NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 678, 1 June 1929, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE”

The use of dialogue to build up a smashing dramatic climax in a photoplay is illustrated in "Allas Jimmy Valentine,” a metro-Goldwn-Mayer picture with talking sequences, which comes to the New Regent Theatre this evening. The new picture remains’ orthodox and “silent” up to the point where Jimmy, in the person of William Haines, is seated in his office, in the bank of which his prospective father-in-law is president, and is visited unexpectedly by Doyle, the hard-boiled sleuth who knows of the safe-cracking exploits that preceded his reformation, and is eager to take him back to justice.

At this point, where the interest and excitement of the audience is presumably at its highest pitch, up to the final fadeout, spoken words are used to supplement the cinematic action. The scene here is exactly the same as it w r ould be on the stage with

Doyle, in the perr» oT.lrvnel Barrv-

son of the veteran actor Lionel Barrymore, probing relentlessly into the boy's past, Jimmy parrying his thrusts adroitly. Then, in a second’s time, without any let-down in dramatic intensity, the scene is changed to the vault downstairs, where the small sister of the girl Jimmy loves is accidentally imprisoned. Lionel Barrymore, who is said to exert a steadying influence on young players making their debut in sound pictures, was selected for the part of the detective after a careful canvass of Hollywood talent. The film critic of the “New York Graphic” made the following comment about Barrymore, after the premiere of the picture in the East: “There has never been a voice, recorded to date on Movietone, Vitaphone or any other method, which could compare with Lionel Barrymore’s.

Then to round off an excellent programme there is to be a number of first-class acts or short talkies. One of these introduces Barnada de Pace, wizard of the mandolin, in “Thais,” “Ramona” and “Morning, Noon and Night.” Then there will be two special numbers by Johnnie Marvin, the H.M.V. recording artist, who will sing “Old Man Sunshine" and “Heartbroken and Lonely.” Other items will be a review, in technicolour, Bob Nelson in entertaining vaudeville sketches, and Gus Edwards in “Songs of the Roses.”

Janet Gaynor, Charles Morton, Nancy Drexel, Barry Norton and Mary Duncan have the leading roles in “Four Devils.” Miss Gaynor is said to surpass any other performance as “Marion” in this beautiful story.