ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1927, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS.

EVERYBODY’S. “THE GIRL FROM MONTMARTRE.” Though Anthony Pride's sensational novel, “Spanish Sunlight,” dealt for the most part with a flaming romance, with Spain for its background, the screen adaptation, entitled “The Girl from Montmartre,” provides much more in the way of action. The story tells of a Spanish dancing girl, forced by poverty to entertain clients of a notorious dive. A professional gambler, despite numerous rebuffs, continues to declare his love, the girl, owing to unavoidable circumstances, being afraid to definitely dismiss him. The thrills begin when Lewis Stone, in the role of a retired army man, visits the dive, and becomes interested in the dancer, whose beauty is not concealed by the mask she wears. This interest rouses the anger of the gambler, especially when he sees that the girl welcomes the newcomer’s attentions. It doesn’t take long for the flouted one’s passions to get the better of him. It is then that daggers flash and Spanish eyes burn with hatred for the stranger. The events that follow afford something quite out of the ordinary, and picture-goers who see “The Girl from Montmartre” will be provided with a deal of “action” fare in addition to the exotic love theme for which the novel is famed. Included among an excellent list of short films is the fifth wonder reel of the marvellous pictorial record of Amundsen’s polar flight. THE PEOPLE’S. “HOW BAXTER BUTTED IN.” This Warner Bros.’ classic of the screen is a queer mixture of laughs and comic situations, but it also pictures a very unusual slice of human struggle and endeavour of Matt Moore, in the role of a nondescript clerk in the “want ad” department of a newspaper office, burdened with the wife and children of his brother, who has been killed in an accident. The particular appeal of “How Baxter Butted In,” however, lies in the whimsical farce that gives Matt Moore and Dorothy Devore unlimited opportunity for their gift of droll expression. Miss Devore is unusually charming and piquant in her role of a stenographer who works with Matt Moore and sympathises with his bashful, eccentric diffidence that has made him the butt of the whole office. A fine list of supporting films include a Gazette, Urban Chat and comedy, “Fireflies.” OPERA HOUSE. “THE SON OF THE SHEIK” TO- ' NIGHT. A few weeks before his sudden death, Rudolph Valentino completed “The Son of a Sheik,” in which he again played the part of a sheik, the characterisation which brought him his early fame. This story by E. M. Hull, author of “The Sheik,” is hailed as the logical successor to the tremendously popular “The Sheik.’ Like the latter, the new novel is a story of love, action and adventure, and abounds in the romantically dramatic situations in which picture-goers always admired Valentino most. It was expressly written as a sequel to “The Sheik,” and its hero is one of the second generation of the dashing tribesman who was impersonated by Valentino in the earlier story for the screen. “The Son of a Sheik” will be shown for three nights at the Opera House, commencing this evening. Rudolph Valentino was unconsciously prophetic when lie recently completed “The Son of a Sheik.” In handing the negatives over to the sales department, Valentino said: “I don’t think I’ll ever make a better picture than this one; everything worked out as we planned. I have sunk my whole fortune in it, so I hope they will like it.” “They” are the movie fans. Since the arrival of “The Son of the Sheik” in New Zealand, thousands of Valentino admirers have literally “swarmed” into every theatre in which the picture has shown. To relieve the pressure at the Opera House, arrangements have been made for two special matinees at Everybody’s on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Seats may be reserved at Collier's.

AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH SILVER BAND. The masterly manner in which Mr. Albert M. Baile, musical director of the Australian Commonwealth Band, presents his programme has been most favourably commented upon by the press and musical critics throughout every country visited during his tour around the world of 1925-6-7. His band can swing about from Grand Opera into jazz, from humoresque to hymns, and from descriptive numbers to classics, with lightning rapidity and versatility that is remarkable, imparting to each its own particular moods and changes of tone colour in a way that is most pleasing and entertaining. With every movement of his baton, entirely new effects are produced, ranging from the softest pianissimos through myriad changes of tone colour and harmony, to electrifying double fortes that are grand ajid massive, but ever with that organ-like blend that never seems to get out of hand or boisterous. Mr. Baile is carrying with him over GOO numbers, from his vast repertoire, and at each performance to be given in New Plymouth a complete change of programme will be made, each as interesting as its predecessor, and. each carrying its quota of standard overtures, classics, grand opera, hymns, descriptive numbers, comic operas, jazz, and solos by cornet, trombone and xylophone.