THE STARS LOOK DOWN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 57, 26 July 1940, Page 20

THE STARS LOOK DOWN

(Gaumont-British) Films made from original scripts probably have more chance of pleasing more people than films made from bestselling novels. Trouble is that people who’ve enjoyed a book are always to be found complaining that the film version didn’t do it justice: left out this character, forgot that incident, mucked up the ending. And so on, It’s unreasonable to expect any film to be a photographic copy of printed pages, but there it is, Sometimes it works the other way; for instance, I enjoyed the film of "Rebecca" better than the novel. But this is fairly rare. So if you’re a film addict, and don’t want to risk disappointment, I can only suggest that you cancel your library sub. Which brings me to "The Stars Look Down." So far as it went, I liked the film, and greatly admired its grim sincerity, but I’d have liked it more if I hadn’t read the book. You'll notice I said "So far as it went"; and my com- | plaint is that it didn’t go far enough. _ Cronin’s story is a hard-hitting indict‘ment of the private ownership of coalmines in Britain and particularly of the Ramsay MacDonald Government which went into power pledged to nationalise the mines-but compromised on this pledge as well as on others. The film ends with the terrible pit disaster and the hero just about to enter politics, which is about half-way through the book-leaving the story up in the air, Ramsay MacDonald right out of the picture, and the mines still in private hands, But forgetting all about the book, if I can, it is an artistic enough endingbecause it is so hopeless-to a film that is courageously and starkly tragic throughout. This is a .tale of evil triumphant. The young idealist (Michael Redgrave) who would put the world to rights-starting with the mines-is betrayed by his wife and the man he thought his friend; his Spartan mother sees her husband and her sons go from her; his father dies in a disaster which he had warned was coming but could not prevent; and the only one who flourishes is that nauseating, slick young scoundrel, Joe Gowland, who robs a till and thereafter never looks back. Joe’s callous cunning is brilliantly portrayed by Emlyn Williams, who is always at his best in such roles. Margaret Lockwood is the hussy who marries and helps to drag down the young idealist; Edward Rigby is the father, and Nancy Price

the mother. There is, however, not much to choose between any of the performances. They are all part of their environment; and the settings-above ground and below-seem to be as genuine as the characters. You won’t get any fun out of " The Stars Look Down," but next time you shovel some coal on the fire you may think a bit.