Borland's Pictures

Levin Daily Chronicle, 7 November 1918, Page 4

Borland's Pictures

A'm- -J. W. Faaiand lias been fortunate enough to secure for his patrons to-morrow night a picture winch ha.s just concluded a phenomenal run in Wellington and for 'which there was a night to spare in transit." This Ss entitled "The Kaiser or the Beast of Berlin." i 'hie title leaven no doubt. as to the exact nature of the theme and it may be said at the outset that the picture fully lives up to its title, for it depicts with a considerable degree of vividness many of 'those forms of bestiality usually associated with the Hun in general and, with 'h;s masters in particular. The opening scenes depict the happy and prosperous Belgium that existed prior to August 1914. "ben the Kaiser launched his blow for world power. Tli,' picture proceeds to illustrate in telJuig fashion the horrible methods employed by the Hun to impose his will upon Belgium, methods which involve wholesale killing and burning—and frequently something more terrible. For this purpose a Belgian blacksmith and his family, of Louvain, are utilised by the producer and they suffer a martyrdom which, horrible though it is, is probably typical and which must not bo forgotten now the time has come for settling with the perpetrators. A Herculean fipeciinan of manhood is this Belgian blacksmith who at the right moment, when the Hun ha.s gone the full limit in tho way of frightfiilnei s, wreaks a. terrible vengenace on a particularly loathsome exponent of lvultur. But the most interesting and l>,v far the largest portion of the picture « that which is devoted to a portrayal of the Kaiser, prominent German soldiers and statesmen and of tho German court. And it may be appropriate to remark that tile representation of tho archfiend—.the Kaiser—'s remarkably lifelike when judged by the more or less reliable word picture; we have liad of tins vain-glorious monarch, The devastated Belgian villages and the magnificent scenes depicting the German 'C ourt and again those of America's answer to tho challenge of the Hun are splendid and impressive pieces of picturisation and there should be a audience at Farland's to-morrow night to see thk opportune presentation.