“THE HOUSE OF THE ARROW.”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 449, 15 December 1930, Page 11

“THE HOUSE OF THE ARROW.”

AN ENGLISH PRODUCTION. There are few talkies, if any, that have a better right to claim the title “Thriller,’’ legitimately, than the A. E. W. Mason screen play, “The House of the Arrow,” the British talking version of whi‘eh opened at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday. This story always has been considered to represent Mason at his very thrilling best, and in transition to the screen it has not lost one atom of its unique appeal. On the contrary, the dialogue might serve to increase the dramatic intensity of the piece. The story revolves around the mysterious murder of a Mrs Harlow, the owner of a sumptuous home in a part of France which is being menaced by a mysterious person known as “The Scourge.” Fearing a reign of terror, the police call in Hanaud, most famous of all French criminologists. The detective eventually solves the mystery of the murder, in an ingenious manner, to absolute satisfaction of the most exacting patron. In “The House of the Arrow” the screen voices are purely English, well recorded and admirably reproduced. Leading players in this pleasing production are Dennis Neilson-Terry, a name, incidentally, that is traditional on the English stage; Benita Hume and Richard Cooper. An excellent supporting programme is also included, headed by the latest English and American News reels, in which the Prime Minister, Hon G. W. Forbes, Sir T. K. Sidey and Mr G. Craig, C.M.G., L.L.D.. Comptroller of Customs, speak from the screen upon their arrival in New York.