AMUSEMENTS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3621, 6 November 1920, Page 4

AMUSEMENTS

TOWN HALL; PICTURES. NORMA TALMADGE. Admirers of Norma Talmadge will like her performance in "The Isle of Conquest". Arthur Hornblowf the author of the romantic story upon which the picture is based, entitled his book "The Right of Conquest"— a recognition of the law of force which civilisation of to-day affects to regard with disfavour. "The Isle of Conquest" consequently looks and sounds •better, since no man, however strong and compelling his character, can legally claim another man's wife. And this is the pivot of the story, which contains a pleasing variety of incident, and has been produced by Select with commendable artistry and finish.

Ethel Harmon and John s Arnold are the central ■characters. The former, sold in marriage to a wealthy profligate, comes to regard all men as vi r cious. The latter, jilted by the girl he loves, sinks into the depths of social ignominy, a despiser of all women. Both find themselves derelicts on a desert island after a shipwreck. Arnold, who escaped from the stokehold, feels sorry the passenger he saved was a woman instead of a man. So to Stifle their mutual antagonism Arnold adopts Ethel's suggestion to treat her as of the male gender and call her "Bob". Three months'" companionship works its inevitable results. They fall in love, and are about to celebrate their wedding when a rescue party, including Ethel's husband, carries them back to civilisation. The outlook is black for for the lovers, but on the way homo the jealous husband works himself into a passion, and considerately dies of heart failure.

The masque ball and the torpedoing of the steamer are brilliantly contrived scenes, and the Eobinson Crusoe life of the island gives the star an opportunity of practising the simple life untroubled by the high cost of finery. A brilKant Sunbeam comedy "Chased out of Town" -.ill also be shown. THE KING'S PICTURES AND VAUDEVILLE. ' A big First National attraction with Anita Stewart in the lead and a unique act feat .ring Meg Cemino, will be offered at the King's on Saturday "Mind The Pairt air'" i« +b- >■■-. chirX'.-r. rcrr.rn-o of ?. 'i!fc slui'i -'.-A

who rises to fame overnight by a song hit It has been done, and this picture is realistic, and" not one of the kind that appears on the face of it to be impossible. Every point is led up to logically. Every person that is interested in pictures at all is interested in the personal stage life, and this is a story of stage life* behind the wings. There is a glamour about the stage girl, the stage itself, and especially of the things that go on behind the scenes.

Anita Stewart takes the leading role, supported by Conway Tearle, in this remarkable picture of the joys and sorrows of the grease. paint girls. -She takes the part of a little slum girl who is ambitious, is pretty and has a good voice. Her rise from a chorus girl to a famous player in a night, is intensely, fascinating. "Meg", the child wonder, has been specially engaged to present her wondcrful dancing and singing turn, which has created a great furore throughout the Dominion, and which has drawn the most favourable press criticism. "The Fighting Trail" will also be shown.