STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 789, 9 October 1929, Page 17

STRAND

“COQUETTE” Again last evening' the large audience at the Strand Theatre thoroughly enjoyed Mary Pickford's first talkie, “Coquette.” Touches of quaint and whimsical comedy in “Coquette” 4re many. Director Sam Taylor, a graduate of the Harold Lloyd school of comedy, has lightened the drama of Miss Pickford’s story of the little Southern coquette with effective bits of a gaiety and youthfulness. The opening scenes in which the heroine attempts to dispose of her faithful lover, Stanley, in favour of her newest conquest, reflect the humour of every-day realism. The efforts of the younger brother, Jimmy, to achieve manhood in the smoking of- his after-dinner cigarettes and in his disgust at the coquetries of his sister and her friends will bring an understanding smile to all men who were once boys. The pathetic comedy of the scene in which Norma tries to follow the intricate dance steps demonstrated to her by her young friends, while her heart is torn by mental anxiety, could have been produced only by a master hand. Among the enjoyable talkie items on the remainder of the programme are two selections by the Klonzaley Quartet. who have been called “the world s foremost string' ensemble”; a novelty item bv Ruth Glanville, an American saxophonist, who is accompanied by the Vitaphone Symphony Orchestra, another comedy by George Robey, the eminent London comedian, the latest edition of the Fox Movietone Nws and a U.F.A. gem entitled. Ancient i Art.”--