MAJESTIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 811, 4 November 1929, Page 15

MAJESTIC

“PLEASURE. CRAZED’’ Talking pictures have been making remarkable progress within the last few months. And now, after seeing—and hearing, the latest Pox Movietone at the Majestic Theatre, “Pleasure Crazed,” one must be convinced that the “legitimate” stage has a powerful rival. Its dialogue is excellent, clear and lifelike in tone—and the scope of its picturing- covers infinitely so much more than the stage could ever hope to do, that we prefer this form of entertainment. Included with its dialogue quality, “Pleasure Crazed” possesses a smart story, handled with plenty of interesting advanced ideas which will place it in a position of that as a pioneer in the field of all talking films. Novelty to theme, a “triangle” consisting of two strangely contrasting love affairs and an ingeniously planned robbery are a few of the many features of the ..picture, and the interwoven threads are brought up to a sharp climax through skilful development of the story.

While “Pleasure can be called a modernistic drama, it is devoid of the meaningless “trick” shots and cubist backgrounds commonly associated with the term; its modernism lies in a thoroughly up-to-date treatment of contemporary society life with dialogue of excellent clarity and technique. Three suave “racketeers” evolve a clever scheme to rob a wealthy couple of their valuable jewels: The couple prove, however, to be in complete disagreement with one another’s views. The introduction of the wife’s lover and of a rebellious member of the tricky trio who finds her sympathies swinging from her associates toward the lonely husband, serves to complicate matters. Driven to desperation by her husband’s attitude, the wife takes a drastic step to tdear up the situation. This step precipitates the swift climax of an excellent picture. In addition the following short talking and singing features are presented on the programme: Songs by Charles Hackett, who is well known for his work on Columbia records, part songs by “The Yacht Club Boys,” and a Fox Movietone News, with the latest world events.