THE EMPIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 January 1917, Page 6

THE EMPIRE.

COMMENCING THURSDAY., "HYPOCRITES" OR "THE NAKED TRUTH." In "The Hypocrites," by Lois Weber, le be screened for the first time at the Empire Theatre next Thursday, with Margaret Edwards in the -leading rule, (he public will witness a startling allegoric:! 1 depiction that has caused" widespread discussion throughout America, Li.-glaiid, and Australia. Here is the motif of the production:—A monk, secretly in his cell, works on a statue of a nude figure which ,is to symbolise "Jruth," the naked truth. Upon a cot' tain day tho statue is publicly unveilcu, and the' populace, angered by,this naked representation ,kill the monk and destroy the statue. In a beautiful allegory the spirit of the statue comes x life and holds vip her mirror to society, 'e'igion, politics, and the homo, in a remarkable series of scenes depicting tlio shame and hypocrisy that cloak the of men and women. That is tha story—simple, beautiful, and. ncble Critics have saul that this striking allegory artistically presented in the nude should be classed with the masterpieces of famous painters and sculptors. "To the pure all things are Euro." Let the public at the Empire week judge for themselves. The usual prices of admission will be charged and those cis'.rous of making sure of a seat can reserve at Collier's.

! A FINE PROGRAMME, There was a pood attendance at tlio Empire last Availing to view the now (.rograinme which contains quite a variety of interesting films. The Triangle lino Arts Company has excelled itself in (he picture "Daphne and the Pirate." in which Lillian Gish in I 1'" '«-- l; -- character acts up to her reputation. Tlie (.(cry is a delightfully improbable ami romantic one of the days when girls -ere sent across the seas lo Louisiana, u French colony, to be sold as wives to the eolonisti. With the hero on a pirate ship, and the heroine (Lillian Gish) as captive amongst the conscrint wives on another vessel the possibilities live obvious, and they are fully identified by the film into a sensational 1 and fat-CT-atiug story. "The Vitagraph filmmakers are for "The High Cc-ct of Living," which fills the humorous portion of the programme, whilst "Young Bird Life," a colored study, and a'"Pathe Gazette," comprising an interesting assortment of news and war items, are also shown. The management announce the screening of "Hypo-c-Hos," or "The Naked Truth," for next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.