LIBERTY THEATRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17347, 12 May 1924, Page 5

LIBERTY THEATRE.

TWO TINE PICT l RES. •‘MAIN STREEP’ AND “THCNDERGATB?” Liberty Theatre was crowded on Saturday night l.y a lasge audience anxious to see the famous pict.ure, “Main Street.” Much has been written about “Main Street,” and many flattering notices regarding it have been published. It will be admitted generally that the praise bestowed on ihe picture is fully justified, lu the first place, the story is intensely interesting and genuinely human, and the attention of the spectator is held from start to finish. With Florence Vidor and Monte Bine at the head of a strong cast of players, the acting leaves nothing to ho desired, whilst the scenery and mountings are elaborate and realistic. “Main .Street” i«* an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis's novel of the same name. The picture follows the book with fidelity. Carol Kennicott, before her marriage went and culture in Gopher Prairie, a small country town, had lived in the city, and had been used to all the refinement and culture of city life. There was a woeful lack of both refinement and culture in Gopher Prairie, though the inhabitants apparently dul not notice this. Carol Kennicfttt rebels against what she considers the narrowness and lack of culture in the small town ; sh© wants to revolutionise it in a short time. But the. inhabitants are easy-going and phlegmatic, and they distinctly do not like being shaken out of their old ruts. Even Dr. Kennicott is too engrossed in his medical practice to further his wife’s plans. In despair, she finds her only ally in Erik Valborg, a young idealist. The two are together so often that the gossips of the town begin to spread malicious rumours. Then Erik finds himself so hopelessly in love with Carol that he wants her to elope. The climax of the story is dramatic end intensely interesting. The parts of J>r. Kennicott and liis wfe are played by .Monte Blue and Florence Vidor respectively. The work of both is very good, and will still further enhance their reputations as motion picture artists. So finely does Florlence Vidor interpret the role of Carol Kennicott that it is difficult to try tc visualise any other actress in "this Jote The supporting cast is a particularly strong one. It contains such well-known players are Harry Myers, Noah Beery, Louise Fazenda, Robert Gordon, Josephine Crowell, Gordon Griffiths, Otis Harlan, and Alan Hale. Praise is due to the able direction by Harry Beaumont, ar.d to Julien Josephson, who wrote the scenario. The second big attraction on the programme was the First National picture, “Thundergate,” based on Sidney Herschell Small’s popular novel, “The Lord of Thundergate.” The story deals m a romantic and dramatic way the adventures of an American China, who bears a strong resemblance to a young mandarin, and who, through strange circumstances, is forced to masquerade as this mandat^le -character of Robert Wejls, an American engineer in China. Owen Moore falls foul of plotters who seek to hinder the construction of a railway by an American construction firm. Compelled to take the guise of the young mandarin, he is confronted with a slave wife, the inheritance of the real lord. He finds that the girl is white, and then a conflict begins to free the girl from her predicament, and at the seme time defeat those who are plotting to hamper the work being done by the company he represents. Replete with tensely dramatic and exciting incidents, Which crowd fast upon one another, the play contains all the essenrials that go towards making a good screen drama. Laid in the colourful atmosphere of the Orient, with the magnificence of Chinese temples and palaces as a background, “Thundergate offers a wonderful opportunitv to a brilliant cast of players to present a thrilling story. In the double role of Robert Wells and the ,Chinese mandarin, Owen Moore is seen in a character essentially different from anything that he has done before. We handles the dual role excellently Included in the cast are such w'-ll known ,havers as Sylvia Breamer, Jully -Marshall, A irgima Brown Fairs, Robert Mchnin, Richard Cummings, mid Inez Seabury. The "action of ■ 1 hundergate” is remarkable lor a senes of thrilling incidents, including a vivid hand-to-hand fight between white men and Chinamen in a Chinese The humorous portion of the evening s entertainment was supplied bv n Christie comedy entitled “fake Your Choice, ’• in which that clever comcdiau Hobby A o.rnon is the star artist. There is plenty ot good clean fun in this nic11ire, and it is thoroughly enjoyable. excellent programme of incidental music was supplied by the Liberty Orchestra, under the direction of Mr Howard Moody. Excerpts were giver, irom the grand operas, ‘-las Jongleur de Notre Dame” (Massenet), and •I.akme” (Delibes); ‘ Dance Macabre" >aint Saens, "Suite Orientale” (Popyi and ‘‘Second Suite” (Guiraud) wer"' also played. Music of a lighter variety ■was represented bv extracts from ‘‘Sally” (Keinl and “The Geisha” (Jones), and the fox trots. “Oh Please. Louise” (Findlay), and “Bebe” (Silver). For an entr’acte, the orchestra gave a fine rendering of ‘•Somewhere a Voice is Calling'’ (Tate), and Mr. Moody contributed tllo pianoforte solo, “Whistle of Spring” •Sinding). The same urogram me will be presented this afternoon and evening- •