AMUSEMENTS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 April 1918, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS.

OPERA HOUSE. .To-night only at the Opera House, Olive Thomas, the famous Midnight Follies' star in the Triangle feature "An Even Break,'' and the presentation of two episodes (the fifth and sixth) of "the Secret Kingdom," will be the attraction by Pollards Pictures at the Opera House tonight only. The famous Harrison Fisher Girl will be seen at the top of her success in the picture drama which has set all America talking "An Even Break." The play has its seroius moments too, and her emotional acting is very fine, in the scene in .which she realises that the man she has,'learned to love is engaged to an old playmate of his own town. The story is ah. illuminating story of the stage, as the stage is known in the gay "lobster \ palaces" of modern Broadway. The heroine is i the idol '-of the midnight pleasureseekers, and has been tormented to death alinoH by the attentions of ■ all sorts of wealthy idlers. Howeyer, she has'kept her'bonny feet away from the path of peril,, and gives a clean heart to the old friend of her girlhood who turns up to ,pee .her dancing turn. The scenes at 31 inbt's cafe are miracles of film photo, graphy, particularly the great bal!et scene where the dancers in the flimsiest garb, are shown with fantastical light effects upo'i their transparent floating draperies. A gigantic musical comedv on canvass almost described "An Even .Break," for although it is a picture, the "Jazs" bards .the'ballets, the songs -There's a Little Bit of Bad in everv Good .Little Girl," the choi-uses, and all the rest are sta'rtlingly real. The first fiart will be devoted to the screening of "Circiage Call 101," the fifth episode -rf "Th-* Pecret Kingdom." and "Human Flotsam" the sixth episode. This splendid programme can only' be seen to-night as it must be sent away by express overland to-morrow morning. Thursday evening will witness the screening of thi Triangle feature "Hell to Pay Austin." and on Friday evening a big World ..Film snoerfeattire "Then I'll Come Back to Yon" . jvnfl "The Intervention of Tito," the Mth -r;riA.r)ter of'-"The Iron Claw," will be Pol- • laird'a attraction.. ■ •,:

•x. : '!A, DAUGHTER OF THE, GODS." the TdSvh* Hall to-night the highly - praised cinematographic spectacle, '"A Daughter of the Gods," opens its season in Its short season of tonight, Friday night, and a grand matinee oft)s"&iturday afternoon, will undoubtedly draw Greymouth's record houses. Con. eiderable interest centres upon the appearance of Annette Kellermann, tne noteVd' Australian swimmer as the heroine ofcfthe picture.' This beautiful and ma»- / ni'flqently mounted William Fox effort is Hotnething that will be equally popular wi|h young and. old, with its story of true lovera even : when death could not divide, even" though one perished by the other's hand. Annette Kellermann, in the title role,; gives a wonderfully realistic, perforfriahce, and her: aquatic feats, which occur naturally and smoothly in the sequence of the story, add not a little to ' itsVihterest. It is a tale of love and ambition, and the pure radiance of the unpelfiflh devotion, flavoured with the Orient, tinctured with a fatalistic course ofc'vevents that bridges ages, and girt about with mermaids, elves, gnomes, and water-babies that would convince the 'mqst'sceotical as to the existence of thes? delightful beings. And there is a bad v witch, and -her satellites, and a vast demoniac God ; of Destruction, who rains fiery, terror upon the earth, but whose • moves the good fairy—otherwise the Queen of Kindness —is able to counter most times. .The storming of the Sultan's city by the-army of gnomes (miraculously turned into mighty men of valour, wh : le Anita, the daughter of the gods, leads then*) is a luridly spectacular sight. The illiisionary appearance of the good fairy and;, the bad witch are wonderfully later electing to disappear in oH-fashioned way dear to those peen readers of fairy tales—in a!cloud of fire and brimstone, duly mounted on a broomstick. Many of the scenes are .exceedingly impiessive. One which may be mentioned particularly is that of the destruction cf the Sultan's city by. fire. Others are purely beamriful and fanciful and 'in that class may be placed thV'jand of the gnomes and elves, and the seascape arid waterfall pictures. There are thousands of actors, whose picturesque " costuming lends an air of reality to the parts they are called upon to play. The end'is more than satisfaotory,*as the end of all good stories shouldrbe. f;The Prince arid.the Princess, after many tribulations anoV'trials, .meet in a cloud of radiance, unci are taken away by the mermaids to a mopt beautiful place, wherethey are Hv_ ing Happily to-day. Seats may be booked

at A* E. Kilgour's. This mighty spectacle will" be screened at Runanga on Ihursday, April 11th ; Blackoall,, Saturday, April loth; hokitika, Monday, April Isifrj and 'Reefton, Tuesday, April 16th. TOWN HALL. Emmy Wehlen in Sowers and Reapers, a- five-act Metro, Wonderplay, of a wile who triumphed over intrigue, will be shown at the Peerless Pictures on Thursday only. The story in brief is as follows :—Annie Leigh is a factory girl, young and pretty. She meets Earlc Courtney, whose father is wealthy. He falls in "love with her. They are secretly wedded. Courtney's father had chosen a sjcn girl to be his bride. Learning of his son's secret alliance, he separates him from his factory girl-wife. There is a fire in the factory where Annie works. A girl is burned to death. Her body is identified ns that of Annie. Courtney, believ. ing his wife to be dead, is persuaded by his father to marry the rich girl. Annie, meantime, has gone to the city where he lives. There a son is born to hev. Then Fate becomes kind lo the girl. She earns fame and wealth as a motion picture star. Young Courtney lose shis fortune. He and his wife are thrown at the mercy of ♦ Annie. Her revenge consists in producing a picture play which tolls the tragic stoi - y of her own early life. Courtney sees the picture and recognises in the star his secret bride. His heiress-wife does not love him. She-elopes with a young artist. Courtney seeks out Annie. He explains everything. He pleads with h,er before their child. And she gives him a woman's answer, based on woman's judgment of true love. VERNA BAIN, DANCING STAR.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, next, 15th and 16th April, Mr Pollard will 'present to the Greymouth public the celebrated phenomenal child dancer of the world "Verna Bain." This clever young dancer has just completed a starring en. gagement in Australia and the East find has just arrived from South Africa after a record-breaking season ihere. A leading South African paper prints the following :—There is something very attractive in the dancing of Little Verna, who opened at the Empire last night with a number of original creations. Although only a tiny mite, Verna has the right artistic temperament, and the rhythm of her movements, her sense of the beautiful, and the dainty manner in which she carries out all her dances, at once establishes her a firm favourite, especially with the more artistically inclined section of the public. Ker interpretation cf "The Dyinif Swan" was pathetically pretty —so pretty, indeed, that mnny who have seen this scenic dance performed by terpsichorean artists who are regarded as being in the very front rank of their profession were transoorted to a state of enthusiasm at Little Verna's interpretation. In "Coppelia" she was the true little butterfly who captivated everyo"e. while in ""The Allies' Dance" she did ertvenjely clever and oretty wo»'k. If thorp is a cleverer dancer—big or little—than V'erna 1-tst. night's nud : ence ■"■milil crive much to fee b"r. "Mr Bain." the famous <-o;vedian and chirar;_ - impersonate"', whom name i-s a hor"" 1 - hnld word, will lie <-cen in some of Ms best chai''ictf>v sketches nnrl nrj-to-da*" Fon<*s. Mr "Rain has "stablisbod Vnmself fl« n, '-olid' 'favourite wherever he appeal fed pnd iustlv pi, for his talents as a. onni'V. ojn.fT n j*d d"" Y na + ic nvHst nr- 1 ro -•"it irg ranks of vaudeville and variety arthts. MrSTEPS' TTAT.L. BTTN AW! \ . William Fox's mighty million dollar spectacle "A Daughter of the Gods," -featuring that most beautifully-formed woman in the world, Miss Annette Kellermann will be presented at the Peerless Pictures in the above hall on Thursday evening. It is described as the highest achievement in picture classics. The following are a few facts concerning the production of this remarkable picture :—The total number of people appearing in the picture is 21,000, of which number 19.0C0 were required for one scene. In all 3000 horses and 1200 donkeys were also used. For the scenes depicting the Gnome city 1200 children were required, while 200 mermaids are to be seen in the coastal views. A Moorish city was built specially and immediately destroyed by fire, in order to obtain a. spectacular effect. The entire action takes place on a tropical island .acquired especially for the production. Miss Kellermann, proclaimed by sculptors to possess the. ideal womanly form, has, it is said, eclipsed all her previous aouatie achievements in "A Daughter of the Gods." She is enabled to ex. hibit her swimming, divinf, dancing and fencing skill in the most effective and exquisite natural settings.