TWO BRITISH FILMS

Evening Star, Issue 20862, 4 August 1931, Page 5

TWO BRITISH FILMS

NEXT BILL FOR EMPIRE Two excellent British talkies will comprise the outstanding double-feature programme at the Empire Theatre on Friday. They are ‘ Children of Chance,’ starring the brilliant new actress, Elissa Landi,. and ‘ Old .Soldiers Never Die,’ with Leslie Fuller in the lead. Either of.these films would stand by itself on a programme. 1 Children of Chance ’ is aptly named, as it turns out, for it was her work in tiiis film that gave Elissa Landi, hitherto almost unknown, her chance to go over to Hollywood and make good in American pictures. Her acting in such a, film as ‘ Body and Soul ’ proves, it is said, that, she has done that. ‘ Children of Chance ’ is a modern drama of London life among society “ crooks,” a, story which develops along intriguing lines. A smart girl is out io secure a lovely string of pearls, but her double comes on the scene and there is a, good deal of trouble before Hie disappearance of the pearls _ is traced to the right parly. There is a clever take-off of the London stodgy policeman who turns out not to bo as dense as he looks.

The other half of the programme is devoted to a war-time extravaganza, ii comedy which .should keep the audience in a. roar .of laughter from beginning to end. It gives London recruiting scenes in which'the two principals hud themselves enlisted under amusing circumstances. In the camp there are some delightful episodes with the ser-geant-major, whose efforts to make soldiers of them are not exactly a sneeoss. It is claimed to he a Leslie Fuller comedy at its best, with -Max Meshit, Alt Goddard, and others keeping the fun goijig every tumult* of tb? time.;