AN HONEST CRITICISM

Evening Star, Issue 22192, 21 November 1935, Page 14

AN HONEST CRITICISM

ARLISS IN ‘ CARDINAL RICHELIEU * It might have been thought that Mi* Georg© Ariiss had reached the zenitli of his. screeii career with his performance in ‘ The House of Rothschild.’' The very excellence of that production seemed to be, an obstacle to his further triumphs by constituting, an extremely, high standard of comparison for all his subsequent work. But “ Rothschild ”* can no longer be the criterion for Mr Ariiss; its place is taken by his latest 20th Century production, ‘Cardinal Richelieu,’ which will start at The Regent to-morrow. The star’s performance as the.'cardinal who was; tha power behind the throne of France in the reign of Louis XIII. is intriguing, entertaining, and always impressive.: He seems to have entirely captured tha character of this famous personage, with the result that there is less of George Ariiss in the portrayal and more of Richelieu. But the star’s acting is not the only reason why ‘ Cardinal Richelieu ’ will be numbered among the first three films in a year of exceedingly good pictures. More spectacular even than ‘ Rothschild,’* and just as full of incident, it contain# the finest collection of subsidiary character sketches that have ever graced the screen. Mr Arliss’s portrayal of the cardinal is the central gem in % setting of brilliant performances. Nona of the players look (as 'is sometimes the case with “period” pictures) as though they have simply dressed for a fancy .dress party; all wear their gorgeous clothes—their plumed hats, their cloaks, and their rapiers—to the manner born. It is this, perhaps' as much as anything, that makes ‘ Cardinal Richelieu ’ such superb entertainment, for the reign' of Louis XIII. was the best-dressed period in all history, and all' the splendour and magnificence of that period have been caught on the screen. Douglas Dumbrille, as the scheming Baradas, Edward Arnold a# the weak King Louis, Francis Lister as his brother, Gaston d’Orleans, Cesar Romero as Andre de Pons, lover of Richelieu’s ward (Maureen O’Sullivan), all act as if they had lived all their lives in the French court of the, 17th century, with its ostentatious display the. cloak for intrigue and treachery,The story makes fascinating.entertainment out of great historical events, full of exciting incident and with dialogua that is brilliant in itself and become# doubly so when spoken by such an artist as Mr Ariiss. The court faction, headed by the Queen Mother and Baradas, are plotting to depose the king in favour of his effete brother. That will mean the strengthening of the landed nobility and weakening of France. Impelled by his love of country, which makes him willing to defy the king and even the Pope himself, the cardinal fights this conspiracy tooth and nail, but is clever enough not to resort to violent methods. The film is the story of his single-handed struggle and eventual triumph. In Mr ■ Arliss’s_ hand# the cardinal is portrayed as an idealist who is cunning in order to do good{ but he Ims a tender side—his interest in his ward (Maureen O’Sullivan) and her romance 'with a gentleman _ of tha court. The perils through tha lovers have to go to reach happiness provides the necessary “human interest” in a pageant of great eventsOne does not need to be a blind ad. mirer of the star to appreciate that in ‘ Cardinal Richelieu ’ there is the kind of entertainment that is a credit to the whole film industry.,