SUPERB ACTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 781, 30 September 1929, Page 15

SUPERB ACTING

“MADAME X” AT THE REGENT A WONDERFUL TALKIE Ruth Chatterton is the finest actress who has appeared in any talking picture here. This may be a sweeping statement, but it is only the barest justice to a woman who is doing more to place talkies on a level with the cream of legitimate drama than all the publicity in America. Her first full talking picture, “The j Doctor’s Secret,” indicated her outstanding ability before the camera and microphone. “Madame X,” presented at the Regent for the first time on Saturday evening, proved it conclusively. Before the coming of the new films Miss Chatterton was among the foremost figures of the American stage, but this by no means made her screen success a foregone conclusion. It has been found time and time again that even uncommonly good stage people become singularly poor picture stars. Therefore the screen, in a way, may claim Miss Chatterton as a “find” —one whose natural adaptability to talkies and inborn artistry is reinforced by her wealth of stage experience. Ficturegoers cannot afford to miss “Madame X.” mainly because it provides an example of dramatic and emotional acting—this, of course, embracing speech—the equal of which has seldom been presented in any New Zealand theatre. Ruth Chatterton's work is superb in every detail. “Madame X,” a well-known stage success, was directed for Metro-Gold - wyn-Mayer by Lionel Barrymore, who has made a complete success of his first full-length talkie. He has gone a stage further on the road that the new films are travelling, for the production has several new features. In the first place Barrymore has dispensed with even the lightest trace of musical accompaniment. Here and there music is heard in the action of the picture, but only where it is relative to the circumstances. There are none of the usual “outside” instruj mental effects. “Madame X” begins, I proceeds and ends perfectly naturally, as a play should do,

assssasa Secondly, the director has solved the j problem of blending dialogue with "fade outs" and general changes ~o£ | scene. This is an important achievement, preventing, as it does, that irk- j some dragging while conversations are . carried out to the bitter end. Again Barrymore, thanks probably j to his technical assistants, has been 1 able to move his characters about j each scene without loss or distortion j of sound. In fact, so clear is the speech and effects throughout that not a word is lost, and the mechanism can be forgotten entirely. In its screen adaptation "Madame X" has lost nothing and gained much. We : are able to follow tlie movements of tlio unhappy principal character from , country to country, noting her steady and awful degradation. One can study the dozen and one contrasting moods and glimpses of character provided by that sincere and thrilling actress. ” It will be a long time before the final court scene is forgotten. Supporting Miss Chatterton is Lewis Stone, who plays the husband, ills performance is a genuine and satisfying on© and his voice full and pleasant. Names are too easily forgotten when the cast flashes by on the screen, but the players taking the parts of the husband's friend and the doctor were excellent, while Raymond Haekett as the son made the "most of a difficult courtroom speech. He also played the blackmailer was a shrewd and polished i actor. A thoroughly good supporting programme of short subjects, including a I tabloid revue, a new budget in sound, ■ a pleasing vocalist and a film in ) speech and colour, accompanied a featuro picture of unique worth and one j which deserves a record season at the ] Regent.