AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21182, 1 November 1938, Page 9

AMUSEMENTS

REGENT THEATRE “LEAVE IT TO ME” One of the funniest pictures that has come to New Zealand for some time is the new Sandy Powell comedy, “Leave It to Me,” which is enjoying keen popularity at the Regent. In his new picture Sandy is cast in a part which gives him much more scope for his own droll type of comedy which has made him a world favourite on record, radio and screen. As Special Constable Powell, Sandy does everything that a good policeman should not do; and his term of duty in the Limehouse district of London among the roughs and toughs of this famous spot brings Sandy many experiences which will keep audiences in a continual state of laughter. “The Broken Melody” Alfred Hill, who has been widely acclaimed as composer and conductor in England and America) as well as in Australia, is an authority on Maori music and folk lore. He has written many compositions inspired by Maori tradition. Mr Hill once wrote the music for a film which an American enterprise, visiting New Zealand, proposed to make, and in which Maori life was to be pictured. The film venture was not proceeded with, much to Mr Hill's regret, for he claims that apart from the musical side there is a great film waiting to be made in New Zealand. Mr Hill had not been associated with any other film work until Mr Ken Hall, producer-director of Cinesound, commissioned him to write the operatic music for “The Broken Melody," which comes to the Regent to-morrow. Never before has music on such an ambitious scale been associated with an Australian film, and it is fitting that it should be written by an Australian. Mr Hill is particularly pleased to be associated with the progress of the motion picture production industry here. He claims that Cinesound’s recording of his music could not have been bettered anywhere. And Cinesound are particularly pleased to be associated with Mr Alfred Hill, for his glorious “Broken Melody” music is a real treat in itself. MAJESTIC THEATRE “THAT CERTAIN WOMAN” Again given a film that has plenty of scope for her unique emotional talents, Bette Davis is appearing at the Majestic Theatre in “That Certain Woman,” and has seemed to delight successive audiences as this Warner Bros, melodrama unreeled its fastmoving action upon the screen. Adventure—romantic love—martyrdom—-mother-love are all portrayed by blonde Bette in the course of this exciting drama, which was both written and directed by the celebrated Edmund Goulding. “That Certain Woman” is a story about the widow of a slain gangster, who despite the scorn of the world and the persecution of enemies, wins her way to business success and to the affections of a worthwhile man. Henry Fonda carries the male romantic interest, while others in the cast include lan Hunter, Anita Louise, Donald Crisp, Hugh O’Connell, Mary Phillips and Herbert Rawlinson. Locales of the action include Monte Carlo, with some very striking sets, London, Paris and various other Old World capitals, as well as New York City. There has been an increasing tendency of late to- give Bette Davis the very best stories that the Warner Bros, can find, and the result has been evident in the increasing popularity of her films. This story was written for her and nobody else, by Edmund Goulding. He even composed the music for it. “Arsene Lupin Returns” Those theatregoers who are looking for real excitement should find “Arsene Lupin Returns,” opening at the Majestic to-morrow, much to their liking. Steve Emerson (Warren William), a former G-man who has taken up detective work for an insurance company, is given the job of guarding the valuable de Grissac emerald, and his work commences right away when an attempt to steal it is made. The only real clue left by the would-be thief is a slip of paper with the words “Arsene Lupin” written on it. The owner of the emerald, Count de Grissac, his beautiful daughter (Virginia Bruce), and his cousin decide to leave New York for France, and, of course, Emerson goes too. There they are met by the daughter’s fiance, Rene Farrand (Melvyn Douglas), a young farmer. Again an attempt is made to steal the jewel, this time successfully, and again the name of Arsene Lupin is left for the investigators to find. The French police are sure that Lupin, a once noted thief, is dead, but the young American detective is not so certain. Unknown to anyone the debonair Rene Farrand has two mysterious visitors, and it soon becomes apparent to the audience that Lupin is still alive. Two murders add to the excitement of the hunt, and the evidence points very strongly to Emerson being the criminal. Actually the thief and killer is someone quite unexpected, and the final scenes clear up many mysteries. The three stars take their parts convincingly, and are well supported. The short features include a Fitzpatrick Traveltalk, a coloured cartoon, an M.G.M. oddity, “Life in Sometown,” a newsreel, and a Pete Smith Oddity, “La Savete.” STATE THEATRE “INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT” Telling the timely story of daring Americans swept overnight into perilous adventure behind the barricades of the Orient’s amazing city within a city, “International Settlement,” 20th Century-Fox’s picture of the hour, will open to-day at the State Theatre. More thrilling than the story the headlines unfold is the one the headlines have never told, this amazing drama within a drama. Taking place right in the midst of to-day’s danger zone, the thrill-teeming story of “Internationa! Settlement” features Dolores Del Rio, George Sanders, June Lang and Dick Baldwin, defying every nation’s warning to “Get out of danger” Each has a reason for ignoring the warning and remaining behind the, barricades where refugees from the stricken metropolis desperately seek safety. The most beautiful white

woman in all China, Dolores Del Rio, is a glamorous figure of mystery whose motive is to live dangerously. An American soldier of fortune, George Sanders, in the Far East as a flying instructor, remains to tempt death. Dick Baldwin is a daring newsreel cameraman, daring the flying destruction of the bombardment to get his pictures and to find romance with June Lang, beautiful American tourist who proves a champion under fire. Their tangled lives and loves in the battle area, against a background of all the colour and drama that pervades the East to-day, gives the picture of the hour a hundred big moments. The cast includes intensely powerful roles by Ruth Terry, John Carradine, Keye Luke, Harold Huber, Leon Ames and Pedro de Cordoba