RECENT THEATRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 246, 16 October 1937, Page 11

RECENT THEATRE

“KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR* The stirring days of the Russian re* volution are faithfully depicted in “Knight Without Armour,” starring Robert Donat and Marlene Dietrich, which commenced yesterday at the Regent Theatre. The film, which must rank as one of the most success ful to come from a British studio, is outstanding for the faithfulness of the background, the actual scenery carrying an air of authenticity which lends to the picture the atmosphere of the Russian locale. Whether it is a mansion of the aristocracy, a Volga barge, Siberian prison camp, or Russian railway station that is depicted, no fault can be found with the background. The tendency of some British producers to use interior scenes and painted backgrounds has been completely vanquished in “Knight Without Armour,” which from the point of view of settings rivals many of Hollywood’s biggest productions. Marlene Dietrich is cast as a Russian countess, whose home is destroyed by the revolutionaries. Donat is a British agent who has joined the Reds in order to gain valuable information. When he is given orders to escort the countess to the capital, where she is to be taken before a court, their adventures begin, and they encounter many breath-taking thrills and hardships before they finally win through to happiness. A word of praise must be given for the impartial manner in which the revolution has been depicted. The armies of both sides are shown as cruel and ruthless on occasions, and shots of prisoners being mown down by machine-gun fire, although not a pleasant subject, are at least evidence of an honest attempt to depict revolution as it really is. The supports include a newsreel showing the bombing of Shanghai, and a Walt Disney masterpiece, “Little Hiawatha.”