STORIES BY REX BEACH AND IBANEZ.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18016, 29 November 1926, Page 7

STORIES BY REX BEACH AND IBANEZ.

« TORRENT ” AND “ THE AUCTION BLOCK ” ARE SHOWING AT LIBERTY. The story l»y Ibanez, the direction by Monta Bell, the stars Greta Garbo and Ricardo Cortez—that is the outward essence of “Torrent,” the Metvo-Gold-wyu production opening a season at the Liberty Theatre to-day. Ibanez is alone to-day In the field of emotional fiction, and his presentation and treatment of emotion are fundamentally different l'rorn those of other novelists. Ho is, at all times, supremely daring, unconventional, cynical, sometimes venomous, always fatalistic. He has discarded the time-worn creed that Woman is the personification of fidelity and patience, and with something that savours of personal disillusion, he rails against woman with a wit and sparkle that are always brilliant, always entertaining. .But in “Torrent” he has rescinded his former contentions. For once his feminine character is great and nohle, and everything that one has become accustomed to regard a woman as—-in fiction, at all events—and the consequences of this is a story of such powerful appeal, such burning drama and such gripping romance that in every phase and aspect of its development it merits the eloquent title of “Torrent.” Procrastination is the thief of Love, and one character in this story forever procrastinated. Iba.nez will never write a “happy comedy..” Some emotion must give way to him in the interests of truthful, honest literature, and so one finds in-Iris novels a quality or a sentiment that approaches tragedy; happiness, the cheap happiness of the mediocre novelist, will always l>e the force that is displaced by realism and reality, and the reading public knows

the results. Ibanez can write of love with an understanding that is infinitely greater than his sympathy. What few writers trouble to do, he prys into the psychology of love, and thus he attains what is a literary rarity—an intellectual yet purely emotional romance. Despite its difference in sentiment, "Torrent” possesses all these admirable attributes. It is, like a torrent, mercurial. Passionate apd frigid by turns, the story intrigues as well as delights, a story that commands an inherent respect for Its literary value as well as its story-telling aspect. It is full of vitality, and some sequences amount to tlie epic. The director, Monta Bell, learned from Charles Chaplin the greater secrets of the art of motion picture production, and in applj'ing them in “Torrent” he paraphrases life to an incredible degree of realism. Of all the •famous artists participating in the picture, Greta Garbo, the celebrated Swedj ish star, is the one who, by her beauty, ! personality and talent, demands the greatest admiration. She reveals a typically European grasp of drama, and presents a sympathetic and accurate portrayal of Leonora, the peasant girl prima donna. Ricardo Cortez, in the chief male role, gives one of the moat interesting portrayals of his brilliant career. Other artists in the cast are Edward Connelly, Arthur Edmund Carew and Gertrude Olmstead. Rex Beach’s famous story, “The Auction Block,” is the second picture on the bill, starring Eleanor Boardman. Nearly everyone has read this popular book, which efficaciously exposed the modern marriage market, and on the screen it becomes an even more interesting and dramatic story. It Is ideally directed and presented with a careful regard to detail. Sally O’Neil plays an important role, and Charles Ray and Ernest Torrence also figure prominently in the cast: The Liberty Concert Orchestra, under Mr Ernest Jamieson, will pjay a special programme of orchestral music, including the following:—Overture, “Dante Aux Infers” (Uruani); suite, “Cobweb Castle ” (Lehmann); “ Aragonaise ” (Massenet); selections, “Betty” (Jacobi), “Carmen” (Bizet), “II Traviata” (Verdi), “Mignon” (Thomas), “Lilac Time” (Clutsam): entr'acte. “Barcelona” (Evans); light numbers, “Where’d You Get Those Eyes,” “Wipers,” “There Was Never a Pal Like You,” etc. The box plans are now on view at The Bristol Piano Company, where patrons are counselled to book their seats. The week-end was not a ’particularly pleasant one from the weather point of view Ilot days were followed by a break in the weather on Friday night, after strong winds, and the prospects of pastimes being held looked black. The heavy rains of Friday night were not encouraging, but Saturday morning broke comparatively fine. Friday night’s rainfall brought the total for the month to date up to 3.205 inches, a November record. The average for the month is 1.631 inches. On Saturday night it appeared as if it was going to freeze, but a frost was not recorded.