ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1932, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS

TOBITJ.fr iAT'OPERA HOUSE. OPENING .OF “MISS' PINKERTON.” Tn sheer, unadultered thrills that '■ raise your hair-on end and give you “gooseflesh” with their eeyieness, or at another time ; make. you-, gasp with their, unex-, pected suddenness,; ‘.‘Miss Pinkerton,’ a film with a ‘ snifeolarly unpretentious title that opened at. the New 1 Plyriiouth Opera House last; night, provides absolutely the last’word. -Tte /author of the story from which the film is adapted is Mary Roberts Rinehart, the writer of “The > Bat. That frict?al6ne should' be" sufficient recommendation. . The director, has _ done the rest in ; ritakin'g? a few thousand * feet of, film • crammed ;asfull with, excitemerit , as the many ’ thousands of words of a novel would be. The name part is played by Joan;Blondell, a'young American actress who has rapidly made a name for herself since the very recent days when she .played only minor parts. Ernst -Lubitsch, one of the fop-notchers of film direction, said not so long ago that screen personality more than ability to'act was the* essential •of the film star; Many American films have proved that. Finished : displays 'of " actidg have been lacking in some of the greatest films, yet that lack has not prevented the - manufacture of good movie-stuff by camerairian'and director. . Joan Blondell’s acting is a., little raw. yet, tiut.’she is .one bf those screen personalities for whom success is assured.' Only to see her in .“Miss Rinkerton’ is to confirm any. such opinions already foriried. . • *• , Miss Pinkerton is a. young nurse bored with'existence and she 7 yearns ' for excitement. Sent on duty, to a house where murder, or suicide, or an accident has happened,: she is felled in to assist the defective, arid tries, a little sleuthing of her own.'7’She gets the excitement she sought, and, the audience, shares it. with her. Meddling. with •’ other - people’s business she' discoversfis: unhealthy, especially in;the' darlc, dark; night. She—but with the rest of - the audience we promised not to reveal the identity, of—but we nearly have without intending to. Thrill piles - on thrill and , excitement grows more ' and ■ more - tense, as the plot . becomes; thicker ■ and. thicker. There is no let-up 7 until the firial shot. The best thjhgito say is: “See it yourself and be in'the secret.”

REGENT THEATRE. •STRANGE' CASE' OF CLARA DEANE” In “The Strange Case of Clara Deane, which commenced a three-night season at The Regent, New Plymouth, last night, .Wynne Gibson, : a brl^ la . nt . From the ' stage, attains, to. heights that will bring her .great fame in the. ann^ 1 ® of the photoplay. The story takes the audience over a span of about twenty years, and. the gradual metamorphosis of the hapless Clara Deane through the years of trying circumstances is shown with all the production value, all the skill of advanced artistry in the use of make-up for which Paramount is famous. Married to a worthless man, on the eve of his sentence for embezzlement, she struggles valiantly, during the next five years to bring happiness to the life of their little daughter. Freed from prison, her thieving husband gets into a series of “jams,” and when finally he is caught Clara Deane is accused .and sentenced as an accomplice. Her daughter is adopted by the detective chief of the city, who . brings her up as ’his own, into charming young womanhood. Released from prison, Clara Deane gets a Job. as a seamstress., She reads with a twinge of ironic , joy that her daughter is about to be married to a worthy young man. Discretion keeps her from making herself known to the young woman.' • Meanwhile her husband learns of the daughter’s happy position

in society—and threatens a blackmail campaign which will ruin the happiness of the young bride-to-be. The climax is terrific—a series of melodramatic incidents, with Clara Deane as the heroine.. The ending is not the customary sugary one—but contains a satisfying modicum of happiness. The. shorts include Paramount British News, Screen Song and “The Loud Mouth” (comedy).

EVERYBODY’S. “LETTY LYNTON.” Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery appear in “Letty Lynton,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s much heralded filmisation of the noted novel, which opened at Everybody’s Theatre last night. The story is a tense draina of the modern age, of society and intrigue, with an amazing dramatic climax in which the heroine faces the choice between prison and loss of her reputation. The plot deals with an heiress whose indiscretions crop up, in the form of a jealous jilted lover, as she is about to find her life happiness. There is a poisoning—suspicion falls on her, and to save her from prison, her mother and lover provide the only alibi they can find, though it threatens the worst of scandal. An astounding battle of wits between the district attorney and the girl and her mother is one of the big dramatic situations in the film. Miss Crawford as Letty Lynton wears beautiful gowns, and gives one of the greatest dramatic performances of her career. Montgomery, as the debonair shipboard lover, has a role perfectly suited to his unique personality. Outstanding work is also done by Nils Asther, the famous Swedish actor, as the jealous Renaul, and by May Robson as the mother. Lewis Stone scores in the role of the district attorney and Louise Closser Hale contri- , butes character comedy as the maid. The masterful direction of Clarence Brown is apparent throughout the entire production. There are three interesting variety news reels and a Pete Smith Olympic Games sports reel entitled “Timber Toppers.” The programme screens again to-night and to-morrow night with matinees each afternoon.