‘FIVE AND TEN'

Evening Star, Issue 20988, 30 December 1931, Page 5

‘FIVE AND TEN'

MARION DAVIES’ HEW PICTURE * Five and Ten,’ the talkie version of Fannie Hurst’s celebrated novel, comes to the Strand on Friday with Marion Davies in the starring role. This him is of particular interest because it affords the star new latitude for her talents, supplying her with a more dramatic vehicle than the light comedies in which she recently appeared. Miss Davies’s characterisation in the new production is a striking one, demanding emotional intensity as well as the comedy flair for which she is famed. The story was adapted by Edith Fitzgerald from the Fannie Hurst novel of a newly-rich family, first appearing in serial form in ‘ Cosmopolitan Magazine,’ later attaining best-seller prominence in book form published by Harpers. It is a distinctly modern story, dealing with the futility of piling up wealth and the fight of two very modern young women of opposite ideals for the affections of a man. The picture has as its locale New York, and the principal motivation is obtained in the founding of the Derick fortune upon a world-wide chain of five-and-ten-cent stores. As a monument to this achievement the elder Derick builds the tallest skyscraper on earth. His daughter, Jennifer, anxious to win the young architect, obtains the contract for him, but in so doing is misunderstood. Berry, believing she tried to “buy” him, promptly weds her society rival. Tragic complications are brought about through the suicide of the young brother, heartbroken at the discovery of his mother’s amours and the probable compromising of his sister. Particularly imposing is the supporting cast with,which Miss Davies has been surrounded in her initial dramatic effort. Leslie Howard, distinguished young British stage star, plays opposite • her as Berry, the architect of proud ancestry but impoverished purse. Howard will be remembered for his stake and screen work in ‘Outward Bound.’ He last appeared in films in ‘ Never the Twain Shall Sleet.’ Included in the splendid cast are Diehard Bennett, father of Constance and Jean, Kent Douglass, and Mary Duncan, the screen’s diminutive siren, who plays the part of the “ other woman,”