The Film Daily (1931)

THE "The Spy" nth Kay Johnson, Neil Hamilton 'ox Time, 1 hr., 5 mins. FAIR DRAMA WITH RUSIAN SETTING PACKS PUNCH VITH TENSE SITUATIONS *.ND STRONG LOVE STORY. >LENTY OF ACTION. This production boasts a strong • lot by Ernest Pascal, while the atnosphere of Russia during the time if the reconstruction period when the Bolshevists took control, is finely jresented. it hinges around the op•ration of the ''Tcheka," the dreaded secret police system. Neil Hamilton s one of the exiled aristocrats who eturns to visit his wife and child' and also to kill! the head of the 'Tcheka." Complications involve his wife with the spy of the system, and the action and suspense is finely sustained. An interesting feature of the picture is the introduction of a gang of homeless waifs who steal for a living, and carry a big part in the strong climax, which works up to a big dramatic punch. A pop number with a fine love story. Kay Johnson, Neil Hamilton and the entire support are above par. Cast: Kay Johnson, Neil Hamilton. John Halliday, Freddie Frederick, Milton Holmes, Austen Jewell, Henry Kolker. Director, Berthold Viertel ; Author, Ernest Pascal ; Dialoguers, Ernest Pascal, Robert Presnell ; Adaptor, not credited ; Editor, Eddie Robbins ; Cameraman, Lucien Andriot ; Recording Engineer, Eugene Grossman. Direction, fine. Photography, good. "Wien, du Stadt der Lieder" ("Vienna, City of Song") Leo Breaker Protex Trading Corp. Time, 1 hr., 30 mins. FINE GERMAN FILM OF VIENNESE LIFE FULL OF ROLLICKING FUN, CATCHY MUSIC AND GOOD CHARACTERIZATIONS IN VERY HUMAN STORY. A nice little offering that carries much of the charm of those other two popular German productions, "Two Hearts in Waltz Time" and "Gretel and Liesel." At the Little Carnegie Playhouse it was received enthusiastically by a crowded house, and the laughter was spontaneous and almost continuous throughout the showing. Tells of a little Viennese group comprising a music shop proprietor, his daughter, a tailor and his son, a butler with a musical soul, a proprietress of a cafe and her head waiter, a printer kibitzer and a traveling salesman. The plot hinges on a lottery prize which involves them all, ant leads to many highly amusing and very human situations. Every player is an individual character study. Cast: Sigi Hoier, Dora Hrach, Charlotte Ander, Paul Morgan, Igo Sym, Max Hansen. Irene Ambrus, Crete Natzler, Sieefried Arno. Gust! Stark-Gstettenbauer. Paul Graetz, Max Ehrlich. Director, Richard Oswald : Author, Ernst Neubach ; Musical Numbers. Hans May ; Adaptor, Richard Oswald ; Dialoguer. same ; Editor, same ; Cameraman, same. Direction, good. Photography, fair. "Transport of Fire" (Silent) Amkino Time, 1 hr., 16 mins. POPULAR APPEAL SOVIET PRODUCTION WITH STRONG DRAMATIC SITUATIONS AND FAST ACTION AND THRILLS. This Sovkino silent production with English titles deals with the up, rising of 1905 and the activities of ! the Central Committee for the workll ers. The main figure is Krot, who is !; delegated to take charge of the arms supplies and see that the secret shipment reaches the frontier safely. An ingenious plan is used to conceal the weapons. They are concealed in the mechanical figures of a wax museum which travels innocently through the country. Then come plots, counterplots, activities of a spy within the workers' ranks, and all the time the "museum" is traveling steadily on its way. Krot, the leader, is arrested, and his escape ingeniously planned at a railway station. Later the spy is uncovered in their midst as he is about to give the signal for the Czarist troops to swoop down on the hideout with the wax figures. Carries a good action punch, with lots of suspense. Cast: Cleb Kuznetzov, Fedor Slavski, Nikolay Michurin, Ksenia Klyaro, Alexei Goriushin, Lev Butarinskii. Director, Alexander Ivanoff; Author, not credited : Adaptor, not credited ; Titler. Shelley Hamilton ; Editor, not credited ; Cameraman, Alexander Gintzboorg. Direction, fair. Photography, spotty. "La Vacanza del Diavolo" ("Devil's Holiday") Paramount Time, 1 hr., 11 mins. GOOD FOREIGN DIALOGUE VERSION ABLY PERFORMED BY ALL-ITALIAN CAST. Taking it solely on its own merits, without comparison with the excellences of the English production in which Nancy Carroll starred, thin Italian version of "The Devil's Holiday" is a satisfying piece of entertainment and ought to have no trouble Retting across in its intended field. Carmen Boni, who plays the role of the manicurist essayed in the original edition by Miss Carroll, does very creditably in the part. Her supporting cast also gives a good account of itself, and while the direction does not reflect the finesse of Edmund Goulding, it is nevertheless a workmanlike job and serves the occasion. No deviations of any consequence have been made from the original story, which concerns a young manicurist who marries a likeable country youth to get even for his brother's insults, and finally wins over the lad's hard-hearted family. Cast: Carman Roni, Maurizio D'Ancora, Camillo Pilotto. Alfredo Robert, Casare Zoppetti, Oreste Balancia. Sando Salvini, Armando Ansel, Ada C. Almirante, Maya Moreno, Enzo Bozano. Director, Jack Salvatori : Author, Edmund Coulding ; Adaptor, Dino Falconi ; Dialoguer, tame; Cameraman, Enzo Riccioni. Direction, satisfactory. Photography, fair. SOUND SHORTS "A Fowl Affair" Educational Time, 21 mins. Wow Novelty First of the Gayety comedies by Al Christie featuring a cast of barnyard fowl. It's a pip novelty that easily ranks along side the best of the animal comics. The dialogue is especially clever, witty and snappy. A good plot is worked in, with the setting a small town, the robbery of a pearl necklace, kidnapping of the girl, and rescue by the hero. The mechanical effects are ingenious. The chickens, roosters and ducks are dressed up as cops, farmers, sheriffs and all the well-known comedy hick types. The finish is a big laugh, with the scene in a maternity hospital, and the doctor bringing out a load of ducklings to the rooster father, while the duck villain laughs fiendishly in the background. A wow in any showman's house. "Under Par" RKO Pathe Time, 10 mins. Good Golf One of the Johnny Farrell golf series, with the pro at the Florida golf club showing some of the finer points in the use of the driver, mashie, niblick and putter. The camera work is fine, and Johnny's explanatory talk will interest all golfers trying to get their score down to par — or under. "Hitting the High Seas" Vitaphone 1196 Time, 11 mins. Poor The Brittons are featured with their band on the deck of a warship, amplifying their jazz numbers with some specialties and comedy highlights. The material rates pretty ordinary, with a stepper doing routine stuff, and a comic team of violinist and pianist who put on a second-rate vaude turn. Finishes with a roughhouse smashing of all the orchestra's instruments that isn't funny. Just noisy. "Voice of Hollywood" Tiffany Time, 10 mins. Okay Scene is in one of the Hollywood night clubs, with announcer at mike introducing the various screen celebs present. Camera is focused on the screen stars in turn. The reel is different from the average of its type, as it catches the players in natural poses as they dance or dine. The night club revue with the girls doing a serpentine dance in novel snake costumes is good, and the girls are not hard to look at — not at all. "Ups and Downs" (Looney Tune) Vitaphone 8 Time, 7 mins. Breezy Cartoon A peppy little cartoon. _ with the dog entering his mechanical horse in the grand sweepstakes and beating the other animal-riders bv a head. Animated work is very ingenious and gags smart and funny. "Swim or Sink" RKO Pathe Time, 9 mins. Fine A very splendid Sportlight, with Johnny Weismuller, the swimming champ, showing how the various strokes are accomplished. He works' with a bevy of beautiful bathing girls in the clear swimming pool in Florida. After he instructs the girls, they go into the water and try out the various strokes. Many of the shots are under water, and are beautiful. Then Weismuller and Stubby Kruger, another champ, give an exhibition of tandem strokes. Group diving in slow motion rounds out a pip aquatic subiect that will go big with the swim-lovers. "Honeymoon Land" Educational Time, 15 mins. Fair Scenic First of a series in Multicolor called Romantic Journeys, with Claude Fleming as the talking traveller, appearing in the pictures and supplying the incidental explanatory conversation. This one is a trip to Hawaii, opening with Fleming* on board a liner to Honolulu, telling his experiences to a girl. Then into the shots of the Island, native hula hula dances, etc. Finishes with cut-back to the end of the conversation on the steamer. Looks like veiled plug for railroads and steamship lines interested in tourist trade, for Fleming makes a reference to "the Southern Route" as the best of 'em all. Discloses nothing that hasn't been done many times before in scenics of Hawaii. "Ex-Sweeties" Educational Time, 21 mins. Fair Comic Harry Gribbon and Marjorie Beebe are the funsters in this Mack Sennett comedy, assisted by Betty Boyd and Wade Boteler. Harry is the dumb egg engaged to Marge, but his rival messes in and gets Harry in Dutch through a siren who drags him away from Marge on a rowboat trip. The finish develops that the siren has a hubby, who makes it hot for the rivals. Carries a fair amount of gags, but it doesn't compare with several recent numbers Gribbon and Beebe have teamed in. "Chasing Around" Tiffany Time, 16 mins. Pip Chimp Comedy A Chimp Comedy that rates one of the best of this clever monkey series. It's a good kid on the hard working dad and his wild college son who has fallen for a gold-digger. Sonny speaks with a Harvard accent, and wears college clothes. Dad has invented a new style of airplane, and thev go for a ride. Tt has a funny finish, with the plane over a battlefield and dad pointing out to snnn< the foolishness of humans killing each other, just as a shell hits their plan.and thev crash. Surefire anywhere,