NORMA TALMADGE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 29, 26 September 1931, Page 5

NORMA TALMADGE

HER LATEST SUCCESS "du barry woman of passion" is his greatest role. MAJESTIC, NEXT WEEK. Norma Talmadge will shortly be seen as one of the foremost heart adventuresses ever known when her new United Artists picture, "Du Barry, Woman of Passion," comes to the Majestic Theatre on Thursday and Friday. This marks her second appearance in talking pictures. Sam Taylor who has had such success directing Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd, John Barrymore, and Douglas Fairbanks in some of their most popular vehicles, made the picture and wrote the screen adaptation and dialogue. The rise to fame of the young milliner who later, as Madam Du , Barry, ruled a king and the hearts j of the aristocracy provided the ma- j terial for one of David Belasco's most ; successful plays. Mrs. Leslie Carter played the leading character when the piece was presented at the Criterion Theatre in New York, December 25, 1901, after a tryout in Washington two weeks before, In company was Claude Gillingwater, who has sinee risen to eminence in the films. Pola l Negri impersonated the famous siren | in Ernst Lubitseh's directional trij umph "Passion" which was produced in Germany and shown here with great success. Unlike the new ver- | sion, this silent film was not based on ! the Belasco hit.

I "Du Barry" makes a bid for fame t by marking the return to the screen ■ of one of the silver sheet's most gla- i morous figures — ^William Farnum. I ! Forced into retirement five years ago j | because of injuries sustained while j making a picture in Glacier National Park, Farnum has come back to play the part of the idolising monarch op- ] posite Miss Talmadge. This is Mr. | Farnum's first talking role on the screen. His many years on the speaking stage as a leading man make him a splendid exponent of the new 1 cinema art. A brilliant cast appears in the pic- ' ture with Miss Talmadge. Sharing honours with Mr. Farnum, in a principal role is Conrad Nagel, the soldier lover for whose affeetion Du Barry defies the empire. Important roles are played by Ullrieh Haupt, Hobart Bosworth, Allison Skipworth, Edgar Norton, Cissy Fitzgerald, Edwin Maxwell, Tom Ricketts, Henry Kolker, E. Alyn Warren, Oscar Apfel, Tom Santschi and Maude Truex. Geoffrey : "All right, Sunny Jim, don't get excited because I don't like your girl friend."