FILMS OF THE YEAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22006, 12 January 1935, Page 10 (Supplement)

FILMS OF THE YEAR

INTEREST IN THE PAST f* TEN BEST " SELECTED A very decided swing to historical pictures was a feature of the past year iii the film world. For a long time "costume" pieces were dreaded by ext.bitors and, in spite of box office proof tc> the contrary, there is still a prejudice against them among some theatre managers. Much of the credit for this new and praiseworthy trend is due to the phenomenal success of "The Private Life of Henry VIII.," in which Charles Laughton and Alexander Korda, as principal and producer respectively, first showed what delightful entertainment could be provided by injecting a more human element into what had been treated too often with a solemnity far removed from reality. " Henry VIII." was frankly a film which aimed to present mainly one a historical character's life and, although Charles Laughton's genius was able to give very vivid glimpses of Henry's undoubted ability as a monarch, the picture did not pretend to provide a rounded-off biographical study. It has been particularly pleasing tp observe that the old convention that all historical films must have dialogue written in a curious imitation of Shakespearean English has been discarded. A translation from a foreign or an archaic tongue should always aim to recapture the style and- the spirit of the original in the ,new equivalent, and it would bo far more fitting to put modern English or American slang- into the mouths of Koman soldiers, who were notoriously profane and poor grammarians, than to make them speak sententious Elizabethan prose. This improvement, as

much as anything else, has destroyed the former prejudice against historical films. Following on the success of " Henry VIII." the London Studios also presented " Catherine the Great," which, by its restraint, was a finer work of art than the American production " The {scarlet* Empress." The latter, nevertheless, was a brilliant example of a producer's power to evoke atmosphere. " Queen Christina," in which Greta Garbo made the most regal figure of all the screen rulers of the year, was again a triumph for the greatest tragedienne of the film world. " The Wandering Jew," " The House of Rothschild," " Blossom Time " and " Love Time " wore among the costume films which, with varying success, aimed to reproduce aspects from the pages of history. A by-product of the trend was the appearance of Eddie Cantor in " Roman Scandals," a delightful burlesque of history and the only . important ''straight" comedy of the pear.

Sophisticated and witty comedy-drama found expression in a number'of most ably produced films, the majority of which emanated from Hollywood, which undoubtedly still leads in this class of work. " The Thin Man," " It Happened One Night " and " The Affairs of Cellini," which was a historical film only by pretext but a delightful comedy of manners in reality, may he classed among the best in this branch of the year's production. An improved standard in the literary basis of a large proportion of films was also a notable feature. Instead of using "original" screen stories many noted plays, literary classics and important modern works of fiction were utilised, the Radio studios including a particularly large proportion of such sources for productions. A similar tendency will be even more noticeable in the coming year. Possibly the ten best films of the year, looked at from the standpoint of effective production and clever acting, were as follows, the order being alphabetical: " Blossom Time." " Catherine the Great." "House of Rothschild." "Little Man, What Now? " " Morning Glory." • " Private Life of Henry VELL" " Queen Christina." " Roman Scandals." - "The Thin Man,'* "®va. SSllaa*