FILM TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20958, 22 August 1931, Page 11 (Supplement)

FILM TOPICS.

A corps of teachers is on duty to conduct classes for the children in Paramount's " Huckleberry Finn," when the juvenile players are not working in scenes. Ruth Chatterton has just completed camera work on her newest Paramount picture, " The Magnificent Lie." It is based on the novel, " Laurels and the Lady," by Leonard Merrick, and features Ralph Bellamy and Stuart Erwin in the chief supporting parts. Berthold Viertel handled the direction of " The Magnificent Lie," and Francois Rosey, Sam Hardy, Tylor Brooks, Tyrell Davis and Charles Boyer head the remainder of the cast. A cablegram received at the head office of the British and Dominion Films stated that a British talking film, " The Sleeping Cardinal," has somehow managed to surmount the barriers raised against British films and is playing to crowded audiences on Broadway, New York. Press critics are said to pronounce the film, " a brilliant dramatic achievement," and the interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Wontner, is generally considered to bo superior to those of his contemporaries, Clive Brook and John Barrymore.

King Vidor has been engaged by Samuel Goldwyn to direct his forthcoming production, " Street Scene." Adapted from the stags play success by Elmer Rice, " Street Scene " is a story of modern big city life. Sylvia Sidney, who recently scored in her initial motion picture, " City Streets," was signed by Goldwyn for a leading role in " Street Scene," the supporting cast of which includes William Collier, Jnr., Estelle Taylor and other well-known players.

Ernest Smith, the only British journalist living who reported the sensational '* Dreyfus Case " for the London newspapers, recently witnessed the production of " Dreyfus," which was made at Elstree studios. By a coincidence this was the first talking picture seen by Smith, and he was amazed with the sincerity of the production and was particularly struck by the resemblance that Cedric Hardwicke achieved in his screen impersonation of Dreyfus whom he saw daily throughout the unfortunate officer's trial by court-martial. Smith supplied Milton Rosma and.F. W. Cramer, the directors of the picture, with snapshots which lie secured at the time, and in every case the actors in the picture bear a striking resemblance to the characters represented.