SUDERMANN CLASSIC.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20231, 15 February 1934, Page 3

SUDERMANN CLASSIC.

“ Song of Songs ” Booked for Regent.

“As Husbands Go ”, a romantic drama starring Warner Baxter and Helen Vinson, will be shown finally tomorrow night at the Regent Theatre. “ The Song of Songs ”, the talking film adaptation of the Hermann Sudermann literary classic, which will begin at the Regent Theatre on Saturday, is a beautiful and artistic production with a good story, and an abundance of tense situations. Marlene Dietrich, the exotic German star, has never been seen to better advantage than in this great drama. It is easily her greatest film to date, and she gives a brilliant portrayal of a difficult role. As Lily, a simple country girl who arrives in Berlin after her father’s death, she is first seen working in her domineering aunt’s bookshop. There she meets a young sculptor, whose studio is opposite the bookshop. The sculptor, portrayed by Brian Aherne, an English actor,, induces Lily to pose for him, and soon they fall in love with each other. He is rather frightened by her expressions of never-dying love and desire of marriage and children, because he feels that such things would hamper him in his work. And so the sculptor leaves her and turns her over to a rich German army baron who wants to make a lady of her. The rest of the film, dramatic, admirably acted, and full of brilliant scenes, deals with the effect of this renunciation on the girl, and in this part of the picture Marlene Dietrich is at her very best. Supporting her is a fine cast, including Lionel Atwill as the baron, Alison Skipworth, who scores a great success as the tyrannous and drunken old aunt, Ilardie Albright and Helen Freeman. One of Franz Schubert’s most beautiful songs,

“ Hedge Roses is sung by the star, who also sings “ Johnny ”, a rhythmic jazz piece which created a sensation in Germany wdien she sang it several years ago. Box plans at The Bristol.