ST. JAMES THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 16

ST. JAMES THEATRE

* “Woman Against Woman”

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s clever psychological screen play, ‘•Woman Against Woman,” delighted filmgoers at the St. James Theatre last night. Pretty Virginia Bruce starred in a society role well suited to her style of beauty, and lias able to appear in a number of very attractive gowns; Herbert Marshall played a capable part as Stephen Holland, small-town lawyer, who decides, despite his passionate love for his little daughter, to divorce his pretty but selfish wife, Cynthia, played by Mary Astor. He does so, on grounds of incompatibility. Afterward, however, he continues to visit frequently the home of little Ellen, a part charmingly acted by young Juanita Quigley. Meantime, Cynthia and Stephen’s foolishly sentimental mother plans to win him back to his martial responsibilities. . Attending a big case in

New York, Stephen meets Maris Kent (Virginia Bruce), a lovely blonde, who falls head-over-heels in love with him immediately, chases him violently, and marries him with alm o’st indecent haste. But disillusionment comes when he takes her

home to a township where the narrow-minded and smug local socialities cut her, second wives being of low standing in their eyes. They have known Cynthia since she was a little girl, and regard Marie as an intruder. They do not ask her to bridge parties. They snub her at every turn. She is strongly tempted to break away* from it all, and go back to New York. But Stephen, blind to what is going on, falls into Cynthia’s cunning traps, as she plays on his adoration for the child. Bo*h Maris and Stephen wish to go away to a holiday resort for Christmas, but Cynthia, emphasizing how nice it would be to have daddy home, persuades young Ellen to ask her father to visit her on Christmas Day, wrecking the holiday for the husband and wife. Then Cynthia turns up at a party where she knows Maria will be, simply for the pleasure of walking out and having folk say how badly she is treated. Mari§ sees through her scheme, however, and “bawls her out.” Cynthia then announces that she will leave town with her child, and Stephen will never see her more. He entreats her to stay, promises to send her to the lakes resort for an indefinite stay, if she will postpone her decision. She accepts, eagerly. On the eve of an important legal case she tries to worry him by telephoning to say the child is'seriously ill, and calling for him. She hopes that if be comes to the lakes, he will be easily won over. But Maris again sees 'the trick, suggests he should hurry that very night, abandoning the case. He does so, arrives to find the child well and happy, and realizes how he has been duped. Cynthia sees she has lost, but makes a final bid by announcing, she will leave town. Stephen says that he would rather lose his child than spoil his wife’s happiness, whereupon Cynthia finally wilts. This bright film is supported by interesting shorts, including an exciting “Crime Does Not Pay” picture, a cartoon, and a quaint and novel interpretation of music through the medium of colour. ) The programme is a particularly good one, which all film addicts should certainly see. REGENT THEATRE , “That Certain Age” The best film in which Deanna Duylfin has ever appeared, "That Certain Age,” is' continuing for a fourth week at the Regent Theatre. Different in several ways from others she has made, the picture is bright, rapid of movement, and full of clever situa_tions. Deanna, too, is a little different, for she is growing up and has reached that age between childhood and young womanhood when the entry of a man of the world into her life sets her heart fluttering. Though there are several songs in the picture it is not really a musical film, but this is not a fault, for the story is such that it does not need a strong musical backing. Deanna shows that she is a splendid actress as well as a singer, and with a strong supporting cast to assist has made a de-, lightful piece of entertainment. She is’ cast as the daughter of a wealthy newspaper. proprietor, and at the time the film opens is more interested in the staging of a musical show than anything else, despite the shy efforts at lovemaking bv Jackie Cooper. Her father invites a famous foreign correspondent to the house and Deanna, after trying hard to get rid of him, falls in love with the unsuspecting young man and completely forsakes her friends of her own age. Misinterpreting some of his actions and conversations she believes that lie is in love with her, and when her infatuation is discovered it takes' the united efforts of the correspondent, his fiancee, and the girl’s father and mother, to disillusion her. j Melvyn Douglas, as the visiting newspaper man, nearly steals the show. There, arg some very good comedy scenes, the “ghost” scene, in .which Deanna and her friends try to persuade Douglas not to stay, being splendid. The supports are excellent and include several newsreels on recent European affairs, flood damage in America, and other interesting topics. There is also a cartoon and a film showing under-water activities. PARAMOUNT THEATRE * Nelson Eddy In “Maytime” It is seldom that one has the chance to hear such long and unhackneyed selections from opera ’as Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald give in “Maytime,” which is showing for a return season in Wellington at the Paramount Theatre. Though the film runs for about two hours, it is so well produced and has such an emotional appeal that the time does not drag aa it so often does with a long picture. A feature of the film is the wonderful settings, particularly those at the Court of Napoleon. State banquets and recep.tions provide wonderful opportunities for the producers of the film, and these have not been neglected. There are also some very beautiful May Day scenes. Nelson Eddy does not conic into the picture early, and his role assumes moreimportance as- the story progresses, ft reaches its climax in a very good operatie duet with Jeanette MacDonald. STATE THEATRE, PETONE “The Perfect Specimen” “The Perfect Specimen,” a comedydrama starring popular Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell, is showing at the State Theatre. This Warner Bros.' production has been rated as among the very best laugh and thrill photoplays of the year, ft shows that Flynn, in addition to his qualities as a swashbuckling fighter with ancient weapons fas in "Captain Blood, ■The Charge of the Light Brigade, and ■’The Prince and the Pauper”), is also a first-class battler with the - gloved fists in the roped arena.