"THE SEA GOD.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 188, 10 August 1931, Page 3

"THE SEA GOD.”

The sea, pearls and cannibals are predominant in “ The Sea God,” which commenced a season at the Theatre Royal on Saturday. In the calm waters of a little bay an Island schooner lies unsuspecting, while her crew dive for pearls. Thick jungle comes down almost to the water's edge, and behind it lurk fierce cannibals ready to swoop down on the invaders. With pearls and cannibals as the theme, almost anyone could make a picture. “ The Sea God,” however, is an unusual film. It is fresh like the sea l-reeze which penetrates every scene and there is real beauty in seeing a schooner sailing swiftly over the sea. while blocks creak and water gurgles from the sharp prow. The diving scenes provide some marvellous photography. A diver dons lus grotesque armour and steps over the side into the cloudy water. The camera follows his slow progress to the sea floor and shows the strange marine growths on the sea floor and the denizens of the deep. The microphone picks up the strange sea sounds—the beat of the air pump overhead, the gurgle of I he air bubbles and the swish of the diver’s armour. While the diver works on the sea floor the cannibals swoop down on the schooner and kill the crew. The air pump stops its monotonoous beat and the gasping diver looks up to see the bodies of his companions floating in the water. He cuts his air line and struggles ashore to merge, a strange and terrifying figure—a sea god—to the superstitious natives. The strange figure, with its bulbous copper head and rubber skin, is accepted as a mighty god and worshipped by the cannibals. The diver, a devil-may-care young Island skipper, seeking pearls, is well portrayed by Richard Arlen. lie makes good use of his strange attire to produce an uncanny atmosphere. Fay Wray is an appealing heroine who is not afraid to be perfectly natural. The stout pugnacity of “ Square Heal ” M’Carthy (Eugene Pallette) as a ship’s mate, provides the comic relief in a picture packed with thrills. Robert Gleckler plays the pan: of a brutal trader in a truly villainous manner. The supporting “ shorts ” are excellent. The second episode of the firefighting picture, “Heroes of the Flames,” is also shown.