ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 21092, 26 May 1930, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE REGENT.

“CONDEMNED.”

RONALD COLMAN AND ANN HARDING. The .talking screen added to the silent pictures and made them more real, and tnat reality has been brought to a pitch that will be hard to pass in a magmiicent picture, well named "Uondemneu,' which commenced a season at the Regent on Saturday. The story is based on' a love attair between a convict, Michel, and'the warden's wile, Madame Vidal, on the French penal settlement, Devils island. Such a love attair may. seem an impossibihty in actual life but Ronald Colman and Ann Harding not only succeed in making it seem real but also make it appear to be the only natural outcome of tneir life on the islami. The picture is treated with a certain stark' harshness, and while it ma- well cause indignation in the hearts of the more humane onlookers, it cannot fail to appeal to all because it is packed with tense moments, gripping prison songs, and true comradeship born ot Buttering. The warden of Devil’s Island (Dudley uigges) is an overbearing bully who has an unwholesome estimation of his own worth. He objects to his wife’s attitude towards the criminals on the .island and insists that she shall'choose a convict to do her housework. She refuses to do so and he selects one for her. He picks on Michel, a gay thief from Paris, and madame learns to trust him and later to love him. The gossips of the prison town place their own construction on the friendship between the handsome convict and madame and their chatter reaches the ears of Vidal. Mad with jealous rage he embarks on a course of .unreasoned fury and finally casts Michel into solitary - confinement and prepares to send his wife back to France. Madame contrives to acquaint Michel of the state of affairs and he escapes and arranges to meet her ship by crossing the island. Accompaned by the murderer ■ Jacques (Louis Wolheim), he enters the jungle and eludes pursuit. Vidal realizes that the only thing the escapees can do is to cross the island and he jumps to the conclusion that Michel will attempt to join madame. Vidal joins the vessel unknown to his wife and journeys round the island to the next port of call. Michel boards the vessel while Jacques waits beneath the wharf below, and dresses in clothes provided by madame. He is about to go to the assistance of Jacques when the warders enter and arrest him. He is led out before the furious Vidal who promises him all sorts of torture when he returns to the prison. Jacques resolves upon a desperate expedient to save his friend and climbs over the ship’s rail to seize Vidal from behind and drown him in the sea below. Jacques is shot by the warders and as he sinks he calls out to Michel to serve out his sentence and return to the world a free and honest man. Madame and Michel agree that Jacques’s advice must be' followed and part to meet again for a better life in France. Alan Hale, Renee Adoree and Clyde Cook also appear in the programme in a story of carnival life called “The Spieler,” and a Movietone News rounds off a programme that should be seen by all who like entertainment with a grip and with the tang of true life.

THE CIVIC.

DOUBLE PROGRAMME.

HUMOUR AND HUMANITY. -

Unhappy revolutionary Russia has supplied numerous themes for the producers of motion pictures, but it does not appear likely that anything which may come from Russia can possibly - • surpass “The Red Dance,” which commenced a season at the Civic Theatre on Saturday. The ability to criticize scenes from Russian life is not present in New Zealand, but “The Red Dance,” with such names as Ivan Linow, Boris Charsky, Andre Segurola and Dimitri Alexis in the cast, gives an impression of truth. The principal characters are Tasia, a peasant girl (Dolores del Rio), .the Grand Duke Eugene (Charles Farrell) and a drunken soldier Ivan Petroff (Ivan Linow). The picture gives a very clear idea of the condition of the poorer classes in Russia in pre-re volution days. The Grand Duke is in command of an army on the frontier and is disgusted with the ordera which come from the high command. He’returns to Petrograd and begins to investigate the matter but learns too much for the peace of Generals Tanaroff and Rasputin, who are scheming to overthrow Russia for the sake of German gold, and the black monk uses his influence to have Eugene married to the Princess Varvara and succeeds through the weakness of the Tsar. Eugene is sent to take charge of a prison settlement and meets Tasia, whose father is in the prison through having attempted to teach the peasants to read. Tasia’s friends are attempting to marry her to Ivan, and to escape trom him she flies to the - duke. The two young people fall in love in spite of the difference in their rank and Tasia manages to avoid Ivan, who becomes more reasonable towards her after having‘had a very bad bout with vodka on what was to have been their wedding night. Then comes the revolution and the castle of Varvara is stormed while Eugene is in the line. He learns of the death of the princess and attempts to leave the country only to be captured by General Tanaroff. Ivan has also risen to the rank of general and asks permission to execute the duke. Ivan carries out the sentence with his own pistol and Tasia sets out to seek vengeance upon him only to discover that he has fooled the traitorous general and has saved Eugene for her. The other feature on the programme is a delightful comedy entitled “Making the Grade.” Herbert (Edmund Lowe) has been born to riches but falls in love with a shop girl, Lettie (Lois Moran) who refuses to have anything to do with him unless he proves himself to be a man and does something more than live on the money that was left to him by his ancestors. His endeavours to make the grade give wide scope for comedy, and the laughter of Saturday’s audiences was uproarious. The programme is for a short season only and should be seen either to-night or to-morrow night. THE MAJESTIC. SPLENDID DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME. “LIGHT FINGERS” AND “THE FALL OF EVE.” At present showing at the Majestic Theatre is an excellent double-feature programme, both of the pictures screened being all-talking. The first, “The Fall of Eve,” is bright, .sophisticated comedy at its best, and anyone wanting a good laugh should not miss this feature. The story concerns the laughable adventures of a gay husband out for a night of fun in New York—without the knowledge of his wife, needless to say. Tom Ford, Junr., (Arthur Rankin) is in love with his father’s secretary, Eve Grant, (Patsy Ruth Miller), but his father will not hear of their marriage. However, Tom Ford senr., has to appeal to his son for help when he becomes sadly entangled in trying to give his- friend Mr. Mack (Ford Sterling) a good time at the Rendezvous Cafe. Eve Grant is posing as Mr. Ford’s wife, and the laughable situations that arise as a' result may be better imagined than described. In the midst of the hilarity Tom Ford’s real wife (Gertrude Astor), arrives on the scene, and everything eventually is cleared up. This is one of the best comedies that has been seen in Invercargill for months, as there is nothing slapstick about it. Probably the best characterization is given by Ford Sterling, but Patsy Ruth Miller will gain many more admirers with her cultured voice. The Cafe scene is particularly well done, with some lilting music introduced. The second feature, “Light Fingers” holds attention throughout, as it is a crook drama totally different from the usual “Eastside tough’’ type. Light Fingers (lan Keith), a celebrated thief, gains entrance to. the home of a wealthy jewel-col-lector by posing as a magazine writer. He learns the combination of the safe and disconnects the burglar-alarm. His ruse is frustrated, however, by Dorothy Madison (Dorothy Revier) discovering him in pos-

session of the alarm fusel upon which she immediately guesses his true identity. She decides to give him another chance, and Light Fingers leaves the house immediately. His companions in crime, however, decide to carry on without him. When the jewels are stolen, suspicion at first falls on Dorothy’s brother, but Light Fingers pursues the thieves and recovers the jewels. lan Keith as the sophisticated criminal gives an extremely convincing interpretation, and possesses a personality all his own. It is unfortunate that to-night will be the final screening. MAJESTIC. COMMENCING TO-MORROW THE ZEIGFELD' FOLLIES IN “GLORIFYING THE AMERICAN GIRL.” All the theatrical magnificence that the name Florenz Ziegfeld implies will be seen at the Majestic Theatre, when the Paramount picture, “Glorifying the American Girl” opens there to-morrow for a four night season. In “Glorifying the American Girl,” Ziegfeld truly out-Ziegfelds himself in spectacular production. It is all talking, singing and dancing. The great maestro of magnificence has put every bit of his marvellous genius into the supervision of this glamorous masterpiece. “Glorifying the American Girl” is a true picture of what happened in the case of hundreds of beauties who have climbed to gilded fame Jthrough the guidance of the master glorifier of American womanhood. Mary Eaton, famous for her stellar performances' in many a Ziegfeld stage show, and more recently seen in ‘'The Cocoanuts” with the Four Marx Brothers, is the little girl from the country, who makes good on Broadway. The picture is filled with lavish stage scenes and scintillating settings with beautiful girls in gorgeous dances and revues.