CINEMA PROGRAMMES

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1935, Page 7

CINEMA PROGRAMMES

STATE THEATRE. “LOTTERY LOVER” SHOWING. For a light-hearted story, filmgoers will find all that can be desired in “Lottery Lover,” which opened its New Plymouth season at the State Theatre last night. The story opens with the arrival in France of an American battle cruiser “Alaska,” .packed with carefree young cadets with thoughts of four days’ leave at Paris. While roaming round the streets with nothing particular to do they meet a “man of the world” who offers his services as a guide for the sum of 10,000 francs. This offer is accepted by the boys, and they find themselves on the first night of their tour at the “Follies Parisiennes.” Every cadet falls in love with the glamorous queen of the revue, except one, a confirmed womanhater, who prefers sleeping to “woman idolising.” Following this the guide institutes a lottery, to which each contributes 1000 francs, the winner to take the pool and woo the revue princess. The winner is found to be the “girl shy” man, and the humour that follows when all his fellow ticket-holders try to coach him in his part of wooing is splendid. For the rehearsing a beautiful blonde chorus girl is used to play the part, of the “most talked of woman in Paris.” Pat Paterson plays this part to perfection. After many embarrassing situations the lottery winner (Lew Ayres) fails to captivate the heart of the “idol” and falls in love with the chorus girl: Reginald Denny, who plays the part of the commander of the cruiser, discovers that the revue queen is a lover of his last visit to Paris, and consequently falls a second time. Peggy Fears, a newcomer to the screen, as the fascinating star of the revue, plays her part very well, and nothing more could be desired of Lew Ayres as the “girl-shy” cadet. Nick Foran, with his mirth-pro-voking antics, backed by a “bodyguard” of 16 rollicking cadets on their first leave, keeps the picture moving all the time. “Lottery Lover” is preceded by an interesting travel picture, “Adventure Girl,” portraying the dangers, pleasure and thrills of a yacht in midocean and later an expedition in jungle surroundings. ’’

EVERYBODY’S THEATRE

“MAN OF ARAN.”

“Man of Aran,” the British attraction which has won more motion picture awards than any picture yet produced, will be screened twice daily at Everybody’s to-day and to-morrow. The charm of the picture lies in itS unrivalled closeness with Nature and the cheery optimism with which the islanders go about their daily affairs. Thrill follows thrill in the exciting encounters with sharks, but even the desperate nature of this work is overshadowed by the scenes of a raging sea, lashed by a fierce southwest gale and threatening to submerge the very islands, despite their 300 ft. ramparts. And it is through the maelstrom of such a raging storm that we . see islanders fighting their way home, in a fragile curragh, to land safely at last, in a boiling swirl, among jagged rocks, but to witness the wreck of their little craft and the loss of precious gear. The screen has neyer been given a more fascinating human story. Every foot of it is a record of things as they actually happened on that bleak, north Atlantic island, without studio “dressing" or make-be-lieve of any description. . It is more than an entertainment —it is an experience. An attractive associate programme includes British News, Gaumont Graphic, “Industrial Britain” (interest), Cinesound Review and “Idolls” (Ideal Cinemagazine).

NEW PLYMOUTH OPERA HOUSE. CONRAD VEIDT IN “BELLA DONNA.” Photography that specialises in shots from unconventional angles creates an Eastern atmosphere for “Bella Donna,” the new attraction at the New Plymouth Opera House. Shadows and sunlight on stone and earthen buildings provide appropriate settings for this strange story.of a white girl who becomes infatuated with an Egyptian and loses her husband and her position for him. Baroudi, the Egyptian, as played by Conrad Veidt, is not a pleasant character. Powerful, sinister, with a magnetic animal appeal, its' philosophy of life is to “take what you want in this world without losing anything.” His r fascination over, the Englishwoman, played by Mary Ellis, is partly hypnotic, wholly unguided by real understanding. Veidt’s scenes in the picture are comparatively few, but it says much for his ability that his personality is projected, as a dangerous and brooding presence, over every action. John Stuart, as the husband who idolises a wife who even tries to poison him, takes a secondary part with assurance, and Cedric Hardwicke is adequate as his friend. “Bella Donna” is not a cheerful picture, but it treats an unusual subject, with originality and power. There is a good supporting programme.

THE REGENT THEATRE.

UNUSUAL COMEDY-DRAMA.

In “The Pursuit of Happiness,” which opened at The Regent last night, the audience was treated to a novel comedy that drew continuous chuckles of merriment punctuated by occasional outbursts of loud laughter. The plot of the film is laid in the early days of the American War of Independence, in a New England village to which comes a de-