REGENT

Evening Star, Issue 22447, 18 September 1936, Page 5

REGENT

A brisk pace, breezy dialogue, inspired situations, flawless acting, and lavish production combine to lift the Paramount film ‘ Desire ’ far above the ordinary run of romantic comedies. It is at present at the Regent. Exhilarating is the only word that properly describes the story, the acting of Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, and the work of Ernst Lubitsch, who personally supervised the production. Once again the impish Lubitsch turns what might easily have been censorable situations into subtly sophisticated entertainment. Call it charm, good taste, intelligence, or ft blend of fill three, the famous “ Lubitsch touch ” continues to be an intangible quality as difficult to describe as a shrug of the shoulder or a lift of the eyebrow. And so it is that ‘ Desire ’ stands as Miss Dietrich’s best Hollywood film to date. While retaining all her pristine glamour, she reveals a hitherto unsuspected sense of humour. And ‘ Desire ’ also shows Gary Cooper to be an actor with as great a flair for light comedy as he has for drama—a subtle and sure player who knows the value of restraint and when to employ it. “We have seldom seen better acting,” comments the British ‘ Film Weekly.’ “ Technically, it is flawless. Yet, like all really good acting, it is so good that it does not for a moment remind you of acting. Frankly, we would not have believed that Gary Cooper had it in him.” No detailed synopsis can convey adequately the piquant humour and smooth polish of a film the director of which proceeded on the theory, that his audience has some imagination too.