Motion Picture Reviews (1933)

Motion Picture Reviews Nine SHE DONE HIM WRONG » » Mae West, Cary Grant, Noah Beery. Adapted from the stage play “Diamond Li I.” Direction by Lowell Sherman. Paramount-Publix. Mae West gives a perfect portrayal of a voluptuous blond Delilah of the ’90’s whose large collection of diamonds give ample proof of her knowledge of the strength and weakness in men. Her setting is a typical saloon of the period where she is the headline entertainer, and the viciousness of the environment and her relation to the proprietor are not glossed over. The accessories and details are extremely clever as a picture of the period: clothes, hair dressing, waistlines, mannerisms, Victorian furnishings, songs. The lines are robust and funny. The very title under which “Diamond Lil” reappears on the screen indicates its farcial character. Admitted that it is coarse and tawdry, that the humor smacks of the bar room — it is our opinion that there is something vigorous, robust and real about it that makes it infinitely better than the sentimentalism of many gangster plays: its very directness seems less vicious than certain portrayals of social dilemas masked in exquisite modern settings and proper dialogue. It is so well done that it will certainly divert many adults but they must be shock-proof. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Absolutely not Absolutely not -v THE SIGN OF THE CROSS » » Frederic March, Claudette Colbert, Elissa Landi, Charles Laughton, Ian Keith. From the play by Wilson Barrett. Direction by Cecil B. DeMille. Paramount. Heralded by advance publicity as the greatest achievement of the year, this gorgeous spectacle is a disappointment, not in showmanship, not in the lavishness of its settings, nor yet in the vividness of its presentation, but in its excess of everything: the piling up of emotional strain, hideous torture scenes and unrelieved horror. Even the pure faith and fanatical courage of the martyrs seem overdone. If its real intention is to carry the message of Christianity to a world which may have forgotten the beginnings of an accepted faith, it is too theatrical to seem entirely sincere; and if its aim is to entertain, it is too brutally tragic. The cast however, is excellent. One must give just praise to the work of Elissa Landi and Frederic March whose love story is beautifully and movingly depicted, and to Charles Laughton whose conception of Nero is a most interesting characterization though possibly too studied to be altogether convincing. The production is undoubtedly of absorbing interest in detail, but as a whole is a heavily depressing ordeal. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Not advised No ■v SMOKE LIGHTNING » » Ceorge O’Brien, Nell O’Day, Betsy King Ross. Direction by David Howard. From “Canyon Walls” by Zane Crey. Fox. Westerns are pretty much alike, but this one is distinguished by the presence of little Betsy King Ross who rides like a rodeo queen. George O’Brien is a likable hero whose ability to ride hard and shoot straight are put to a thoroughly praiseworthy use in the protection of a small orphan girl. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Entertaining Entertaining and exciting ■sr SOVIETS ON PARADE » » Producer Soyuzkino U. S. S. R. Amkino Release. The picture is especially interesting as an example of Russian propaganda. The first reels, accompanied by an excellent explanatory talk in English, show the Soviet accomplishment in changing the country from an agricultural to a manufacturing nation “second only to the United States.” Illustrating flashes are shown of machinery at work in plants and fields, finished products, dams and power plants — and thence to Soviets on Parade displaying the man power of Russia marching in the Red Square at Moscow: a constant stream of soldiers, sailors, all the machinery of war, hundreds of airplanes, followed by the workers, men and women, boys and girls, passing in review before Stalen and his followers from nine in the morning till five at night. It has no beauty of photography or composition to distract the attention from the point desired—that Russia is ready to “defend her borders” from any invasion of men or ideas. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Yes Tiresome STATE FAIR » » Will Rogers, Janet Caynor, Lew Ayers, Sally Eilers, Norman Foster, Louise Dresser. Adapted from novel by Phil Stong. Directed by Henry King. Fox. An excellent cast complements a story of unusual interest in “State Fair.” Against the background of the gay and tawdry concessions and before the unsuspecting eyes of their parents intent on pigs, pickles and