ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 120, 19 April 1940, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE “RULERS OF THE SEA.” Frank Lloyd, renowned producer-director of many screen masterpieces, offers a new motion picture—one which is being hailed universally as his greatest. Entitled ; “Rulers of the Sea,” it stars Douglas Fairbanks, Junr., Margaret Lockwood, Will Fyile, the great Scottish character actor, • and feature ssuch favourites as George i Bancroft and Montagu Rove. Gloriously and magnificently, in the inimitable manner of Frank Lloyd, it relates the story of the firstlriumphs of steam over sail. It tells of the dream of a Scottish inventor, who believes (hat ho has perfected a steam engine capable of driving a ship across the Atlantic. And it shows two young [icople, two youngsters desperately in love —his daughter and a young first mate disgusted with the brutal treatment of crew on sailing ships—helping to bring that dream to triumphant realisation. Fairbanks is cast as tho sailing man. Margaret Lockwood as the inventor’s daughter, and the great Will Fyffc is seen as the inventor in this outstanding Paramount production. STATE THEATRE. I “HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.” A romance between a gypsy girl and a mendicant jioct, the unholy plotting of a powerful nobleman and the courage and self-sacrifice of a deformed outcast coniprise tho principal themes of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” the current impressive version of Victor Hugo’s classic. With Charles Laughton scoring the char- , actcrisation triumph of his career as tho i pitiable and admirable Quasimodo, the 1 cathedral bell-ringer, the film also pre- > scuts , his new protege,. Maureen O’Hara, I as the gypsy dancer-heroine of this mcm- ■ orable offering. Laid in the Paris of 1482, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame ’ lakes place in and around the famous Notre Dame cathedral, Sainto Chapcile and Other landmarks which are reproduced m enormous bCtling'h peopled with a record cast of 3500 players. When tho gypsy is sentenced to the gallows for a crime o. which the King’s High Justice is gunly, Quasimodo saves her from the executioner at the cost of his own life, but not before } ho causes tho nobleman’s confession and 3 rt-stores the dancer to her poet-lover. The \ stroming of the cathedral by a mob which is singularly opposed by Quasimodo and ' the bell-ringer’s swift-moving efforts on 5 the o-irl’s behalf form the gripping climax t of the spectacle drama. Sir Cedric Ilard--1 wieke Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O’Brien, 2 Alan Marshal, Walter Hampden and 3 Katharine Alexander form a staunch eup--1 liort for Laughton in this RKO Radio pie--1 ture directed by William Dietcrlo.