ENGLISH SAILOR’S ADVENTURES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 185, 2 May 1940, Page 14

ENGLISH SAILOR’S ADVENTURES

“Gulliver’s Travels” For Release Today When Dean Jonathan Swift wrote his amazing book, “Gulliver’s Travels,” in the days when the first Georges were ruling England, he- intended it as a biting satire upon human weaknesses in. general and England’s political institutions in particular. But, as happened to Lewis Carrol’s “Alice in Wonderland,” written about one hundred years later, “Gulliver’s Travels” was such a charming humour-filled, romantic story that people ■began to read it for itself alone, paying less and less attention to the satirical points as time went on. It was these elements of adventure, romance and humour that prompted Max Fleischer to use “Gulliver’s Travels” when he decided to make his first fulllength cartoon in colour; and it is with pride that the management of the Regent Theatre presents today this version of “Gulliver’s Travels” for the first time in Wellington. Taken from the first half of Swift’s book, “Gulliver’s Travels” contains the most colourful and the bestloved of the English seamen’s adventures. Awakening from a sound sleep on the shores of Lilliput, a never-never-land “somewhere in the South Seas,” Gulliver finds himself securely bound, and surrounded by a collection of creatures—the like of which have seldom been imagined from books or seen on the screen. He meets King Little and King Bombo, the stubborn, proud-as-peacock rulers of the rival kingdoms of Lilliput and Blefuscu, he meets the rulers’ children, Princess Glory and Prince David, the two lovestruck sweethearts parted for reasons, of state, he meets the three sly, devilish spies, Sneak, Snitch and Snoop, as well as the impudent town crier, Gabby—to say nothing, of the thousands of weird, pea-nut-sized Lilliputians and Blefuscuans. Gulliver’s release from captivity by the much-impressed King Little, his single-handed victory over the battle fleet of King Bombo, his narrow escape from destruction by his own pistol, ■ and his mediation of a war fought over rival national anthems, are notable highlights of the film —and there are many. . , The musical score for “Gulliver s Travells” comprises eight. specially-writ-ten numbers, seven of which are by the Robin-Rainger team that wrote “Thanks for the Memory” and “Love in BJoom.’ The eight numbers are: —“We’re All Together Now,” “All’s Well,” “Bluebirds in the Moonlight,” “It’s a Hap-Hap-Happy Day,” “I Hear a Dream,” “Faithful,” “Forever,” and “Faithful Forever. To record the last three songs. Paramount secured two of America’s most popular singers, Lanny Ross and Jessica Dm gonette.