SEASON EXTENDED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 697, 25 February 1933, Page 25 (Supplement)

SEASON EXTENDED.

“Smiling Through” Now in Second Week. “ Smiling Through,” which began its second week at the Regent Theatre to-day, is a great picture, perfect In acting, in story, in its English settings and in the manner of its production. It is a triumph for Norma Shearer, one of the most brilliant actresses of the talking screen. Norma Shearer’s extraordinary vitality is a dominating feature of the film, and not only is her own performance one of rare distinction and great charm, but the work of the two male principals, Fredric March and Leslie Howard, is superb. All have exacting roles which call for great acting ability, for the story covers a period of fifty years, from the mid-Victorian era to the years of the Great War, and Norma Shearer and Fredric Marqh have dual portrayals. Norma Shearer is seen both as Moonyefen, the lovely bride of Sir John Carteret, who is murdered on her wedding day, and as Kathleen Sheridan in the modern sequences, and Fredric March portrays the character of Jeremy Wayne, the jealous rival of Sir John, and the murderer of Moonyeen, and also Wayne’s son in the later scenes. Leslie Howard retains a single identity throughout, and is seen as the youthful and vigorous bridegroom or the threshold of a glorious career and again as a grey-haired old man, whose life has been filled with bitterness md hate as a result of the terrible tragedy on his wedding day. It is an unusual story of a conflict between th'e emotion of love and hatred and is full of intensely dramatic and poignant situations, but it is not without humour, and in some of the sequences the audience is moved rapidly from tears to laughter. An added attraction is a remarkable travel talk entitled “ Soviet Russia.” Box plans at The Bristol.