STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 853, 23 December 1929, Page 14

STRAND

SUCCESS OF “BLACKMAIL” The expected huge success greeted the showing of the first all British talkie, “Blackmail,” at the Strand Theatre on Friday and Saturday evenings. The natural English voices of the actors were much commented on. The story is taken from the stage play of the same name, and the director, Mr. Hitchcock, has provided an exciting entertainment. When the film was shown privately to an audience of experts and critics in London recently, an amazing unanimity was evident among the critics. Uach and every one of them has lauded the film to the skies.

“ ‘Blackmail’ is as far in advance of all other talking films which have hitherto been shown in London as a modern Charlie Chaplin comedy is of the custard pie farce of 1912,” says the “Daily Mail” critic. “It is—very nearly—a great film. The qualification is necessary, not in virtue of its merits in comparison with other talking films, but because of its own standards.”

The story deals with the career of a young woman who makes friends with an artist in a West End cafe. He persuades her to visit his studio, but in the course of a subsequent quarrel the girl stabs the artist, fatally wounding him. One of the detectives who are investigating the crime finds uer glove in the studio, but hides it. Unhappily, the other glove has been found by a nondescript criminal, who tries to blackmail the pair. In the end, the blackmailer is himself suspected by the police of the murder, and in flying from them he is killed by falling through the glass dome of the British Museum.

The investigation is “closed” by the Yard, and the detective and the girl walk out with their deadly secret. The London players who appear in the leading roles are Anny Ondra as the girl, Donald Calthrop as the blackmailer; also John Longden and Cyril Ritchards in important roles.

An excellent programme of talking and singing featurettes is also being presented.

Manning Haynes is busy putting talking sequences into “Mary W’as Love,” the British International picture to be released by Cinema Art Films. This picture features William Freshman, the young Australian, Blanche Adele and Dino Galvani, with Carol Goodner in a prominent role.