ST. JAMES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 910, 1 March 1930, Page 14

ST. JAMES

“THE DESERT SONG” “The Desert Song,” Warner Brother's latest Vitaphone novelty—a complete screen operetta, with music, songs, choruses, dances, dialogue—opens its long heralded season in Auckland with today’s presentation at the St. James Theatre. There will be matinees daily at 2.30. It is a novelty, but an enchantingone, and points the way to still greater triumphs for true talking- and singing pictures—the production of entire grand operas upon the screen. ‘‘The Desert Song” retains all the charm, colour, action, romance and tropic love of the stage production, but greatly enhanced by the motion lecture camera’s power of motion. The desert scenes were made in a desert, and not in front of painted backdrops. Warner Brothers were fortunate in being able to select a cast of such excellent singers most of whom 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 radid artist of note. Their voices register perfectly on Vitaphone, arc true to tone, and sweet in quality. Marie Wells, Robert E. Guzman also give splendid singing performances. Others in the excellent cast are John Miljan, Edward Martin del. Myrna Loy, Jack Pratt, ' Otto Hoffman and Del Elliott. The large chorus is well trained, and possesses fine singingvoices. Roy Del Ruth’s direction is splendid, and the photography is magnificent. “The Desert Song” is one of the best entertainments the screen has ever offered. Fast action and colourful drama are supplemented with delightful music, and the vocal solos, duos and choruses that helped the stage version to a great success. Box plans are available, many seals having been reserved to date. TIVOLI THEATRE “The Dance of Life,” the splendid talking and singing picture now at the Tivoli Theatre, besides being an interesting story of back stage life on Broadway, is an engrossing romance of young love. Hal Skelly, in the role of a stage clown has the leading part, and is supported by the beautiful Nancy Carroll. A number of specially selected shorter talkie items are also being presented.