DE LUXE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 48, 20 November 1926, Page 13

DE LUXE THEATRE

BRILLIANT MILITARY DRAMA. All the grim features of the Russia of the Tsars are strikingly portrayed in “The Midnight Sun,’’ a brilliant Universal-Jewel military drama, which was introduced to the Wellington public at the De Luxe Theatre last evening. The action takes place in 1913, just a year before the outbreak of the Great War that swept the Romanoffs from the throne. By her beauty and charm, and through the influence of the country’s most powerful banker, a young dancing girl rises from the chorus to the position of premiere ballerina of the Imperial Russian Ballet. Sought after by the great of the laud, she finds her two most persistent suitors in the banker and a Russian Grand Duke. The girl plays one against the other, but gives her affections to a young officer in the Duke’s personal guard. Then follows a dramatic story of intrigue and romance, fringed with all the luxurious elegance of life in the Russian capital of that period. The girl is found in a seemingly compromising situation by her lover, and the hot-headed young soldier insults the Grand Duke, and is, promptly condemned to death.

The picture has many lavish scenes. The “Ballet of Jewels” is one of the most imposing dance spectacles ever filmed. It is said to be an exact reproduction of the famous Opera House at St. Petersburg, and more than a thousand characters figure in it. A warship’s pursuit of the banker’s yacht is a thrilling piece of marine photography. Grimness stands out from the scenes, showing the courtmartial and the hour of execution, while luxury speaks from the settings of the Grand Duke’s apartments.. The furnishings are gorgeous, amongst them being a large gold divan, once used by the great Napoleon. It is stated that antiques and rugs valued at £>o,ooo are on view in the set showing the interior of the Russian banker’s palace. _ f The thrilling drama is splendidly , acted. Laura La Plante steps out of her customary comedienne roles to show that she is equally good in drama. As the dancing girl who trades on her beauty for position, Miss La Plante scores a distinct triumph. Pat O’Malley surpasses himself in his masterful impersonation of the Grand Duke Sergius. He portrays all the aristocratic bearing and hauteur of the nobility of Russia in 1913, and is resplendent in the colourful uniforms of the period. Raymond Keane, aS the officer who wins the dancing girl, is a handsome young man wi.th soulful eyes, while George Siegmann does masterly acting as Kusmin, the allpowerful banker. The luxurious night life of the gayest capital in Europe before the war, the splendour surrounding the Russian nobles, and the tale of the love that was stronger than death itself, make “The Midnight Sun” a film drama that will linger long in the memory. The supporting pictures were _ all of merit, and the incidental music was in keeping with the big picture. The orchestra, under Miss A. Bryers, submitted a programme of rare charm, m which Gounod’s u Faust,” plaved as an overture, and a set of selections bv Russian composers, especially. took the favour of the crowded audience. There will be a matinee screening at 2.30 this afternoon.