ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19219, 7 January 1926, Page 12

ENTERTAINMENTS.

"THE IRON HORSE." " The Iron Horse," the William Fox production which will be screened at the National and Lyric Theatres for the first, time to-day, is described as a great epic of American national life. The story begins in Springfield, Illinois, where Abe Lincoln lived and where a man named Brandon dreamed of iron rails which should connect the East and West. With his son Dave he set out one day to find the best trail for those rails to follow, and was murdered by hostile Indians. Years later, Dave, who has become a pony express rider, escapes from a band of Indians who have shot his horse from under him, by leaping to the platform of a train. It was the first train to cut its way through the Western wilderness. Construction on the railroad had started at Omaha, working west to meet other rails which had started at Sacremento, working east. On board that train Dave encounters Miriam Marsh, who had been his childhood sweetheart in Springfield, and her father, who was in charge of the eastern end of the building project. He rides with them to the end of the track and learns that the success of the whole project is menaced by their inability to find a short pass through the mountains. He remembers that his father, on their prospecting trip long ago, had pointed out a pass, which, if it could be found, would be much better than the Smoky River Pass toward which the rails were then headed. He is sent out with Jesson, Marsh's chief construction engineer, to try to locate it. but Jesson has secretly formed an alliance with Deroux, who owns much land in the Smoky River region and is desirous of having the railroad pass through that region. Together they come upon Dave's pass and when Dave lets himself down with a rope to explore it, Jesson cuts the rope. He then goes back and reports that Dave has been killed and nothing found. For a while, things look dark for the railroad, but it is saved by the reappearance of Dave, who has survived the fall unharmed and made his way back to the railroad camp on foot. He denounces Jesson publicly and estranges himself. with Miriam, who is engaged to marry the engineer, but the railroad proceeds along the new ■ route with amazing speed. In various Indian rights, Dave proves his courage to such an extent that Miriam realises he is tin) one she really loves but she still holds out against him through pride. All disagreements are forgotten, however, in the final meeting of the rails, and in the midst of the general joy at the great achievement, the lovers are reunited. It is a pleasing romance, well told, but the romance is, after all, only a small part of a great picture. It is the historical significance underlying it which sends a thrill to the heart. It is a vital, human, authentic chapter from the great story of a nation's making. The film will lie preceded by a prologue entitled " Love and Destiny," which is claimed to be more elaborate than anything of the kind previously attempted in New Zealand. The commencement of the picture will mark the reopening of the Lyric Theatre, which has been remodelled and renovated, and is now claimed to be one of the most comfortable and up-to-date theatres in the city. There will be two screenings daily at the Lyric and four at the National Theatre. TIVOLI AND EVERYBODY'S. Gloria Swanson moves amid the splendour and the glitter of fashionable society in her' latest Paramount picture, "The Coast of Folly," which will be the principal attraction at the Tivoli and Everybody's Theatres tomorrow. But there is heartbreak beneath the glitter of surface in this story which Allan Dvvan made for Paramount' from the novel by Coningsby Dawson, adapted by Forest Halsey. There are, too, the pathos and happiness of love, given a splendid balance by elements of sparkling comedy. Gloria Swanson plays a dual role, that of Nadir.e Gathway, the mother, and Joyce Gathway, the daughter. As the mother she deserts her boresome husband, a millionaire, to seek the romance and excitement her young heart craves. The daughter comes to glowing young womanhood with this heritage of scandal, and 20 years later we see her ■the leader of the luxury-loving younger set at Palm Beach, the celebrated "Coast of Folly." Larry Fay, played by Anthony Jowitt, a popular and wealthy young society man, who is married to the cold and beautiful Dorothy Cumming, 'falls in love with Joyce. Their friendship begins innocently enough, but is maliciously misconstrued by the gossips of the "smart s?t." Returning home early one morning from an hilarious masquerade ball, Joyce finds her faithful old nurse bound and gagged. The house has been rifled and a packet of naive love letters, written in fun by Larry to Joyce, has been stolen. Fay has accompanied her home from the ball. When the police arrive, they find him there able to give only bewildered explanations for his presence at that hour of the morning. On the following day the newspapers are filled with headlines of the scandal. Joyce's mother, now married to a count in Paris, hastens to her daughter's aid. There follow a series of dramatic scenes in which the mother proves her willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of her daughter. This portion contains both drama and pathos effectively portrayed. At the Tivoli Theatre the programme will also include "Raffles," a Universal-Jewel special production, in which House Peters plays the leading role.

GRAND THEATRE. " Rewi's Last Stand," the initial production of MacJri War Films, Ltd., which has met with wonderful success in all parts of New Zealand, will commence a short season at the Grand Theatre to-mor-row. The film represents the first attempt of the producers to depict on the screen some of the picturesque and dramatic incidents in which the history of New Zealand abounds, and as such it has proved a decided success. The company should now feel much more confident in proceeding with other films dealing with the history of the Dominion. "Rewi's Last Stand" tells the story of a young Englishman who arrives in New Zealand shortly before the outbreak of the war in the Waikato. Ho meets Cecily, the daughter of an Auckland doctor, and the two fall in love, j There is, however, a rival for Cecily's I hand in the person of a British Army officer whose knowledge of her father's past gives him a great advantage. The hero enlists in the corps of the Forest Rangers, organised by Von Tempsky, most famous of New Zealand scouts, and shortly leaves for the scene of the operations "against the Maoris. He stays away from camp and rescues a Maori girl from drowning, but is captured by a band of warriors. He is taken before Rewi, the fighting chief of the ManiapcjJos and is ordered to be bound and thrown into a dugout where he remains during the whole of the battle of Orakau. His final escape paves the way for a happy ingQUEEN'S THEATRE. Mary Pickford has a role that is said to be ideally suited to her personality and her ability as an actress in " Tess of the Storm Country." a United Artists production. which will commence at the Queen's Theatre to-morrow. " Never," says a critic, has Mary Pickford done better work or given greater evidence of her ♦bility as an actress. She is, as the changing requirements of the role demand, alternately grave, gay, whimsical, emotional, dramatic, hoydenish and appealing, and with the sureness of the finished artist she carries the audience along with her through the various changes." The programme also includes . "The Burning Trail." a Universal production, with William Desmond in the leading role. j

STRAND THEATRE. Nazimova has the leading role in "The Redeeming Sin," a Vitagraph drama, telling a story of the Paris underworld, which will open at the Strand Theatre to-morrow. The celebrated actress plays the role of Joan, a " queen of the Paris Apaches," a part that gives her an excellent opportunity to display her remarkable emotional powers and her decided talent as a dancer. Creditable as have been all her performances in the past in this picture she is said to rise to heights of artistry never attained by her before. All the scenes are laid in Paris, the story having to do with an underworld gang in the French capital. The gril renounces her sordid life when she meets and is fascinated by a young aristocrat. Her reformation ends when she discovers this man embracing another girl. This girl proves to be his sister, but Joan does not know it at the time. Lupine, the Apache leader, is madly in love with Joan, and to appease her he steals a wonderful necklace for her. She asks that these bo returned to their owner, howover, and Lupine, much against his will, follows her request, Pleased with his devotion, the girl decides that, after all, she prefers Lupine to any other man. A realistic fight among the Apaches in the Paris sewers is one of the startling incidents in a picture that abounds in thrills. The famous sewers, with boats operating through the passages, are depicted with remarkable fidelity to the graphic descriptions given )bv Victor Hugo and other French novelists. Lou Tellegen plays opposite Nazimova, in the role of the Apache leader, and is also claimed to give the finest performance of his career. The cast includes Carleton D. Miller, Otis Harlan, Rosita Marstini, Rose Tapley, Eric Mayne and Violet Virginia. A strong supporting programme will include an Aesop Fable cartoon " Herman the Great Mouse." a comedy, " Brothers Under the Chin," and the usual Pathe gazette. A prologue depicting scenes in the underworld of Paris will precede the principal film.