"THE SUICIDE CLUB"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22543, 7 October 1936, Page 16

"THE SUICIDE CLUB"

FILM FOR ST. JAMES'THEATRE Careful discrimination is evident in the choice of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale, "The Suicido Club," for adaptation to the screen, and the film promises to bo well received when shown at St. James' Theatre 011 Friday. Stevenson's faculty for telling a good story simply and well is nowhere better illustrated than in "The Suicide Club." The plot of a prince courting danger in lesser-known haunts of London is an original one and toward tho end it builds up a very real state of suspense. With the crispness of Stevenson's dialogue and his humorous touches also reproduced tho film should undoubtedly make first-class entertainment. Added to these qualities is a thread of true romance and a full measure of action. Of tho players, Robert Montgomery needs no introduction. Ho has appeared in modern and costume roles, in serious and lighter parts, and he has excelled in each performance. It was a discriminating casting director who chose him for the role of the hero, whose princely dignity and lack of effusion disappear at the call of a mysterious woman. ]n tho leading feminine part Rosalind Russell is equally convincing. Her lack of gestures and her excellent English should do much to recommend her. Frank Morgan's part is frankly one for humorous treatment and it suits him well. As tho princo's attendant, keeping an eye on his own safety and at the same time harassed by the prince's disregard of his own personal safety, he acquits himself well. Reginald Owen, Louis Havward and E. E. Clive are others whose performances are well above tho average.