THE PRINCESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 151, 16 September 1927, Page 14

THE PRINCESS

“CONVOY” “Convoy,” Robert Kane's picture of the navy at war, into which has been woven one of the most dramatic romances seen on the local screen in many months, opened last night at the Princess Theatre before a capacity audience which acclaimed it one of the truly great films of all time. A tremendous spectacle of the sea, a war picture that has caught the spirit of sacrifice and courage and tragedy along with the adventuresome romance, “Convoy” well merits the enthusiastic endorsements it has received from

army and navy chiefs in Washington and civilian critics everywhere. The battle scenes gained loud applause from last night’s audience. Interwoven with this graphic tale of action is an equally dramatic theme of a girl’s sacrifice in uncovering the; methods of communication between the German secret service agents in America at the outbreak of the war. “Convoy” shows for the first time just how these spies operated and tells a tale from real life of the apprehension of their chief.

The plot is based on John Taintoi Foote’s famous short story, ‘The Song of the Dragon.” Dorothy Mackail and Lowell Sherman head the brilliant all-star cast whose work in this epic film surpasses all their past performances. lan Keith. Buster Collier and Lawrence Gray are the remaining members of the featured cast. “Convoy” marks the debut of Joseph Boyle as a full-fledged director, and so pleased was Robert Kane with his first film that Boyle was put under contract to direct two more pictures. Featured by such sensational scenes as the actual Battle of the North Sea, in which pictures of German ships sinking, photographed by naval officers during the war, are shown, ‘Convoy” offers one of the most thrilling evenings at the theatre we have ever enjoyed. “Collegiate,” the second feature on the programme, is a novel and whimsical tale of a madcap heroine who goes to college to escape a distasteful marriage.