NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 970, 13 May 1930, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“THE TRIAL OF MARY DUGAN” ‘•The Trial of Mary Dugan' 1 is a great show for those who like 100 per cent., effective melodrama intelligently handled. An all-talking production which carries more “punch” than almost any stage play, the new picture, which is now playing at the Regent Theatre, will undoubtedly score a tremendous hit with audiences everywhere. There is not a single unexciting moment in this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adaptation of Bayard Veiller’s enormously popular stage play, which contains some of the best dialogue ever written for an American melodrama. The pace and tempo are perfectly adjusted so that the audience is gripped in a continually flowing web of suspense until the very last minute of the play. At the same time there are a sufficient number of comic episodes to prevent the tone of the piece from becoming too morbid. “Mary Dugan” has only one main setting—that of a court-room in which a gripping murder trial is taking place, but so well constructed is the story, and so immediate its appeal, that this single set serves every need. 'Norma Shearer, H. B. Warner, Lewis Stone and Raymond Tlackett give outstandingly fine performances in this illustration of what the talking pictures can accomplish. Miss Shearer had never appeared before, either on the stage on on a “talkie set,” but she distinguishes herself by a beautiful^'paced emotional characterisation in this very trying role. It is unnecessary to reveal the plot structure, or the unique means by which the ,actual culprit is unearthed. One may only say that those who have seen the play are likely to find the picture even more fascinating, and those who have only heard of “Mary Dugan” are certain to come away enthusiastic. The Regent’s programme also includes a number of entertaining talkie items.