PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21076, 13 April 1932, Page 5

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Unusual qualities for entertainment are contained in the Warner Brothers’ production ‘ Bought ’ at the Empire Theatre. This is_ the story of a girl who wishes to gain access to the portals of high society, but in achieving this success she brings disillusionment on herself. The part of the young girl is taken by Constance Bennett, and her real father acts as the screen father who spends all his time in scheming for his daughter’s happiness. Opposite Constance Bennett is Ben Lyon, in the role of a rising young writer, whose romance with her is broken because of her engagement to one of the bestknown members of New York’s society. When her fiance refuses her due recognition on hearing the circumstances of her birth, the young girl’s taste for society is terminated. A return is made to the poorer quarters of the city, and the struggle for existence begins again. This film has particular attractions in the capable acting of the principal players. The photography is a worthy standard, and there are many charming settings for the social scenes. The supporting attractions which make up a particularly strong programme, include a sensational series of acrobatic feats by “ The Aerial Four,” and organ selections by Mr Paul Cullen. . REGENT The colourful production, ‘ Carnival,’ which is being shown at the Regent Theatre, captures perfectly the exuberant spirit of gaiety and abandon which characterises life in Italy. The scenes of gondolas and gentle, lapping water, which flow in never-ending succession across the screen, create beauty and enchantment. In spite of the exacting nature of the. theme, the artists never allow the action to become theatrical. There is a notable cast of players, including Matheson Lang as the somewhat tragic Silvio Steno, and Dorothy' (formerly Chili) Bouchier, who makes a sylph-like figure of his dainty, frivolous wife, eagerly sought by other men. Joseph Schildkraut is a handsome count as the passionate lover who would come between man and wife. An uncommonly fine child study is contributed by little Dickie Edwards, who gives a performance of sensitive Some really' entertaining featurettes comprise the first part of the bill. BT. JAMES There is a good deal to be said for Cecil B. De Mille’s claim that ‘ The Squaw Man,’ the talkie now at the St. James, is a play containing the elements of immortality. Certainly its emotional scope is as wide as the scope of its action, which shifts in a manner full of interest between the stately homes of England’s aristocracy and the barren Hills and cactus bushes of Arizona. Within’ these two extremes of locality is told a story filled with elemental passions and problems—the love of one man for another man’s wife, jealousy, hatred, self-sacrifice, and devotion, murder and heroism, the bar of colour and the heritage of birth, and the power of mother-love and fatherlove, Warner Baxter, Lupe Velez, and Eleanor Boardman head the exceptionally good cast. There are good supports, a film of Phar Lap’s last races in Australia being particularly interesting. OCTAGON Almost on the border between the State of Texas and the Republic of Mexico, but just within the boundary of the latter, in the days when right was chiefly judged by physical prowess and ability to shoot straight and quickly in emergencies, there nestled a little town by the name of Tres Vacas, where a dancer called Lasca ruled over many men. Now, Lasca’s most obedient subject was Joso Santa Cruz, a wealthy land and cattle owner of Portuguese and Indian extraction, who desired to make the girl his wife, in order to gain a great possession and to establish himself as a conqueror indeed. One day during the height of a fiesta, a handsome, young American ranger rode into the township, and at the door of a saloon met Lasca. _ Prom that meeting occurred a _ series of events, tragic and romantic, which form the spectacular and arresting drama, ‘ Lasca, of the Rio Grande,’ which is the main feature now at the Octagon, ‘The Homicide Squad,’ a startling American police drama, is on the same bill. In this production Noah Beery is seen as a captain of detectives on the police force of a great city, and the leading nemesis of death-dealing gangsters who pursue their nefarious “ rackets ” in the city. Leo Carrillo, Mary Brian, Russell Gleason, and George Brent are also in the cast, STRAND As a film production, ‘Dreyfus,’ at the Strand, is a masterpiece. Its authencity and accuracy of detail is vouched for by competent authorities still living, and all that is best of British craftsmanship combines to make it the ’ Disraeli ’ of 1932; acted with a full sense of the dramatic, it draws sympathy spontaneously—the sympathy that is always accorded the victim of injustice by a British audience. We see Dreyfus happy with his wife and children, and conscious only of the fact that he is serving his country with the utmost integrity; then, an innocent man, ho is accused of the vilest crime that a soldier can commit—-espionage and high treason; as a way out lie is offered the means of committing suicide, but he refuses. Broken and degraded—torn from his home —a distraught wife comforting her children with a promise of their father’s early return, when ho is to die slowly on Devil’s Island. Excellent “shorts” precede Dreyfus.’ KING EDWARD ‘ The Modern Age,’ one of the attractions at the King Edward, is one of the best in which Joan Crawford has appeared, and she plays superbly. With Pauline Frederick, Neil Hamilton, and Monroe Owsley, the lastnamed as a very comical character, the star acts her way through a story, set amid the gay society of Paris, that affords great interest and amusement. The other picture on the programme is ‘ Tell England,’ which deals largely with the Gallipoli campaign. The camera has treated the naval bombardment, the Anzac landing, and the raid on “Clara,” a Turkish trench mortar, with real eloquence. Good acting comes from two very pleasant young men, Carl Harbord and Tony Bruce, and Fay Compton and C. M. Hallard are also sound.