A UNIQUE EVENT.

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 90, 12 October 1929, Page 13

A UNIQUE EVENT.

SAME "TALKY" ON TWO PLANTS

Few things are more fascinating than successive' competitive developments in a newly invented industry—an industry of amusement—carried out within the sight and hearing of the public. The "talky" picture represents the cumulative effort of many inventors and experimenters, and it is the privilege of any member of the. public to-day to participate in the spectacle of the progress of this new branch of the old are o£ mirrooring Nature —a progress not devoid of setbacks. To witness the ebb and flow of "talky" achievement is a mental exhilaration in itself, apart from the ordinary enjoyment of public, entertainment. And it happens that at this moment a quite peculiar point has been reached in the march of the "talky" in Wellington, in that a big dialogue' and* singing and bagpipe picture, and several supporting sound items of note, are being shown simultaneously in two rival theatres. To add to the zest—the two theatres have rival sound-reproducing apparatus; in other words, two competitive sound-recording and sound-reproducing firms have each a' representative plant in this issue. . ■' "

The principal picture shown is "The Black Watch." It is American in production, British in subject; and, out of twelve leading players, five claim birth ri the British Isles, seven are American. The picture shows British soldier life and the fighting of "The Black Watch" (42nd Highlanders) in the Great War, also the adventures of British soldiers among hill tribes of North-West India. Any Americanisation of speech is so small as to be hardly detectible. The whole spirit is British, and particularly Highland Scottish. ' ' ........

More than British—in fact, Anglo-Ameri-can and world-wide in sentiments-is - a short and wonderfully reproduced speech by Mr. Lloyd George. Purely British.is the trooping of the colours ceremony carried out in England in June of last year, in which His Majesty, the King .appears on horseback (prior, of course, to his illness), and in which the Guard" movements and the military music reach a pitch of excellence probably never seen before in "Wellington. This picture may indeed' be said to be a revelation, for' it grips the' audience through; every-movement of lengthy screenings' which surely could not. have been possible if the military evolutions were silent. It is hard to-.-find'.a better instance, in this class of picture, of the added value given by music and sound—at any rate, when the recording and reproduction thereof are so nearly perfect as in the programme now under review. It is of additional interest-to learn from one-of-the technical authorities that this excellent military picture' was recorded by a British firm, which thus .-cached a high stage of recording at a time when the new infant industry was very-young indeed. / .-, - • ... :,..

In drawing attention to these three excellent talking and sound pictures, shown in rival theatres and on rival reproducing plants, it is not the purpose of'this notice to draw close comparisons. But, considering that some little time ago.these columns recorded some shortcomings (candidly admitted by the management)'at the Majestic, it is fair to that, theatre, and to the other theatre (the Be Luxe) to say that in the judgment- of an - "Evening Post" representative who saw the De Luxe performance yesterday afternoon and the Majestic performance last night; the latter was in no degree at all. behind the former. Pictures and reproduction were so fine that a second seeing on the same day caused no lack of interest in the observer, but rather heightened the interest. Further than that, no comparison will.be drawn in this notice, because the two performances are running daily, and people may go and see (also hear), and compare for themselves. The impressive tiling is the excellence that a good sound picture, given good operating, may reach on tinsimilar plants. , . - ' ■

"The Black Watch" is ;i sound-on-film (not disc) picture. It is a Fox movietone. The director is Mr. John Ford.