PARAMOUNT NEWS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3282, 27 February 1926, Page 7

PARAMOUNT NEWS

In “Beggar on Horseback,” an early Paramount release, James Cruze is said to hav e his most ambitious production since "The Covered Wagon.” “Beggar on Horseback" is a picturisation of the New York stage success and features Edward Horton and Esther Ralston in the leading roles. Cruze spent a phenomenal amount of time and preparation in filming the production, and the completed scenes are said to constitute one of the most amazingly fantastic productions ever made. One of the largest stages at the Paramount West Coast studio in Hollywood was used for a single set. The story has to do with the dream of a poverty-ridden musical genius —Horton—in which he is pursued by two fascinating young ladiese. "Wild Horse Mesa.” a spectacular film version of Zane Grey’s justly famous novel of the same name, will be released in New Zealand shortly. This unique l melodrama is Paramount’s thtmdering answer to those blase film fans who insist there is nothing new in western features. For if capturing a magnificent wild stallion isn’t new—if the spectacle of thousands of wild horses charging at terrific speed down the sides of a steep canyon towards a treacherous barbed wire trap isn’t startling, thrilling and different—if a dramatic romance in which the hero has for his rivals not only a desperate outlaw and a cunning horse thief, but his own younger brother, isn’t decidedly novel, then “Wild Horse Mesa” is not a radical departure in western productions. On the other hand, if these dynamic scenes—and they are but a few of the many to be found in this thrill-packed picture—have never before been flashed on the screen, then Paramount and Zane Grey deserve salvos of applause for producing a swift, exciting and picturesque photoplay, which has added merit of being original. It is interesting to note that Zane Grey will probably be in New Zealand when this picture is released here.