THE PICTURES—NEW PROGRAMMES

Evening Star, Issue 20328, 9 November 1929, Page 13

THE PICTURES—NEW PROGRAMMES

; REGENT'S SUPERB OFFERING

* MADAME X'-ENGROSSING ENTERTAINMENT 6 The rapid development of talking pictures has been one of the marvels ■ of the present decade, and although many fine talkies have been shown in Dunedin, of recent months, in many Inspects ““Madame X ’ has claims to be regarded as equal to apy that has preceded it.' This film, had its premiere presentation at the ’ Regent Theatre yesterday afternoon and last night, and its remarkable emotional appeal held the audience tense and spellbound until ilia very last “fade out.” . ‘Madame X* was directed by a stage celebrity who has also made his mark on the screen, and in this production Lionel Barrymore has introduced something new in talking screen technique, gie result being engrossing entertainent without the imperfections of the earlier offerings of tho audible screen. The talking version of the famous stage play has combined perfectly the technique of the silent screen and the lore of the stage, and leading critics hare deserted that it is a greater triumph than the original premiere of the stage drama in Paris. ‘Madame X’ is a great drama, and it is enacted by a perfect cast which makes it a living, breathing reality. There is nothing, really involved about the story. It. is written on a tragic note, and the" effect of a remarkable climax is not spoilt by the usual happy ending. - It tells ’of .the sacrifice a ;ijiother will make for her son. even though she has been, separated from him for years. An, unfaithful mother is ordered away by her husband, heartbroken at her deceit, just -at the time that her child becomes ill. ’The woman eventually drifts to a life of shame and idishononr, and rather than; let her son be blackmailed she commits murder, ■fchi# being years , later. Unknown to him, it is her own son who undertakes her defence. Thus the stage is set for the unfolding of One of the greatest of 'dramatic masterpieces, and it is no exaggeration to say that some of the principal players in the piece rise to unusual heights in the portrayal of the most emotional scenes. “Madame X” is played by Ruth Chatterton, and her acting goes a long way to making the film tho great success it is. Her characterisation ranks with the best efforts that have been seen on the audible screen, and at* no time is there ihe slightest tendency to over-exag- ? oration for the sake of effect. The arious actors speak with remarkable clarity and restraint, and tho unaffected English: spoken is exemplified by no ono better: than by Miss Chatterion, whose wonderful ’ performance will long he remembered by all who saw it. As the cold; relentless husband, Lewis Stone gives an excellent portrayal, and Raymond Hackett is more than satisfactory as the .son. Others in the cast are Holmes Herbert, Eugenie Besserer, Mitchell Lewis, Richard Carle, Sydney Toler, and Carroll Nye. The supporting programme is in accord with the stellar production, and as usual the Pathe Sound News was .was one of the most interesting items .of the evening. The Metro-Goldwyn-'Mayer revue Is a splendid vaudeville in which songs are given !hy Grace Rodgers, Harry Rose, and -.’the comedians Van "' and Scheneck. There is also an unusually attractive orchestral number by the Capitolians. Tho New Zealand Government publicity film showing the attractions of the / ’Prana Josef glacier is most interesting, while the popular American coloured "vocalist, George Dewey Washington, sings two songs in his own inimitable fashion, ‘Chloe’ and ‘Just Like a Melody.’ A special feature of the snpgorting programme to-night will he the us Edwards ‘Song Revue,’ a revue in technicolour. Tie musical section added to "the enjoyment of the programme, - the overture - being ‘ Norwegian Rhapsody’ (Lalo) and the entr’acte an organ specialty, ‘Lily of Laguna’ (Stuart).

OCTAGON'S GOOD CHEER

CLEVER BRITISH SUPPORTS A particularly happy vein of humour has been struck in the Octagon The.atre’s new programme. Evidently ■ the fame of the Cohens and the Kellys has . long, since spread abroad, for it was a \fcrbwded house which last'night saw the ‘first evening screening of these mirth provokers’ latest adventures. ‘ The ■Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic _ City ’ worthily claimed to bo the funniest of the whole series .shows various'members of these delightfully naive families at large (and very much otherwise) in a fashionable American seaside resort, where, for the time.being, beauty reigns supreme. As a happy entertainment the production is unsurpassed. Ever careful iu its selection of short talking features, the Octagon is presenting this week a number of films which will gladden the hearts of those who appreciate the cleverness of British humour. People who have never heard of George Robey, the greatest comedian the pr/sent generation of ■ Londoners has seen, must he isolated ■examples of their type. The chance to ’ see and hear the inimitable Robey in •The Barrister’ should not be missed. The droll expressions, swiftly changing, which flit across his genial face' would -probably have made his fortune, even without the master wit’s gift for the clear hnd strikingly effective delivery of his wares. Crowned with the false “ permanent wave ” of the legal pro- ’ fession, George llobey, complelelv unaided, holds the audience in his power ; for something like a quarter of an Imur* . and voices wondrousfy snappy orations to an imaginary judge and a likewise jury, a defendant, and the deiendant’s learned counsel. Two other British ■ comedians who add still further to the '■ fun of the evening are Clapham and Ryre. In ‘ Spontaneous Spasms-’ this pair specialise in the patter form of amusement—quite the best of its kind that has been heard for many a day. ! There were moments last night when irrepressible laughter drowned the . effortless efforts of Dyre, who took the part of a genial ass, not unlike a ■ typical Wodehouse character. Besides bailing an excellent repertoire of musical the programme includes as an entr’acte the .beautiful ‘Rustle!-of Spring.’ Moreover, a unique opportunity! to hear ’ Squire’s orchestral octette is presented ; through the 1 medium of an international i series of items representative Of Rust sla. India. .Finland, and Ireland. Once ! again the Octagon storyteller was in :! good form,' his monologues and tales being greeted enthusiastically. Other pictures were’ the Fox Movietone. News, : which, as everybody knows, is made up of carefully selected topical subiects, ■ and the British lleview. The latter ■ shows the latest models in Army'tanks going - through their, paces. a: To.return.to the Elions and Kellys;

however, in this picture the talking reaches a very high standard for an American film, and the gaps between the dialogue patches are filled in with bright sub-titles and appropriate orchestral numbers, the whole production proving what an admirable blend _is made possible by a tasteful utilisation of both types of motion-picture organisation. The plot is simple enough, but nevertheless; :th© characters find themselves involved; in a maze of complications which keep one guessing as to how a satisfactory solution eventually will be found. Cohen and Kelly are partners in a. business that embraces the manufactureof bathing suits, but their old-fashioned methods of salesmanship: do not appeal to the young fry (Kelly’s son and Cohen’s daughter), who. iu_ the effort to use modern publicity principles to the best effect, organise a beauty parade at Atlantic City. The parade; by the way, has been planned and filmed on a lavish scale, and is one bf the features of the picture. George Sidney, as Cohen, and the titanic Mack Swain, as Kelly, command most of the attention, but there is also a very capable supporting cast.

and old. Another , series of the Fox Movietone news pictures further happenings overseas, includes a display of the latest feminine fashions. These, a lady on the screen explains, would be of interest to the ladies in tho audience, while the models Would interest the men. A British silent news film is also shown, while two events are covered in a local gazette. These are the launching of tho motor boat Dawn at Port Chalmers, and the events at the sports meeting at Forbury last Saturday. Mr Leslie Harvey at the Christie organ is no less an attraction now than he was in his first .week. His opening piece last night was ‘ The Old. Refrain,’ played in quite distinctive style. All the melody in ‘Sweetheart of My Dreams’ was brought out by Mr, Harvey with telling effect, his second number. Responding to the applause, the organist obliged with * Marie.’ During the interval, too, Mr Harvey was at the console of the instrument. .

The complete list of pictures will be screened at the Empire every afternoon and evening until Thursday next.

‘CONfIUEST,’ EXPEDITION DRAMA

EMPIRE'S TIMELY RELEASE With the ooming of the first month, of summer the City of New York and the Eleanor Boling are being prepared fo> another trip to the Antarctic, and public interest is being again aroused in the expedition to the pole. What, therefore,, could be a bettor time than the present for a picture theatre to screen a film centring round South Pole exploration? The Empire Theatre this week has struck the right moment to ■ put ‘ Conquest ’ before the public. In producing ‘Conquest,’ Warner Bros, have certainly added another triumph to their long list of special features. Aii aviation episode starting at the Bay of Whales, the base of all expedition ships, forms the beginning to the story, which develops along uow lines to end in the best possible fashion. Two aviators leave the base in a ’plane to pitch the American flag at the South Pole. America follows the progress of the flight by radio until the machine runs into a snow storm, against which the airmen blindly fight. But their efforts are in vain, and the aeroplane crashes amidst.dense snow and shattered ice. One aviator iis found by the rescuers, the other being reported dead. Relations and friends in America receive the nows of the death' with great sorrow, but welcome, the hero_ of the flight in a loval fashion on his return to his own country.' Drama has already entered the story, but at this point it becomes more tense and holds the audience in a yyce-like grip of expectancy. One incident is quickly overshadowed by another, each one more unexpected than its predecessor. And the players are not wanting in screen craft. Monte §lue and H. B. Warner know exactly what is required of them, and in their respective roles they create characters that will long he remembered. Lois Wilson, the leading lady, gives a creditable performance, too, while all the other principals are obviously selected players. 4 Conquest ’ is an all-talking picture, and it can truthfully he said that the 1 speech reproduction is as good as any vet heard here. A complete musical programme played pianissimo forms a very pleasing background to the talking. The music is 'never allowed to obtrude, but its presence is apparent to the attentive listener Scenery, especially picturing the frozen south, plays ah important part in the general effect of 4 Conquest.’ The short subjects on the new programme set the seal of completion oh a splendid entertainment. Rex Shepp, one of America’s greatest banjo players. who prefers to use his finger tips on the strings of the instrument to a plecton, gives 'a very acceptable short turn. He plays two or three wellknown airs, and demonstrates his complete mastery over the banjo. Two aongs, known and enjoyed by the majority, are sung by Reinold Werrenrath; a baritone who ranks very high in the musical world. Speake’s setting of Kipling’s 4 On the Road to Mandalay ’ is a favourite with baritones, but its repetition never seems to lose its first impression on its hearers. This was Werrenrath’s first item, while his second was the always delightful ‘Duna.’ Stanbury and Gamborelli prqvide ten minutes of absolute pleasure in their offering. Dressed in the styles of a 1 decade ago, the, two delight with singing and dancing. The male member .or ; the , duo, meeting the lady ih a garden in full bloom, sings to her a song of love, and then seats hinlself upon a stone seat to view her graceful toe dancing to the strains of that irresistible air, ‘The Glow Worm Idyll.’; This is a picture that should have "'an instant appeal'.to both young

•THE IRON MASK'

ENTERS SECOND WEEK AT STRAND' 4 The Iron Mask,’ a United Artists film based on the famous stories by Alexandre Dumas, entered the second week of its season at the Strand Theatre yesterday, and, judging by the large audiences at both sessions it still appears to be a popular attraction. Douglas Fairbanks, who was exceptionally successful as D’Artagnan in 4 The Three Musketeers,’ appears in the same role in ‘The Iron Mask,’ and his work is of considerable merit. Although the film is not an ordinary talkie, Douglas Fairbanks speaks in the introduction, and some fine chorus work has also been included in ■ the action of the filral The first part of_ the picture takes place during-the reign of Louis XIII., when the four musketeers wield their swords in defence of their king and his infant son. The time of the second part is, twenty years later during the early period of the regime of the young Louis XIV. , D’Artagnan and his companions are as valiant and loyal in their guardianship of the hew King as they were of his father. D’Artagnan solves: the mystery of the man in the iron mask, outwits, the 1 cardinal and his conspirators, restores the rightful Louis to his throne, and goes to his grave with the baton of the M-arechal of France upon his" breast. * ■ Lovers of the Dumas novels will find, that the players in this picturisation’ of the stories admirably fit the brilliant Frenchman’s descriptions of his 1 characters. , The leading player is sup-' ported by a carefully-chosen cast. The programme also includes talkie and silent “shorts.”

EPIC TO HEROISM

‘THE LOST PATROL’ AT GRAND AND PLAZA

A sergeant and ten men, an English | cavalry patrol, are lost in the desert through the action of the chief officer, 1 who is killed, in keeping their destina-1 tion orders to hi iself. They camp in an oasis, and in the morning discover the sentry dead, _ the corporal badly wounded, and their horses stolen. The oasis is sniped by Arabs and slowly, 1 but surely each man meets his death, j until only the sergeant remains. He, : realising that death is at hand, prepares to tackle the enemy singlehanded, and succeeds in killing four men before he also succumbs. Here is the story told in ‘The Lost Patrol,’ an epic of British endurance during the Great War in Mesopotamia, which is the current attraction at the Grand and Plaza Theatres. i The finals of the amateur vaudeville trials held at the Plaza Theatre during the past week will be staged at that theatre to-night, when fourteen variety turns will be included in the " pro-1 cramme. ' i

At the Grand Theatre an additional picture is ‘ Children of the Ritz,’ starring Dorothy Mackaill and Jack MulhalT. As Angela, spoiled younger daughter of the Pennington millions, Miss Mackaill is allowed to romp through more clothes : and better sets than ever, before, while Mulhall, her chauffeur husband, who blossoms for a time into a New York spendthrift, carries the -burden of a more-than-ordihary comedy-drama plot. These two favourites have a whole cast of young people with thenT who make the picture lively and good to look at. .... - ■■ .... • • - ■ . • j

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE

BRITISH SPECIAL HEADS FILM The success of a number of recent British films is paving the way for the Home Land industry, and .‘The Flight Commander,’ the latest British special production to bo shownin Dunedin, was given a warm reception at Everybody’s Theatre yesterday, when it was initially presented. ‘The Flight Commander’ is a story of the newest branch of defence, the air. . Sir Alan Cobham, the world-renowned and popular British aviator, is seen in this,;picture. The other players are Estelle Brody and John Stuart. ‘The Flight Commander ’ tells of a far outpost of the British Empire, where the' local British, merchant is entirely surrounded by a native uprising, fostered by Communists. Some fierce fighting takes Clace, ;but the little group are saved y the arrival of a detachment ’of aeroplanes. i Bringing to the screen for the first time in. important roles two ■ admirable young players, and bringing back, after an absence of two years, a director who has made many outstanding pictures, is ‘ The Veiled Woman,’ the second picture on the current programme. The story, typically Parisian in theme and settings, is extremely interesting. Nanon,. daughter of a fine but impoverished , family, is employed in a beauty shop to support her sick father. Her fiance refuses to many her because the family fortune is lost. She attempts to steal a necklace to got money for medicine for her father, but is saved, from’ becoming a, thief by Pierre, a gigolo, who happens to see her. Pierre hears her story, helps her with money, and she.becomes a lure for his gambling house.

mm DOUBLE Blit AT KIHD EDWARD

Forced to enter the' den of a ferocious tiger to return a lady’s glove, in order to prove his love for the woman, Adolphe Menjou becomes entangled in'a series of thrilling' situations in his latest Paramount starring production, ‘His Tiger Lady,’ which is now showing at the King Edward Theatre. Menjou has been given a decidedly different role in this picture, an. adaptation of Alfred Savoir s play, ‘ Super of the Gaiety.’ The star is cast as a mere extra man of theFolies Bergere,. Paris, who falls in love with a rich lady and wins her through impersonation. His only suit, a shiny, blue affair, is ruined hry teasing colleagues back-stage in the theatre, and the clothes he wears on the stage are all Menjou has left. In the garb of a maharajah, he sets out to. have a grand time, resulting in his affair With the lady and her ultimatum that unless he rescues her glovei from the tiger’s den she will never see him again. ‘The Veiled Woman,* a drama of lives, lores, and emotions laid in Paris, is the other attraction.