NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 848, 17 December 1929, Page 17

NEW REGENT

GRETA GARBO’S NEW PICTURE Greta Garbo earned the long vacation she spent back home in Stockholm before returning to Hollywood to make “The Single Standard.” In this glamorous new characterisa-> tion, Greta is excellent. She has brought back a new Garbo of more elusive charm, a creature more of human understanding and an artist of even greater jiower of magnetism and dramatic strength. This new feature, which is now at the New Regent Theatre, takes a single standard of conduct for both sexes as its theme —a story concerning a young girl who falls in love with an artist-fighter-sailor and man of the world. Her escapade on his yacht costs her social banishment, but Tommy, always worshipping her, marries her, evdn knowing full well her love for the sea rove.r. When the lover comes back into her life Tommy decides to eliminate himself from the triangle. But Arden solves the problem herself, denying her own happiness, and returning to her husband and baby. The picture is exceptionally well cast, and has been filmed w'ith rare beauty and pictorial charms, the submarine love scenes being at once intriguing and thrilling. Sailing scenes, pungent with the tang of the sea, also add. to the realistic atmosphere of the film.

“The Dummy,” the second attraction, is first of all a comedy, and the ruse by which the “deaf and dumb” office boy gets his job in the detective’s office is an uproariously funny one.

Mickey Bennett does some excellent pantomime as the deaf and dumb rich boy trying to be kidnapped by the desperate gang. The discovery of the detective’s disguise, and the fight which ensues, is a great climax in a picture filled with excitement. Sharp voices, hysterical cries, the bark of a revolver, and the thuds of falling bodies, furnish melodramatic situations as the clever office boy corners the gang in the mountain cabin. A sound gazette, and music by Mr. Whiteford-Waugh’s Majestic Orchestra, complete the fine programme. “The Bast of Mrs. Cheyney,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s latest all-talking picture, is coming to the New Regent next Friday. It was adapted from the play which ran for one year in London, and features in the cast such celebrated stage stars as Basil Rathbone and George Barraud.

It is the story of a lady adventurer who manoeuvres her / way into titled English society. Her retinue of perfect servants are, in reality, a gang of thieves. Their chance of successful looting depends entirely on the charm, beauty, arid ability of their talented leader.