"DRUMS OF THE DESERT."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19144, 29 October 1927, Page 8

"DRUMS OF THE DESERT."

OUTSTANDING WESTERN DRAMA CRYSTAL PALACE, MONDAY. Zane Grey, Warner Baxter, and Ford Sterling combino forces to make "Drums of the Desert'' the outstanding Western drama of the year. This production is the successor of '"The A'auisuing Race," a classic, in its own style, and "Drums of the Desert," which will open next week's new programme at the Crystal Palace Theatre, is every whit as interesting and spectacular as its forerunner. The title is derived from the custom of primitive races of calling the tribes to battle by the dull, monotonous beating of crude drums, making that maddening sound which unnerves soldiers and ruins the morale of settlers and pioneers. With a cunning and a wisdom the Red men roll out their disturbing war-erys on the drums, an ominous sound, and an equally ominous tight. It may be gathered from the foregoing that "Drums of the Desert" is one of those "cowboys and Indians" pictures with a surfeit of childish lighting, theatrical skirmishes, and a staged rinale wherein some rai;-aliy sheriff, seeking the downfall of tile hero and the hand of the heroine, is gloriously routed from the held, and the two leading characters go into a full-XeUou ou a lield strewn with Indians and a few pioneers. It is nu such thing. It is not so very often that Zane Grey varies his style of storytelling, but he has worked the oracle in "Drums of tiie Desert," and has turned out ns clever a romance of the Golden West as any characteristic writer has ever done, a story with a sterling plot, nufficieatly original us to be engrossing, garnished with just as much human interest as could reasonably creep into the hectic lives of the Western men and women, and by the grace of Ford Sterling, replete with some wholly delightful humour, he providing the much-needed relief in an otherwise tense drama. In tho leading vole is seen Warner Baxter, usually seen in polished society roles, but he typ'ifies his versatility by playing the determined hero of "Drums of the Desert" in convincing manner. It is said that Baxter :s the possessor of Elinor Glyn's far-famed "];''; certainly he has an attractive personality that goes far towards making this picture as pleasant as it is. "Tom Brown's School Davs" might be the sub-title for "Brown of Harvard." the supporting feature on the bill, a light drama of the great American educational institution i produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in which ' William Haines plays the bumptious but human Brown, and Francis X. Bushman, jun., Jack Pickford, and Mary Brian, plav foe supporting roles. It is a story of "vouth, for youth, which does not mean that venerable heads will not shako with laughter, or nod in understanding with Brown, as he whirls his way through sportsground, moonlight lanes, midnight parties, "and sundry other adjuncts of college life. The Symphony Orchestra, uuder ihe direction of Mr Alfred Bunj, will play the following musical programme: Overture, "Poet and Peasant" (Suppe); "Symphony in G Major" (Haydn), "Dramatic Suite ' (Eugene D'Albert), "Adagio" (Nardiui), "Indian Camonetta" (Dvorak), "Slave Melody with Variations" (Delibes), "Tom Jones" (Edward German), "0 What a Pal" (Burke), "Indian Suite" (Mouton), "Madrigal," by special request, (Simonetti). The box plans are. at The Bristol Piano Company, where seats may be reserved.