AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16663, 7 April 1916, Page 9

AMUSEMENTS.

s PRINCESS THEATRE. b Maximo is' well styled "the Cuba :. Wonder." He is a remarkable exponent i 1 wire-Walking, and his imitation of an u 3 toxioatod man is as diverting ae it is cleve: Mr George de Alma, with his banjo, hi only to strike the strings of his instaimei to become popular. Brown and Sorlii jigger comedians; Hilda Felstead, corned enne; _ and ; Milner and Story, Wlesqu comedians, give a good account of then Victor Prince's Revue Compan fill in time most acceptably, an t create hearty laughter all through th j house, besides which several of its membei 1 contribute musical items that are ver | welcome. The programme will be repeate I to-night. The usual matinee, which is b< » coming very popular in Dunedin for wome ' and children, will be held to-morrow. ! HAYWARD'S THEATRE. j Mary Pickford, in her latest success a ''Mistress Neil," is attracting large crowd to the Octagon Theatre nightly. This i an elaborate drama of the days of Oharle 11, and the popular actress, playing the rol of pretty Nell Gwvnrie, gives a vivid repre sentation of the manner iru which the im pulsive little favourite of the monarch o England wine back her royal lover's heart The Pathe Gazette is full of news of th< war; "The Traitor" is a powerful drama and "John Bull's Sketch Book" provide excellent comedy. i ... QUEEN'S THEATRE. When the management, of a picture thea tre produces a long interesting story, whktf would be called in newspaper parlance, i serial, there is little time left within th< hour and a-half or two hours to give th< public anything else, hence extended variety is invariably impossible. Yet, at th< Queen's Theatre, although "The Wolf' ex tends to a length of 6000ft—that is in anec dotal form—room has been found for th< introduction of two, or three pictures thai lend variety and additional interest to ar already _ interesting programme,. "Tlu Wolf" is one of the finest examples of kinematography witnessed here, and the scenes Mjanada having been used to provide these simply magnificent, whether of mountain, forest, or stream. It is not difficult to epitomise the story, long 1 as are events picturised. Jules Bienbeau, a woodsman, falls in love with a woman in what in New Zealand is called the back-blocks, but. ir American phraseology "the outback." Women are scarce in the back-blocks, but apart from that fact the woman is of the attractive kind, bodily and mentally. They decide to marry, but there being no minister available to_ tie the knot in the orthodox ■ way, the pair ar© wed through the medium of book and oath. A daughter named Annette is born, and' the couple separating, she is left to the care of a trapper. Jules returns to France and becomes a wealthy man. He is overtaken by illness and Qn his deathbed charges a son by a subsequent marriago to seek out and assist) Annette. This is very much by the way of prologue; the real story then beginning. The search •after Annette reveals a strange and tragio story. Annette being betrayed and becoming distracted, has wandered forth, and been devoured by wolves. JuWs sori sets forth on the trail of_ the betrayer, and hi 6 quest, and the remainder of the story is powerfully and graphically presented. Long as "The Wolf is, the interestis well sustained. The prodigiously amusing comedy, '•Between the Showers," in which Charles Chaplin holds sway, has been retained, and with a good copy of the Pathe Gazette completes the programme. PLAZA THEATRE. A splendid feature film was presented at the Plaza Theatre yesterday, a representation of Mr Grant Allen's well-known novel "The Women Who Did." The story is well_ enough known to admit of the barest outline being given that a woman, daughter of a church dean, high in character and spirit, falls in love with a man, also of the ' highest character, but will not marry him on account of her principles towards marriage. However, the desire for children is strong, and she, though pressed over and over again by_ young artist, and even offered a special license, will not sacrifice her principles, and' merely swears with him before an altar in Ttaly to be true in what she regards as the -eal soirit of the joining of two lives. The husband contracts typhoid fever, and dies. A daughter Is afterwards born. The mother refuses th > slightest help from her husband's father, who is profoundly moved at what has taken place and cannot forgive, and 1 the dean has renounced her. A bitter struggle ensues. At last the daughter becomes a woman, and is approached by a lover worthy of her to marry. She corsents. The death of the dean resurrects the elopement of his daughter, and her child learns the truth of her birth. It is a terrible shock. She denounces her mother bitterly for wrecking her life, and' seeks shelter with her grandfather. The story end? with the mother committing suicide, leaving it on record that the principles to which she had martyred herself had been wrong. The acting is 'and the scenes, particularly. those in Italy, are wonderful—indeed, only Italy couldi lend itself to the result achieved. A comedy and the Eclair Journal are also shown. KING EDWARD THEATRE " Mistress Nell," a story which revolves round the doings of the famous Nell Gwynne, is the. chief attraction at the King Edward Theatre. Jhe well-known Miss Mary Pickford, ably enacts the part of Nell. The costuming of the characters is fully appropriate to the time of the Second Charles, andl there are sufficient exciting incidents to hold the keen attention of tho spectators* throughout. The Pathe Gazette and other features add interest to an excellent programme. ! GRAND'THEATRE. | A romance entitled "Homo" is the main! picture at tho Grand Theatre. The story : relates how a little girl of noble blood is naved from the sea by a fisherman, who adopts her, and how, after her identity is

discovered years alter, she finally returns to humble life and her fisher husband. The seventh episode of the detective story, " The Black Box," contains many exciting incidents, and 1 there are other subjects of n interest m a good all-round programme. >f :— ~ ■ > EVERYBODY'S. THEATRE. r * "The Face in the Moonlight," a drama 18 based on life in France during the Napoit leonic 4 period known as the "hundred days," ;> is the leading picture at Everybody's i- Theatre. The story Is "well worked oat, and ® the dressing and acting are worthy of pari- ticular mention. "The Property Man," y featuring the famous kinematograph" actor, d Charlie Chaplin, is .provocative of hearty e laughter. Other excellent subjects make up « a first-class programme. • , d EMPIRE THEATRE. "Wild Oats," the picture forming the feature at the Empire Theatre, can only be .classed as very moderate in the success achieved. It is questionable whether part of it is at all suitable for showing before s an audience. containing children. An artbt g is presented painting nis fianoeo and mat 8 ing a success of his business. Close by aas other artist of loose morals gets a job to 3 do a poster for variety show. He goes to I the other audi asks him to .go with him to interview the theatre manager. Behind the ( scenes acquaintance is made with the "womoji who is to pose, She entaoglea tshe ; successful artist, and on the night of a. ' ■ spree given by the other when he gets his ' cheque for the poster, he carries ner off 3 from the dancing room to his studio. During the few davs covered by these events the fiancee hqs become concerned about her lover, and writes to him warning, him . against the other, and saying she is comi ing on the morrow to take him for a lon& t walk and remove nim from the unhealthy > atmosphere of the FtudSo. Her arrival at J the studio reveals the truth; it is the morning after the spree. She : returns her . en- , gagement ring, and to punish the man seta | out to appear to misbenave with the man whose rottenness t-he knows. She did -not , know its fulness, however, and is only saved from severe insult by the heart-wracked ' , man who has been endttring the ongoings. L Reconciliation follows. The war film, "The ' Making of an Officer," is splendid. Anyone ' interested in the processes of warfare in the battle line should see it. A farce-comedy ' is shown, and also a -.pretty and—in its closing scenes—truly humorous child 'story.