AMUSEMENTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20037, 8 September 1939, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

REGENT THEATRE “CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY” There is no mistaking the real purpose behind the film, ■‘Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” which will commence a season at the Regent Theatre today. The picture is plain propaganda, and ruthless propaganda at that, against the political philosophy of the German Government and the elaborate system of espionage which aims to spread the tenets of that philosophy in the four corners of the world. To those who have been! accustomed to regard the motion picture as a medium of entertainment only, "Confessions ot a Nazi Spy" comes as .something Of a shock. It is stark in its realism; it is unswerving in the lesson it aims to bring home to all who believe in a democratic form of government, a government under which the individual is still an individual and not a cog in a huge machine which sets out to make every man. woman, and child think in the terms of one outstanding personality. But the thing that has to be rernemebred more, than anything else about "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" is that it is not! the creation of some imaginative writer of fiction. All the sensational, events which are pictured have actually happened and, no doubt, are still happening, not. only in the United States of America, in which: country the story is centred, but in. every country where the- forces of democracy are sharing in the task of saving the world from domination' by an ideology which must be repugnant to all freedom-loving' peoples. So realistic is the picture, and so forceful is the message which: it. brings home, that it is little won-, dor that its effect wherever it has been shown has been profound and lias led to a real awakening in the public mind of the dangers with which the democracies arc faced. In short, the lesson which “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” preaches is that "it can happen here." The picture was meant to educate and to warn before it was meant to entertain, and that is exactly what it does, but there is entertainment value, too. Warner Bros. First National, in producing the film, have left nothing to chance. Each artist who portrays a part in this picture has been carefully chosen, and the result is an even performance which makes the lesson even more impressive. As the Government agent whose work leads to the startling disclosures of Germany's spy network in America, Edward G. Robinson gives an outstanding performance, and associated with him arc Paul Lukas, Francis Lederei;. George Sanders, and Henry O'Neill.’The production, too, is brilliant. But the fact that must stand out above all others is that "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" is not fiction, that Germany's creation of an elaborate system of espionage, and that alone, made the picture possible.

MAJESTIC THEATRE ROBERT TAYLOR AND WALLACE BEERY IN “STAND UP AND FIGHT.” Combining the punch of “The Crowd Honrs” with the vigorous drama of “The Bad Man of Brimstone.” the new outdoor drama, “Stand Up and Fight.” co-starring Wallace Beery and Robert Taylor for the first time, comes to the screen today as one of the fastest action stories ever to be filmed. Unique in . that it combines authentic historical background of a period and locale hitherto untouched in motion pictures with the sort of rapid-fire pace that made the Westerns of silent days so perennially popular, “Stand Up and Fight" seems likely to be the forerunner of a cycle of stories oF the kind, so sure is its hold on audiences who demand motion above all in their motion pictures. Taylor's role of the 'bankrupt young Maryland aristocrat shanghaied into going to work for the stage coach line is a happy choice, for it gives him an opportunity to combine romantic appeal with the he-man type of characterisation which won him laurels in “A Yank at Oxford" and “The Crowd Roars." Beery’s role of the hard-boiled, often unscrupulous manager of the Bullet Line is another good choice, a typical Beery part comparable with any of his finest work. For Florence Rice the feminine lead is a sure augury of great success to come for she handles this, her first major assignment, with a sure touch and appealing charm. Never has she been photographed to greater advantage th'an in the hoop-skirts and bonnets of the 1850's. Comedienne Helen Broderick is at her best, Charles Bickford and Barton MacLane are as villainous as could be wished of a "heavy.” and Clinton Rosemond embodies all the pathos of the negro slave. Besides keeping a tasUmoving story always straight in its objective, the director, W. S. Van Dyke, 11., has combined a warmth of atmosphere with the roughness of his backgrounds to a remarkable degree. The wealth of contributing detail and stirring beauty of scene are a tribute to Mervyn Leßoy’s care as n producer. An outstanding programme of M.G.M. featurettes include “Angel of Mercy,” one of the famous “Passing Parade” series, “Hollywood Hobbies,” the latest news, and a further chapter of “Buck Rogers."

KING’S THEATRE “CAPTAIN FURY”: THRILLING ADVENTURE EPIC. When Hal Roach, who for so long has been associated solely with comedy, decides to produce a drama, it is news. "Captain Fairy." which is his latest production and first adventure drama for United Artists, opens its Gisborne season at the King's Theatre to-day. "Captain Fury" co-stars Brian Aherne, Victor McLaglen and June Lang. The picture also features in supporting character roles such outstanding players as Paul Lukas, John Carradino, George Zueco, Virginia Field. Douglas Dum'brille and Mary Gordon. "Captain Fury.” which unfolds its story with lightning speed, suspenseful adventure and swift drama, was given- both the production knowledge and the masterful direction of Hal Roach personally. The story is laid in the pioneer days of Australia, when the country was an open frontier laud, grabbed up -by men who were stealthily building huge estates. Captain Fury, played by Brian Aherne, impersonates an Irish political prisoner, who chances to go to Australia F.ud discovers the treachery of some of those in power According to the film, he joins force, with the exploited settlers who have been at the mercy of Arnold Trist.

the outstanding land baron outside of Sydney. Fury plays the same game originally played by Robin Hood. He sets up a secret kingdom cud proceeds to smash the plans and plots of Trist and his henchmen. Busy as he is with his smashing adventures and blood-and-tlumder experiences, -e manages to find time for romance. The lucky girl in the case is, of course, June Lang, /