THE NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 18, 12 April 1927, Page 12

THE NEW REGENT

BRITISH FILM “THE RAT” The Armand Brothers, who are making such a sensational success with their wonderful gymnastic and tumbling act at the New Regent, will make their last appearances to-night, at the matinee to-morrow, and to-morrow night, prior to sailing for Sydney on Thursday. On Thursday there will be a welcome reappearance of that inimitable comedian, Hector St. Clair, who set all Auckland rocking last week. He will have a new stock of absurdities. Commencing on Saturday, the new picture Will be one of the most remarkable yet presented, and certainly the most noteworthy that Britain has given to the film world to date. This is “ The Rat,’' a thrilling feature of the Paris underworld, with Ivor Novello in the title role, supported by Isabel Jeans, another English artist, and Mae Marsh. Breath-taking in its vivid realism of the notorious Montmartre district, the story is a chapter in the life of an apache, that colourful, biit dangerous character identified only with the night life of the gay capital. The picture thrills while yet it sways, and no one will fail to experience a surge of emotion as the great, drama unfolds to a climax intensely powerful and compelling. Novello, the star who was part-author of the story, has won for himself a place in the heart of the “ movie ” lover, and his pictures are always eagerly awaited. In “ The Rat ” he brings to the screen a new technique that will surprise even his most ardent admirers.

The film is outstanding for its dramatic power, but a word must also tie said for its great array of feminine beauties incorporated in its notable cast. Few, if any pictures, have ever had so many gorgeous women, and no woman can afford to miss “ The Rat,” if only to feast her eyes on the magnificen display of Paris gowns and those who parade them across the screen in a dazzling succession of scenes.