PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21231, 12 October 1932, Page 5

PICTURE THEATRES

REGENT The whole atmosphere of ‘Mr Bill, the Conqueror,’ which is a brilliant comedy-drama of rural England, is steeped in the spirit of Merrie England. Charming and beautifully photographed scenery is beheld in every season, and in every mood, and the story, which is handled with sympathy, imagination, and understanding, is typically English in sentiment and in humorous relief. The story of the picture is a fascinating mixture of power, light-heartedness, and simplicity. Henry Kendall, whose work in ‘The Flying Fool ’ won him many friends, is still better as the chief character (Bill) in this new picture. He shows quite convincingly how a young society man can settle down to the peaceful life —and like it. As the farmer’s daughter, Rosemary, Heather Angel gives a charming and natural portrayal, her whole personality being too essence of fresh English womanhood. Sam Livesey is suitably cast as David Lannich. He and Kendall are seen in a stirring fistic encounter in a country inn. The supporting characters are all very impressive in their various parts. This outstanding film is supported by a fine sequence of supports. EMPIRE Barbara Stanwyck at her finest is the first summary of ‘So Big,’ at the Empire Theatre, that comes to mind. But it is not a complete summary. It ■ is not fair to leave out the other members of the cast—George Brent, Bette Davis, Dorothy Peterson, Alan Hale, ■ and the rest of a sterling array of players. ‘So Big ’ is a screen version of Edna Ferber’s greatest novel, and it is a version of which all concerned with the production may well be proud. The story of Selina Peake (Barbara Stanwyck), dramatic and utterly human, is told as Edna Ferber conceived it; the atmosphere is that of the book itself, the characters ot the author’s imagination have taken on ■flesh and blood. _ y One’s memories are many as one leaves the theatre, and all .of them are rich and deep and moving. First and foremost is Barbara Stanwyck’s portrayal of Selina—a great character, typically American, if ever fiction and the screen have known one. And one remembers George Brent, and Dickie, and the rest' of the really great cast ! which surrounds one of the most admirable young actresses that the screen has been fortunate enough to find. Admirable direction by William A. Wellman, whose touch is that of a master; exquisite photography, whose beauty at times snatches the breath away; above all, acting that is powerful but restrained and altogether natural—these qualities carry ‘ So Big ’ to a Height rarely attained. There is a fine array of supporting _ films, and organ selections are provided by Mr Paul Culle'n. ST. JAMES ‘ The Misleading Lady,’ at the St. James, presents a strange admixture of sophisticated comedy and genuinely original humour, and is possessed of a theme as unusual as it is striking. The story of a girl who sets out to extract a proposal of marriage from an unwilling admirer in order to prove her suitability for the leading feminine role in a certain stage production is told in this comedy. At the moment when fate seemed to be playing into her hands an unexpected twist is given to the story by the fact that the wouldbe enchantress discovers that she has herself fallen in love. From then on events move rapidly. After a series of exciting events a satisfactory climax is reached. In ■ the -leading feminine role; Claudette Colbert gives a highly emotional rendering of her part and Edmund Lowe is convincing. STRAND Edward G. Robinson makes of ‘Letters of Fire,’ at the Strand, a film to he long remembered. He appears as a ruthless managing editor of an American paper, the policy of which is to delve into the secrets of the past and print sensational stories to build up a circulation. For a time Hie Gazette ’ has been losing ground in circulation, and at a meeting of the heads of the departments, it is resolved that the editor should run a serial story on a famous murder trial, in which the murderess was acquitted on account of a child. The editor dislikes the idea, buft he intends to teach the others a lesson, by painting the story “redder” than they have thought could be possible. Due to the release of this distasteful scandal, a happy home is broken up, the woman in the case along with her husband poisoning themselves on the wife’s child’s wedding day. A stirring climax is reached in which the editor 1 washes his hands of the whole affair, whilst he tells his manager.what ho thinks of the quest for greater circulation. Excellent featurettes complete the bill.

OCTAGON At the Octagon Theatre, ‘ Almost Married,’ a Fox mystery thriller, featuring Violet Heming, Ralph Bellamy, and Alexander Kirkland, deals with the weird, eerie struggle between two lovers and a mad musician of unbalanced genius and insanity. It is said to plumb the obscure, _ opaque depths or the_ subconscious mind, developing situations that are shivery and creepy to the f‘ nth” degree. The film is based on ‘The Devil’s Triangle,’ by Andrew Soutar. ‘The Command Performance.’ a story of intrigue and adventure in European courts, with a central theme of a romance between an actor and a princess, is also showing. Thp story is interesting, for it revolves round the everpopular device of mistaken identity. In the starring part, Neil Hamilton plays a dual role with considerable ability. He has as his heroine Una Merkel as the princess, and others of note in the cast are Albert Gran, Lawrence Grant, and Thelma Todd. KING EDWARD The feature picture at the King Edward Theatre to-night will be ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,’ in which Fredric March plays the dual role. Jekyll concentrates on his experiments, hoping to convince his friend, Dr Lanyon (Holmes Herbert), of the truth of his theory. Jekyll is in his laboratory, determined to find the drug that will eliminate evil. After mixing several liquid chemicals he becomes greatly interested in the compound. Iservously he jots down a few notes, then drains the glass. Convulsed with pain, he is immediately transformed into a hideous being, with the .ugly, sneering face of Mr Hyde. The climax is a most exciting one.