PARAMOUNT WEEK

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12538, 30 August 1926, Page 4

PARAMOUNT WEEK

PROGRESS OF THE MOVING PICTURES SOME! BIG PICTURES ANNOUNCED. Sixth annual Paramount Week will be celebrated this year in New Zealand between August 30th and September 4th. Practically every representative theatre in New Zealand will be participating in this event. Paramount have been primarily responsible for this movement, and its motive is to give stimulus to the industry generally. Since its inception in New Zealand and Australia six years ago it has become more and more popular, and moving-picture exhibitors right throughout the country now look upon it as one of the industry’s most forward movements. During Paramount Week each and every theatre will endeavour to screen a Paramount picture. _ This season, which is essentially a special one in screen entertainment, marks the progress that has been made in the past 12 months. Last year Paramount released such attractions as ‘The Ten CommandRex Ingrain's “Scaramouclie," from the pen of Rafael Sabatini; “Peter Ran," “Charley's Aunt/' some very big pictures from the works of Zane Grey, and also the Stereoscopiks picture. In the near future we anticipate such gigantic film attractions as “The Wanderer" (the story of the Prodigal Son). “The American Venus" is perhaps the most gorgeous fashion spectacle that lias ever graced the silver sheet, while “Behind the Front," a comedy of the Great War, features for the first time that great team, Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton. Following these big pictures there will be “Paramount , Fifteentn Birthday Group" of 75 pictures, comprising the greatest array of material that has ever been gathered together in the history of the screen. The “Birthday Group" represents an investment on the part of Famous Players-Lasky of six million sterling, and associated with these pictures are the names of all the big stars of filmdom, the best directors, and the best-known authors of the day. Details in regard to “Paramount's Fifteenth Birthday Group" were announced recently in New Zealand at two Conventions held at Wellington and Auckland, to which representative exhibitors from all parts of New Zealand were invited Both of these conventions, which were the first of their kind to be held in this country, were great successes. SOME BIG ATTRACTIONS Some of the big attractions in this “group" will be: “The Sorrows of Satan," a D. W. Griffith play from the story by Marie Corelli; “Fascinating Youth," featuring a number of the stars from Paramount's new school for stars; “Aloma of the South Seas,", with Gilda Grey; “Old Ironsides," now being produced by James Cruze; “The Wedding March," troduced by and featuring Eric von Stroheim; “Beau Geste," from the season's most popular story; “The Greatest Show on Earth," being the life-story of P. T, Barnum; “Moon of Israel," from the story by Rider Haggard, and many others of equal note. Future Harold Lloyd pictures will be released through Paramount, while there will be offerings from that rare comedian W. C. Fields. There will also be some big attractions from the works of Zane Grey These will include “Forlorn River," “The Man of the Forest," etc. The biggest attraction to be released early in the next year will be “The Vanishing Race," from “The Vanishing American," by Zane Grey. In connection with this picture, it ie anticipated that 10 North American Indians now in Australia will be brought to New Zealand. There is also a probability that Mr Zane Grey, who is returning to New Zealand in December next, will be present at the premiere of this picture in this country. Looking over this array of material and facts, it is to be anticipated that some of the screen's most important events are to come from Paramount, and sixth annual Paramount Week is the forerunner of these gouJ things to come. Paramount Week will be celebrated locally at the Empress, de Luxe, Princess, Britannia, Artcraft, and Shortt's Theatres; also at Lyall Bay, Island Bay (Quality Theatre), Miramar, Eastbourne Petone, and by the Y.M.C.A Interesting details appear on page 19 of this morning's “Times."