"ROYAL CAVALCADE"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22100, 4 May 1935, Page 16

"ROYAL CAVALCADE"

GREAT FILM PAGEANT THE KING'S EVENTFUL REIGN RECORD AND INTERPRETATION Released throughout th 2 Empire on the eve of the. King's silver jubilee, "Royal Cavalcade," which was shown for the first time yesterday to crowded Auckland audiences at the Regent Theatre, is a really magnificent film record of the 25 years of His Majesty s reign. It is hard to imagine any way in which millions of loyal subjects in all lands beneath the Union Jack could be better reminded of the trials and triumphs through which their nation has passed in one of its. momentous epochs. In an hour and a-half, by a clever use of actual film records and dramatic interpretation, all the great events of the reign are made tc pass in review. AH accords with the traditions of a great nation and th-3 love which his people bear to a monarch who has shared to the full all their joys and sorrows. Most Poignant Moment There is no more poignant moment in the film than when ;he King, a careworn, khaki-clad figure, is shown laying a wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph, while a voice repeats words put by Shakespeare into the mouth of Henry V.:— What infinite hcart'u-caswj Must kings neglect that privi.te men enjoy! All tho major history is presented against a background of the everyday life of the British people and lesser things that have changed so much in the past quarter of a century—locomotion, fashions in dress, bsjlroom dancing, stage and cinema. The chronicle begins wi tfo the minting of a penny in the King's first year, and the coin is followed :.n its adventures right through to tho triumphant finaie. A series of old photographs summarises the King's life up to his accession. The coronation procession appears as it actually was. Then ccrae the great Delhi Durbar, also from 11 contemporary film; the enthronement of the boyish Prince of Wales in Carnarvon Castle, the exploits of tho suffragettes, Bleriot's pioneer flight across the Channel, the Agadir incident, the apprehension by wireless of Cbrippen, the murderer, and troubles in Ireland. Outbreak ot the War Many memories are brought buck by the straw-hatted crowds in London streets at the outbreak of war, and the queues at tho recruiting offices. Scenes in the House of Commons, tho War Office and the Admiralty are cleverly recreated by actors; resembling such leaders as Sir Edward Grey, Mr. Winston Churchill and Lord French. There are many real scenes of war on sea and land, and the exploits of the, Dominion troops are not forgotten. The penny appears in a little drama of a subaltern who has teen given it as a keepsake from his sweetheart; he and a comrade toss it to settle which shall lead a trench raid; the lot falls on the coin's owner, and lae goes forth and dies by a German bullat. Air raids, women's war work, food cards and the like lead on to the relief of the Armistice, signed in a, railway carriage in a French wood, the Peace Conference and the remaking of the map of Europe. A Stirring Finale.

All the great post-war events are recalled: The general strike, the King's illness and recovery, and the coming of the world-wide depression. Finally, there is a little sequence of scenes from earlier history, a real historical cavalcade over a breezy hilltop and a parade of coins from the Norman Conquest to our.old friend the 1911 penny with a hole in it. In the stirring iinale, "Land of Hope and Glory" is sung by a massed choir in St. Paul's Cathedral to tiie accompaniment of the Scots' Guards' Band.

A great array of favourite actors and actresses have small parti, throughout the film. Among them may bo mentioned George Robey, Harry Tate, Seymour Hicks, Ellaline Terriss, Owen Nares and Jimmy Godden. The supporting programme is appropriate and includes a beautifully-photographed picture of the attractions of Rotorua.

in the audience at a special gala performance last night were Archbishop Averill, Sir Alexander Herdman, Commodore the Hon; E. ft, Drummond and representatives of the principal patriotic organisations, in Auckland.