ST. JAMES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 951, 19 April 1930, Page 14

ST. JAMES

PREMIERE OF “NOAH’S ARK” “Noah’s Ark,” the Warner Brothers and Vitaphone production, heralded as having been ‘made to top any picture ever made,” comes to the St. James Theatre today. The stupendous production includes more than ten thousand characters. Sets covering more than a square mile were used in the making—a period of three years. Darryl Francis Zanuck wrote the story and Michael Curtiz, internationally famed as the producer of spectacles of vast proportions, directed Dolores Costello is starred with George O’Brien. Other prominent members of the cast are Noah Beery, 'Eouise Fazenda, Guinn Williams, Paul McAllister, Nigel de Brulier, Anders Randolf, Armand Kaliz, Myrna Loy, William V. Mong, Malcolm Waite, Noble Johnson, Otto_ Hoffman and Joe Bonomo. “Noah’s Ark,” mightly in conception, portrays life at the ends of the rainbow scan of fifty centuries. The lovers, whose glamorous personalities survive the soulstirring days of the World War, are transported back across the centuries, to the iniquitous days preceding the Flood. Possibilities of the screen are vindicated as never before by the mag- -- the story—by the manifold scenes of tumult—war—slavery—flood—terror—mirth—and by the human element, and never has interpretative direction been provided as that which commands the everchanging scenes of “Noah’s Ark.” The choice of Dolores Costello and George O’Brien to play the parts of the lovers was in itself a stroke of genius. Paul McAllister is magnificent as the patriarch. Noah—and all the actors are perfectly cast. The theme of the play is the changelessness of the heart of humanity—whether in the modern life that we know —or in the traditional past. Tremendous as is the idea of the play, the human story which runs through it is compelling, intimate and tender. “Noah’s Ark” stands alone among pictures. Each of the stars speaks and the recording is practically the best yet. The St. James programme will also include a full list of shorter supporting items.