MAJESTIC THEATRE.

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 14

MAJESTIC THEATRE.

"Forty Thousand Horsemen"

With the concentration bf a large number of Australian and New Zealand troops and airmen in the East attention is again focused on the contribution of the Dominions to the British Empire's war effort. In the 1914-18 war the most picturesque unit of the Australian forces was the Light Horse, which won immortal glory -byvictory in the Sinai Desert under the command of their leader, Sir Harry Chauvel. Although modern war is mechanised, there are still a large number of Light Horsemen in Australia, and recently there was a series of spectacular camps in the country districts of New South Wales and Victoria. Hundreds of the non-commis-sioned men in the Light Horse are wealthy landowners, and others have substantial means. Their horses are their own.- When it was decided to produce in Australia a romantic film of the "Bengal Lancers" type, to tell the story of the Light Horse campaign in the last war, they co-operated in assuring accuracy in the recreating of the valiant efforts of 1914-18. And the result is the film "Forty Thousand Horsemegi." which opens tomorrow at the Majestic. Thousands of LUfht Horsemen became actors in the large scenes, a complete Sinai desert village was reconstructed on the sands of Botany Bay, near Sydney, and Charles Chauvel, who previously made the Australian film successes, "In the Wake of the Bounty" and "Uncivilised." was chosen by the New South Wales State Government and Universal Pictures to direct it. Topical Australian types were chosen as the Light Horse leads,, and, after a Commonwealth-wide" search of a year, an Australian girl, Betty Bryant, was given the starring role. • In some of the charge scenes at least 3000 Light Horsemen participate, and there are also thousands of extras who play the parts of Eastern types. •, '