"RAFFLES"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24347, 11 July 1940, Page 5

"RAFFLES"

OCTAGON'S NEXT ATTRACTION David Niven and Olivia de Havilland are the- stars of the- comedy, "Raffles," which will be released to-morrow at the Octagon Theatre. The story is a mystery about a thief, and the film is unlike any other crime films that have been produced. ■ . .-.-' For. weeks Inspector MacKenzie, a brilliant Scotland Yard criminologist, has been baffled in his efforts to identify the mysterious thief who calls himself the Amateur Cracksman. The cracksman's latest exploit has been the theft of a worldfamous painting from the British Museum, which he sends to an impoverished actress, who had been the idol of his youth, and who returns it to claim the reward. Unknown to Inspector MacKenzie, the cracksman is A. J. Raffles, a famous cricketer and England's most popular athlete. For months Raffles has been trying to deny his love for Gwen, the lovely sister of his school friend, Bunny Manders. His secret life has prevented Raffles from admitting his love to Gwen. He learns, however, that she returns his love, and he decides to propose, promising himself to turn over a new leaf. Buoyed up by this prospect, he returns to Scotland Yard a bracelet he had stolen the night before. ■ It reaches the police in an empty cigarette package. This package is the one which Lord Melrose, an elderly peer and famous cricketer of a bygone day. had used as a backing while writing his new telephone number for Bunny and Gwen the previous evening. At that time Melrose had invited Bunny, Gwen, and Raffles to his country estate for the week-end and had urged Raffles to take part in a cricket match for charity. With this information, every film-goer will be eager to see what happens when the inspector. Raffles, and everyone else concerned are together in the country house.