NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 787, 7 October 1929, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“MADAME X” “Madame X.” the talkie now at. -the Regent Theatre, took the original stage play, in which Sarah Bernhardt starred, and made of it a far more spectacular work. “Madame X.” travels over the world—her wanderings in the Orient, the Islands, South America, just suggested in the stage version, are vividly shown in elaborate scenes. The Island scenes are particularly elaborate, with native music and even an airplane view of a whole tropical atoll or island in the Pacific. The cast assembled for the picture includes some of the best known of stage and screen celebrities. Miss Chatterton, famous on the stage, plays the part the great Bernhardt originally played in Paris, and Raymond Hackett, of “The Trial of Mary Dugan” fame, plays the son and defence attorney. Lewis Stone plays the husband, “Floriot.” and Holmes Herbert, "Noel,” the friend, while the villainous “La Roeque” is portrayed by Ullric Haupt, famous European stage actor and recent screen favourite. Mitchell Lewis, Carroll Nye, Sidney Toler, Richard Carle, former musical comedy star of “Mary’s Lamb” and other Broadway shows, and Claud King, famous British actor, are others in the elaborate cast. An interesting fact is that young ITackett, who played in “The Trial of Mary Dugan” on the stage, and later the same role, that of the brother, on the screen opposito Norma Shearer, a few years ago, played in support of Barrymore, who directed “Madame X” when Barrymore starred on the stage. The play, written 20 years ago by Alexander Bisson, the famous French playwright, was presented first in Paris as a vehicle for Sarah Bernhardt, and was so successful that Henry W. Savage brought it to New York, translated it to English, and staged it with Dorothy Donnelly in the principal role. Since then almost every famous actress in America has played it. Marjorie Rambeau, Mary Hall, Evelyn Vaughn. Pauline Frederick, who also starred in a silent version on the screen some years ago, and others. The Regent programme also includes a number of short talkie features. “The Love Parade,” the first talking film operetta starring Maurice Chevalier, has now been completed. Jeannette MacDonald plays opposite Chevalier.