THE HEART OF AFRICA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 774, 21 September 1929, Page 19

THE HEART OF AFRICA

ROXY’S FINE FILM “A DANGEROUS WOMAN” One of the most dramatic stories that the screen has ever had is to be found at the Roxy Theatre, where Paramount’s “A Dangerous Woman” is the attraction. The torrid heat of the tropics, the primitive life of the jungle, the brooding mysteries of Africa, form the background upon which is woven the story of the lives of a few white people. Here in a part of Africa where the resident British Commissioner holds forth the white man’s law, is the story set. Clive Brook, the commissioner, is angry with the ——■—————■ flirtation** that his

flirtations that his l Russian wife has j with his assistants. ; The breaking point comes when her attentions with one of them leads to the man shooting I himself. Brook con I stand no more, and I tho household is I broken up. | To Brook comes J the news that his brother is to be his new assistant. To

him he must never let It be known of the shadow in his domestic happiness. So they patch matters up and his wife seems so penitent that Brook hopes that he can begin life anew. But when his brother falls for the wiles of his wife and he sees his brother’s life about to be ruined, he takes a firm stand. To tell more would spoil one’s enjoyment. Bacianova, Clive Brook, Neil Hamilton, Leslie Fenton, Clyde Cook and Snitz Edwards are in the cast. An enjoyable programme of short talkies complete the programme. They include a singing act by Marion Harris, a dancing act by Joseph Santlev. a sound cartoon, and a synchronised news. No detail was overlooked in faithfully staging the environment of the negro tribes among whom the principals of the day have their homes. The native language of the jungle tribes, Swahili, is used in the dialogue as part of the plot, giving the final sound touch needed to make the production a full-rounded portrayal of the locale in which the action takes place. The cast is a superb group of players who can talk, actors whose film success of recent years is founded upon personal achievement on the speaking stage. Bacianova, Clive Brook and Neil Hamilton are popular film players in their own right, and the association of all three in one film is an indication of the outstanding nature of this picture. Lilian Harvey, U.F.A’s. temperamental blonde beauty, recently left Germany on a cargo boat for Teneriffe. Miss Harvey is playing the title role in “The Equator Tramp” a new U.F.A. comedy, the exteriors of which will be made in Teneriffe, Her director, Johannes Guter, Igo Sym, and Harry Halm, her partners, and F. A. Wagner, the cameraman, together with others of the unit are with her. The studio work for this picture hae now been completed and the final exteriors are now being shot at sea on board the steamer. Russell J. Bidwell, director, and Alan Birmingham, actor are doing a dual role sequence wherein Bermingham fights, talks and ties himself up with a rope. This 16 the first dual dialouge role played in the talkies and as usual Fox Movietone are the first people to do it. Birmingham is playing the hero and heavy in “Masquerade” for Fox Movietone,