STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 274, 9 February 1928, Page 19

STRAND

“SEVENTH HEAVEN” To-day, the wonderful photoplay, “Seventh Heaven,” which is attracting crowded houses to the Strand Theatre nightly, will commence on its second triumphant week. A new star, probably the most brilliant that has yet appeared on the* cinema firmament, was discovered with the showing of Frank Borzage’s version of Austin Strong’s “Seventh Heaven” for Fox Films, which is now being shown at the Strand. And that star is Janet Gaynor. So unexpected is her great and wistful loveliness, and with such sympathy and understanding does she play her role of Diane, the Paris street waif, that she completely captivates the- hearts of her audience with almost her first appearance in the picture. Sweetly demure, fearfully defiant or gloriously smiling through her tears, in each and every mood she is equally beautiful and lovable as perhaps no other screen actress is. But not only Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, too, is a new star who comes into being with this production. He is Chico, that “very remarkable fellow,” as he says himself, who leads the little waif from the streets to the “Seventh Heaven.” Preceding the is a beautiful atmospheric prologue featuring Mr. Birrell O’Malley and Miss Phyllis Hazel. The stage scenes depict the view of Paris from Chico’s retreat among the housetops. Concluding the pictorial programme is a beautiful scenic, “Solitude.” It is desirable always that a star should follow one great picture with another, and though this might be a big order for most players, Ramon Novarro has succeeded in doing it in his latest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer attraction, “The Road to Romance.” This is the screen version of Joseph Conrad’s wonderful story. “Romance.” Those who saw Ramon Novarro in “Ben-Hur” will want to see him again in this captivating story of romance that leads across the Caribbean Sea to the lawless lair of the Reigo pirates, to perils unnumbered, to romance, gallant service and eventually, lasting love. Few pictures offer picturegoers such spectacular and unalloyed romance as this.

Lois Moran dances for the second I time in her motion picture career in the Fox production, “Sharpshooters,” which is being - de at Fox studios. George O’Brien is co-featured with her. Miss Moran was trained as a dancer from early childhood, and during her screen career she has only once before had the opportunity of displaying her art for the camera.. Miss Moran is cast as a French dancer in a Moroccan cafe, and her inter- ! pretation of a vivacious nautch dance. ! reveals her very evident dancing ability. Peter Milne is putting into scenario | form “The Michigan ltid” by Rex Beach, which Irwin TVillat will direct for Universal.

Because of the popular demand for that type of story a.nd also for Clara Bow, Universal has announced the reissue of "Wine,” in which Clara was the star.