ST. JAMES THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 154, 25 March 1939, Page 16

ST. JAMES THEATRE

*“The Storm” Fast and furious action is the keynote of the- Universal production, "The Storm,” which began yesterday at the St. James Theatre. Everything, including the continuity of a story that was not very strong in the first place, takes seco_nd place to the demand for violent incident. The east has been chosen with this end in view, and therefore includes such "he-man” types as Charles Bickford, Barton Mae Lane and Preston Foster. The narrative begins with a fight and ends with another. In between occur a typhoon, a collision with an iceberg, ami a dynamite explosion at sea. The photography does justice to these spectacles. The plot of "The Storm” has been haphazardly constructed. There is, however, something to be said in favour ot action for action's sake; and apart from this, the film has the merit of a red-blooded characterization by Charles Bickford, which suits his rough-and-ready personality down to the ground, together with some virile supporting performances by nautical types. Bickford's hero is a bellicose, hard-drinking wireless operator with the saving grace of being fond of his young brother, a role played rather too ingenuously by Tom Brown. The, lad is determined to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a wireless operator; Bickford is determined to save him from the harshness and the temptations of a seafaring life. One of these temptations is represented in the eyes of Bickford by Nau Grey, with whom the young brother falls in love. He determines to save the lad from her clutches. This is a very weak link in the plot. How even such a stupid fellow as Bickford could form a mistaken opinion of such an obviously nice girl as Nan Grey is beyond comprehension 1 Still, it happens, and so begins a feud between brother and brother —with the girl between—which ends only when the girl, a nurse, saves the lad’s life by performing an operation for acute appendicitis at sea, the surgical instructions being wirelessed from another vessel. A similar situation occurred recently in "King of Alcatraz”; in the present case it is even more dramatically effective.

Preston Foster comes into the story as Bickford’s friend who is lost at sea, and Barton Mae Lane is the captain who lets him sink. This provides the excuse for a subsequent rough-and-tumble between Bickford and M’acLane. Andy Devine and Frank Jenks capably take charge of most of the comedy, which is as rugged as one would expect from the setting. “The Storm” has been designed as a man’s picture, and men in particular should like it.