PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 19064, 6 October 1925, Page 4

PICTURE THEATRES

OCTAGON First Naiional’s version of ‘ Quo Vadia 9 ’ is being shown at the Octagon Theatre. The love story concerns, a beautiful Christian slave girl, Lyg.a, who captures the heart of the pagan Vinicins. Emil Janmngs eclipses all records in his representation of the powerf«l and awful Nero; while Liiluui Hall Davis has the role of Lygia, his be.autiful and unfortunate hostage, buch historical scenes as the burning ot Rome by Nero, seeking inspiration for his maudlin verse, the wholesale dcstinotion of Christians at the stake and in the arena, and the crowded am phitheatre that gazed in lusllul pleasntrat the dying martyrs are portrayed in such vivid Insliion ns to lenve no donhw in the minds ol the audience as to the cause oi Rome's fall and decay. Vrsim. the giant slave of Lygia, the C hristinn slave, k seen in mortal combat "ith a bull io whose bnck is Itißiiod tho. mistress of the loathsome Nero, paying clearly for her unfaithfulness to the most despicable and horrible character in all history. The picture was made in Italy, ‘WONDERFUL LONDON.’ No Englishman or any man with a drop of English blood in his veins could fail to he moved or betrayed into a demonstration of approval and pndo at the thrilling sequence of intensely interesting ana absorbing events in the latest and greatest of British film productions. ‘Wonderful London ’ will be presented at tho Octagon Theatre on Friday next. The quality, magnitude, and artistic treatment of the subject place this great feature in a class by itself. The producer has adopted many novel methods of introducing “ atmosphere.” Imagine the characters _of Dickens on a. motor bus, with Pickwick at tho wheel, conveying Grandfather, Little Nell, David Copperfield, Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and Quilp on a trip to Wembley. Another novelty in the matter of treatment is to place the audience in flic hands of a London bus driver of the old school, a man who knows liis London as few others do, and who pilots his bos and tho audience into all sorts of out-of-the-way places that hold a tremendous interest. All tho glamor, all tho charm, all the wonderful atmosphere of London have been caught hv the camera and held; all that makes London all that it is and all that it means to British people nil the world over is there, and is - hiahle. There is conveyed in some cunn ■' manner all that 'multitude of little and groat things that go to make London to the Briton everywhere the most wonderful city in tho world. It is one of tho outstanding triumphs of a great picture that it has been able to do this. The spirit of the great city, the magic of its great majesty, and all tho thrall of its raulti-tongued history are somehow there in tho theatre. > That has neyer been achieved before in any picture that pretended to do what this picture docs, and it is one of the many reasons why ‘ Wonderful London ’ is a wonderful picture. EMPIRE AND KING EDWARD ‘Three Weeks ’ is proving very popular with patrons of tho Empire and King Edward Theatres. The story tells of the Queen of the Pardalia, who. disgusted by the brutality of the King, goes to Switzerland. There she meets Paul Verdayne, a high-horn Englishman, and they are irresistibly attracted to each other. Their love for each other continues to grow until it becomes a passion which docs not count the cost. Sensing danger, the Queen leaves for Venice, and Paul follows, but when Paul barely escapes assassination at the hands of the King’s hirelings the Queen returns home, never disclosing who she really is. Paul goes back to England, and gives his life to the performance of good’deeds, ennobled by liis love for the Queen. ’ Three years later she sends lor him. The King learns of Paul's presence, and in a jealous fury ho kills her as she has sent Paul away. Her servant then kills tho King. Paul returns, and she dies in his arras. Two years later Paul goes hack to_ Sardalia and witnesses the coronation of their son as the Kin" his heart filled with tho memory of liis love for the child’s mother. While Conrad Nagel as the Englishman is satisfactorily cast, the lion’s share of the acting honors go to Ailcen Pringle as the Queen. Stately and dignified in the Court scenes, In the sequences with Nagel she strikingly suggests a. great love. The entire supporting cast is excellent. John Sninpolis does fine work o,s the King, with Stuart Holmes and’ Robert Cain as his confidantes, and Dale Fuller, Mitchell Lewis, and Nigel De Brulier as the Queen’s loyal servants. EVERYBODY'S Two first-class features are included on the programme at Everybody’s Theatre this week. Jack Hoxie is seen in ‘ A Roaring Adventure.’ Hoxie is cast as Duffy Burns, whose father owns a big cattle ranch, which the son has not seen since childhood, having spent the intervening years gaining an education in the Fast. On a_visit to his father, who lives some distance from the ranch, Duffy learns that someone is stealing cattle, and that the ranch superintendent seems unable to prevent the growing loss. ‘ Moccasins ’ is a Western feature in which Bill Cody has tho main rolo. QUEEN’S A First National picture, ‘ Her Husband’s Secret,’ has prido of place at the Queen’s Theatre. It tells of tho complications arising when a youth with a “shady” record attempts to force an internationally famous banker to protect him from the lav/ by proposing marriage to tho banker’s daughter. How the odd romance gains headway and how tho hanker tries to check its progress without shattering the dreams of his daughter is said to point the drama toward one of the most unique and dramatic climaxes given a photoplay story recently. Also showing is ‘The Lover of Camille.’ PLAZA AND GRAND ‘ The Air Mail,’ now at the Plaza and Grand Theatres, deals with a band of crooks who prey upon Government air mailmen, making away with valuable hauls. Warner Baxter plays the leading role. ‘The Hunted Woman,’ a picture of the outdoors, is the principal support, and a Van Bibber e.omedy and a news reel are also shown. *