EVERYBODY’S WILL SHOW “ CONFETTI ” NEXT MONDAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18550, 25 August 1928, Page 10

EVERYBODY’S WILL SHOW “ CONFETTI ” NEXT MONDAY.

With such conspicuous successes to their credit as “The Only Way,” “Nell Gwyn,” and 44 Madame Pompadour,” British First National Pictures continue their policy of superior production with “ Confetti,” the principal attraction at Everybody’s Theatre next week. Though it is true that one swallow does not make a summer, it is safe to predict that British pictures are now seriously competing with the American product, a noticeable improvement being seen in the lighting effects and better make-up of the players. Also, and this is by far the most important aspect in film production, the English producers are now buying better stories, and are employing such stars as can give their public the best in acting. Herbert Wilcox, the young man who has recently been in the limelight with his 44 Dawn,” and who earlier made “ Carnival,” “ The Only Way,” and other better English pictures, was the principal sponsor of 44 Confetti,” a bright story of vivacious Riviera life, but with still more than a vestige of pathos, and the 44 true-to-life ” element in it. Annette Benson, John Buchanan and Sydney Fairbrother play the principal roles in this picture, all of them giving excellent performances in a typical drama of the English stage. By that, of course, one does not mean that 44 Confetti ” is English, staid and serious; but latterly the English stage and screen have been concentrating more on the delineating of Continental .life, but do this with a typical English disregard for anything that savours of the unlikely, keeping well to life throughout, even at the expense of scrapping anything that might appeal to the sensation-loving, sentimental, romantic public. The story told in 44 Confetti ” has many aspects of the airy, and the romantic in it, for it is played out in. Nice, and Nice, moreover, in carnival time; but when three women have an interest in one man, and these three women being people of personality and determination, and the man being a man of the world, the tempo is bound to become dramatic, and if these four lives are whirled about on the wheel of life, that is only natural. There is always great interest manifested in this spectacle of man, woman and love; it can become cynically humorous, cynically tragic—but provided everything works according to theatrical schedule everything comes out excellently well in the end. 44 Confetti ” is a particularly good picture, sumptuously mounted, well dressed, and agreeably acted.

Shirley Mason, Alec B. Francis and Richard Arlen have the main parts in “ Sally in Our Alley.” Surely it was a Sally of just Shirley Mason’s adorable personality that led the poet to rhapsodise 44 Of all the girls that are so sweet there's none like pretty Sally, she is the darling of my heart and she lives in our alley.” This delightful little comedy romance ranges from alleys to lordly avenues, from princely loves to plebeian ones, from comedy to pathos, with a Jew, and a Scotsman, an Italian and the übiquitous Irishman, to give it some 44 pep.”

Mr Albert Bidgood and his Select Orchestra will render the following musical programme: Overture, “ The Rose ” (Myddleton), 44 Fourth Symphony ” (Tschaikowsk3*), suites, “A Day in Naples” (Byng), “Italian” (Becce), “Ballet Russe ” (Luigini), “Suite for Strings” (Bach), selections, 44 Memories of Schubert” (Urbach), “Memories of Brahms” (Tavan),

“ L’Enfant Prodigue” (Wormser), Fantasia, “Impromptu” (Chopin), overture, 44 A Midsummer Night’s Dream ” (Mendelssohn), 44 Elegie ” (Rachmaninoff) ; entr’acte, “ Lay My Head Beneath a Rose" (Madison). The box plans are at The Bristol Piano Company, where seats may be reserved.