MOUNT EDEN AND GREEN LANE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 974, 17 May 1930, Page 14

MOUNT EDEN AND GREEN LANE

Norma Shearer, in a penetrating study of present-day social standards called “Their Own Desire,” is the particularly effective screen fare offered at both the Crystal Palace, Mount Eden, and the Alexandra Theatre, Green Lane.

Miss Shearer's new all-talking vehicle was adapted from the novel by Sarita Fuller, which tells the story of a girl whose happiness came dangerously near frustration through the machinations of a father who had grown tired of his wife, and sought diversion in other quarters.

While “Their Own Desire” is not exactly a phase of the “sins of the fathers” idea, it gives a clear-cut picture of the effect of parental incompatibility on children, which in itself is something rather novel for screen use.

Miss Shearer, as usual, gives her intelligent and faithful performance of a role that might easily have been ruined by overplayed sentimentality. Lewis Stone and Belle Bennett as the parents are splendidly cast, and other capable performances are given by Robert Montgomery, Helene Millard, Cecil© Cunningham, Mary Doran, and June Nash.