STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 772, 19 September 1929, Page 17

STRAND

“THE BLACK WATCH” “The Black Watch,” the big picture now at the Strand Theatre, is a John Ford production and the best to the credit of this director of super-films. Big in theme and treatment it has true epical power in its story of a brave officer who threw himself between an empire and disaster. As a technical specimen of the progress of dialogue pictures “The Black Watch” is unsurpassed as a spectacle filled with vast numbers, beauty of scenes, unflagging action and suspense and shot through with humour that is enforced. It has thrilled the large audiences at the Strand. The intrigues and dangers to which King is exposed are probably not paralleled by real life facts but even as a fantasy it is strong dramatic stuff and Ford’s direction superb here as elsewhere has given it an air of reality. Victor McLaglen is Captain King, and his bearing throughout is heroic without ever partaking of heroics. The picture reeks of Scotland and India, not of Hollywood. It is McLaglen’s best work since “What Price Glory,” in a much more difficult role. Myrna Loy heads the supporting cast with a well balanced and most capable support, including David Rollins, Lumsden Hare, Roy D’Arcy, Mitchell Lewis, Cyril Chadwick, Waiter Long and Francis Ford. This film has received the commendation of the Film Society, who praise both the photography and fine enunciation and voice of the principal actors. The talking and singing features which make up the remainder of the programme include an all-talking comedy, “His First Lesson,” a new Fox' 1 Movietone News, a Fox Variety Travelogue, and songs and dances by Randolph's Royal Hawaiians. With many stage actors and actresses now under contract for talking pictures, directors at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios have discovered that they can accomplish more work on sound stages at night than during the j daylight hours. Asked to explain the I psychology of this strange phase, Fred i Niblo. veteran actor and noted director, | who is directing John Gilbert’s new j starring vehicle, “Redemption,” at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, said: | "Most of the actors and actresses who have come from the stage are ae- • custoraed to working at night in the i theatre and many of them are not i awake’ until night falls and the lights !go on. Anyway, it is true that better { results are being obtained and with i greater rapidity when we work at night”,