STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 962, 3 May 1930, Page 18

STRAND

SUCCESS OF “PARIS” “Paris,” Irene Bordoni's picture now at the Strand Theatre, is refreshingly different. From her intriguing French accent to her twinkling toes she spells a novel screen personality. She has brought “Paris,” her New York stage success, with all its original charm to the First National-Vitaphone screen. The star sings and dances in some very spectacular theatre sequences, although the picture is mostly a comedy-drama. Some of the outstanding scenes of “Paris” are made in technicolour—the wonderful new process which has finally perfected the art of photography in natural colours. We see a famous Parision music-hall during the performance of one of those glittering revues for which the City of Light is so famous. These colour effects are not only startlingly realistic—they are utterly beautiful. And in the midst of this chromatic revelation is Bordoni —Bordoni the laughing the singing, the scintillating—Bordoni at her most inimitable. She assumes the role of a French actress, a darling of Paris, who falls in love with an American youth because she believes he has a nice, sweet mother. Her partner on the stage is also in love with her, but she never Itokes him seriously, because he can’t a straight face even when proposing. The nice old lady doesn’t turn out so sweet and so the actress sours on her Pilgrim Father lover after a lot of ' comic entanglements. “Paris” is an exceptionally clever photo-play. It is saucy and spicy, with a well defined story and it is full of fun. The dialogue is unusually bright and Miss Bordoni's accent is a delight to the ears. Excellent supports complete a delightful programme.