Cinema Reviews

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21419, 11 March 1935, Page 4

Cinema Reviews

regent "CLEOPATRA" In* .--pcctacular splendour of "Cleoratra" is equalled only by the thoughtf ji and striking character portrayals r jvc-rt bv the leacftng actors and the M-aturcd" players. To see the grandeur thai was Rome, when the city, as a republic, had won dominion over the ; world after centuries of war'i and sac/itice: to see the clash be- , the taVn upholders of the old 1 "di'r ana the Ambitions of Caesar, from % -hjr'h Ihe empire was to . emerge; to iho uver-ripe civilisation of Egypt - ■ ,j the hixurv and magnificence of uf the Mile: to see all these v.,.,- presented with unsparing ;;i,ri with the unlimited exwhich such realism dej.. ;i ;VT would in itself make for the ;;i enjoyment and interest. But <:•' brilliant 'and thought-provoking i' .'iraciprisntions of Cleopatra by eh).mette Colbert, of Antony by Harry. M'ik'.ixnn, and of Caesar by Warren v!i';4v.-, add a dramatic interest to the 1,1-: lire which makes it not only enjoyio plav-lovers, but possessed ot a rather piquant quality for those interested in the history of the times. The latter, even if they disagree with some of the interpretations, cannot but admit them to be valuable and convincing. and provocative of comparison with the all too meagre descriptions given by the ancient writers. A 1-appv choice for the role of Cleopatra v ;i .. 'made in Claudette Colbert. Her j.lightness and her type of attractivej U ot easy to evaluate at first •■■lance. accord well with the description of Plutarch. Her compelling fas-r-mafion is left to be expressed by her \ i,;ci' and manner; and in both she , : .; Cf K Artistically and dramatically ) b<>' moment is perhaps that when :■ nc knows site has won the love of Ar'.ony and in her eyes expresses the t>i?r>&ling of satisfaction as a woman aod as queen of Egypt. Antony himself ]v acted with remarkable power ar.d ability by Harry Wilcoxon, whose speech and gesture arc admirable expressions of the character of the man. Yet in some respects the portrayal of <"'cesar bv Warren William is most investing of all. Allowing for a certain emphasis on the spectacular side of the character, in keeping with the production, the acting is subtle and compels attention. One wishes to see a liHle more of Caesar, and his assassina--1 'on. most effectively acted and photographed. is an artistic triumph, catas"rophicallv swift and impressive. The short and telling sketch of the character of Herod of Judaea by Joseph Schildkraut is a masterpiece in itself. Gertrude Michael as Calpurnia, Irving Pichel as Apollodorus, and, especially, O. Aubrev Smith as the fine old Roman Enobarbus, all act very well indeed. The spectacles, of course, are on a -(•ale hitherto unattempted; Cecil B. fe Mille has excelled himself. The Triumphal entry of Caesar into Rome, iiie barge scene, and the battle in which Antony was defeated by Octavian are among the most magnificent. The settings, obviously constructed with the utmost thought for accuracy and detail, are an artistic treat in themselves and well worthy of such an outstanding picture. And to descend from the sublime lo the delightfully ridiculous, the supporting programme contains the best 'Pop-Eye the Sailor" cartoon yet produced. PLAZA / "MADAME DU BARRY" King s courts, more especially the courts of the eighteenth century, with their magnificently brocaded courtiers and ladies wearing incredible quantities of silk and lace, have always been a favoured milieu for the more spectacular kind of historical drama. ] "Madame du Barry," the film which j began a season at the Plaza Theatre ; on Saturday, is set, as the title should j suggest, m the court of Louis XV., j at"a time when the decadent splen-j dour of the French court was at its j height—or its depth. To those who are never tired ot' looking at representation of past magnificence coloured •as only a modern American screen technician can colour it, "Madame du Barry" should give real pleasure. Hollywood has spared nothing. The story begins just after the death ol 'Madame dc Pompadour. The king ■i disgruntled, impatient with his ministers, and unwilling to give more rSir.ti cursory attention to matters of Mate. The reflection that he is nearly liO years ol age does not add to his comfort or take away from his regret at the death of the Pompadour. Into the court —or, rather, privately ■nto the presence of the king—comes Madame du Barry, of doubtful birth aod dependent entirely on her wit and beauty. She is introduced by the Due de Richelieu who, apparently, is v.cil rewarded for his services. Her fommand over the king is almost insiantiy established. She tells him, tritely enough, that she regards him not. as a king, but as a man. And Louis, with remarkable credulity, even for an elderly philanderer, believes hoi". From then onwards the whole court, the whole of France in fact, dances attendance on the whims of Madame du Barry. She wishes to go sleigh-riding in the middle of summer; so the palace grounds arc transformed by being covered with sugar—one is led to believe that all the sugar in Paris was used. Madame du Barry's wishes are not, however, always so c;uickly gratified. Often she has to .■'bout for obedience, or to cajole the king; if these should fail she throws Cue handiest ornament at the king's ir.inNtci's or breaks a piece of china on the lUior. At one stage there is shown t!ie strange sight of two line ladies in crinolines doing their best t" scratch each other's eyes out. while the inajc.>ly of France stands by apparently quite helpless to stop such an extraordinary palace brawl. Through all these changes and chances, Madame du Barry progresses : awards her inevitable decline from power. So long as the king lived nothing could withstand her; but when he lay dying, the jealousy and hatred which she had stirred up round her become 100 strong. After the king's death, at which she shows commendable, if not perhaps historical, grief, :he is ignominiously hurried oft' to captivity, holding the arms of her guards familiarly with characteristic .insolence. Dolores del Rto is quite an attractive r'o Barry. At all events she knows 're type of portrayal which will api >:al to a great many film-lovers; and that, of course, is Ihe first considera- i tion from one point of view. The recreation of such a figure is to some rxtent a matter for the imagination of the actress, and Dolores del Rio has used her imagination extensively. Reginald Owen, as King Louis, is, if anything, more impressive than Miss <iel Rio. He is by turns benevolent and petulant, and records these changes of mood admirably. There is a programme of interesting supports.

| TIVOLI "MAN OF ARAN" AND "THE BATTLE" Seldom does the cinema provide anything as impressive or as starkly dramatic as "Man of Aran." This film, which for general excellence won a notable award, gets its interest straight from nature and mother earth. It was a brilliant flight of some highly original mind that conceived the idea of securing an authentic film record of the almost unbelievably brave life led by the handful of men o£_ Aran, the group of stony and inhospitable isles on the western shore of Ireland, which are raked by the storms of the North Atlantic. The film has no cast; there is no deliberate attempt at a story or a plot. No plot is needed, for the production, relying on grim reality of scene and action, has an interest transcending the most exciting artificial drama. There is a clear and simple arrangement of several workaday scenes in the rigorous lives of these almost primitive fisher folk —even their courage seems primitive —ana when the film ends it is as though the door had closed after remaining open just long enough to give ' tinnd intruders a few almost sacrilegious glimpses of the intimate domestic scenes of a strange people. They talk either Gaelic or in a rich Northern Irish; their talk is among themselves not to a microphone or whatever it is that is used in the making of a talkie. They seem entirely oblivious of the presence of any such strange contraption as a cinema camera; surely they even risked their lives in all reality to allow this gripping drama to be recorded. Everything speaks of the extreme hardships which the people of Aran must undergo almost daily. The sea is their master, and the seas in this part of the Atlantic are notorious, perhaps the stormiest in the world. "Man of Aran" relies chiefly on the camera for effect. There is little sound, except the occasional rich voices of the fisher people, and always the oppressive hiss and roar of the Atlantic. And when the brave men take to the sea in frail boats to harpoon the great sharks which give them oil for lamps and fires, there are their tense cries as the fish drag them at tremendous speeds through the water. Nor could there be anything so poignant as the strange Gaelic wail of an Aran woman as her man's small boat is dashed to pieces on the hard rocks. The picture turns back a thousand pages of our history. It is a breath of the spirit that made us, and that has flung into many corners of the world' the outposts of Britain which make the Empire. "The Battle" looks into the future rather than back into the past. But it is to be hoped that the vision is not too prophetic. It is a strange picture over which many censors must haye wrinkled their brows. But strange in a highly entertaining and provocative way, with dramatic and romantic interest for the sentimental, and much technical interest for the men and women interested in any way in international affairs, in the Japanese themselves, in the navy, or in history. That is a wide enough classification to draw many into the net, but for its excellence in many respects the film richly deserves wide attention. The lay politician and historian will certainly read into the story certain implications. The tale, broadly speaking, hinges on the extreme efforts to which a Japanese naval officer will go in his desire to serve his country. This man's one ambition is to learn something of the secrets of British naval strategy. He realises his ambition at the expense of his honour and after victory takes his life in the traditional manner. There are many realistic , scenes of a naval battle which could >' not have been faked in any way. Subtle direction is the essence of this ! fine film's success, but much of the credit must also be given to the out- i standing work of the principals in the cast, taken by Merle Oberon and j Charles Boycr. j | LIBERTY I i | A FINE DOUBLE-FEATL KE | PROGRAMME ! ! i The two pictures at the Liberty ■ Theatre this week—"Four Frightened : People" and "The Old-Fashioned j Way"—are really exceptional. "Four j Frightened People" is a drama, enacted in the wild, treacherous jungle of j Malay. Cecil B. de Mille, who is , noted for providing the ultimate in j screen spectacle, has excelled himself j in this picture. The jungle in all its j beauty and all its horror is vividly j shown, and the audience is left in sus- i | pense time and again at the dangers ! ! and perils which lurk unseen for un- j suspecting Europeans. The story is a i very unusual one, and deals with the 1 adventures of four persons—two men and two women—and their reactions ; when merciless fate thrusts them i together into the midst of the primi- ; tive wilds of Malay. These four are i as different as could possibly be— j there is William Gargan as the blus- j tering and rather bullying newspaper j correspondent; Herbert Marshall, as a ; rubber chemist, quiet, but at times bitingly sarcastic; Mary Boland, and Claudette Colbert. Marshall and Gargan both give very fine charac- ■; terisations—their parts call for some j tensely dramatic moments, and they i acquit themselves very well indeed. Miss Colbert is given full scope for her dramatic abilities in the role of a plain and prudish school teacher, and is magnificent as the girl who, once in the wilds, throws away he'r glasses, loosens her hair, and bios- | soms into a beautiful woman, Mary j Boland is seen in another deft comedy j characterisation as the gushing and rather romantic wife of a govern- ] ment official, who is also cast by re- j lentless fate into the midst of the I jungle. She feels that she is always j master of the situation, whatever it i might be, and the comedy (ouches she | introduces make a welcome break in the tenseness of some of the situations. In short, for excitement, action, and romance in a way that is entirely "new." "Four Frightened People" ■ would be difficult to better. Entertainment of an entirely different nature is contained in "The OldFashioned Way." This bright burlesque on the concert stage of yesterday is dominated by that inimitable comedian, W. C. Fields. Fields, however, has a domineering role, and he makes the most of the part. He is cast as "the Great McGonigle," the head of an impoverished troupe of barnstormers, who move from village to village pursued by irate sheriffs for unpaid bills. The self-assurance of the great McGonigle is truly remarkable, but that, of course, should I be the case with a man who had so i often "mystified the crowned heads of ; Europe." A feature of the picture is \ the presentation of the type of melo- ; drama our grandfathers must have : revelled in—"The Drunkard," with as ; touching a story as its title suggests, j Fields is seen as the cloaked and j heavily rnoustached villian. a truly j terrible fellow, who rushes off and on the stage, lighted, incidentally, with candles, rubbing his hands in horrible glee. In the end, however, the great McGonigle, who is really a hypocrite j of the worst tvpe, is seen in his right- i full role —selling quack medicines in j the otien air, with, of course, the ro- j mantic side suitably ended. Others i deserving full credit are Jean Dug- j gan as the wealthy widow who thinks ; she has a voice, and with whose ! money McGonigle is very much in ' love, and Baby Leßov, who sn innocently yet purposefully subtracts McGonigle's watch from his pocket and transfers it to a bowl of molasses.

CIVIC "ARE YOU A MASON?" There are =ome kinds of humour that can never be staled by years, and I so it is that a British studio has been j able to bring to the screen with such outstanding success that delightful [ farce of 30 years ago. "Are You a Mason?" The Civic Theatre has been filled night after night during the screening of "Are You a Mason?" and i the season has been extended for a | third week. Few such delightful films have been shown in Christchurch since the talking films arrived. The story in | itself makes wonderful reading, but acted by such a cast as this, led by I Robertson Hare and Sonnie Hale, it is little short of magnificent, if comedy can be so. So many people are involved in the extraordinary complications of the story that it is impossible to say that it belongs to one of them more than another. But the butt of most of the jokes cracked is Robertson Hare, who, as Amos Bloodgood, lives the life of a hunted wretch, with such a henpecking wife as never was before on stage or scieen. For 20 years or more Amos had, as it seemed. endured meekly the bullying of Mrs Bloodgood; 'but that masterful woman was intensely proud that her husband was a Mason —the Worshipful Master of his lodge, no less. For 20 years Amos had been a Mason, or so his wife imagined. But actually Amos was a Mason only in name, and his "lodge nights" had been a convenient cloak for most un-Masonic activities. His difficulties began when his erratic son-in-law —played by Sonne Hale—also became a ' Mason"; and when the two men met, both were in fear of exposure as impostors. Really, history had repeated itself. The antics of the two bogus Masons, each trying to con- j vince the other of his genuineness, can be imagined better than described. Robertson Hare in his own . inimitable way, stands on his henpeeked and brow-beaten dignity, and does his best to act as a Worshipful Master should act towards a new recruit. Sonnie Hale is a marvel of amusing embarrassment. Between them they provide some of the very best sort of screen comedy, full of | surprising incident, and really clever ; dialogue. The others in the cast are excellent foils. There is one conces- 1 sion to probability, in that a genuine • Mason does appear on the scene, to add to the confusion of Bloodgood and | his son-in-law, and eventually to j prove their salvation. But in the i meantime, the bogus Masons have al- j ready attempted to save their faces j by putting a friend through an absurd i "initiation." This makes possible the ■ spectacle of a large man, breathless j and perspiring, making a circuit of ' the fountains in Trafalgar square. . dutifully counting every step. | The programme includes a good mystery drama, with an unusual solu- | tion. Edmund Gwenn has the leading j role. ; MAJESTIC j I "THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA" j The names of Victor McLuglen and j John Gilbert in any film are enough j to guarantee excellent entertainment ; and in "The Captain Hates the Sea" : which opened at the Majestic Theatre ! on Saturday, these two actors take the i leading parts in an unusual and most . amusing story of a sea voyage. A sea voyage with a blase and dis- ! gruntled captain only too aware of the j dullness of the passengers to whom he will have to be polite for most of j the journey provides the setting for j "The Captain Hates the Sea" and the i shipboard scenes are a splendid back- | ground for an excellent, and thoroughly I amusing story. \ As a former policeman now operat- j ing in the "private agency" business, i Victor McLaglen plays a central part j in a story fufi of unexpected twists : and turns. John Gilbert is a likeable ; reprobate embarking on the voyage , in search of reformation, an unsuccess- , lul quest, but one which brings instead of its avowed object much excitement, and a great deal of enjoyment. The principal female lead is taken, and very well taken, by Wynne Gibson, a "library assistant from Boston," who ; knows much more about the ways of ! crime than she could ever learn from books. With Alison Skipworth, Waiter ■ Connolly, Leon Errol, thrown into the : cast for good measure and to add to the humour, the film could not be ' otherwise, than clever entertainment, and the whole voyage of the ship, in 1 which all the action of the story takes ■ place is stimulating and enjoyable. i The whereabouts of a parcel of 1 bearer bonds worth an average for- ; tune is the pivot on which the story ; so amusingly turns, but the film is i by no means an ordinary "detective v. crooks problem," in whicli the audience must guess the solution. The story , has many other compelling episodes, \ including the tragic fate of a South , American revolutionary who was too ! warmly greeted when he arrived to lead the grand revolt, and including ' also the dramatic marital difficulties , oil an over-bearing, jealous, and irrit- J able husband, who eventually is taught 1 a stinging and probably painful les- ' son. Walter Connolly, as the captain of the vessel, who likes neither his job nor his passengers, is constantly 1 in the centre ot attention and his ver- ■ bal duels with Leon Errol are ex- 1 tremely witty. The photography in "The Captain ' Hates the Sea" is good, and the story ; and its acting even better, the whole ■ production providing first-class entertainment of a type which picture- • goers eagerly seek. . There is an excellent supporting pro- j gramme, which includes a "Scrappy" i sound cartoons an amusing "trave- 1 logue" through Ethiopia, an amusing : comedy and a British news-reel. ] GRAN!) i "SHE LOVES ME NOT" j No story of a college scrape has j come nearer to the classic, "Charley's Aunt" than "She Loves Me Not," ! starring Miriam Hopkins and Bing j Crosby, which began a return season I at the Grand Theatre on Saturday, j The complications that ensue when two students at Princeton University 1 hide a cabaret dancer in their rooms ; to save her from the police form the j plot, which has not a dull moment in it. Three songs which Bing Crosby sings are "Love in Bloom," "Straight ' From the Shoulder. Right From the ] Heart," and "I'm Hummin', I'm Singin*. . I'm Whistlin'," all of which are brought . naturally into the story without in- 1 terrupting its continuity. Bing Crosby has the role of Paul Lawton, a . student whose hobby is musical com- \ position. The supports include j chapter 12 of the serial, "Gordon ol' Ghost City," starring Buck Jones. |

CRYSTAL PALACE "LONDON SPEAKS" The London in "London Speaks," the film which began a second week at the Crystal Palace on Saturday, is the real London, the great metropolis throbbing with life and bright with a million lights. Greater Australasian Films have offered it on the screen, not as the setting for an entertainment, but as an entertainment "itself. For London is always before us—in history, in literature, in the news of the day-Land New Zealanders attach a certain sentiment to it. While it is a traveller's story, "London Speaks" is not a travelogue, it takes the audience into London, unfolds all the scenes of romantic interest—the Tower, St. Paul's, Madame Tussaud's, Rotten Row, the Old Curiosity Shop—and leads on into exciting discoveries and adventures. Indeed, everything that one has imagined one would do and see if a trip to London became a possibility is in the film. When the germ of the idea to produce "London Speaks" was conceived by Greater Australasian Films. Ltd., an all-Australian film-distributing company, they deputised their general manager, Mr Cecil Mason, a Londoner, who has' been living in Australia for a number of years, but who has renewed his acquaintanceship with London by frequent visits, to produce a film about London that would be as "good as the actual trip there." This he has undoubtedly achieved. The picture has been produced as a really sincere gesture on the part of Greater Australasian Films, Ltd., to show in an entertaining fashion what the "city of cities" is really like. The adventure starts with the arrival of the ship in the famous docks, giving an opportunity of studying from the deck of the ship the perspective of London. Then it passes into the heart of the city and the audience realises the humour that London contains and sits back and laughs heartily at one of Britain's best salesmen in Petticoat Lane as he tries to sci) a most intimate portion of ladies' apparel. Many famous people, from the King downwards, appear in "London Speaks." London's life, historic interest. and fascination, all are cleverly blended.

NEXT CHANGES | THEATRE ROYAL AND | CRYSTAL PALACE I | "(JRANDAD HI DD" Rarely arc piclurogocrs given the ! opportunity of enjoying such a line j entertainment as the Australian ■ comedy, "Grandad Rudd," which will i be shown at both Theatre Royal and , Crystal Palace next Based | on the famous series of Steele Rudd I stories and centred around the bighearted Rudd family, it is full of | laughs, romance, and drama. Entirely I different in settings from "On Our I Selection," in which the Rudds were ! shown in humble circumstances, a i family of struggling farmers, "GranI dad " Rudd" presents them, with ' troubles and hardships now things of i the past, as prosperous citizens with j one of the biggest farms in the coun- | try, a palatial homestead, and cot- | tages for each individual family. Mum, i Dave, and Lil. Joe and his wife, Dan. | and all the others, aye still there, and 1 the family now includes Ihe beautiful | granddaughter, Betty, and it is from I her love affairs that the romance and | drama of "Grandad Rudd" emanates. I i The cast includes Bert Bailey as Grani dad Rudd, and there are also Fred Mac Donald. George Lloyd, Elaine I Hamill, John D'Arcy. T,es Warton. I Molly Raynor, John Cameron, and | Billy McGowan.