Selfish, Comfortable Individualism Or Ceaseless Struggling and Sacrifice?

Radio Record, 19 June 1936, Page 23

Selfish, Comfortable Individualism Or Ceaseless Struggling and Sacrifice?

GELFISH, comfortable individualism or ceaseless struggle and sacrifice to conquer the universewhich is it to be? "Things to Come,’ Korda’s gigantic film conception of H. G. Wells’s "The Shape of Things to Come," privately screened before Members of Parliament in Wellington last week, does not set out to

answer tnese questions, but it gives one furiously to thinkand it shows where unbridled ambition will lead-is leading.the world. Having speculated long upon the future and having tempered conjecture with his knowledge of past thistory, Mr. Wells envisions a world destroyed by a war which will begin in 1940 and continue for 30 years. By that time civilisation will have been toppled

by feudal war-lords, petty dice tators of petty regions. Conflict-Always. BUT somewhere in that ruin of disease and dictatorship science will have found a retreat, and out of that body of purposeful men a new mechanical civilisation will atise to "clean up things" (as Wells puts it) and create a new -order,

Even then there will be conflict, with the artists and believers in selfexpression at war with the. scientific crusaders who regard man merely as a molluse that has no meaning, no dignity, no purpose unless it leaves the shell of its acquired knowledge upon the countless other shells of human lives and so builds up a store of wisdom, experience and power. Imagina-

tive. and fanciful though "Things to Come" may be (and.it is the most ambitious. film to come from a British studio), it must provoke discussion wherever it is shown. Same Old Way! . SAID a Member of Parliament, leaving the private screening of

"Things to Come" in Wellington last week: "Well, thank goodness’ they still kiss in the same ‘old un‘hygienic way-even in the year 2036 !" They Take a Bow. FPROM the chromium plating and -"""wellophane of Evervtown. the

fanciful city of H. G. Wells’s world of 2036 A.D., I did a double somersault into the backwoods of Canada in the year of antiquity, 19383. ‘This time it was the adventures of a country doc-tor-none other than a moviegilded story of the famous Dr. Dafoe, the man who gave the five. Dionne babies the chance to take a bow. To right and to left of us sat doctors and matrons-some

of them a trifle grim-lipped, others rolling hilariously round. in’ their seats, as the screen gavé us intimate _ details of natal moments on the great American Continent. Heroes. "THE COUNTRY DOCTOR," without . the . Dionne quintuplets, would still be a film of more than ordinary interest. Jean Her-

Three outstanding films are reviewed | in this film section to-day-‘Things to Come," the Korda-Weils picture that has its New Zealand premiere this week, "The Country. Doctor," a fine, human story that introduces the Dionne Quintuplets, and "Sutter’s Gold," a picture based on historical faci.

sholt is the- doctor-not just the man who brought five’ little girls into ‘the: world -in the cold’ dawn of a May day in 1984, but all country doctors, struggling with every kind. of ‘ailment, ‘illpaid, fighting’ "prejudice and ignorance, bringing children into the "world . on kitchen tables, battling. with’ epidemics . in barns "that. have been hastily converted. into. hospitals, | . They ‘are heroes-aind- it has needed "The Country Doctor" to: remind. us of-the. fact. The Dionne’ children themselves are five . delightful babies-a lesson. in naturalness, to. many | & screen actress , 15 times® their age. They couldn’t be directed-J ean Hersholt had’ to fit his actions, ‘and, remarks ‘to. the, ‘antics of the "quints."" Go. and see "The" ,Country Doctor"; ‘this is a "personal, recom: mendation. , "Sutter’s Gold? mm FILS directors have long since given up believing that, truth is stranger than fiction; but they do know that a judicious blend of both can bring the crowds and the sbil‘sg

lings to. the..box office... "Sutter’s Gold, A _the- Universal , film that "was pri---yately. sereened in Wellington last week, is a blend- skilful enough .to bring envy to.the heart of a tea merchant. Johann August Sutter was.a well-known figure in California’ Ss Sacramento Val"Jey, put" it is‘ doubtful whether ‘he ever ran across anyone as: beautiful as the ‘ Countess Elizabeth ‘Barakoff, whom the _producers have thrown ‘into. the’ picture ‘ fot: good. measure, Sutter, played by Edward. Arnold, ‘has built a little empire of industrious men and women in . _ California. But the cry of gold is in the air and thousands , of eager feet: crush Sutter's little empire to the dust. Sutter appeals to Congress, is rebuffed, and’ ends hig life a: bitter oldman. A _ long:film' this, "but it ‘has’ Dleiity of in- . terest. ae aa ‘3 New Mayfair. [HANK ‘heaven the day~ is past when no theatre was considered worthy of the name without lots of ornamental scrolls, cherubiclooking nymphs (they looked more

like youthful coal merchants after a year oy two) and green and red plush. To-day plain walls are enhanced’ by cunning lighting effects, chromium plating and mirrors are used for decoration, and carpets and furnishings are comfortably plain. Just such an example of this new type of theatre is the recently-opened Mayfair, in Palmerston North. It replaces the old Palace, which was burned down last year. All the film heads were present at the opening, and the patronage during the past month has had the manager (Mr, T. L. Craigie) rubbing his hands with glee. Gracie Fields’ new talkie, "Queen of Hearts," was the first. attraction, followed. by ‘"Whipsaw," "Three Liye Ghosts" and a return season ofs"Naughty Marietta." "A Tale of Two Cities" is showing now-and the business is phenomenal. Mr. Craigie is no newcomer to the theatre business ; he is well-known in Wellington and he has also managed theatres in Hastings. "Frankie." AND talking of theatre managers, let’s mention the new: manager of Wellington’s Paramount Theatre -Miss Dorothy Franklin to you, "Frankie" to the people in the movie business. Since she took over the. Paramount there have been lots of changes, the one which appeals most to Miss Franklin’s feminine heart (and incidentally to the patrons on thése chill winter nights) being the serving of coffee and biscuits in the lounge at the interval. The Tudor, at Remuera, Auckland, used to do the same thing,

and the idea was popular. The Paramount has been redecorated and given a new lighting system and, by way of giving the theatre a good send-off, one of the first: screenings under the new regime was "Peg of Old Drury," an Hnglish film that appealed mightily to the great army of Wellington’s cinem ‘ fana, .' 04 a 4

New Houses. WITH the « prospects. of" more . money in the pockets of pic-ture-goers, theatres that ‘have been closed through the dark and dreary ‘days of the depression are being given a wash and brush up, and their doors opened once more to a public anxious ‘to spend money. © New theatres are being opened, ioo. Ful-ler-Haywards now have two theatres in Gore-the Regent and St. James, the latter being officially opened by Sir Benjamin Fuller during a recent visit

io New Zealand. The Opera House in Oamaru has been opened for full time with Mr. Warren Hamill, formerly of the literary staff of the "Radio Record" and a brother of Miss Wlaine Hamill, the New Zealand stage star, as mgnager. The Majestic at Ashburton is now. also a full-time theatre and will be run in conjunction with St. James there. Mr., A. R. Heiford, formerly of Napier, is looking after the Majestic, Warners’ Films, : "PULLER: "HAYWARDS, — ihe New Zealand theatre concern | that had given the public such outstanding pictures as "Mutiny on the . Bounty," "Naughty Marietta" and ""A Tale of Two Cities," has completed': arrangements: with Warner Brothers to distribute that firm’s produc; in most New Zealand: cities... In Wellington Warners have their own theatre, the De Luxe, which jis at. pres--ent being besieged .by thousands of cinema fans wanting to have a look at "The: Story of Louis Pasteur," one of the outstanding pictures of.the year. dn, Auekland a. portion .of, the Year's output is sold to Amalgamated Thea{res,

Know Pop-Eye? KNOW Pop-Eye the Sailor? Of course, you do. Well, he’s got a birthday on Tuesday, June 23, /_

the.same day as his-Majesty’s. And the day is not’ going to be allowed to pass unnoticed, for the .occasion will be marked by the formation of special clubs of youthful cinema addicts. Right throughout New Zealand Paramount Pictures are giving Pop-Hye a boost. Kemball Theatres are making a big "splash" of the birthday, with special Pop-Hye films, sweets, books and soon. Looks as if Mickey Mouse Will have to pull his socks up! High Horse. WHEN you're numbered among the three greatest. box office attractions in the: world-Freqd Astaire and Shirley Temple are the other two-you can afford to: get on your high horse occasionally. And that’s what Ginger Rogers has been doing. She refused to attend rehéarsals for "I Won’t Dance," the newest As-taire-Rogers film, until her salary was substantially increased. After several days of heated argument matters were adjusted to her liking-she has been placed on a 52-week salary basis instead of the customary 40, and is to make four films a year; two with Fred

| Astaire and two in which she will:be. starred. | Decidedly No! KATHARINE HEPBURN, too, has been leading the studio executives a merry little danceonly this time the studio won. During the shooting of "Mary of Scotland," R.K.O.’s big million-dollar effort, la Hepburn was given a’ week’s holiday while scenes in which she does not appear were being shot. The star elected to fly to New York for a few days. But R.K.O., with a million dollars already sunk in the production and a recent bad plane crash fresh in their minds, ordered her to remain in Hollywood. The Hepburn temperament wag displayed, but the studio remained firm and the famous star lost her first battle. The Other Side. FLUROPEAN crises are as regular as our breakfast egg these days, but they weren’t all fun for the --

people at work on H. G. Wells’s "Things to Come," reviewed in this section to-day. All the time they were at work on the film-and it took. eight months to make-the staff was afraid that a war would break out and beat "Things to Come" to the post! Old ’Uns in Colour. 'TTECHNICOLOR is creeping up slowly on the old black-and-white films. Paramount plans to # make "Beau Geste," with Gary Cooper, in colour, and also a-sea

~~ story to be directed by Frank Lloyd. There is a possibility that Paul Muni will be borrowed from Warner Brothers for this story. The latter company is going to remake "The Desert Song" in technicolour, while Twentieth Century is already hard at work on a colour film of the famous "Ramona." , -- an aoe wnanexnxeuwswwws.wi.w.wv.v.v.9.0.9,.9.92.740sd

~~ Da ce ee eel es rel eh eh eee eh ee, "ene ea ae "he Garden of Allah" (all the old and eélebrated ones are being brought to light again), igs also to be filmed in colour. Tired of It. "[’M getting tired of walking about, tearing well-bred passions to tatters, silently suffering. always playing for audience pity," said Ruth Chatterton recently, She thinks she is going to like the part of the wife in "Dodsworth," her next film, because it is brilliant, showy and (she. underlines the word) unsympathetic. Miss Ohatterton wants her ‘public to know that she "can dish it out as well as take it,’ Picture Book.... ‘YVIENNA has cut the red flagwaving episode out of Charlie Chaplin’s "Modern Times" . , . the romance beween Carol Lombard and Clark Gable seems to be warming up... Gary Cooper off on a fishing expedition to Bermuda before starting work on "The General Died at Dawn" -with Madeleine Qarroll . Warner Brothers, who made the film, "G-Men," warning other companies ‘against the use of the term. , , UntYersal offering Victor 100,~ 000 dollars a picture .