Motion Picture Reviews (1934)

Motion Picture Reviews Seven JEALOUSY » » Nancy Carroll, George Murphy, Donald Cook, Inez Courtney. Direction by Ray William Neill. Columbia. The happiness and future of a young prize fighter and his sweetheart are endangered because of his unreasoning jealousy. He receives a hard lesson which changes his perspective. It is a desperately tragic story in which some scenes are morbidly realistic. It will shock sensitive spectators and has no entertaining qualities. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Very unsuitable By no means •w LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE » » Ben Lyon, Thelma Todd, Pert Kelton, Laura Hope Crews, Skeets Gallagher, Chick Chandler, Walter Catlett. Direction by Ben Holmes. RKO. An old theme is revamped when two young men awake on a morning-after to discover that they have brought a fan-dancer and her acrobatic husband to the home of a wealthy and highly respectable aunt. There is jio dearth of plot, for presently they are also involved in a murder mystery. The film has its bright moments, a good deal of gay dialogue, humor and suspense, but it is not handled adroitly and misses the goal of a first-rate production of the lighter class. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Not desirable No ■w LOST IN THE STRATOSPHERE » » William Cagney, Eddie Nugent, June Collyer. Direction by Melville Brown. Monogram. Friendly rivalry between two army aviators includes even their attention to the “one and only girl.” They are finally sent aloft together in a balloon and report ascending eighteen miles into the stratosphere. There is the usual comedy and adventurous excitement, the better man wins the girl and holds his rival’s friendship, too. Fair family film. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Of more interest to boys Fair 'r A LOST LADY » » Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Cortez, Frank Morgan. Adapted from the novel by Willa Cather. Direction by Alfred E. Green. Warner Bros. To use the title and credit Willa Cather with having any connection with this production is in our estimation a great mistake. Miss Cather is a notable writer who imbues her stories with a rare quality of spirituality. The film is a distasteful triangle, telling the story of a woman whose fiance is killed by a jealous hubsand and who then tries to reconstruct her life by marrying a man for whom she does not care deeply. Again love enters her life and the situation has to be met anew. For most audiences it is trash, too dull to attract attention. The cast and director deserve finer material. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 By no means No ■v LIMEHO'JSE BLUES » » George Raft, Jean Parker, Anna May Wong, Kent Taylor. From an original story by Arthur Phillips. Direction by Alexander Hall. Paramount. One is inclined to contrast this film with “Broken Blossoms,” which had the same background of the tough Anglo-Chinese quarter of London, and one finds this falls far below the standard in art as well as in depth and sincerity. This Limehouse picture is a crime thriller pertaining to a cold, sinister demi-Oriental, his Chinese mistress and a young white girl who has remained undefiled in the midst of sordid surroundings. The tale is exciting enough with good suspense and atmosphere, but George Raft and Jean Parker have been cast in other far more convincing roles, and Anna May Wong is given little opportunity to display her real ability. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No MENACE » » Gertrude Michael, Paul Cavanaugh, Henrietta Crosman, John Lodge, Halliwell Hobbes. Based on story by Philip MacDonald, adapted by Anthony Veiller. Direction by Ralph Murphy. Paramount. For those who enjoy thrilling mystery stories, here is one in which interest is well sustained throughout. The story opens in British East Africa during a torrential rainstorm in which a dam is wrecked. The engineer responsible for its construction has been persuaded against his better judgment to leave his post for a bridge game. His remorseful suicide sets in motion a maniacal plan to revenge the tragedy upon his wholly innocent companions of that evening. The scenic and sound effects are remarkably interesting. Direction is good and, combined with a well rounded cast, makes the film better entertainment than the actual plot warrants. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Emotionally tense. Too exciting and Depends on taste. emotional.