REGENT THEATRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 109, 11 May 1933, Page 12

REGENT THEATRE

A “THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.*’ I Cecil B. de Mille’s latest great pro- ' duction, ‘"The Sign of the Corss.” telling, as it does, the greatest love story of Christendom, must be accounted one of the supreme triumphs of the picture screen, a more than worthy successor of the “Ten Commandments/’ and “The King of Kings.” It will have its final screenings to-day and tomorrow at the Regent Theatre. It is a tale of the days of Imperial Rome, under the reign of Nero, Sixth and last of the Caesars; it depicts the splendour of the Emperor’s court in all its magnificence, its profligacy, and its sensuousness; it shows the grandeur of a civilisation, now long since disappeared, and against it all—this background of wealth, power, fame and cruelty—is woven a love story, simple as it is beautiful. The story opens with the burning of Rome, in A.D. 64. It was a time when a strange, new sect, the “Christians, were beginning to establish their faith in the great city, and it was also a time when Nero Caesar, callous, heartless, and cruel, was determined to exterminate this band of followers of the Christ, and in doing so, to make their deaths the instruments for his own amusement. It is difficult to describe the lavishness of the whole plan of production, the almost brutal starkness of some of the incidents, and the tale of sacrifice, of love, that proves stronger than life itself. The great finale, the scene in the Circus Maxibus, when gladiators fight themselves to death in bloody combat, when Amazon women engage with Pyrenees dwarfs, and when 60 Christians are thrown to Nubian lians, * ‘to be killed in a novel and diverting manner.” provides a spectacle shuddersome in its sheer brutality, that very few will forget. “The Kid From Spain.” One of the biggest hits of the year’s screen production, in England and America, is Eddie Cantor’s latest musical comedy, “The Kid From Spain,” which commences at the Regent Theatre on Saturday. It has been produced on the same colossal scale as Whoopee” and ‘‘Palmy Days,’’ which were extremely popular in New Zealand, and now disinterested observers overseas consider that “The Kid From Spain” provides the comedian with his finest opportunity to date. The picture opens with what is. perhaps, one of the most brilliantly directed daqce ensembles ever seen on the stage or screen. Set in an elaborate and vast dormitory at a co-educational college, this sequence is fraught with sheer artistry. Crowds of lovely Goldwyn girls are seen rising in the morning, an oeration they perform with melodious song and dance, culminating in some spectacular movements in a huge swimming pool. It is in the dormitory that Eddie finds himself, having been placed there by his co students after a hectic evening. Indirectly, this episode leads to his expulsion, along with Ricardo, a Mexican friend, and embroiled unwillingly in a bank hold-up. Eddie crosses into Mexico, where he is spotted by a detective, to whom he pretends to be Don Sebastian 11., the great Spanish bullfighter. Then follow several adventures, involving a kidnapping escapade to* help Ricardo, a flirtation. With a beautiful blonde, and eventually

an unwilling debut in the bull-ring to convince the detective of his “identity.” The ballets are said to be magnificent, and it is claimed for “ The Kid From Spain” that it is “a girl picture,” just as much as “Whoopee” was. The producer, Samuel Goldwyn, gathered together 76 girls for these scenes with the same care that a collector would devote to assembling 76 pearls into a matchless z string. Lda Roberti takes principal feminine honours. Other capable artists in the cast are John Miljan, Noah Beery, Robert Young. Ruth Hall, Robert O’Connor, and Paul Porcasi.