STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 719, 19 July 1929, Page 17

STRAND

“4 DEVILS” Simple stories, simply told, represent the height of art in film making, according to F. W. Murnau, the celebrated German director, whose second Fox picture, “4 Devils,” commences its Auckland season at the Strand Theatre this evening. A tale dealing with the heart interest of everyday folk, primitive emotion told directly, always is interesting to all the world, he claims, and the complications of life have nothing to do with such a story. Human' problems in Continental or in American society circles may differ, yet a simple heart story will appeal to these two extremes. There is eternal truth in simplicity, is Murnau’s theory, and he has demonstrated this truth in “4 Devils,” a simple, yet powerful story, of aeep heart interest that concerns a beautiful woman sophisticate and a trapeze performer. It is a tale that will unfold from the sawdust ring, revealing, perhaps, the most sensational thrill ever recorded by a motion picture camera. Murnau’s training for his work as director was exhaustive. It began with a university education at Heidelberg, where he was a fellow student of another famous director, Ernst Dubitsch. Following university days the two men turned to acting and joined the Max Reinhardt’s company as novices. Murnau played the Knight in “The Miracle” in Berlin, Vienna and other European capitals. Other leading roles with other companies followed each other. The “New York American” said of this production: “‘4 Devils’ boasts some thrilling aerial feats, and one called ‘a leap of death’ is alone worth the price of admission. The director has caught the spirit of the three rings, and, since everyone likes the circus, it is pretty safe to predict that the picture will find a vast and appreciative audience.” This picture will be accompanied throughout by a selected musical score played by the Roxy Theatre, New York, Orchestra, of 110 soloists. The all-talking programme includes a Fox Movietone News, a speech by King Alphonso of Spain, some more delightful humour by Gertrude Lawrence, and an hilarious farce* “The Bath Between.”