ST. JAMES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 908, 27 February 1930, Page 16

ST. JAMES

“DESERT SONG” ON SATURDAY “The Gold Diggers of Broadway/ the gorgeous colour and sinnging production will close its long season at the St. James Theatre after tomorrow To date over 180,000 people have seen this picture. “The Desert Song,” Warner Bros, latest Vitaphone novelty—a complete screen operetta, with music, songs, choruses, dances, dialogue—is confidently expected to score a magnificent success in Auckland, where it opens a season at the St. James on Saturday, It is a novelty, but an enchanting one, and points the way to still greater triumphs for talking and singing pictures—the production of entire grand operas upon the screen. “The Insert Song* retains all the charm, colour, action, romance, and tropic love of the stage production, but greatly enhanced by the motion picture camera’s power of motion. The desert scenes were made in a desert. The desert castle of the Caw, with the splendours of its Oriental architecture, would fill several stages. The story gains, in dramatic power and picturesqueness because of the natural backgrounds. Warner Bros, were fortunate in being able to select a cast of such excellent singers, most of whom have had both stage and screen training. John Boles, tenor lead, sang the same role in the stage presentation of “The Desert Song,” and has been a screen leading man for several years. Carlotta King, lyric soprano, is a concert and radio artist of note. Their voices register perfectly on Vitaphone, are true in tone and sweet in quality. Marie Wells, Robert E. Guzma* also give splendid singing performances. Others in the excellent cast are John Miljan, Edward Martindel, Myma Loy, Jack Pratt, Otto Hoffman, anj Del Elliott. The large chorus is wetrained, and possesses fine singicS voices. Roy Del Ruth’s direction 1 3 splendid, and the photography is magnificent. “The Desert Song” is one of the best entertainments the screen ha? ever offered. Fast action and colour* ful drama are supplemented with ajj of Sigmund Romberg’s delightful music, and the vocal solos, duos an fl choruses that helped the stage versiea to its great success. . The box plans are now available and are rapidly filling.