ENTERTAINMENTS.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1676, 21 December 1911, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS.

PRICE'S PICTURES

Yet another programme of star pic- | turcs Avas presented to his ]»atrons by Mr Price, last night, A Pathe Gazette illustrated surne of ■(Im recent happenings in tin; Old World including snapshots of the sculling race between Jack, Arnst and Albany in: which the latter won by tlireo lengths. "Ice Effects in Odessa showed .some, weird formations into which Jack Frost had playfully turned water. '•'Beauty_Spots in Prince Ohiff's Land' , was a picture of the- beautilul mountain Kce-ucry of Nurway. Lovers of birds and donustic animals were satisfield in two nature studies, ''Farm yard 'Acquaintances;" and "TJinner Time."' ■•Eugene Grandid," from whom ilie .picture- takes its ■namu, to save her lover's iatlur from ruin and death, takes her marriage portion from her lather's secret store. That is the plot of a stirring dramavie study -lruso-hted last night. "Tv.o Woh't.'s and a Lnnib,-' , a story of American Inisiiicss Ufa. The Wolves try to tleeee the Lamb who is rather rich, but thanks to the- st-onognipher the wolves are caught in .In ir own net. Another good picturo. containing n. novel way of curing a .sick boy was ''the Clown's Best Performance." After a visit h> a circus the. buy. is fascinated by tho antic.* of a certain clown. Shortly afterwards the boy falls ill and refuses ■'o take his medicine. Nothing seems to satisfy him until in desperation the father asks the clown to perform bciore the boy. The effect was magical. Tho boy goes to :sle; p and after a long struggle iv which the clown ha.s to take a very active part, the uoctor i-s

able to pronounce the crisis past. "A Deul in Indians," an amusing record of the tioublo caused by adopting a grown-up Indian. This ".Indian has a terrible thirst which nothing seemed to satisfy. This caused all the trouble, but how were straightened out readers should see for themselves. All the other comic pictures were- good ■as well as tho antics of two comic acrobats, which sent the patrons home in a good mood. "ESMERALDA" AND THE LYCEUM PICTURES. » It has arrived! "Esmeralda/ , the photo-play version of Victor Jdu«-o's masterpuce of liction, "Notre Dame " was screened in tho Lyceum Theatre last night before a crowd of patrons who were struck by the wealth of detail, tiie splendid acting, and the impressiveness of the whole oi : tho lengthy picture. /J 1 ho plot of Hugos groat story is interesting Oiaudo Frollo, the- priest whose austere hie and tamitical observances had seated widespread awe, and Quasimodo, the hump-backed bellringer, are tound busily engaged in alchemic studies in oiio of the tunvs of Notre Dame Cathedral. Abandoned on tho

(mindling* [able at Iho door of .Notre Dame, an ungainly and mis-shapen inlant—n source of terror to a number «t gossiping women who had seen ithad been twenty years before succoured by the priest and brought up by him within the precino:s of Notre Dame. He was named by the priest Quasimodo, that being the Saint Day upon, which the mlant was found. Quasimodo is one of the most curious mixtures that iignrcs in a dramat;ic s'ory Deal and a monster, h e ] u ,d b n , tt wo affections m life—for his benefactor, Claude Irollo, and for J,j s belovoci bells. A perfect liatred of women was a marked Icnturc in Claude I'rollo's iiiniitieißHij and when he saw Esmeralila dancmg on tlio jiavcmont of iNotro Diime, aecoinpaniecl by ]i O r fay-

ounto companion, a KOtlf , upon whoso antics &]] o largely relied for tho pence ot ]ier -audiences, a sudden instinct of vengcanco inspired the priest who plotted with his henchman, Quasimodo,, to have her carried off The girl is rescued by Phoebus, Captain "of the Jloyal Ai-cliers, ibut succeeds in disappea-rmg. Poor, unfortunate tjuasimodo is hurried away to tho pillory, where lie is subjected to the. most atrocious of tortures. Taking pity upon 'the- •unfortunate dwarf Esmeralda. relieves his sufferings with a drink of water from the gourd at her girdle. Then a "big tear was seen to

fall and roll slowly down Quasimodo's I distorted visage, and it was the- first, j in all probability, iha-t the unfortunate wretch had ever shed. In the next scene Captain Phoebus is found making love to Esmeralela, tho girl whose life he had saved. Claude Frollo, who meanwhile had himself become enamoured of tho gipsy's charms and had fought against his lapse with all the force of which he was capable, was a witness of 'the love scene, and, unable to control himself, he plunges a dagger into the Captain's heart and disappears. Esmeralda is arrested for murder, and, yielding to torture, confesses to a crime of which she was innocent. The unfortunate gipsy girl is condemned to do penance barefooted upon the steps of Notre Dame prior to being handed over the hangman. A dramatic rescue, is effected by Quasimodo, to whom Esmeralda was as a breath of air from Heaven, and he conceals her in a secret hiding place in 'the cathedral, whose inmost recesses were familiar to him. Now comes the most tragic occurrence of this most tragic story. In a fit of religious frenzy, united to unconquerable passion, Frollo discovers the secret of Esmeralda , s hiding place, and delivers her over for execution. At that moment the laugh of a demon—a i laugh which one can only give vent to when one is no longer human—bursts forth on the priest's face. Quasimodo retreated several steps behind him, and suddenly hurling himself upon [ him with fury, pushed him with his I large hands over the 'battlements, I upon which Frollo had been leaning. All these features in Hie tragic story were thrown on the screen last night, and the film is a triumph in photography. "Esmeralda" will be shown .again to-night, again at a special matinee for country visitors to-morrow afternoon, and finally on Saturday night. The programme also contains several beautiful travel and dramatic pictures, and some amusing episodes. The musical programme provided by Herr Berger's Orchestra was an espeoiallv enjoyable one last night, the selections including "The Halllujah Chorus" and "La- Miserere."