AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18498, 20 February 1930, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS

“HIGH TREASON.” ENGLISH TALKIE COMING TO GRAND. “High Treason,” a highly spectacular all-talking film from the Gaumont British Studios, which will be presented at the Grand Theatre next Saturday, comes very opportunely when the nations are making efforts towards the establishment of permanent peace. Certain incidents in the picture have foundation in the wishes and utterances of famous men. Based on a play by Pemberton Billing, “High Treason” presents a picture of the world in 1940, when the Peace Movement has grown to large enough proportions to take militant action to prevent war. The representation of life ten years hence affords opportunity for spectacular scenes and settings of unique interest. London is shown with buildings provided with flat roofs as landing places for aeroplanes and heliocopters. The destruction of New York by incendiary bombs and gas dropped from the air is extraordinarily well done. Sartorial surprises abound. Women sport useful but dainty plus-four suits for office wear, while for evening occasions divided skirts with knee breeches are evidently the thing. The acting is on an extraordinarily high level, and not only do the principals act well, but their voices in every case are most agreeable and perfectly recorded. Indeed, the sound recording is of the very best, for voices, music and effects alike, and is particularly good in the graphic realism of the aeroplane raids, the ! explosion in the Channel Tunnel, and the women’s triumphal singing of the Peace Song—to mention but a few of the “high spots” in the film. Beautiful photography completes the picture and a magnificent piece of production. The London “Daily Express” in its review of the film says it is “not only the best talking film yet made, but is the screen’s greatest achievement in imaginative construction.” Jameson Thomas, Benita Hume. Humberston Wright, and Basil Gill are the principal actors.

ALL TALKING PROGRAMME. AT THE MAJESTIC. Comedy is the predominating ele ment in “The Cocoanuts.” the colourful Paramount all-talking musica comedy which is proving exceptionally popular at the Majestic Theatre. Th( stage version of this production createc a sensation in New York, enjoying s season of immense popularity for nearly a year. The four Marx Brothers who have the leading roles, are among the world’s funniest funmakers, and they provide sparkling and hilarious comedy throughout. Everyone who has seen the picture has been charmed with the wonderful dancing the ballets being perfect, and the sok> and eccentric dancing being something worth looking at. The singing of Mary Eaton, whose lyric notes are heard to advantage in “When My Dreams Come True,” is excellent. She is one of the musical comedy stars of Broadway, and was for a long time one of the stars of the world-famous Ziegfeld Follies. The Marx Brothers, besides being comedians of the first rank, are also able musicians, Harpo especially excelling at the harp, while Chico is an ac~

complished pianist. So popular have the comedians become that they are now known to one another as well as to the general public by the names which they adopted for their stage career. Chico’s real name is Leonard, Harpo is Arthur, Groucho is Julius, and Zeppo is Herbert. The scene of the comedy is set in Florida, amid the gay, sumptuous, and colourful environment of Palm Beach and Cocoanut Grove; and the plot constitutes a delightful skit on the get-rich-quick methods of the great Florida land boom. An excellent variety of supporting pictures are also shown of an educational, amusing and interesting nature. The short unit pictures are all-talking ones, and one of the most interesting is a description of how the sound is produced on the taiking-flim.