AMUSEMENTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1932, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

EVERYBODY’S PICTURES “THE PHANTOM OF PARIS.” John Gilbert has phiyed more tliau fifty roles in pictures. And it is claimed emphatically, that as Glieri-Bibi in f~ T “Tiie' Phantom of Paris,” he reaches 1 the very pinnacle of dramatic heights, totally'eclipsing anything lie lias ever done on the talking screen be) ore. In the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produc- /" tion, which' comes to the Princess i Theatre to-night, Gilbert has the diffiC ult task of wearing three different make-ups arid playing three different men. im the course of the one story. First lie is seen as the gay and jaunty Cheri-Bibi, with the small, black, Gilbertian moustachd and the dlever magic-working, hands and body, then he becomes the bearded, crushed' ami desperate prisoner, who uses his knowledge of magic to escape from the dungeons. And finally, he is the Marquis, grey-haired, worldly-wise, inscrutable. As his leading lady, Gilbert has Leila Hyams, the charming player who was seen opposite him in “Way For A sailor” and “Gentlemen’s Fate." She is cast as the daughter of a proud and noble family, who refuses to allow the barriers of class to interfere with the dictates of> her heart. Lewis Stone for the first: time ill his distinguished career, plays the role of a detective, who relentlessly hounds Cheri-Bibi for a crime of which he is innocent, while C. Aubrey Smith, Natalie Moorhead, Jean' Hersholt, lan Keith and Alfred Hickman are the other principal members of the supporting cast. “The Phantom of Paris,” is based on Gaston Leroux’s prize-winning French story, “Cheri-Bibi”. It has been elaborately produced moving from the exclusive circles of the old nobility and modern Parisian theatrical life to the interior of a j famous French gaol. Also News. Comedy and Ilevue. Prices 2/3; 1/6, children 6d downstairs