AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19834, 25 June 1934, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

“CATHERINE THE GREAT.” ABSORBING FILM AT REGENT. I “Catherine the Great,” now at the ! Regent, is an intensely absorbing j screen-play which introduces to Timaru a superb actress, a woman it will talk about, a woman it will want to see ! again-—Elizabeth Bergner. Without belittling the other players, or underestimating the work ot the producer, one may justly say this is her talkie. This is an English film, produced by the company which made “The Private Life of Henry VIII.” That in itself should be sufficient recommendation. It depicts the portion of Russian history toward the close of the Empress Elizabeth’s reign, sketches the brief period her nephew Peter held sway, and closes after the rebellion that placed Catherine the Great on the throne. Practically the whole of the action takes place in the palace, giving the producer splendid opportunities of displaying the pomp and ceremony of the Court, with occasional outside shots. The settings generally are realistic, the costuming excellent, and the photography does justice to both. It is with the players, though, that one is most interested. When the star first comes to the Russian Court from Germany, you are moved by her girlishness and innocence; when she assumes power you are amazed at the easy , manner with which she gives her commands.

“NIGHT FLIGHT" AT MAJESTIC. FINE AVIATION STORY. John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Montgomery, and Myrna Loy, from the strong multi-star cast which interprets “Night Flight," the new Metro-Gold - wyn-Mayer picture now showing at the Majestic Theatre. “Night Flight" is claimed to be the only real, truly accurate, authentic, and human airplane story so far written. The principal characters are John Barrymore, stern, driving manager of the air line; Clark Gable, pilot of the storm-caught plane from Puntas Arenas; Robert Montgomery, pilot of a plane crossing towering mountains; Helen Hayes, fear-ridden wife of Gable; Lionel Barrymore, the lumbering inspector of airplanes, and Myrna Loy, wife of William Gargan, the pilot of the plane to Brazil. It is around these players that a highly dramatic plot centres. A feature of the season is the fact that the De Forest Wide Range sound system, said to represent a new and revolutionary advance in sound production, will be heard for the first time. This improved system of talkie presentation is the culminrton of constant and painstaking research and experiment since the advent of talkies, and can now truthfully be said to represent the peak of perfection in point of naturalness and clarity of sound reproduction.