AMUSEMENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17219, 10 December 1923, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS.

I ÜBERTY THEATRE.

"THE \VOICE FROM THE MINARET.*’ A FINE NORMA TALMADGE; PICTURE- , "To love and not to declare that love has the sadness of an unfinished song ’ quotes the philosopher (Seleiml in The Voice From the Minaret.’* This quotation is the essence of the very interesting story filmed bv First National. starring Norma Talmadge and Eugene O'Brien. It relates that a woman unhappily married loves another man; outwardly that affection is not shown for some time, and then ensues a mental struggle between right and wrong. The scenes are laid principally in the East and the result is a spectacular picture as well as an appealing romance. The principal figure in the story is Lady Adrienne Carlyle (Norma Talmadge). the young wife of the Governor of an Indian state (Edward Stevens), for whom life is almost unendurable owing to the conduct of her husband, and his attentions to a halfcaste. the Countess La Fontaine (Claire Du Brey). Lady Carlyle meets Andrew Fabian (Eugene O'Brien) who is studying for the ministry and is en route to join a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Governor and Lady Adrienne attend a function in honour of Pabian. but Lady Adrienne is neglected by her husband and she finds him declaring his love for the Countess La Fontaine. As a result Lady Carlyle decides to return to England and secure a divorce. Aboard ship she meets Fabian, who is travelling to Damascus. At his suggestion she decides to join the pilgrimage. In the meantime the Governor had suffered from a seizure and he despatched his secretary after Lady Adrienne asking her to come back. At Damascus. Adrienne, quartered in an Oriental hotel, finds life brighter, and she feels herself living again. At the same time the friendship which existed between herself and Fabian has grown to an affection which both know in their hearts to be love. But the voice from a nearby Minaret was constantly awakening their consciences. As the muezzin from the tower of the Minaret daily called to prayer the followers of Allah. Adrienne was reminded that she was not free and Fabian that he was pledged to the church. One day, however, the latter declared his love and suggested that they should go and live in the desert, to which she agreed. While Andrew was making his preparations a visitor arrived in the person of his uncle, a bishop. Andrew’ told his uncle that as it was better to face the inevitable he did not intend to enter the ministry as he did not think he was fitted for it. The bishop on becoming acquainted with the circumstances went to Adrienne to dissuade her from carrying out their plans. “You know from your own bitter experience.” he said, “that true happiness cannot come from love without honour" She agreed to give up Andrew and at this stage a message arrived from her husband asking her to return and Adrienne went back in the despair of renunciation. She found he.r husband more sinister than ever. She said she did not come back because she loved him, but because she loved another man. and this infuriated Carlyle. On their return to England at the end of his governorship Carlyle became incensed because Adrienne went to the church where Andrew Fabian had become rector, and he made numerous inquiries with a view to finding out if this man was her lover. He invited the rector to dinner and secretly he put a stimulant in the. coffee. This affected Adrienne, who became deathly pale and then Carlyle announced that he had put poison in the coffee. When Andrewhad declared his love for Adrienne the husband said he had merely pretended it was poison in order to find them out. He intended to denounce Fabian as a hypocrite, but just as he was about to summon the elders of the church he was taken seriously ill and soon death had come to him. but not before he relented and signified his approval of the union of Andrew’ and Adrienne. The next visit to Damascus wras a happy one for the young people. Another picture on the programme "From the Ground Up.” features Tom Moore and Helene Chadwick in a series of amusing coincidences which make up an entertaining story. “Lovebound,” a Shirley Mason comedy, can lay real claim to the title, for it abounds in burlesque scenes which create much laughter. The Liberty Quality Orchestra rendered a very pleasant programme. The solo numbers included an excellent pianoforte rendering of “Rigoletto” (Verdi-Liszt', by Mr Howard Moody, and a violin selection, Andante from Spanish Symphony (Lalo). This was nicely executed by Mr Harry Ell wood. Other items given by the orchestra under Mr Moody’s direction were: ’ Danse Persane ’ (Guiraud*, "From the South” suite (Nicode), “La Princesse Jaune” (St Saens*. “Chanson Intime” (Chapelier), "Sunkist Rose” entr'acte ( De \ oil i, A Lover in Damascus,” suite (Woodforde-Pinden i, "Nocturne” (Chausson >, “A Song of India” (Rim-sky-Korsakov j.