TALKIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 209, 6 September 1940, Page 6

TALKIES

FAMED SWIFT CHARACTERS ALIVE IN BURST OF COLOUR You've read and re-read the immortal book by Joiiatlian Swift, you've heard its hit songs played and placed again 011 radio recordings, you've seen its characters on lamp shades, drinking glasses, sweaters and candy boxes —now you'll see the pictui-e itself, "Gulliver's Travels," when it opens tomorrow at the Regent Theatre. Few pictures in the history of the screen have been awaited with more anticipation than Max Fleischer's fulllength feature cartoon in tcclini-> colour. "Gulliver's Travels," a super-car-toon upon which hundreds of artists have been working for than two years, brings to life one of the bestliked fantasies of all times, the story of the English sailor who encountered unheard-of adventures in a land of miniature people. When Dean Swift, the brilliant eighteenth century clergyman and author, wrote his amazing tale of "Gulliver'- baek in the days when the first Georges AA'ere ruling England, he intended it as a biting satire upon human weaknesses in general and his country's political institutions in patricular. But, as happened to "Alice in .Wonderland," a hundred years later, "Gulliver's Travels" was such a charming, humour-filled, romantic story that .people began reading it for itself alone, paying less and less attention to the satire as time went on. It was these elements of adventure, romance and humour that gave the book its phenomenal popularity and prompted Producer Fleischer, when he decided to make his first full-length cartoon, to use it as his subject. ' The film version of "Gulliver's Travels," 1 taken from the first half of Swift's book, recounts the most colourful and best-loved of the English seaman's adventures. It starts out with the shipwreck of Gulliver on the shores of Lilliput, an amazing never-never-land 'somewhere in the South Seas.' Awakening from a sound sleep, Gulliver finds himself ' securely bound and surrounded by a collection of creatures the like of which have seldom before been seen in books or on the screen. He meets King Little and King Bombo, the stubborn, proud-as-pcacock rulers of the rival kingdoms of Lilliput and Blefuscit. And the rulers' children, Princess Glory and Prince David, two love-struck sweethearts parted for reasons of state. And the three sly, devilish' spies, Sneak., Snitch and Snoop, and the impudent town crier, Gabby. To say nothing of the thousands ,of weird, peanut-sized Lilliputians and Blefuscuans. "Gulliver's" highlight adventures include his release from captivity by the much-impressed King Little, his single-handed victory over the battle fleet of King Bombo, his narrow escape from destruction by his own pistol and his mediation of a war fought over rival national anthems. PAT O'BRIEN ADDS WIFE-SOOTH-ING BIT OF ACTION TO FILM

Either because Pat O'Brien owns an Irishman's instinct for being ingratiating, or because eight years as a husband in one of Hollywood s most happily married families lias taught Pat a deft domestic proach," this actor was able to improvise a piece of "business" that' gave a distinguishing touch to one of his scenes with Joan Blondell in "Off the Record." In the story Pat and Joan play newspaper reporters. After being crazy about each other for some time, they blithely get married. But they have a disagreement shortly after the ceremony. That night Pat returns to rhc apartment, carry ing his suitcase, the new latch-key which Joan gave him, and a sheepish grin. Walking through the apartment building's lobby, Pat spies a big vase filled witli gladiolas, placed on a table thor? by the apartment building's lady manager. Fat lifts the bouquet out of Lbe vase, bundles the flowers under his arm, fits the latchkey into the lock, and marches triumphantly into the honeymon flat, whistling' and reaching the flowers towards Joan. Although the script had made no mention of the liowe-s, Pal's way of building up the little sccne Avon the commendation of Director Jaynes Flood, who kept the bit of action in the picture. "It will be a realistic touch that will please every wife who sees the picture and remind every husband" Flood said.