THE SONG, THE TYPHOON AND THE PLAY

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 80, 28 December 1935, Page 15

THE SONG, THE TYPHOON AND THE PLAY

(By John Storm.) I have lately seen three pictures that delight me. They are “Heart’s Desire,” with Richard Tauber, at. the peak of his form, “China Seas,” and “Peg Woffington.” Of their several kinds each one leads in its own class. I have never heard Richard Tauber sing quite so well, not excepting his lovely performance in “Blossom Time.” This time he appears to be completely unconscious of his audience and sounds as care-free as some happy peasant carolling on some Swiss Alp at break of day. There is a reason for this, and it is one we seldom think enough of. The picture is simply a series of harmonies. Bril''ant a_s the great tenor always has been he has seldom made a picture under such happy circumstances. His old friend of schoolboy days in Vienna, Paul Stein, directs the picture, and Tauber's fiancee, Diana Naftier, the English actress, is his leading lady. It is a little story of peasant life and of fame and fortune in London following on the singing in a biergar-. ten in Vienna. But Paul Stein knows all these haunts so well of which the picture speaks that we seem to be watching the peasa’hts themselves, in their joyous abandon rather than looking on at a picture show. Then there is “China Seas.” with our old friend Wallace Beery simply playing pirates with gusto on Clarke Gable’s ship in the China Seas. Clarke is a real “tough” skipper—his matinee idol Wanners all forgotten—with a stubbly uiard and a glass of rum which is partaken of "unbeknownst” to his company, and an unruly crew and a pirate prince on board, torn note stowed in the wrong pocketbooj? and all complete ! Of course, Wallace mislays the note at the moment when Jean Harlow has "played him on” and played him poker till lie has nearly sold his socks to foot the bill, and, of course, Jean tries to warn her stubbly-faced captain before it is too late. Then the fight begins, and then the typhoon begins also, and the pirates and the China Seas and the crew have a wonderful rough and tumble in it. “Some typhoon !” as our trans-Atlantic cousins say. The quality of the performances in this vigorous offering is uniformly excellent. Not only are these three principals at the ■top of their mood, carrying the wild tale forward with zest, but every single super in the picture seems to know his job and stick to it. Lewi's Stone, as chief of the lesser members, gives a wonderful sketch of the captain that left his ship. The haunted skipper clinging to the last hope of reinstatement in the “China Seas.” Another telling point in this clever production is the manner in which a young English actress, a former fiancee of the doughty captain, curries on the tradition of the English in the midst of the inhabitants of the China coast; the contrast is vividly drawn but so unobtrusively that it melts into the picture. Then last but not. least of the trio is “Peg Wellington.” This is more than a real play transferred to the screen —it is a story, a drama, and a play within a play. The lovely Anna Neagle plays Peg Woffington to feir Cedric Hardwicke’s David Garrick. She will be remembered as .the young dancer in "Nell Gwynne.” Nell at her loveliest, but not her wittiest, and in "Bitter Sweet" as Sari, n little too shy and retiring, an early Victorian' miss even too early Victorian for Victoria’s day. In tlie present picture s'lie is a finished actress, knows her ground, and makes her companion shine thereby. Anna is full of real fun in the picture, and does give a very convincing portrait of a young Irish colleen just dropped down in London. Then site becomes the leading lady in David Garrick’s plays and the change is felt. She is full of flip as ever, but she is the great lady too. Sir Cedric Hardwicke does a truly remarkable performance, and one that gives a better idea why he is tlie first gentleman of the London stage. The picture gives glimpses of Garrick at his different performances Unit offer the real opportunity to Sir Cedric. The direction of the picture is outstanding. It is like a series of old paintings in its scenes and its “close ups” and could very fairly be described ns a work of art.

The trio sets a fine standard for the pictures of the coming year, but. in "Peg Woffington” we have something of the grace of other days, of old world things and a sense of restfulness not often to be felt anywhere in our own modern life.