EXCITING WESTERN YARN

Evening Star, Issue 21090, 30 April 1932, Page 9

EXCITING WESTERN YARN

ZAHE GREY ADAPTATIOH AT STRAMD With the advent of the talkies Western pictures seemed to sink almost into oblivion, but the Fox Company has revived this class of entertainment, the latest being one of Ziwa Grey’s most exciting stories, ‘ The Rainbow Trail, as the material to work upon. 'J hat picture audiences still really like this typo of adventurous romance was fully indicated last night at the Strand Theatre, where the picture received its initial Dunedin screening. ‘ The Rainbow Trail ’ is one of the best of many fine outdoor pictures that have been shown recently. _ Evidently Fox has the very wise conviction that it does not pay to put inferior work into ti film, <uicl tlio result is £i inttliupj good story of excitement that, so far as direction, technique, and acting are concerned, can bear comparison with a good many of the society and sex “ specials ” that appear from time to time. So far as scenic beauty goes, < The Rainbow Trail 1 is excellent. In all the important scenes the action is really set against the awe-inspiring splendour of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and if for no other reason ‘The Rainbow Trail’ should be _ seen for its eye-filling vistas of majestic cliffs, great chasms, narrow trails, and fantastic piles of queerly-shaped rocks. There are reasons why the picture should please. There is George O’Brien in the leading role of Shefford, and O’Brien is admitted to be the best portrayer of Western characters on the screen to-day. He gives a performance equally as good as that of the famous cowboy star, Tom Mix, who appeared in the silent version of the same story some years ago. There is nothing farfetched about O’Brien—what he does he does naturally, even when it involves some almost superhuman feat of daring. His heroine is Cecilia Parker, who is well suited for the part of Fay Larkin. The fooling in the picture is in the capable hands of_ Roscoe Ates and J. M. Kerrigan, while others appearing are Minna Gombell, James Kirkwood, and Robert Fraser—all names that prove the strength of the cast.

There is action all the time in ‘ Tho Rainbow Trail,’ and it is action of tho kind that film fans love—hard riding over dangerous trails, fast shooting, and hair-breadth escapes from outlaws and renegade Indians. Determined to rescue the three who have been shut off for years from civilisation in tho secret valley, Shefford, tho hero, falls foul of the band of outlaws who are equally determined to keep them there because of the rich gold deposits in the valley. Helped by his Irish friend and an Indian chief whom he has befriended, Shefford penetrates the bandits’ camp, rescues the heroine from tho clutches of tho villain-in-chief, and, fighting a rearguard action that is filled with thrills, eventually achieves his object. A comedy entitled ‘ Peace and Quiet ’ is also shown' on the new programme. This features Herbert Munclin, the comedian who has already made tho acquaintance of Dunedin audiences as a member of a J. C. Williamson cast, and who is responsible for a good many laughs in this exceptionally well conceived comedy. Two very interesting news reels suitably fill up the rest of the programme.