MAJESTIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 51, 23 May 1927, Page 13

MAJESTIC

“MARE NOSTRUM” With the war-time Mediterranean for a background, and the strange love of an Austrian spy and a Spanish sea captain tangled among the threaci.3 of the vast espionage system of the Central Powers worked into a dramatic theme by Vicente Blasco Ibanez, there came into being the most remarkable book this celebrated author has penned. Now, with this novel as a basis, and the addition of a very capable cast plus a director famed for his artistic thoroughness, an equally remarkable piece of film entertainment has been constructed, which is now being screened at the Majestic Theatre. This is “Mare Nostrum,’’ a beautifully coordinated picture, which moves with certainty and with perfect rhythm. The two leading players are well known to picture lovers. Alice Terry and Antonio Moreno play the roles of spy and sea captain admirably, and they are supported by a talented company of European players who are evidently quite at home in their background and use it with surer sympathy than could others not born to it.

They tell the story of Captain Ulysses Ferragut, captain-owner of the fast freighter, “Mare Nostrum,” whose intimate knowledge of the Mediterranean makes him a mark for spies operating on the coasts of that sea. To secure his services a beautiful woman is employed to weave her spells about him, but the two unexpectedly fall in love. From then till tragedy cuts through the network of intrigue, love battles with loyalty to the cause through many sensational episodes. “Mare Nostrum,” actually filmed in Europe, is an unusual picture in every way, and the director, Rex Ingram, is to be commended for having produced what is easily his finest effort.