfare and _the triumph of courage over cowardice is taken from the novel of A. E. W. Mason, ’"his wellknown novel, with the same name as the film, has been a favourite among books of adventure for many years. And now, brought to the screen in a form close to the original, it is proving a widely popular cinema story. The actors who take the main parts in the Alexander Korda production are Ralph Richardson (the award-winning star of “Clouds Over Europe" and “The Citadel”), John Clements (of “South Riding”), June Duprez (in her first and very successful screen, part), and CAubrey Smith, well' known tor his numerous “colonel” roles. With this gifted team of players, thousands of native troops mounted on fast-riding camels, and the genuine Egyptian scenes in natural technicolour, the film has much to recommend it to all tastes.

The actors, photographers, production staff, and Directors, all went to

the Sudan to produce parts of this film; and there the first battalion of the East Surrey Regiment, 500 members of the Camel Corps, and 4000 natives took part in the very vigorous action of the desert sequences In the film. The campaign is Kitchener’s and the technical difficulties of reproducing the historical scene were only equalled for the production staff by the difficulties of managing the thousands of natives, especially in the battle scenes.

The story of “The Four Feathers” is, briefly, that of Harry Faversham, who, convinced of the futility of war, resigns his commission on the eve of the. departure of his regiment for active service in the Sudan. Everyone,, including his fiancee and his three closest friends, .believes that cowardice alone has caused him to resign. And so h e is forced to do something to prove that every person is wrong—particularly those lour persons who sent white feathers to him. He goes to Egypt and by disguising himself as a member of a famous tribe whose mefn* taers have all had their tongues cut out, he at last reaches the scene of battle between one branch of Kitchener’s army and the native army. In the supporting programme news and a travel film in excellent colour are full of interest.