"THE BAT,"

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18888, 31 December 1926, Page 19

"THE BAT,"

SEASON EXTENDED, GRAND THEATRE, MONDAY. '. '"The Bat." the United Artists production of ilary Roberts Rhineharfs famous stage play of the same name, and which has been j attracting enormous audiences to the Grand j Theatre this week, is to be continued next week. This picture is an unusual one in everv wav, not only from th.6 viewpoint of a-tual storv-telling interest, but it breaks new fields in the way of production and direction. The result of this combination is a photoplav of exceptional merits and widespread interest. It is in quite recent years that "The Bat" was presented on the stase in Christchurch, so recent that the remembrance of the eerie play cannot possibly have faded from the public memory. But the stage has, necessarily, limitations m the wov of production which, no matter how far craftsmanship increases, can never approach the wide possibilities possessed by the cinema. On the screen action is quickened and intensified, effect is heightened, drama and sensation car. be made more realistic and convincing, and in no stage play brought to the screen is this superiority more pronounced than in "The Bat." And as this is a mystery drama the opportunities for producing a masterpiece become more- numerous and intriguing. Wonderful and mysterious and puzzling as was "The Bat on the boards, it is even more so in film edition, i brilliantly-conceived plot in the first instance receives a skilful manipulation by Roland West, the director of many outstandin- screen successes. He has taken the talented authoress's clever story, and while never unnecessarily adding any embellishments, he has subtly injected a vigor and spontaneity into the work which from both the purelv artistic viewpoint and that ot entertainment, render the picture without a peer in its own particular realm. no Bat" differs fundamentally from all other mvsterv dramas in that it is a comedydrama "throughout. Most mystery plays are sombre and tragic, things that rely solely on their sensational side to eee them through," but with this picture it is happily and most delightfully different. Infectious, swiftly-moving comedy is the order of things, coupled with the most eerie ana delicious thrills that have ever been in any one picture. The merits of every other wellknown "thriller" pale into insignificance in comparison with the suspense and excitement of "The Bat." It is »Vwm° s factor, an artistic one withal, of laughter, mysterv, and sensation, at the same tune handled with such obvious good taste and discretion that the slapstick element of treatment never appears in its composition for one moment. Some members of the ate ar cast are Emily Fitzroy. Jewel Carmen, Louise Fazenda, and Jack Pickford, among whom Miss Fitzroy, in a characterisation of rare comedy, is a large factor in the enjoyment of this remarkable production. The Grand Quality Orchestra will play an orchestral programme of incidental music. During the holidays the box plans will he at the Theatre, and patrons are counselled to book: their teats.