LIBERTY THEATRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17188, 3 November 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

LIBERTY THEATRE.

“ TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY” AND “THE POVERTY OF RICHES.” Mary Pick ford’s name will always be connected with the story of “ Tess of the Storm Country. ” Great a& was her acting in its first production, j the re-creation, to be shown for the j first time at the Liberty Theatre .to- j day. shows how great is her advance j as an actress, how wonderful the depth of her emotion, and how skilful her powers of interpretation. it is not the story of Tess she is portraying. She is Tess herself. Witii deep concern one witnesses her vicissitudes of fortune in tile hard life of the fisher-folk, as lier father and thus© closely connected with her fight for their very homes agaiiist a hardhearted landowner. The audience is swept along by the power of appeal in Miss Pick!ord’s acting with a splendid courage, and buoyed up by the love of the landowner's son. she fights with determination. If the highest achievement of acting is for the weak- j er vessel to stir in the hearts of the onlookers a bitter hatred against the oppressor, then Mary Pickford must rank with the world’s greatest movie or stage artists. Hard as is lier light for her home and the homes of the other fisher-folk, it is made well nigh impossible of victory by a t j accusation of murder against her father, and the villaiiiv of a treacherous voting fisli- \ erman desirous of obtaining Tess for , himself. "When things are at their blackest, she rises to great heights ! of self-sacrifice in offering to shield i from shame llie daughter of the landowner by shouldering the harden her- i ■self. Events move through with j rapidity and as truth will oi»t. tho • hard-fisted landowner is made to real- i ise his utter selfishness, and the pic- . ture ends with the etablishiug of the : innocence of lier father, and a happy union of the landowner’s son and Tess. Both in scenery and in acting, as in the conception and interpretation of the story, the re-creation is a distinct improvement on the first production. There are so many fine things in the second feature. “The Poverty of Riches.’ that it is difficult to say what its strongest impression is. The story is one of family life simply told, yet replete with drama, as real life is. The acting of the all-star cast leaves nothing to he desired : and the story shows an actual progression in the unfolding of the characters of the people m the photoplay. At the end of the story, life lias taught them something. and they are different people from the young married folks met ah The beginning of the first reel Tt is a gripping, entertaining story. delightfully told. In the cast are l,©atrire Joy, Irene Rich-, Louise L-ovely. i Richard Dix. John Bowers and half I a dozen wonderful children, j The Liberty Quality Orchestra, under the direction of Mr Howard Moody. Mill play a special musical score, arranged for “ Tess of tho Storm Country.” by Joseph ('. Breil. of New A ork. The box plans are now at The Bristol Piano Company.