GRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 335, 21 April 1928, Page 14

GRAND

LON CHANEY’S LATEST Will a hypnotised person, led to the scene of his crime, unconsciously reenact the details of hi§ misdeeds? This is the theory, lately voiced by many experts in hypnotism and mental mysteries, which Lon Chaney uses in his latest role, that of a detectivehypnotist in “London After Midnight. now being being shown at the Grand Theatre. Hypnosis, cataleptic trances, telepathy and projection of thought into tourtli-dimensional space are some of the mysteries that Chaney expounds in his strange role in the new picture. The plot hinges on strange, new discoveries in the realm of mental waves, with mesmerism and other uncanny factors as tools by which the central figure, played by Chaney, works out a strange plot. Much of the picture is based on scientific facts, with certain pseudo-scientific details added for dramatic effectiveness. Critics have termed Lionel Barrymore’s portrayal of the role of Hr. Leyden in “Body and Soul,” as one of the greatest characterisations of the dramatic field. This noted actor’s ■work in this vividly colourful picture will live among the finest bits of acting the screen has ever known. The story is based on Katharine Newlin Burt’s “The Branding Iron,” and is a romantic tale of love in the Swiss Alps. Ailen Pringle and Norman Kerry have the leading roles. The role of the comical Swiss postman, whose antics precipitate a tragedy is played by T. Roy Barnes, famous as a character comedian.