The Moving Row of Magic Shadow Shapes OMAR KHAYAM

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19959, 17 November 1934, Page 11

The Moving Row of Magic Shadow Shapes OMAR KHAYAM

With the world-renowned Richard Tauber in the stellar role. “Blossom Time,” 8.1.P.’s glorious lyrical romance, will soon be screened in Timaru. It is a story of Franz Schubert, and in the film, the famous tenor will sing (in English) eight songs set to Schubert’s entrancing melodies. Richard Tauber has the support of a specially selected cast. Mr A. R. Shepard, general manager for New Zealand of the J. C. Williamson Picture Corporation has received the following cable from Sydney in con nection with the premiere of Beaumont Smith’s Australian film, “Splendid Fellows”: —“Picture passed censors without cut. Acclaimed by them and others as best Australian picture to date. Congratulations pouring in. Centenary race, arrival Charleville, Melbourne, also Duke of Gloucester’s sequences excellent. Story fast moving. Plenty laughs. Great climax. A real winner.” “Merry Wives of Reno.” the Warner Bros, picture which gives a humourous slant on the doings in the world’s famous divorce colony, has an excellent all star cast. Margaret Lindsay, Glenda Farrell and Ruth Donnelly are the three merry wives who romp to Reno, Miss Lindsay and Miss Donnelly to seek divorces and Miss Farrell to find a new world of men to flirt with. Donald Woods, Guy Kibbee and Hugh Herbert are the three husbands involved, the former two framing their wives into a compromising situation with the latter, Woods with the idea of affecting a reconciliation with his

bride and Kibbee of reducing his wife’s demands for alimony. In addition to its humorous side, the story carries a delightful romance, the two featured leads, Miss Lindsay and Woods playing their parts straight, one as the suspicious bride and the other as a wrongly accused husband who has been tangled in a net of compromising circumstances by the flirtatious Miss Farrell. Robert Lord who wrote both the story and the screen play, is said to have given the production a lively treatment that leads to fast action with rollicking situations. The picture was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. Others in the cast include Frank McHugh, Roscoe Aates and Hobart Cavanaugh. The unique theme surrounding the 8.1. P. thriller, “The Scotland Yard Mystery,” concerns a series of monstrous and sensational insurance frauds. These are contrived by a clever and unscrupulous doctor, a certain Dr Masters, who is not suspected because of his position as the Home Office pathologist at Scotland Yard. Master’s methods are carried out by means of a serum injection of his own discovery, which produces a state of catalepsy—a living “death,” by which a man can be rendered and certified dead, although an anti-toxin can later be applied to revive the patient, little the worse for his gruesome experience. Practising this daring operation, Master’s men were able to collect on the patient’s insurance policy and send the “dead man” abroad with a share of the ill-gotten gains. The insur-

ance company directors are naturally very perturbed at the alarming deathrate of heavily-insured men, -and severely censure their young Dr Freeman, who had certified to the patient’s physical fitness in each case. Chief Inspector Stanton, of “the Yard,” is particularly interested in the case, in that his daughter is Freeman’s fiancee, and when another “death” occurs, he decides to investigate the matter officially. Very cleverly and deftly the famous detective gradually unravels the mystery, and thrill follows thrill, culminating in a most exciting climax. This picture is of particular interest, as it marks the final appearance of that great actor, the late Sir Gerald Du Maurier, who gives a brilliant portrayal of the bulldog Inspector Stanton. Splendid support is rendered by George Curzon as the dastardly Dr Masters, Grete Natzler, a glamorous Continental beauty, and beautiful Belle Chrystall.

“Tarzan and His Mate,” is a romantic story of the jungle that should have an appeal for everyone and thrills enough to satisfy the most exacting. Weismuller plays the part of Tarzan and Maureen O’Sullivan has the leading feminine role. The story is based on the famous fiction character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Into the primitive romance is packed a series of animal scenes that have never been equalled in the filming of adventure pictures for the screen. Human drama is provided by a strong supporting cast including Neil Hamilton, Paul Cavanagh, Doris Lloyd and Forrester Harvey. Again proving that Hollywood is its own best friend and severest critic, no matter what outsiders may say or do, “Let’s Fall in Love,” delightful musical romance about Hollywood, is most certainly a captivating picture. First, “Let’s Fall in Love” adds a new star to the cinema firmament. Ann Sothern is the name of this young player. She is not only lovely and appealing but she possesses a soprano voice of rare charm and clarity. “Let’s Fall in Love” is one musical production which does not drag in its tuneful numbers with no consideration for story values. The picture has only three or four song numbers, for each one fits logically into the action. “Let’s Fall in Love,” “Love is Love Anywhere” and “This is Only the Beginning,” will probably be sung for months to come. Edmund Lowe appears opposite Miss Sothern, and he has wisely played his part in a not-too-obtru-sive fashion. Miriam Jordan is seen

j to excellent advantage as Lowe’s jilted fiancee. Tala Birell gives an effective portrayal, but Gregory Ratoff really deserves first supporting honours for his magnificent portrayal of a motion picture producer. Hitherto “Disraeli” has been the measuring-stick for Mr George Arliss’s prowess as an actor. Henceforth, “The House of Rothschild” will be used for that purpose. His performance in this great picture, is carefully studied, wholly convincing, and brilliantly carried out down to the last syllable and slightest gesture. Fiction has never provided the screen with a better plot than this dramatisation of a romance from real life. Lying on his deathbed, old Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the astute Jewish moneychanger who founded the fortunes of the family in the Ghetto of Frankfort, tells his five sons to' open banking houses in all the principal cities of Europe and work together always for the sake of family and race. Mr Arliss is good as Mayer Rothschild; but he is superb as Nathan, one of the sons, who dominates the story after it has skipped 35 years to arrive at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Nathan is head of the great London banking house of Rothschild, clear-thinking, humanitarian, and dominating, a model husband, and good father and the real power behind the Allies in their titanic struggle against “the Little Corporal.” Between Napoleon’s two main campaigns, the fortunes of the Rothschilds are on the side of peace; t;hey refuse aid to Napoleon; and so it is really they who bring victory to the Allies at Waterloo—and, incidentally, retrieve their own fortunes. The Rothschilds are publicly honoured in the final sequence, which is filmed in technicolour, and which lifts the climax of the picture up to a pitch of magnificance never before equalled. The sympathies of the film are strongly pro-Jewish; but it is hard to find any good reason for the cry of “Propaganda,” which has greeted the picture in some countries, because the Nathan of Mr Arliss is always the hero of the story, and everybody r eposed to him becomes automatically, irrespective of race or creed, a villain. The love theme, between his daughter (Loretta Young) and one of Wellington’s officers (Robert Young) is quite legitimately used to underline the injustice of the persecution suffered by the Rothschilds