REGENT THEATRE—TO-DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 27, 2 February 1937, Page 12

REGENT THEATRE—TO-DAY

“THE GENERAL. DIED AT DAWN” I “The General Died at Dawn.” In this' very sentence there is a sort of suppressed drama, an earnest of exciting .incidents to happen. It is the title of the picture which will slxow to-day at the Regent Theatre. The film is the best of its kind since “Shanghai Express.” It is the story of the fight of a Chinese war lord to steal a Jarge sum of money, the property of those trying to free ihe province which groaned under his tyranny, and to buy arms with it. The money is entrusted to an American, O'Hara (Gary Cooper), to take to certain people in Shanghai. The plot centres round his eventful journey to that city. It tells how he fell to the charms of another American, this time a beautiful girl, Judy -Ferric (.Madeleine Carroll), who was a party, however unwittingly, to delivering him to the war lord, General Yang (Akim Tannroff). O'Hara, .Judy, Mr. Wu, the agent in Shanghai who was working for an oppressed people (Dudley Digges), Vang and others find themselves on Vang's junk, where the story works up to a powerful climax. Eventually O’Hara finds that Judy has been true to him all the time and the picture ends on that note. The strength of the picture is in the intense drama which begins the moment the film begins and does not ease in tension until the final blackout. This drama throbs against a background which powerfully portrays the mystery of the East. On the one hand you have a train hold-up, where O'Hara is captured. Then you are taken to Shanghai, the supeiimposition of tho West on tlio unchanging East, to a European hotel, where men fo murdered ami , extraordinary incidents nappen. You have tho mysterious junk in tne harbour, mysterious in shape, sinister in Intention, mysterious in its approach up a harbour) itself one of tho most sinister in the world. It is the scone on that, junk, I where tho “general died at dawn,” where the actors give the best of their talent, in fact, have most scope to do so. it is a moving and fascinating picture in which tho acting is far above tho average. Cooper is at his best, wliiie the audience will want to see more of tho beautiful Madeleine Carroll. Tamiroff does wonderful work as Yang. MAYFAIR THEATRE “LONELY ROAD”—TO-DAY A fascinating love story, dashing adventure, thrilling gun-running, music, song and catchy humour makes “Lonely Roaci " a picture at once exciting and highly entertaining. Commencing on Saturday and co-starring Clive Drool: and Victoria Hopper, tne action ol "Lonely Road” shifts from London to a Leeds Fulais-de-Danse, Scotland Yard Headquarters, and sea coast locales, thus providing ample variety ot settings. Clive Brook, popular hero of a hundred films, in tho role of an ex-commander of a submarine, now turned Secret Service, is refreshingly different from his customary Hollywood characterisations. He has starred opposite many famous sirens of the screen; Tullulah Bankhead. Marlene Dietrich. Liana YVynyard, Ruth Chatterton and Madeleine Carroll, but it has remained for this, his latest English production to present the real Brook, in tho typo of role he was born to play. The management announce a. special engagement, of Trevor and Dawn, famous Continental adagio dancers, on Saturday. KOSY THEATRE JACK LONDON’S MAGIC Jack London was the master fiction writer of tho last generation. His magic still lives to-day. One of his outstanding tales, “The Abysmal Brute,” lias been adapted for the screen under the title ol

“Conflict." This picture, starring John Wayne, is now at the Kosy Theatre. The dramatic narrative sets forth the struggle of two men for mastery. One of them is a treacherous prize-fighter who gains his money by cheating the simple folk of small towns in the California of 1890. The other is a clean-limbed giant who defeats the bruiser in exciting fashion. “Conflict'’ is a simple tale presented in the manner that Jack London wrote it. John Wayne, who gives valiant battle to the prizefighter, is the tall, handsome fellow who recently starred in “The Sea Spoilers.” Playing opposite him is Jean Rogers, the lovely actress who scored in “Stormy,” ‘Flash Gordon,” “Ac© Drummond,” and Tailspin Tommy.” Laughs and'Thrills A murder mystery drama, doubly blessed by fine performances by an outstanding cast and a generous allotment of general hilarity, provides the splendid screen entertainment now at the Kosy Theatre in “Panic on the Air.” Lew Ayres, cofeatured with Florence Rice, is seen as a radio newsman, who comes into possession of a five-dollar bill bearing a strange 1 cryptic message. He Investigates the hisItory of the bill and discovers that the various owners have met with death or violence. When he receives a mysterious message instructing him to deliver the bill to an attractive woman, his interest \ls further aroused. From this point the drama grows thrilling, for Ayres finds himself neck-deep in a murder mystery and In love at the same time. Also showing on the same programme, Buck Jones in “The Phantom Rider,” episode seven, “Stark Terror.”