"DESIRE."

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 32, 6 August 1936, Page 5

"DESIRE."

Comedy Romance for Regent.

Ernst Lubitsch, the gay emancipator, has freed Marlene Dietrich from Josef yon Sternberg's artistic bondage,, and has. brought her vibrantly alive V in "Desire," the Paramount production which will start tomorrow at the Regent Theatre. .Permitted to behave like an ordinary human being with a sense of humour instead of like an oilpainting, Miss Dietrich reveals a freshness and gaiety of spirit which her previous American pictures have merely hinted at. The change is delightful, and so is the picture. But •while "Desire" is notable for the acting of Marlene Dietrich and the far-famed Lubitsch "touch" one should not overlook the excellent, performances of Gary .Cooper, John Halliday, Alan Mowbray, William Frawley, and several others. ■ All are in the best mood for comedy and romance, and all contribute importantly to one of the most exhilarating pictures of the season. Handsomely produced, "Desire" tells the story of an adventuress who is quite the loveliest jewel thief ever to victimise her prey through a cleverly daring ruse. To delineate the conspiracy would be to spoil the fun of watching it unfold. Therefore, suffice it to say that'Marlene secures the pearls and speeds towards the border to escape the law. But the escape becomes complicated when Gary Cooper, a gay young engineer on holiday, blunders naively into the picture and insists upon extending unwanted aid and companionship to the glorious girl he encounters through a roadside accident. He serves her purpose though, when, in passing the Customs at the border, she evades detection by slipping the pearls into the pocket of his coat. But she couldn't foresee that he would then pack the coat, jewels and all, into his suitcase! And then ensues a comedy of errors with Marlene trying every wile- to make Gary resume his coat so that she may recover the pearls; and Gary equally determined not to let her get away from him. Through exciting, romantic, and suspenseful sequences the story moves swiftly to its climax, and love, as is its fictional wont, ultimately finds a • way. Added to the gay story and flawless acting and direction is dialogue of immeasurable wit and quality.