ATTRACTION'S FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17862, 2 June 1926, Page 7

ATTRACTION'S FOR THE WEEK.

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE “ HAIHHOW RILEY " EVERYBODY’S THEATRE “ HELEN'S BABIES ” LIBERTY THEATRE “ LITTLE OLD NEW YORK ” LIBERTY THEATRE “ THE CONFESSIONS OP A QUEEN ” GREATER CRYSTAL PALACE “ THE ROSY EXPRESS " QUEEN'S THEATRE “ THE DARK ANGEL ” QUEEN’S THEATRE “NORTH Of NEVADA” GRAND THEATRE “ THOSE WHO JUDGE " GRAND THEATRE “ THE REMITTANCE WOMAN ” THEATRE ROYAL “ GIVE AND TAKE ” (From June 2) FULLER'S OPERA HOUSE VAUDEVILLE

Sooner or later the modern girl was bound to become the theme of a great moving picture, and the lot of making this subject has fallen to D. W. Griffith. “ That Royle Girl " will be D. W. Griffith's first picture under his new contract with Paramount. The keynote of the production is jazz, its background is the jazz belt of Chicago, and its story treats of a vivid phase of ultra-modern dance life, and the. central character is a real twentieth century girl. No one has a better understanding of human nature than Griffith, and it is with the master hand of a great student of human nature that he has taken a girl of to-day and painted her and her importance in the world in vivid colour. Pier loves, her ■ shortcomings, her particular intellect, : have all been illustrated in a manner that, while amusing in an entertainment way, has an underlying motive that is quite serious in import, si When Rex Beach's newest story, Padlocked," commenced appearing in serial form in Hearst’s magazines, there started a very spirited bidding for the film rights of it. It was realised that right from the jump there were wonderful silent drama possibilities in the story. The outcome of the bidding was that Paramount secured the rights, and entrusted Allan Dwan with the task of transferring the story to the screen. The cast chosen were Lois Morgan, Louise Dresser, X'oah Beery, Florence Turner. Douglas Fairbanks, jun., and Helen Jerome Eddy. Sparkling comedy and realistic thrills are features of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture “ Mike," in which that company's latest discovery, Sally O'Neill, is starred. Miss O’Neill has a genuine flair for humorous roles, and combines with it a marked ability. She will become as popular as Dorothy Gish and Constance Talmadge. Countless tragedies have testified to the truth of Kipling's world-famous lines that “ East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." The law holds good in the vSouth Sea Islands where the only happiness for those men who contract mesalliances with the native women is in the deserted hinterland, where white men are few and there is nothing to hold them back from the mental and moral decay into which they sink. This story is vividly portrayed by Anita Stewart and Bert Lytell in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film adaptation of the

Peter Ik Kyne novel, “ X'cver the Twain Shall Meet,” a. sensational bestseller of a few years ago. The great First National picture of post-war Vienna, “ The Viennese Medley," will reach the screen under a new title. “ The Greater Glory," according to John M’Cormick, general manager of First National's West Coast units. This is an adaptationof Edith O'Shaughnessey's book, which was produced with June Mathis as editorial director. Conway Tearle, Anna Q. Nilsson, May Allison, Jean Ilersholt and lan Keith are a few of the players in the featured cast. *.* *.* j.; A small town in Northern California was awakened early one morning by the arrival of Colleen Moore and her company making “ Ella Cinders ” for First National. Heads peeped out from behind green blinds to behold the splendour of the visiting group, only to find Miss Moore clothed in unspeakable rags. For as "Ella Cinders" Miss Moore is a little slavey, bossed about by everyone who can talk, and a few babies.who can't. Alfred E. Green, who is directing the picture, states that the location trip will be a short one of not more than four days.

Temperament is a word which is usually associated with artists, singers, and legitimate stage actors, and which makes motion picture producers shudder. and turn up their coat collars. But there is one motion picture producer in the business who demands temperament in his players. This is Earl Hudson, head of First National's Eastern production units in New York, who supervised the filming of "Too Much Money," the screen version of Israel Zang will’s stage play. "I wouldn’t give twopence for an actor or actress in the motion picture business who had no temperament," declares Hudson. "Temperament and imagination go hand in hand. What good is an actor without any imagination? He may do everything the director tells him but without imagination he will lack that something which the successful screen actor has. It is hard to describe, but it shows on the screen." Joseph Ilergesheimer, one of tile foremost novelists of the century, went to infinite pains to write “Flower of the Night" for Pola Negri. In the first place it was his first original story for the screen, and it was largely through his admiration for Miss Negri that he was persuaded to undertake it. He

took the star s appearance, personality and dramatic individuality as requisites in building up the character of the heroine—making her truly Pola Negri - and spent several months in research to secure the best backgrounds and atmosphere. Then he wrote the storyin the clearest possible picture terms so that translation to the screen was a wholly natural process. He conferred with Miss Negri, with Willis Goldbeck. scenarist, and with Paul Bern, director, in regard to the best possible treatment. "Flower of the Night,” one of the current season’s Paramount releases, is laid in the most romantic period in the history- of the world—the. day-s of the gold rush in California — when the ends of the earth poured their hordes into the state and put an end to the reign of the old Spanish families. .The Paramount film "The Moral Sinner,” is based on the famous stage play-, "Lear Kleschna." When this play was the rage several years ago, it was acclaimed the greatest piece of work dealing with the Paris underworld ever penned. It has withstood the ravages of time, and the film version is said to bring out all the dramatic episodes, all the tragic lives of the inhabitants of the underworld and all the pathetic romances and intrigues described in the play. Heading an allstar cast is Miss Dorothy Dalton, who plays a part that is well suited to her —that of the alluring, daring queen of the Apaches. She is said to invest this role with all the bitterness of an underworld idol. As is usual with Paramount releases, the photography is a feature. D. W. Griffith’s first picture since he made his new contract with Paramount is "The Royal Gift" which is to be released in Wellington at an early clate. It is claimed that this is the epic jazz picture of all times. The keynote of the production is jazz, its background is the jazz-belt of Chicago, and its .story treats of a vivid phase of life in that setting. Several of the big scenes take place in some of the most popular and best known cabarets, all in harmony with the ultra-modern atmosphere of the whole picture. One of these jazz palaces is done in cubist effect. It is a weird combination of angels, and angelic effect with Satanic shadows across the whole. Another has been worked out on Egyptian lines and is named Tut’s Tavern, and is the scene of one of the most hectic parties ever staged for a motion picture. The cast is headed by Carol Dempster, while W. C. Fields, Harrison Ford, and James Kirkwood are in the leading roles.