"THE SUN NEVER SETS"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 14, 29 September 1939, Page 14

"THE SUN NEVER SETS"

By

C. A.

Lejeune

We often feel that the film industry takes the films too seriously and that film reviewers sometimes suffer from the same complaint. But not Caroline Lejeune, famous critic of the London " Observer." That is why we think you will enjoy the following review, which is not so much a criticism of one particular film as a criticism of a whole family of films. It is done in Miss Lejeune’s delightful "question-and-answer" style. SEE that this film is announced as A Mighty ] Drama of a Mighty Empire. I take it the reference is to the British Empire? You take it correctly. But I understand the film was made in Hollywood? Naturally, or there wouldn’t be a reference to the British Empire. And is it really a film about empire-building? Certainly. It begins at the court of Queen Elizabeth, and brings the whole job up-to-date in two minutes dead. But that leaves a good deal of film over, surely? It leaves precisely ninety-five minutes over. And what are they about? Douglas Fairbanks in shorts and a topee, Basil Rathbone in shorts and a topee, and molybdenum on the Gold Coast. What on the Gold Coast? Molybdenum. Element 42, a rare element for hardening steel, used in the manufacture of armaments. You seem to know a great deal about it. The motion picture is a great educational influence. Who owns this molybdenum? The British Empire? Certainly not. A sinister multi-millionaire named Zurov, masquerading as a scientist. Russian, eh? I think not. His christian name is Hugo. And what does he do with this molybdenum? He plans to make himself a Dictator. He has a secret broadcasting station (DNXY on short-wave) in a disused gold mine, by means of which he sinks ships, burns out planes, promotes strikes in the Far East, and incites the whole world to war against the British Empire. But why doesn’t someone stop him? They do, eventually. The Home Office, the Foreign Office, the War Office, and the Colonial Office are all powerless, but they send out the Randolphs to investigate. The who? The Randolphs. Randolphs have been in the Service for three hundred years. They have a motto over their front door, "Go Forth and Return with Honour." And when the Randolph sons Go Forth the

mother stands at the door and gives them each a white carnation. What for? I guess just for Purity. Are all Randolphs pure? Of course. They are strong, silent Service people with firm jaws, square shoulders, clipped voices, and good table manners. They all Have Faith. Except John. He wears tennis flannels, scorns afternoon tea, refuses to join the Service, and thinks it time the sun did set on the British Empire. But, of course, he reconsiders his opinion? How could you guess? Yes. Grandfather Randolph shows him a map illustrating the movements of Randolphs all over the world. Each Randolph has his flag. When a Randolph dies his flag goes reverently into a little box. The game is called Keeping Track. And that makes John join the Service? Instantly. He is Assistant Commissioner for the Gold Coast in a twinkling. Only Assistant? Yes, his brother Clive, the one in shorts, is the Commissioner. P And they go out alone to fight the Molybdenum Menace? Not alone. Helen — Mrs. Clive Randolph — goes with them to Have a Youngster. Isn’t that a little rash? It would seem rash, but they don’t come finer than Helen. And so we leave London-Seat-of-Empire, and travel to the sinister laboratory where Zurov is nominally studying ants, while his men are secretly poisoning Carpenter, the Deputy-Commissioner. Shame. Do they kill him? They do, although Clive hurries through the Rains to save him. Clive is suspicious of the ants. He knows all about them, you see. He once wrote a book called "The Ant World, by Randolph." Zuroy has it on his desk, demi-oct., gilt edges, good quality binding. But Clive never reaches Carpenter. Why not? Because Helen visits some school children in the rain, and the Youngster arrives, and John fakes a message from the Colonial Office to bring Clive back. Carpenter dies, the Youngster dies, Clive is sent down, John (now Deputy-Commissioner) takes to drink, and the family scutcheon is blotted. Who wipes off the blot? Phyllis. ; Phyllis who? a Phyllis Ransome, John’s fiancée. She arrives fresh from England in a cool summer dress, a topee, and long gloves, with a few necessaries tossed into a bag, and the box of flags from Grandfather. And that puHs John together? Certainly. He breaks three whisky bottles over his car, pretends to be drunk, and reels into Zurov’s broadcasting station just as DNXY is calling the world to stand by for a six o’clock broadcast. Then he shouts " The pudding is hot" into the transmitter. The pudding is what? Hot. That’s a family saying of Grandfather’s. All Randolphs understand it. Another Randolph, Simon, hears it in the Foreign Office in London-Seat-of-Empire. He cries " John’s in the radio station. I know it," and they telephone Clive on the Gold Coast to blow the place up with bombing planes before six o'clock. Why before six? Because the world will go to war at six. What time is it now? Four-forty by Big Ben. But John’s in the broadcasting station? Ah, you thought so, and Clive thought so, but he isn’t. Zurov has just thrown him out at 5.59. So when the bombs hit the broadcasting station everyone dies of concussion except John, who Returns with Honour with his arm in a sling. And the world is saved for democracy? * * % = . The world, as you rightly surmise, is saved for democracy, the family scutcheon is wiped clean, the sun never sets, Mr. and Mrs. Clive Randolph and Mr. and Mrs. John Randolph arrive home in sixty seconds odd, and Mrs. Randolph senior is waiting at the door with four white carnations.