WHO KILLED GALT?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 822, 16 November 1929, Page 14

WHO KILLED GALT?

ANSWER LIES “BEHIND THAT CURTAIN” STRAND’S NEW THRILLER Introducing the romance and atmosphere of three continents, i “Behind That Curtain,” a mystery drama which opened at the Strand last evening, has not a moment that drags. The story opened in the office of Hilary Galt, it somewhat shady private inquiry agent, who possessed papers damning to the characters of two men. It meant much to both men that their secrets should gu no further. To Erie Durand, it meant that the path to the hand of Eve Mannering lav open with no chance of his more than doubtful past being raked up against him. To John Beetliam. an explorer in the confidence of E\e Munr.cring’s uncle, the passing on of forged papers held by Galt would mean dishonour, worse to him than the risk of death itself. Guilt was suddenly found dead. llis .seerots died with him and Sir Frod- ! crick llrucc, of Scotland Yard, devoted i the next IS months of his life to iind- : ing the murderer. ! The scene shifted to the wide Perj sian Desert, where Eve and Uectham found une another after the explorer l had rescued his love from the hands of i her villainous husband, Durand. The i übiquitous detective followed Becthanis caravan in an airplane carry - | ing Durand as his passenger. Thus mid the shifting desert dines the old | situation of the eternal triangle was fought out with the keen-eyed dctec- ! live looking on and learning much j about tho two men lie was watching. Evo fled from the camp, terrified ! that she would be forced into telling i what she had learnt, and the search i for her by tho three men led them, all ; to San Francisco where, in a crowded j lecture hall, the dramatic climax of the | story was staged. The tangled I threads of mystery were unwoven and | all ended happily. The picture was j magnificently filmed, the desert shots ■ being particularly go fid. There was j all the glamour of the- East in the | .swaying caravan as it passed along j sand dunes thrown black against the ! horizon. The melancholy tinkle of the i camel bells and the weird wail of Indian chanting added greatly to the • effect. Not. the least charm of the 1 picture lay in the deft use of the art I of contrast. From Persia’s desert to ; the jostling streets of San Francisco ! is a far cry, but. the absolute change ;of scene was largely responsible fpr [the audience’s unflagging attention. I There was dramatic action and sus- ! pense all the way through. Almost j each moment one felt that the curtain I would be dramatically swept aside, j but the climax lost nothing in its effect through tho study of the principle of suspense. | Lois Moran and Warner Baxter fell readily into the leading roles. Miss Mo ra npa rticul arl v gain ed f resh laure Is through her interpretation of a difficult and emotional part. The love scenes between the two principals were arranged with a pleasing restraint and no fault could bo found with tho voices. Gilbert Emery, as the seemingly indolent gentleman from Scotland Yard, was most impressive. His suave drawl and studied langour were as much unlike a, detective as could be imagined which, of course, is the ideal type for a screen detective in a mystery drama. Philip Strange was satisfactorily villainous as the unfaithful- husband j and the man who—but then that, must be kept a secret until it can be seen • what is “Behind That Curtain.” A good supporting programme included a rollicking 'comedy in which Chic*. Bale, unwittingly and most unfortunately, found himself "A Ladies’ Man.” Night march flashing past the judges } in the Melbourne Cup was n popular ! feature of the two Fox Movietone features. There was also an Eve’s j Review dealing largely with the island | of Corsica and the quaint old town of ! Ajaccio, Napoleon’s birthplace.