ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 25385, 12 September 1935, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

CIVIC THEATRE “MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH” Gaumont-British have created a series of exciting scenes in “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” which is now being shown at the Civic Theatre. The picture is undisguisedly a “thriller,” but it provides such good entertainment that audiences will not feel inclined to quarrel with it on that account, provided that they do not mind having their entertainment spiced with plenty of tense situations. The story opens in Switzerland, where an Englishman, who is on holiday with his wife and child, meets a charming fel-low-countryman, who, unknown to them, is a secret service agent. He is already in possession of information which will enable the special branch of Scotland Yard to protect a foreign statesman who is about to pay a visit to England, and whose life is endangered by the plottings of a group which plans to assassinate him while on British soil. Just as he is about to leave the mountain resort with his information complete, he is shot while dancing with the Englishman’s wife. Before he dies, however, he manages to pass on the secret to his newly-made friend, who is not aware of the importance of the message which he receives. He is soon brought face to face with the grim facts, when a mysterious note reaches him that his daughter has been kidnapped and that her life will be forfeit if one word of the message is breathed to another person. The terrified and bewildered wife and husband return to England, and, under the fear of what will happen to their daughter, they refuse to tell the police that their child has been kidnapped or to pass on to the Foreign Office the information which had been handed to them by the dying secret service agent. . Thus 1 it comes about that the revolutionary group are able to reach England and. to hatch their plans for the murder of the visiting statesman., When their presence in England becomes known to the parents they plan to track down the plotters single-handed and rescue their daughter from they know not what horrors. This forms the groundwork upon which is built up a series of exciting situations. In the suburb of Wapping the plotters are tracked to their heavily-guarded headquarters, and some of the most tense situations are enacted in a sound-proof room. The picture reaches a stirring climax, when, following the attempt on the statesman’s life, the police surround the house and attempt to break in. The scenes which follow are said to have been modelled on an incident which actually occurred in London over 20 years ago, when a foreigner barricaded himself in a house and kept the police at bay by his accurate shooting. The picture, however, does not require this assurance that the scenes have had a parallel in real life in order to arouse the interest of the audience. Amid the cracking of rifles and the sharp crack of revolvers, the police storm the doors. There is a dramatic incident when the kidnapped child appears on the roof of the building with one of the plotters in pursuit, and the mother, to save her daughter’s life, trusts to her practised skill with a rifle and brings the man tumbling into the street below. The leading roles are played by Leslie Banks and Edna Best, who are cast as the parents, while Nova Pilbeam is the child who falls into the plotters’ hands. Among the others in the cast who distinguish themselves are Frank Vosper, who has already given some fine performances on the talking screen, and Peter Lorre. “The Man Who Knew Too Much” is a film which will be enjoyed by those who like fast-moving entertainment. The supporting picture is “Gigoletti,” with Adrienne Ames and Ralph Bellamy in the leading roles. It reveals the secrets of the night club life of New York. JANET GAYNOR IN “ONE MORE SPRING.” Movie lovers who remember the enjoyable screen entertainment that resulted from the juxtaposition of the talents of Janet Gaynor and Warner Baxter, will delight in the announcement that this team of screen lovers are again co-starred. The picture is “One More Spring,” a Fox Film production and starts a three-day engagement at the Civic Theatre on Saturday. These stars, who made such a screen furore of “Paddy” and “Daddy Long Legs,” appear in a poignant and tender romance of to-day, adapted from the acclaimed best-seller from the pen of Robert Nathan. Janet Gaynor has a deeply emotional role as a courageous girl alone in the world, and Warner Baxter is the romantic adventurer who clings to the right to dream. Advance reports from cities where “One More Spring” is playing, hail the performances of these stars as extraordinary and memorable. This vibrant romance set in a snow-coated park is said to be packed to the hilt with excitement. It is different from any role either star has yet had, and affords each a rare opportunity to reach new emotional heights. Brought together by chance in a park in mid-winter, a man and a girl, each penniless, seek refuge in a disused toolhouse, to which come an oddly-assorted set of characters tossed hither by adversity. Their communal, platonic life, in which they put up a stiff front and learn to extract joy out of the hard blows that come their way, make for an absorbing drama. Stepin Fetchit brings his peculiar and original comedy to relieve the tenseness of this picture that has been called hard as earth and soft as clouds. The talented supporting cast is composed of Walter King, Jane Darwell, Roger Imhof, Grant Mitchell, Rosemary Ames, John Qualen, Nick Foran and Astrid Allwyn. MAJESTIC THEATRE. CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S “JANE EYRE.” One of the most beloved stories in the whole realm of English literature is that of the orphan “Jane Eyre,” penned by the famous Victorian novelist, Charlotte Bronte. The tender romance of this lonely, lovable character, has awakened emotional feelings .in many a human breast. The story of Jane Eyre’s love for the somewhat sinister Rochester has charmed millions of readers throughout the ages. And it is indeed appropriate that, at this time, when the talking screen has reached such a high standard of perfection that Monogram Pictures should have turned their attention to this delightful classic romance. Following in the wake of such never-to-be-forgotten stories as “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “Little Women,” “Scarlet Pimpernel,” and “The Old Curiosity Shop,” “Jane Eyre”

further increases our indebtedness to the audible screen for transforming them from cold print into actual life. Boor Jane Eyre. Brought up from infancy in an atmosphere excluding all those benefits which a home with a loving mother and father bestows, sent at an early age to an orphanage presided over by a cruel tyrant befitting the harsh Victorian tradition, and then finally employed in the Rochester household as tutor to the little Adele Rochester, a position which provides her with the happiest moments —in fact, the only happy moments—of her life. The only dark cloud is a certain indefinable mysteriousness that seems to pervade the household and reaches Jane, despite her attempts to shut it out from her. The climax, the very culmination of her happiness arrives when Rochester asks her to be his wife—for she has come to love her employer and he obviously holds the same tender affection for her. But complete happiness is not yet to fall to the lot of Jane Eyre—another terrible blow shatters her dream world and brings her back to harsh reality—at least for a time. Monogram’s “Jane Eyre” is extremely well done—charm-filled entertainment that reaches the very pinnacle of the audible cinematographic art. Lovely Virginia Bruce, Metro-Goldwyn star, was specially loaned to play the part of Jane, while the difficult role of Rochester is brilliantly portrayed by that sterling English actor, Colin Clive. Others in the cast are Aileen Pringle, Jameson Thomas, Beryl Mercer, and little Jean Darling. “Jane Eyre” comes to the Majestic Theatre to-day. THE REGENT. “A LOST LADY.” ENGROSSING WELL-DRESSED DRAMA. A Seldom has a plot been more deftly woven and more delicately handled than in “A Lost Lady,” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Morgan, which is now at the Regent Theatre. The title is somewhat of a misnomer and rather obscure in meaning, but the picture itself is of absorbing interest, and one which carries with it a deep conviction. It is a story of love, of disillusion, of hopes buried and ideals crushed; a story, too, of sacrifice, of devotion, of unselfishness. It is a story of three men, and a woman who loved them all, each in a different way, each in his turn; but only one of whom loved her. Less than 48 hours before her marriage, Barbara Stanwyck sees her fiance killed by the husband of a woman with whom he has been having an affair. Shattered in body, mind, and spirit, she flees blindly to the mountains to brood. There she meets ■ Ralph Morgan, who, by his honesty and strength of character, gradually imbues her with fresh faith. She agrees to marry him on the condition that honesty rather than love shall guide their home, as she believes she will never love again. From that stage it is by no means plain sailing, as there are several young men who find the charm of the middle-aged Forrester’s wife irresistible. Among them is an aerial transport director, named Ellinger (Ricardo Cortez), and he presses his suit with such persistency that success seems to be in his way. Subsequent dramatic developments cause an emotional crisis, however, and Marian’s loyalty to the man who saved her from herself is put to a severe test. The story is an absorbing one, and in the hands of a cast capable of interpreting it with such skill it becomes first-class entertainment. The supports comprise an Australian Cinesound Review, a “Believe It or Not,” a cartoon, a comedy and other subjects. “CLIVE OF INDIA.” MICKEY MOUSE IN COLOUR. A new Ronald Colman arises in “Clive of India,” which is to be screened with Mickey Mouse in technicolour as chief support at the Regent Theatre to-morrow. This picture was filmed by Hollywood’s new “young man of destiny,” Darryl F. Zanuck, from the highly successful London and Broadway stage play of the same title by W. P. Lipscombe and R. J. Minney. The true story of Robert Clive, who conquered an empire at 26, who rose by his own faith, genius and daring from a poor clerk in the East India Company to become England’s greatest hero (says a northern reviewer), fits Colman like the proverbial glove, and he takes full advantage of every opportunity to be more dashing and spirited than ever. Loretta Young, too, gives evidence of new powers in an unforgettable portrayal of the lovely English girl to whom Clive wrote proposing marriage after seeing her picture in her brother’s locket —the girl who arrived in India to accept him, only to find her poor clerk risen to ■ heroic heights through having boldly taken charge of the army and quelled a rebellion. The love story of this heroic pair is one of the most beautiful and moving the screen has ever shown. The woman’s loyalty to the man she loves and her sacrifices to his career—until in a desperate attempt to check his craving for power she refuses to go on with him, only to return to him at last in his hour of bitterest need—are as great and stirring as the bravest deeds of the man. In “Clive of India” you see Clive lead his “mad” army to avenge the massacre in the Black Hole of Calcutta, armoured battle elephants in the conflict at Plassey, Clive’s spectacular trial for treason before the House of Parliament, the duel which convinces Clive that he is marked by destiny as a man who cannot die, an army crossing a flooding river in the teeth of a wild monsoon —all because six words from a woman changed the destiny of Asia! The cast of principals, including Colin Clive, Francis Lister, C. Aubrey Smith, and Cesar Romero, turns in performances of uniform excellence. Box plans, which should be consulted early, are at H. and J. Smith’s. MICKEY MOUSE IN COLOUR. “THE BAND CONCERT.” Of special note on the supporting programme with “Clive of India,” which is to be the Regent’s week-end attraction, is “The Band Concert,” the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be made in full technicolour. But the excellent colour is not the only thing that makes “The Band Concert” an outstanding short feature. This cartoon is full of bright and amusing ideas. Ijf may have been noticed how many cartoons are rather inclined to work an idea to death; the characters do the same thing over and over again until much of the effect is lost But there is absolutely no such unnecessary repetition in “The Band Concert.” Every few moments bring something fresh and funnier to light as Mickey conducts his farmyard band—through the “William Tell” overture. The pleasure of seeing an allround good programme is heightened by this unusual Mickey Mouse cartoon.