AMUSEMENTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1928, Page 1

AMUSEMENTS.

EVERYBODYS PICTURES. •• DAMAGED GOODS ” —WEDNESDAY. ' Ulicu Eugene lirieux’s famous boo] •' Damaged Guilds.” burst like 11 tlmi fiorh.ilt upon the smug stupidity of tl. Victorians, it wus curried furtively int boudoirs and libraries to be lead i secrecy ; it shocked their sense of cm scions virtue. Nowadays it is read i the sense that it was intended to b read, its lesson is taken to heart, am its dramatic sensationalism is passe'' over and its seientilie application on I heeded. It is a supremely necessar piece of drama, this treating as i does, in the most effective way o V.D., not in the least hectic am puerile, as it might so easily become but a lorcelul and prnloundly mnviiij exposition of existing social evils, i revelation of facts and figures, a pie; for more sensible education, and ; burning indictment against the stil existing (puukePy. hypocrisy and pru dory found in some circles. This drama will lie shown at the Princes.' ’I heat re lor one night only on Wednes- , day. I lie New Zealand censor deletei ; no parts ol the film, but he recommended that the picture be exhibited to no person under sixteen years ol age and ordained that mixed audiences are inadvisable. I he management of the local theatre lias, therefore, set apart the circle for women and the stalls for men. In its original hook form, "Damaged Goods’’ was written in a very technical vein, and even the stage version was more or less scientific. With a view to the demands of modern audiences, the producers of this latest screen version modified considerably this artistic fault, and. while retaining the essential personality and significance of the original, succeeded in vesting this production with that element of dramatic sensation which appeals to 1928. It still preserves its atmosphere of superior drama, it is still told with good taste and profound knowledge of its theme; the only difference is that if is more a human drama and less a medical treatise. The great lesson is still there, flic grave 1 warning. Even in this enlightened age. knowledge of this ravaging evil, Y.D.. is kept hidden, with the result that the world's clinics show no signs of discharging their unhappy quota of humanity. “Damaged (foods” appeals to the intelligence of its audiences to cope with this fatal reticence, to assume the role of teacher; provided its lesson is taken to heart it will lie a vastly progressive world that the next generation will step into. The acting of the principals in the drama is ox- 1 eeptionallv brilliant ; their roles are onerous, and often make a great strain on the emotions of the players, hut their restrained and artistic acting is a major factor in the success of the picture. Prices: 2s to both circle and stalls. !