"THE PRIVATE LIFE OF DON JUAN”

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13105, 13 November 1935, Page 5

"THE PRIVATE LIFE OF DON JUAN”

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS STARRED importations and the budding baby stsvrs, but when it comes to a real job of screen acting you can’t beat the old favourites who have, as it were, grown up with the motion picture business. The reason we are talking this way is that we have just seen 'The Private Life of Don Juan. Doug. Fairbanks new film for Korda, which is at the King’s Theatre on I hnrsday. And we rise now to doff the critical hat to Doug, for wliat, in our opinion, is a great characterisation. It is a stroke of genius tor Korda, to twist the traditional story of Don Juan anil make his film deal in satirical vein with the lover’s later years. Fairbanks becomes ideally cast. The story tells how Don Juan, when he becomes middle-aged, loses some ot his zest for eternal conquests i>+ the heart. Profiting by the accidental death of < ne of bis imitators who is believed to be Don Juan, be attends his own “funeral" before slipping away into obscuritv for a wellearned holiday. But after only a lew weeks he wishes to he back in tin* limelight as the world’s lover, only to find that, no one believes he is Don Juan and that conquests are impossible. His former success was dm* only to his public reputation! In tho end be has tlie greatest difficulty in getting back into the good graces oi his wife who lias loved him all the time but feels that he should be taught a lesson. Fairbanks is great, and, in fact, the film lias everything—brilliant story, consummate acting by a talented cast, humour, delightful music, and a bevy of superlatively beautiful women. Among the latter are Merle Olieron, the exotic young actress who made her name as Ann Bole.vn in Korda’s “Henry YI.TI,’’ Bonita Hume. Joan Gardner, Diana Napier, Patricia Hilliard, Natalie Paley, I oto Koopiran, and—giving perhaps the cleverest, cameo of them all— Pinnie Barnes, whose bawdv serving wench is a gem of acting.' Excellent featurettes include latest Ui nosound News, Screen Snapshots, “At a Country Fair” (humorous travelogue), “Sing for Fun” (orlanlogue), “Orphan’s Benefit’ (clever Mickey Mouse cartoon).