MAORILAND THEATRE.

Shannon News, 27 October 1925, Page 3

MAORILAND THEATRE.

“AS MAN DESIRES." A glamourous and thrilling tale of the South Sea isles is unfolded in First. National’s new picture, “As Man Desires,” which .opens in. Shannon on Wednesday. Milton Sills of “Sea Hawk” fame, and Viola Dana are cofeatured. Sills in the role of a British army siuiigeojn i|n ilndia, who is forced, through a trumped-iup charge, of murder, to quit, the service, gives an exceedingly fine characterization, while Viola Dana’s interpretation of the beautiful native dancing girl, .who sacrifices herself to bring happiness to the man she loves, is an oulstanding feature of the film. The story goes from the British Armv Posts oil' India to a languourous ‘South Spa Isle, wbither Major Craig (Sills) flees abd where he becomes a; pearl fisher, sinking to the depths of degradation, his faith in

women shattered—only to be re-built by the loval little native girl, who restores t.o .him the happiness he thought lost forever. j A GORGEOUS SPECTACLE. j On Friday there will be screened the latest spectacle from Drury Lane “Decameron Nights,” a fascinating story from the middle ages. The Saracen Soldan plans a Moslem alliance with King Algrave’s daughter and his son Saladin, who travels in disguise, visiting a monastery where Crusaders are sheltering from a j storm. Perdita, a mysterious girl, j w'lio has lost her memory, is brojught I in, and arouses the instant love of ; Saladin and the lustfnlness of Ricci- j ardo, a Venetian libertine, who quarrels with Torello, her defender, Ric- . ciardo follows her to Venice, w’liere be robs Torello’s w 7 ife, Teodora. of the talisman of her virtue. Teodora is ■condemned to stand naked in public, but an eclipse of the sun at the critical moment vindicates her chastity. 1 Kidnapped—by Ricciardoi, Perdita. is

followed by Saladin, who kills Iticciardo, and lakes her back to his court. Here follows a scene, unequalled in the history of the Orient, culminating in a frenzied orgy of love and hate.