AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20260, 8 November 1935, Page 4

AMUSEMENTS

STATE THEATRE OPENING PICTURE The new State Theatre will be officially opened on Wednesday next with “Our Little Girl,” featuring Shirley Temple, the astonishingly precocious juvenile actress who has won her way into the hearts of many filmgoers by her whimsical smile and accomplished acting. In this, her latest appearance on the talking screen, Shirley Temple, who already has won the distinction of gaining the special award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, gains further laurels. In a part calling for experienced interpretation of emotional phases, the child acts with restraint far beyond her years, and makes eminently satisfying entertainment of material which might easily have become boring sentimentalism. “Our Little Girl” tells of a drama which might occur in any home. Dealing with emotional difficulties common to every man arid every woman, the film progresses smoothly from one episode to another, and the fact that there is no gap in the simple but absorbing plot is a sterling tribute to the directing ability of John Robertson, who is quickly gaining a reputation for sincere work. In "Our Little Girl," there has been no attempt at exaggeration, but the light and shade of its drama has been etched with a practised hand. The director has received the collaboration of an excellent cast. Joel McCrea, in his best role for some months, makes the most of the opportunities offered him in the part of a struggling young doctor wno pays more attention to his profession than to his pretty young wife, a part played with ability and charm by Adrienne Ames. The rift caused in their married life is widened by the attentions of a wealthy sportsman (Lyle Talbot), but the pair are brought together again by the witchery of their baby daughter (Shirley Temple). The plot is lifted from the commonplace by the accomplished acting of the principals and the sympathetic direction of John Robertson. The production is notable for the appearance in a minor part of J. Farrell MacDonald, who is seen as a J>hil°sophical tramp who also does his part in bringing the estranged couple together.