AMUSEMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 49, 26 February 1918, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS

PEOPLE'S PICTURES. Three extraordinary pictures will be presented at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday night, forming what is considered to be the best yet seen in motion pictures in this city. "The Page Mystery," from a scenic point of view, has attractions of a superior kind. The enow scenee amid which the mystery develops in the later part of the play, are particularly striking, and seen in moonlight the mountain lodge, with its white mantle spread over roof lintels and gables, its open spaces carpeted kneedeep with snow and long gleaming vistas stretching through ( the trees far into the forest, present a picture of incomparable beauty. The cast is a triple one of great strength, and includes Carlyle Blackwell, June Elvidge, and Arthur Ashley, the latter in the role which he plays so well of a dissolute wastrel. The mystery element develops quickly. First of all Alan "VVinthrop, the hero, comes upon a beautiful voung girl who is just about to take her life. She refuses to divulge her identity. Then he discovers in the lodge where the party is staying-a secret-bed-room. The final problem is the authorship of the strange death of Colonel Page. Many of the scenes are taken in the Adirondack Mountains, -at., a summer resort. They were taken, however, in the dead of winter, and the. resultis a more than usually lovely collection of fantastic snow scenes., ut;/ 'Bitter Truth," aptly described as "a drama of -a woman's soul." is a story -of a young woman who, during five years' incarceration in gaol, broods over the revenge which she means to take upon the judge who sentenced her, and then, when the opportunity comes, ends by falling in love with him. Such is the bitter truth which confronts Anne at the very moment; when she is expected to denounce Judge Marcus, and prejudice, by a domestic scandal, his chances of being elected Governor. Anne is a product of the lower social strata that make their home in the Bowery, and, apart from the judge, the men'with whom she brought into contact are all of them crooks. Jimmie Graves is one of these. After doing his time he determines to many Anne, and "go straight; ' ana the one 'oyous, refreshing moment in the drama is when Jimmie returns to the old Bowery haunt to settle with the pals who had "ratted on him ; ' "Cleaning the slate," he euphemistically ca'.s it. Virginia Pearson adequately por'trays the changing moods of the doleful Anne, and is well supported by the other members of the cast. The firs episode of the moiif-ter new =et:al, "The Iron Claw," will also be shown. HAYWARD'S PICTURES. "HINTON'S DOUBLE." In "Hinton's Double," the premier item at the Emoire Theatre* Frederick 'Warde. as th e hero, is seen in a double role, which is a supreme achievement of character acting. He enacts the part, of a confiding, good-natured old clerk, who is exactly; like a rascaiiy sharebroker. John Hinton. The latter persuades Joshua to impersonate b'm and serve the sentence in caol which he has earned, promising to pay Joshua's daughter an income to keep her in luxury. The ■ false-hearted scoundrel breaks even -this bargain, and leaves the gii'l to dest itutior*. The rest of the story is full of dramatic surprises, and contains a strong and convincing love story. The photography deserves special remark, and there are a number of interior scenes, especially of the prisons. Gay life in New York also comes in for its share of illumination. Kathlyn Adams is a charming and beautiful heroine. A rollicking Keystone comedy, another thrilling instalment of "The Mysteries of Myra" serial, interesting scenic and other films complete a really first-class nrogramme. B ARB-IE MARSCHEL AND "THE KTD FP.OM TIMARU." 'Concerning "The Kid from Timaru, ■which commences at the Empire Theatre on Thursday next, the Timaru Herald savs :—"The mos-t popular recitation in Australasia tp-dav is Mr Barrie Marschel's stirring verse • story, 'The Kid from Timaru.' It 13 just as popular in London, where the well-known _ Tom Armstrong has been reciting it nightly for over nine months. Endlessly reproduced in English newspapers, translations of' the verse have found their way into ; Italian and Russian newspapers, and a French version, altered to suit the local requirements of a French 'kid,' lias gone the rounds of the French press. Now we see it splendidly done in "admirable motion photography, arid the result is an overwhelming success. By sheer force of merit it must win approval and crowded attendances everywhere." Mr Marschel's recital of " the poem is written of as inimitable. Bumper attendances have ruled wherever the picture has been • screened. Box plans are open at the Empire Sweet Shop, where seats may be reserved without extra charge.