SEASON OF “THE BAT” EXTENDED FOR WEEK

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18045, 4 January 1927, Page 7

SEASON OF “THE BAT” EXTENDED FOR WEEK

INTRIGUING MYSTERY AT GRAND THEATRE. As the result of tho enormous popularity of “ The Bat,” United Artists* production of Mary Roberts Rinehart’s stage play oC the same name, at the Grand Theatre last week, the season has been extended for a further week. Every night capacity houses have testified to the appeal and quality of the production, and the extension has been well justified. As a picture, “The Bat.” a combination of melodrama and comedy, is very acceptable. As an example of what may be done on the screen in the way of making a mystery play that is intense from start to finish it is a revelation. The memory of the eerie play in its stage version cannot have left the memory of Christchurch theatregoers, but the necessary limitations of the stage upon the play have been done away with In the far greater scope of the picture studio. The craftsmanship of the stage, though clever, can never attain to the variety, rapid changes and consecutiveness of a film edition of almost any play, and particularly a play i like " Tho Bat,” which depends for Its 1 success on clever interlacing of charac- ; ters and incidents that evolve complete ! mystification in the minds of the on- ! lookers. On the screen action is quick- | ened and intensified, and at the same ; time greatly broadened: effect is heightened, drama and sensation can be made 1 more realistic and convincing. In no stage play brought to tlie screen is this superiority more marked than in “ The Bat,” in which the keynote of the story is the mystery of the identity of the notorious thief, “ The Bat.” Thus the opportunities for producing a masterpiece become more numerous and intriguing. Wonderful, thrilling, full of ' surprises and ever-recurring astonish- i ments, as was “ The Bat ” on the boards, i these features are even more marked in the film edition. Under the practised manipulation of Ronald West, the direccesßp.s, a brilliantly conceived plot has ' received the necessary adjustments for screen pm-poses, and the picture lias cular realm. An outstanding character- I istic of the picture itself is the very ■ strong element of comedy which it possesses. Most mystery plays are sombre and creepv in their execution, relying on their sensations to produce effect, but With this picture it is different. Infectious, swiftly moving comedy tones down the sheer thrills and shocks in a manner beneficial to the nerves. The merits of every' other well-known “thriller” pale into insignificance beside “ The Bat,” that judicious admixture of the hair-on-end and side-aching sensations. At the same time the picture is handled with such good taste that nothing of the slapstick element •

| appears in its composition. From start jto finish it is a. good, absorbing and ! wholesomely exciting photoplay. Some members of the stellar cast are Emily • Fitzroy, Jewel Carmen, Louise Fazenda and Jack Piclcford, amqng whom Miss Fitzroy, in a characterisation of rare comedy, is a large factor in the enjoyment of this remarkable production. The Grand Quality Orchestra v»Jays an orchestral programme of Incidental