SCREEN SIDE LIGHTS

NZ Truth, Issue 791, 1 January 1921, Page 2

SCREEN SIDE LIGHTS

Marshall Neilan'. touch of genius for mirth, for bringing out humorous situations, even m dramas, calculated to make an audience burst into spontaneous laughter, is strikingly revealed iri his latest First National production on "Don't ever Marry." Neilan himself describes it as an "mirthquake m six shocks," which admirably describes it m a nutshell. If there has ever been a funnier comedy on the screen, we have never seen it, and we have seen most of them. An allstar cast" does magnificent iwork, and a special word is due Wes Barry (Freckles), who is the "most" bellboy a hotel ever had. Neilan has repeated his "Daddy Long Legs" triumph.

Another English production to pick .up America's gauntlet is "The Gentleman Rider," an original story of the turf, produced by Broadwest, and starring Violet Hopson and Stewart Rome. The author has made the hero a wealthy Australian, a departure from the beateit track, The racing scenes are an excellent example of "how to thrill an audience" and are realistic and convincing to a degree.

Sessue Hayakawa is a Spanish matador m his latest "The Brand of Lopez," an unusually strong role of a cruel, cold-blooded, selfish man and an outlaw. An old screen favorite plays opposite the Japanese star, Florence Turner, who takes the role of the Spanish dancer, who goads the bold, bad matador until he brands her as his property. Fl6rence was one of the principal Biograph players m pioneer days of motion pictures, and through ill- health left the screen for years. "The Brand of Lopez" fairly reeks with action, typical of hot-blooded Spain.

"A Master Stroke" presents Earle Williams m the role- of a young* man whose money had made a mess of his life. It ended — the money, not the life — and he had a look at himself figuratively, and went to work. Taking a gambling chance at the psychological moment put him on "easy street." It's a comedy of Wall-street, the region of bulls and bears.

Gaby Deslys' last and greatest picture, "The God of Luck," is not only a brilliant drama magnificently produced-, but it is the last word m artistry and aesthetic beauty. Most of the scenes were filmed at Deauville, the famous French watering place. It shows Gaby as she was m real life, bewitching, daring daughter of dance, dress and luxury, but warm-hearted and generous to a degree. Her etheral beauty almost takes your breath away: it is a worthy setting that France provided for her farewell -production.

New Zealand's own "Theatre and Motion Picture Magazine" has made its debut and comes up to expectations. Bright, pithy and interesting, it reveals care and forethought on every (page.

The "Recorder," at Newcastle-on-Tyne, m accepting the usual gift of a pair of white gloves m honor of a clean crime-sheet, said that the .police attributed the great reduction , m crime to the influence of the moving pictures. Nuf sed!

t: : : :: The verdict of the probation officers of the Juvenile Courts throughout the United States is that the movies are not to blame for the crimes committed by children. One officer states m his report: "I have been m this work for fourteen years, and have had occasion to deal with thousands of delinquents. ... Of the thousands of boys and girls arraigned m our court, there have been very few who testified, or of whom our Investigators could learn, that they committed the crime m question because of the socalled' baleful effects of the pictures they have seen." We venture to assert that an impartial investigation of juvenile delinquency m this country would result also m a verdict of Not Guilty, so far as' the pictures are concerned.