AN EXCELLENT FILM.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20275, 9 April 1934, Page 3

AN EXCELLENT FILM.

“ Friday the Thirteenth ” at Regent. Equal to England’s best is the film, “ Friday the Thirteenth,” which opened at the Regent Theatre on Saturday. The cast could not have been more satisfactorily chosen, the direction is superb, and the theme of the play is novel, yet strikingly human. As may be gathered from the title, the picture deals with the misfortunes—and fortunes—that a Friday combined with unlucky 13 might bring. Six separate sets of characters are influenced by this combination when a tragedy affects them all. Although this may sound a clumsy arrangement with which to provide a connected story, the action has been beautifully handled and the six threads are woven into a smooth and perfect pattern. No breaks in the continuity mar the production, and when one set of characters has been left for the time being there is no difficulty in again picking up their part in the story. The masterful direction of Victor Saville, director of “ I Was a Spy ” arid *“ The Good Companions,” -is responsible for the success of this part of the production. Jessie Matthews, vivacious and charming, heads the cast as Millie, the non-stop variety girl whose broken romance was mended in the tragedy; Edmund Gwenn is the businessman whose fortunes were saved by it; Robertson Hare, the timid henpecked husband, who got caught out for his “ moment ”; Eliot Makeham is the tragic little clerk; and Emlyn Williams is the “ gentlemanly ” blackmailer. To differentiate would be invidious, but possibly because of his spate of patter, Max Miller’s performance was most liked. He will be remembered for his good comic work in “ The Good Companions,” “ Channel Crossing ” and other films. “ Friday the Thirteenth ” is ideal entertainment. It presents in turn comedy, powerful drama, tragedy and moments that thrill, while through it all there is an intensely human note. The supporting programme is excellent.