STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 630, 5 April 1929, Page 14

STRAND

SECOND WEEK OF “THE SPY” Tho mystery thriller, "The Spy,” is still attracting crowded houses at the Strand Theatre, where it will commence the second week of its Auck- i land season this evening. Broadly speaking, the story tells oi' the machinations of Max Haghi, a banker of international repute, who is really the leader of a gang of spies and crooks who terrorise Eyropc and prove publicly the inadequacy of the | police and the secret service until tht last scenes. Haghi has many beauti- i ful women in his pay, and it is when one of these, fcSonia Barrankowa, falls in love with No. 326 of the Secret Service, that his power commences to ‘ wane. The attempted, theft of a secret | Japanese treaty brings matters to a head, and botli Sonia and No. 326 aro to be the victims of a railway accident engineered by an escaped murderer in Haghi’s pay- The scenes leading up to the catastrophe are among the finest ever seen on the screen, and the wreck itself is a marvel of production work. But the doomed ones escape, follow the murderer, who manages to warn Haghi through a microphone. Then follow scenes of the police raiding the bank —scenes in which bombs, revolvers and poison gas play i their parts with deadly effect, but | after all, Haghi is not to be found. A ; “little discrepancy” in the numbers of ; some bank-notes, however, leads to ; an inquiry into the identity of a cer- j tain clown who, finding himself corn- j ered, shoots himself in full view of ! the audience at the conclusion of his < act. So dies the master criminal. Tho above gives but a poor idea of the many interesting sequences, among which may be mentioned the episode of th stolen treaty in which a Dr. Matsumoto, beautifully played by Lupu Pick, succumbs to the blonde charms of a heartless spy and pays the last penalty. A certain Col. Jellusio also provides a grim episode, and the development of the love between Sonia and No. 326 is exquisitely suggested. Rudolph Klein-Rogge gives a fine performance as the crippled banker, Willy Fritsch is splendid as No. 326, and Gerda Maurus a charming Sonia. An admirable musical accompaniment is provided by the Strand Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Eve Bentley.

ROYAL SHOWS “ADORATION” , “Adoration,” the fine drama now at the Royal Theatre, Kingsland. is one of the most fascinating pictures Billie Love has ever made. The story tells of two lovers who were separated by the fury of Red Russia and meet again in the slums of Paris. He had sunk to the very depths of degradation but she held high her head, fighting poverty and temptation. Never was Billie Love more beautiful, and Antonio Moreno is excellent in the role of the Russian exile. “Outcast,” which will also be shown, is the story of a San Francisco street girl, starring Corinne Griffith and Edmund Lowe.