WHICH SIDE IS BETTER?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23118, 18 February 1937, Page 16

WHICH SIDE IS BETTER?

It is strange that a number of people go to the photographers without considering which is the most advantageous way in which to be photographed. It is a fact, for instance, that each side of the face may be different. If the two right sides of Claudette Colbert’s face were put together she’d look something like the pre-depression Pola Negri; assemble the left side features of the star and she reminds one of Corinne Griffith. As a consequence, Miss Colbert—like virtually every other Hollywood star —finds that she has to choose a side, be sure it is her favourite one, and stick to it. Miss Colbert, who is appearing with Ronald Colman, Victor M'Laglen and Rosalind Russell in 20th Century’s

“ Under Two Flags,” makes no bones of the fact that she is nicer to look at from the left. Colman, on the other hand, favours the right, and this added to the many other reasons makes them an ideal screen couple for close love scenes. This matter of sides has its problems at times. Miss Colbert recalls the difficulties which attended her joint screen appearance with Maurice Chevalier. Maurice, like Claudette, photographed best from the left. To the uninitiated this would mean nothing, but when two stars, supposedly in the act of kissing, both strive to present their best left sides, something goes wrong unless one or the other gives up. At that time Claudette was the less important of the two players, and by a trick known only to the most experienced of players Che-

valier managed to favour himself at all times. With the- advent of modern make-up practice, the game of sides became less serious, because many of the slight imperfections of star profiles could be erased. But stars still like the cameras, to show their better side. Loretta Young, for instance, photographs best straight on. But Rosalind Russell does not care much which side she is photographed from, although she knows her right profile is better. “ Under Two Flags " is the spectacular desert drama, adapted from Ouida’s famous novel, and brought to the screen with a vast supporting cast of 10,000.