“CAPE FORLORN.”

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1931, Page 2

“CAPE FORLORN.”

THE FILM VERSION. LONDON, January 15 “Cape Forlorn,” a play written by Ml* Frank Harvey, and which has for its scene a lighthouse off the coast of New Zealand, Htis been filmed, .’ad is new being shown at the Regal. •The story, it will be remembered, de--piets the life and tragedy of a group of people living at the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper—-an honest simple man—takes a wife (of somewhat doubtful morality) from a cafe at Honolulu, where he has been spending his leave. The monotony of the life soon leads her into mischief with the lighthouse keeper’s mate. Then there arrives on the rock from a wrecked, motor launch a young swindler who lias run away with all the funds of the Otago Building Society. The wife (played by Miss Fay Compton) transfers her attentions to the newcomer. Jealousy leads to a fight between Cass (the mate) and Kingsley '(the castaway). To (save Kingsley, the' wife shoots Cass.

The jealousy of the mate is nothing to the.jealousy of the hitherto trusting husband. In the end, a plausible story is concocted to account for the death of Cass, and the keeper allows his wife to go ashore with those who have come to apprehend the young embezzler. Though it is a story of unrelieved tragedy, the acting is good and the photography is excellent. Mr Frank Harvey, the author of the play, repeats his stage performance as trie 'lighthouse keeper, and Mr Edmund Williard is mate, The young criminal is played by Mr lan Hunter. In the stage version there was a Maori assistant and a boatman. This character is fortunately dropped in the film. In li is place is an elderly sailornißn, whose chief characteristic is the telling of gruesome stories about his criminal relatives. This part (Parsons) is played by Mr Donald Cnlthrop. Some of the scenes were filmed at the Gwithinn Lighthouse, in St. Ives Bay, Cornwall, and those showing the huge waves breaking over the outlying rocks are particularly fine. The interior of the lighthouse, wherein practically all the action occurs, was reproduced at the Elstree Studio British International Pictures. . Miss Compton made a talkie with Adolphe Menjou, “Fashions in Wives,” in Hollywood 18 months ago, lint it was not until recently that a British film company offered her an engagement. This was in “Tell England,” the Gallipoli war story. “Cape Forlorn” is only her second British talkie.