NEWS OF THE CINEMA

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21035, 10 February 1940, Page 13 (Supplement)

NEWS OF THE CINEMA

De Millc Carries On As far as his next picture is concerned, Cecil B. De Mille is just going to pretend there isn’t any war, says a correspondent. With other movie-makers cancelling expensive productions on all sides of him, the ; pioneer producer of super-specials has Paramount’s approval to go ahead ! with his original plans for the spec- J tacular “Northwest Mounted Police,” in technicolour. Full co-operation in ! the making of the picture has been I promised De Mille by officials of j Canada's famous mounted police. He j expects to send one large location ex- | pedition into Western Canada for the ■ filming of action and background ! scenes. Another may be despatched to the American Northwest for additional scenes. Another Film Fantasy When Jonathan Swift sent his hero, Lemuel Gulliver, travelling all the j known trade routes, and then veering off those that were known, into the realm of imagination, even the imaginative Swift did not do as much for Lemuel as the modern movies have done. The movies have sent Gulliver travelling through all the colours of the spectrum. By the time Gulliver finally completed his film adventure, he had battled all the fury of the nnr? outdone all the hreafs of man and beast in eight reels and 60U hues of technicolour. No animated picture that was produced before “Gulliver’s Travels” ever attained quite the colour impressiveness of Gulliver’s film adventures, for the two-fold reason that previous animated pictures did not have technicolour in its present stage of perfection, and no other animated film ever had so many men— ' 3000 artists, inkers, animators, colour experts, camera, sound and colour technicians—working for as long a time—lß months—as Gulliver had. Four Hours Under Shower! “Above all for art” is an oft-used, or rather mis-used, adage in its relation to theatricalism. In film production, particularly, does a player often have to endure divers hardships so that the show can go on. Popular Alec Kellaway is true to the tradition—but, for the last few days, has suffered from a nasty cold to | show for it. Appearing as “The Killer,” cham- I pion boxer, in Cinesound’s current ! production of “Ants In His Pants,” ; starring the famous Will Mahoney, j Kellaway had to stand for four j hours under a shower a few nights ago. | At the commencement the water : was warmed. But after many re- j hearsals for the perfect “take,” the j water gradually became cooler and cooler until ultimately it was stone : cold. Alec didn’t say much . . . a j real trouper seldom complains. But : his sneezing the next day shouted ! volumes! | British Film Success “Capital crime entertainment . . . I one that competes with the best,” j says Kine Weekly of the outstanding : Associated British picture, “At the Villa Rose,” which is shortly to be released in New Zealand. The film

is the siveen version of A. E. W. Mason’s novel. The action takes place at Aix, France, where Madame Dauvray, a wealthy widow, lives in a lonely villa with only a maid and a companion. She is a spiritualist and holds seances with her young companion as medium. One night at the casino she meets the mysterious Adele, who professes

to be interested in spiritualism, and j invites her to a seance. That same ; night, after the seance, she is found i murdered, her companion vanished, ! and her maid bound and gagged. | Inspector Hanaud is persuaded to , take up the case, and a series of exciting adventures follows. Keneth Kent has the role of his career as the shrewd, flamboyant and witty Hanaud. while Judy Kelly plays the part of Madame Dauvray’s companion, with Peter Murray-Hill as her admirer. Hollywood Marriage When Richard Mallefont and Adelaide Friel were married in Hollywood in December, the clergyman noticed with surprise that the marriage license, bore 1936 dates, and asked why. “Oh.” replied the bridegroom, “she changed her mind and it took me three years to change it back again.”