AMUSEMENTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 January 1930, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

EVERYBODYS PICTURES i- -

“THE GIRL. ON THE BARGE,”

TO-NIGHT.

•*.Universal's “The. Girl on the Barge,” 'Which opens to-hi.gTjt at the Princess theatre, -is a photoplay of unusual charm. , r .Jt , has everything that makes an ; outstanding picture—beautiful natural locale, a powerful story and a capable .cast all. under inspired direetiqq. , Jean .Bjersholt, the .beloved character . star, has the leading 'd;ole,. into., which lie puts , all his ability to bring out of what might be an ordinary villgdn,, the ..character of . a mean-tem-pered..old man who fis more to be pitied

than censured. . Onlly could

have iinade a sympathetic character opt 01 ,'..what- would have been a conven-

tional role in less expert hands. Sally

O’Neil gives a spirited perjEormaise in .bthe title role. She jis spefidid- as the -igrioraipt 'little girl wvho has never been th- land who has spent. her life on a coal tbarge plyingßetween; New York; a'ndyllifffalo. This is [one of the biggest roles she has ever had and she acquits herself ' with, high honours. To Malcolm .''MacGregor also goes- histrionic lionoufji and praise for an . admirable and natural portrayal of tug—’pilot. The story is from ' one of Rupert Hughes’ most popularshort stories. It concerns the love ;affair- of a,;girl on a barge and a .boy 'on a. .tug which triumphs, over tlie ingrained fued which 'exists between ' tug and barge folk. Tlie scenery used, in the picture is that of , the story, 1 , In speeding weeks ,/on location at .’the Champlain and Erie canals in New , York, Director

Edward Sloman lias captured on the

.screen a background utterly free of l artificiality, teeming with the real Aiifi of the story’s locale. t In handling tiie direction, Sloman had shown a deft and subtle hand in the careful working out of' the tiny details wlhieli give the the 1 sweep of an\ epic of the freight canals. While the> other members of the cast have little to do, that little is well done. 1 these include Henry West. J. Francis Ro'ibertson and the, tftfee children. Morris!' Mclntosh, Nancy Kelly and George OfFerman. Thefpiupports include, Topncal, Comedy, Serial. The orchestra will play the incidental score. ;?* - < cro.- ~r •