Picture Play Magazine (Jul - Dec 1929)

96 Continued from page 65 There's much more to the proceedings than this, and many more characters than those mentioned. As a side issue of this tawdry plot we hear a lot of talk about the decaying condition of English society, with active evidence to prove it. Besides Miss Shearer, who does well — remarkably well — the cast includes familiars like Hedda Hopper, George K. Arthur, and Maude Turner Gordon. The others — George Barraud, Herbert Bunston, Moon Carroll, Cyril Chadwick, and Madeline Seymour — are from the stage. Murder Mystery De Luxe. My first enthusiasm for "The Greene Murder Case" is lessened by what has been told me by those who have read. the book. Before being somewhat disillusioned by the changes made in the story, I thought the picture just about the finest mystery story I had ever seen. For that matter I still do, notwithstanding the disparity between novel and film, and I shall tell you why, hoping that you too will enjoy the picture as I did in happy ignorance. Again William Powell is Philo Vance, the dilettant detective, as in "The Canary Murder," but with this difference. He is the center of a far more engrossing plot, his lines are better and his acting therefore gains in authority, restraint, and incisiveness. Magnificent actor always, he, like all others, adds to his stature when he has good material. And that he most assuredly has in Philo Vance's latest exploit. He is called in to solve mysterious deaths in the Greene family. First, the elder son of old Mrs. Greene, confined to her bed by paralysis, then the younger comes to a violent end, followed by the sudden demise of Mrs. Greene herself, leaving her two daughters to share the enormous fortune which all the family would have enjoyed in a few years. Well, I was never more surprised in my life than by Philo' s unraveling, thread by thread, as well as by the denouement. But you won't get so much as a syllable of a clew from me ! Enough to say that every one gives a fine performance, and that the production too is really noteworthy, because here are no self-conscious efforts on the part of the director to overlay the proceedings with horror and mystery. The whole story is told simply, directly, almost casuallyPrincipal players are Florence Eldridge, Ullrich Haupt, Jean Arthur, Eugene Pallette, and Morgan Farley. Never the Twain Shall Meet. If you know the story of "Evangeline"— and who doesn't? — you will The Screen in ReVieW not go to see it expecting to be thrilled to the marrow and your blood to be chilled. This is mentioned at the outset in citing an exquisitely beautiful picture for honorable mention, because its tranquillity, even lethargy, are its only faults. Yet they are not that, because this quality is inherent to the original, and a faithful transcription of the poem could yield nothing else. Besides, to some of us the thrill of pure pictorial beauty is often more moving than self-conscious dramatics. There are none of the latter in "Evangeline," but moments of poignant emotion and mile after mile of breath-taking scenic beauty, so carefully composed as to remind us once more that Nature is the eternal artist and man her occasional imitator. Perhaps the most striking episode that does not depend on background so much as direction, is the expulsion of the simple Acadians by British troops. Families are separated, babies torn from their mothers, old men are beaten and left to die, and Evangeline and Gabriel are parted, never to meet again until he is dying and she comes upon him, an aged sister of mercy. The interval, covering many years, shows her search for him through the length and breadth of the land. Evangeline is, in my opinion, Dolores del Rio's finest performance since "Resurrection." It is beautifully sincere and infinitely pathetic. Her singing is haunting, her voice flexible and sweet, and her transformation into an aged, bent sister in the last episode is admirably devoid of histrionics. Roland Drew, as Gabriel, is not sufficiently romantic in appearance or manner to suit my taste, but Donald Reed, in the lesser role of Baptiste, is. Ireland As It Isn't. You won't find a more piquant and charming star in the talkies than Colleen Moore, in "Smiling Irish Eyes," her first experiment with dialogue. She is wholly delightful in song and speech. But lest you think that all is peaches and cream, I must heed my conscience and tell you that the picture is far, far below the gift; Miss Moore brings to it. In fact, it's rather dreadful in its commonplaceness, its self-conscious quaintness and its falsely sentimental representation of Ireland, all reminding one of a medley of old-time plays such as Chauncey Olcott, Andrew Mack, and Fiske O'Hara used to sing through. However, the fact remains that Miss Moore has carried many a weak picture in silence, and there is nothing to indicate that her valiant efforts will go for naught in putting this one over, however the judicious may grieve for her burden. You see, it's all about little Kathleen O'Connor, who believes in fairies, wishing wells and such, and her sweetheart, Rory O'More, a fiddler. After this, that and the other thing happens to spin out their childish romance and saturate the screen with Irish atmosphere, Rory goes to New York to make his fortune. Into the toils of a show girl he falls and is helped by her to sell his song, "Smiling Irish Eyes." Whereupon Kathleen, piqued by his silence, sails across the seas to find him, only to return to Ireland and find a stack of accumulated letters. Nothing does but that she must again set sail, this time finding her way backstage with no difficulty at all and jumping to the conclusion that Rory is faithless. As casually ?s vou please, she returns to her thatched cottage and the wishing well and there Rory, rich and successful, finds her. There is more transatlantic travel in this picture than ever I saw before, with nary a word about the cost of all poor Kathleen's running back, and forth. But I don't think any purser would begrudge so engaging a girl as Kathleen a trip on the finest ship afloat, for she'd be invaluable as an entertainer of jaded passengers. James Hall, as Rory, has a good voice and a fatuous role, and the long cast reveals such stand-bys as Aggie Herring, Claude Gillingwater, Betty Francisco, Julanne Johnston, and Tom O'Brien. Mr. Jolson Never Disappoints. "Say It With Songs" is Al Jolson 's new picture and there is plenty of both Mr. Jolson and his singing. I should say about a million dollars' worth, if we may estimate it by the success of "The Singing Fool." The new picture is cut from the same pattern, which is to say that an ordinary plot has been cued to permit the star to sing of the subjects dearest to his heart — and in the oddest places. One of his solos is rendered on Brooklyn Bridge, startling in its complete absence of traffic. But this serves a good purpose, for it miraculously enables his son, Little Pal. to speak again after he has been paralyzed. How this is accomplished remains a mystery, except that Mr. Jolson appears to visit the child in double exposure and leaves behind some of his vocal vigor. These unusual occurrences begin where Mr. Jolson, as Joe Lane, a radio singer, is told by his wife that the manager of the broadcasting station has asked her to invite him to dinner. The invitation is to be extended if Continued on page 98