ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 20202, 13 June 1927, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS

ALBION—TO-NIGHT. CAPTAIN FRANK HURLEY’S “THE JUNGLE WOMAN,” ALSO HOUSE PETERS IN “PRISONERS OF THE STORM.” The Albion Theatre was again packed to overflowing on Saturday night, when a remarkable programme was submitted to a delighted audience. There have been few pictures which have been made against the bewitching beauty of the Southern Seas—with the waters of the Pacific Ocean gently lapping on the sun-kissed shores. Under the southern stars —under the witching moon —there are all the elements that go to make romance unsurpassed—and there Captain Hurley has gone to make the .greatest picture that has ever been created in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the greatest and most stupendous productions that have ever been flashed in all their dynamic force across the silver sheet. “The Jungle Woman” is its title, and it is a drama that dazzles, action that grips tenaciously, love that throbs and pulsates with intense passion—tremendous moments of superlative thrill. These are but few of the vivid, potent features that fit grandly into the magnificent sweep of events that constitute the mightiest story of the love eternal that the screen has seen in many years. The story is of the gripping type, love knows no barrier of caste or colour beyond the outposts of civilisation! A dusky chieftain’s daughter and a wounded young prospector—flung together in the Papuan wilds, where no man-made law could reach out to say, “Thou Shalt Not!” With all the fire of her noble race, she had pleaded for his life when her father’s warriors prepared to drag his unconscious body to the sacrificial altar. Tenderly she nursed and protected him through the days and nights of delirium. And then one never-to-be-forgotten night, this beautiful little wildflower awoke to the realisation that love—enchanting—devastating—had winged its way ipto her heart. If you enjoy thrilling, virile stories of the northwoods, there is a distinct treat in store for you in “Prisoners of the Storm,” a Universal Jewel production and the second feature on this programme. It is a picture which will bring joy to the hearts of those who like to witness primitive drama in the out-of-doors. House Peters, who has always been identified with pictures of this type, has an unusually colourful and romantic role as the star of “Prisoners of the Storm” and he makes the most of every opportunity. The supporting cast includes Peggy Montgomery, Walter McGrail, Harry Todd, Clark Comstock, Fred De Silver, Lillian Nicholson and others, and although the cast is smaller than usual for a feature production, each player has been carefully selected, and each characterisation stands out boldly from the others. He shows a great deal of pictorial knowledge and technical ability in the handling of the realistic storms and snow scenes, particularly the sequence wherein the tremendous avalanche of snow and ice descends upon the cabin. In contrast to these qualities, a great deal of comedy, entirely in keeping with the spirit of the story, is found. Peters and Harry Todd add many humorous scenes to lighten the more dramatic moments. CIVIC PICTURES. JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD’S “THE COUNTRY BEYOND” AND “EVERYBODY’S ACTING.” An unusually fine photoplay, “The Country Beyond,” Fox Films screen version of James Oliver Curwood’s great novel, had its first showing at the Civic on Saturday and will be repeated again to-night. Directed by Irving Cummings and with the beautiful Olive Borden in the stellar role, this picture proves to be a very fine entertainment. The story deals with the orphan girl Valencia who is the adopted daughter of Joe and Martha Leseur. The former is a brutal trapper, who abuses both his wife and daughter with extreme cruelty, which drives his daughter to New York and his wife to near-madness. But there is more than grim drama to this picture, for there is a very fine love story interwoven through the fabric of the drama and a great deal of humour of the kind that brought many laughs from yesterday’s audience. The cast is unusually good, including as it does Ralph Graves as the male lead, J. Farrell MacDonald as Sergeant Cassidy, Gertrude Astor, Fred Kohler, Evelyn Selbie’, Lawford Davidson, Alfred Fisher and Lottie Williams. Dealing with the theatre, and more particularly with the back-stage life of a troupe of actors, “Everybody’s Acting,” a Paramount production, also on this bill, is a comedy-drama of exceptional merit. It stars Betty Bronson, Ford Sterling, Henry B. Walthall, Stuart Holmes, at the head of an impressive cast of players. The theme tells of a little orphan, Betty, who falls in love with a rich man, whose ambitious mother forbids his marriage. So that the happiness of their little girl will not be imperilled, her five guardians plot against the mother. Opposed to her son’s attachment for Betty on the grounds that she is a “common actress,” the mother assigns a detective agency to look into the girl’s past. They uncover all the unpleasantness connected with the death of her mother and father. To outwit the mother the guardians urge Betty’s lover to accept a position in the Orient. Then they secretly book a passage for Betty on the same steamer he is sailing on, and the lovers are united just as the boat pulls out. It is a real, human picture, with romance and comedy intermingled into one delightful whole. The supporting programme is excellent.