“BLACK COFFEE.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 520, 1 August 1932, Page 3

“BLACK COFFEE.”

Detective Story at the Liberty.

Some plays lose much in the transition from stage to screen, for the wider range of scene provided by the camera is often counterbalanced by the fact that the di&.l#gue of the play is written entirely to fit within the bounds of the boards. “ Black Coffee,” however, which commenced at the Liberty Theatre on Saturday, represents an entirely successful transference of Agatha Christie's successful stage play to the screen. This in spite of the fact that the entire action takes place within one room. The reason for its success is the crispness of the dialogue, which transcends the lack of scenic variety. Agatha Christie’s creation, Hercule Poirot, the French detective, although he has not achieved the fame of Conan Doyle’s Baker Street hero, yet has a considerable following amongst the readers of the detective novels which have had a mushroom growth in the past few years. So far there has been no foreign creation of a novelist’s brain to equal A. E. W. Mason’s Hanaud, but Poirot runs him pretty close, though he has not the other's gift of “ feeling ” crime, nor does he employ the severely scientific methods of Freeman Wills Crofts’s Dr Thorndyke. Poirot is a combination of patience and brilliant shots in the dark. Just as Sherlock Holmes was helpless without his Dr Watson, Poirot also has to have a chopping block for his ideas. Captain Hastings, a stupidly brave British officer, is the block. Austin Trevor makes a complete success of Poirot, employing the foreign accent judiciously Richard Cooper is stupidity personified as Captain Hastings. The remainder of a competent English cast have voices which throw into high relief American nasalities. The second picture on the programme, “Honeymoon Lane,” by its very simplicity throughout, successfully tones down the slight lapses into vulgarity which might have spoilt it. The story is simple. A gambler renounces his profession and helps an old lady to make a success of her hotel, famous for its cherry pie. Faith and her cherry pie are the principal ingredients in this old lady’s make-up and they bring her a king who stays at the hotel incognito for his health's sake, and then to bring her custom, comes out in all his glory. The ostensible love story which gives the picture its title is forced rather in the background, and the hero and heroine, Eddje Dowling and June Collyer, are overshadowed by the glorious

romedy provided by Raymond Hatton ; and George Kotsonaros as the body- • uards of another gambler who finds : way to old lady Mary Carr’s hotel* I lattorr, who became famous with Wallace Beery in silent days, looks like doing the same with his new one-time wrestler partner.