IN FILMLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20022, 11 August 1928, Page 9 (Supplement)

IN FILMLAND.

It is not .generally known that Sir G. H. Wilkins, the Australian aviator and polar explorer, was formerly a news-reel cameraman working for Gaumont. That was 16 years ago. Ho dropped out of the motion picture industry when he joined the ill-fated Steffansson expedition in 1913. Miss Constance Talmadge will be leading lady to John Barrymore in "The Last o« Mrs. Cheyney," produced by United Artists. Barrymore will be given tho stellar honours. This is tho first time Miss Talmadge has consented either to costar or to support sinco she -joined First National in 1919. Jean Hersholt portray!? a suave mild mannered, oil-painting-thief in " 13 Washington Square," the Universal .mysterycomedy. Miss Alice Joyce co-stars, while the supporting cast includes George Lewis, Miss Helen Foster, Miss Zasu Pitts, Miss Helen Jerome Eddy, Jack McDonald, and Jerry Gamble. Melville Brown directed from Leroy Scott's novel and play. Adolphe Menjou, who was ' recently married to Miss Kathryn Carver in Paris, is back in Hollywood after his honeymoon trip. On his arrival in New York, Menjou began preparations for his next Paramount picture to bo entitled, " His Private Life." It will bo another of the sophisticated stories, the type of which have made this star so famous and universally popular. Production has started on a series of Short Story Classics, each of two reels. The first completed is "The Necklace," by Guy do Maupassant. Balzac's "Tho Girl with the Golden Eyes" is next on the schedule, to be followed by the bestknown brief tales of Goldsmith, Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, F. Marion Crawford, Gorky, Wilkie Collins, R. L. and Charles Dickens. British Dominions Films received high .praise for "Roses of Picardy" in a recent letter from an exhibitor. "We found 'Roses of Picardy' to be a feature of excellent entertainment quality," he writes, "not dragging in the least despite its great length. After all the American productions bearing on the war it was indeed refreshiug to have such a splendid British production."

" Blossom Time," the operetta based on the life of Franz Schubert, which was played in New Zealand as " Lilac Tmie," is to be made by Fox w T ith movietone, and tho filming of the pitcure is to be in actual locales in Vienna and other parts of Europe. Miss Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, who won prominenc in " Seventh Heaven," are together again in " Street Angel," will play the principal parts.

A picture taken from the famous and daring stage play by li. G. Spiers, "If Youth But Knew," which had a phenomenal run at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, has been produced by G. B. Samuelson. It will very shortly be given its first Auckland screening. An all star cast, including such renowned 'artists as Godfrey Tearle, Wyndliam Standing, Miss Lilian Hall Davis and Miss Mary Odette, in beautiful African and English settings, combine, it is said, to make it one of the best films yet produced in England. A Canadian company has been formed to make pictures that shall be British quota productions, financed by P. Burns, the millionaire meat packer, and A.- E. Cross, the millionaire rancher. Neal Hart, who has starred in Westerns, will direct and play the lead opposite Miss Barbara Kent, in a story written by a Canadian author. The millionaires behind the concern are stated to have promoted this venture philanthropically, being interested that Canada shall be seen to advantage in other countries of the Empire. If the first picture meets with success, a large studio is to be erected near Calgary for further productious. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is now conducting an exhaustive research into the possibilities of "sound pictures." It is # the policy of this company to probe this subjects from every angle and not. to release a single subject until every device has been rendered as perfect as it is humanly possible to make it. One of tho largest stages in the' Culver City studios is nowbeing dismantled >n order to make room for a structure that will house the first units of tho sound picture equipment. The firm's thoroughness in all production matters is proverbial, and its work on these pictures is, being watched with interest by all other companies. , Mr, Harry Thomas arrived in Welling, ton recently to assume the position of acting manager for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (N^Z.), Ltd., the distributors of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pictures. Mr. Thomas is a native of the Dominion, and commenced his motion picture experience under the guidance of tho late Mr. Burl Atkinson. Later, he was on the roads as a film salesman. He was then given the opportunity of going to Java for Paramount Pictures, and for two and alialf years was this company's branch manager at Soerebaia. Mr. Thomas rosigned this position -twelve months ago, and became Metro-Goldwyri-Mayer's representative in the far north of Queensland. s

Scott Sidney, the well-known Christie comedy producer, who made the film version of " Charlie's Aunt," will shortly arrive at Elstrefe to direct a full length British comedy, starring the popular comedy pair, Long and Short. The story for this has been written by Rex Taylor, and Roger Bnrford will be responsible for the scenario. Production work is expected to start shortly. This will be the first picture made by Long and Short in Great Britain. They have starred in many Continental pictures, which have become popular on the British screen, including " The Film and the Flirt," "The Mill," and " Tho Bilberries." No better evidence of the popularity of the team of John Gilbert and Miss Renee Adoreo could possibly be presented than the fact that tho popular demand for these two stars has become so great that William Fox has revived the screen success of a few years ago, " Monte Cristo," from the pen of Alexandre Dumas. It is probable that no work of modern authors is as well-known as this tale of adventure, despite the fact that if was written nearly a century ago. Gilbert and Miss Adoreo first won popularity in this attraction, and since then they have scored in such pictures as " The Big Parade," and other notable successes. Another player who has reached the heights of popularity is Miss Estelle Taylor, who also supports Mr. Gilbert in this attraction. In. fact, it was her exceptional portrayal in " Monte Cristo " that first won her fame as an emotional star. Mis~ Norma Shearer and Ramon Novarro will be seen shortly in a massive screen version of tho celebrated old romance of Heidelberg and the prince who sought happiness there. The picture is " r jhie Student Prince," the filming of the fine musical play. Ernest Lubitsch, the director, has treated this most beautiful of love stories in a tender and romantic fashion. IL is a simple story of a boy and girl, an unhappy prince and his pathetic.sweetheart, a maid in the village inn, but : they love with a devotion that is greater than royal' traditions, greater than li/e itself, and then, .because society is what it is,' and because youth was made for sacrifice, they part. The splendid artistic calibre of the cast and the inspired direction of Lubitsch have made of this a picture, according to American critics, well out of thc> ordinary.