“OUTCAST LADY”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20104, 10 May 1935, Page 16

“OUTCAST LADY”

A MATRIMONIAL PROBLEM BRILLIANT ACTING There is always an undercurrent in any picture in which Constance Bennett plays the stellar role, and the scintillating actress's latest cinema vehicle, “Outcast Lady,” which opens Saturday at the Majestic Theatre, is no exception to the rule. Stunningly photographed, exquisitely gowned and fitted with a highly emotional and sensitive role, Miss Bennett proves that her artistry is not limited to such farcical' plays as “Moulin Rouge” or “The Affairs of Cellini,” but is equal to the greater demands made upon her by the dramatically powerful part of Iris March in her present picture.

In “Outcast Lady,” Miss Bennett as Iris March is the innocent victim of scandalous tongues which cause her to pursue a career totally foreign to her own desires and nature. With the world turning its back upon her, Iris March fights to retain her self-respect, but the wreckage of her life leaves a bitter mark on the man she loves as well as on the members of her family. The story, based on a narrative by Michael Arien. has been deftly transferred to the screen, its action encompassing a wide variety of European backgrounds and scenes which shift from light humour to the darkest of tragic moments. Robert Z. Leonard has directed with the same skilled hand which marked his “Strange Interlude” and “Dancing Lady.” While the picture is chiefly Miss Bennett’s, no little measure of credit must go to the work of the supporting players, in particular that of Herbert Marshall who has the male lead. Marshall’s role as the man who is estranged from Miss Bennett because of the restrictions held over him by his father, Is a difficult one and it is doubtful if there is a leading man in Hollywood who could have handled it as well as does Marshall.

Others in an excellent supporting cast who deserve special mention include the effervescent Mrs Patrick Campbell. Hugh Williams, Elizabeth Allan, Henry Stephenson, Robert Loraine, Lumsden Hare, Leo Carroll, Ralph Forbes, and Alec B. Francis.