Queen Mary at Premiere

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19377, 15 July 1937, Page 13

Queen Mary at Premiere

Mary attended the premiere

in London of the motion picture, “The Great Barrier,” which depicts the titanic task of building the Canadian Pacific Railway fine across the Rocky Mountains.

The premiere coincided with the opening of the new Gaumont Theatre, in the Haymarkct, one of the most elegant and modern cinemas in the world.

A great crowd surged through the street despite the rain as Queen Mary arrived, but, extra police kept them within bounds. The proceeds of the night, more than £3OOO, were given to the “safer motherhood” charity appeal under the chairmanship of Lady Baldwin, who attended with Queen Mary.

A fashionable audience awarded the presentation spontaneous applause, particularly for the excellent photography amid the rugged Rocky Mountain grandeur. The film unfolds from the time the strip of rail reaches the Great Barrier. Ensuing scenes of engines and men sinking into the muskeg, of blasting jagged rocks under overhanging snowslides, the shooting of raging rapids, the sealing of towering heights, all against the threats of starvation and mutiny, prove not only amazing, but are produced so well as to of credibility. There is one melodramatic scene in a Canadian Pacific boardroom, and another interesting one later when the Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald is depicted announcing his momentous decision to extend further credit to enable continuation ° f th e work. The photographic angles wore splendid, p-ovoklng cheers from the dignified Mayfair audience. After the show Lord Duncannon, son of the Earl of Bessborough and keenly interested in dramatics, told the Canadian Press that he though! ”i! Was an excellent picture with the moat fascinating photography.” Queen Mary saw the film again later, when she said it was a beautiful picture.