NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 987, 2 June 1930, Page 17

NEW REGENT

“THE BISHOP MURDER CASE” From its very first reel in which a black chess bishop and a jeering note in “Mother Goose” rhyme are found beside the body of a man with an arrow through his heart, ‘to the final sequences in which the mysterious “bishop” is revealed, “The Bishop Murder Case” offers a succession of thrills to visitors at the New Regent Theatre, where the new all-talking Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer vehicle is playing. ►S. S. Van Bine’s best seller lost none ct its mystery or suspense in its adaptation to the screen, but on the contrary. under skillful direction it has turned out to be even more effective than on the printed page. A splendid cast headed by Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young and Alec B. Francis, contributes considerably toward making this screen mystery the success it is. Rathbone. last seen in “The Last of Mrs. Oheyney.” plays the role of detective Philo Vance, in his usual finished manner; Miss Hyams, looking more beautiful than ever, is cast as Belle Dillard, who all unwittingly becomes involved in the series of murders and plays no small part in unravelling the mystery at the end of the picture. Roland Young plays the part of Sigurd Arnesson, one of the suspected persons, with humour. Alec B. Francis, known as the screen’s finest character actor, upholds his reputation in the role of Professor Bertrand Dillard, an eccentric gentleman who is relieved from ssupicion only when he in turn becomes a victim of the “bishop.” The distinctive feature of “The Bishop Murder Case” lies in the fact that while the observer will be led to suspect first one and then another of tlie many characters involved in the crimes, by the time the film reaches its conclusion the true murderer is revealed as a result of logical deductions lather than by a sudden coincidence or through the use of hackneyed and obvious devices. P ull supports are also being presenter!.