Du Barry, Woman of Passion (United Artists) (1930)

NORMA TALMADGE in "DU BARRY, WOMAN OF PASSION’ w Reviews and Current Stories Norma Talmadge Gives Stylists a Tip-Off Two Hearts That Beat as One "Du Barry” Is Norma Talmadge’s Best Film Audience Enthusiastic Over New Talmadge Hit r Dear to the hearts of women are gorgeous negligees-and dear to the purse, likewise. The latest fashion note from Hollywood in this line of apparel concerns three exquisite creations worn by Norma Talmadge in her new United Artists picture, “Du Barry, Woman of Passion, which is now showing at the. .theatre. One is a negligee of peach satin, fitted, trailing, with silver lace appli- qued on the top of the bodice and the hem of the skirt. The skirt is a series of narrow plaited ruffles and rows of hand-made flowers. Over this is worn a coat of black lace beaded in steel beads, with a border and cuffs of white fox. Another is a negligee of brown crepe with a border and front panel of gold-beaded lace, which is also fitted and very long trailing. Over this is worn a coat of beige chiffon which has ruffles of lace on the sleeves and skirt, and which also trails the floor. The third is a negligee of grey, the slip of grey crepe, princess, with zig-zag bands of silver lace and finely plaited cream net. Garlands of white hand-made flowers com¬ plete the slip, and the long grey chiffon coat which is worn over this has a lattice work of these same little flowers, and bands of maribou on the full sleeves. !Norma < JaIinadge in DuBamj. (fJoman of Passion 6 —Two Col. Scene (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) Get Your Newspaper Editor to Run The picture in which these stun¬ ning creations are worn is a Sam Taylor production with Conrad Nagel and William Farnum in the leading supporting roles. Horma ‘Talmadge in. ‘ DuBarrg, Woman of Passion 8—One Col. Scene (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) Talkers Cause Norma to Chat in Her Sleep T The newest malady in Hollywood since the advent of talking pictures is “talking in your sleep.” Norma Talmadge, United Artists star, explained how nights devoted to learning dialogue can put a player in a daze. Night after night she forced her¬ self to stay awake learning the lines for her latest production, “Du Barry, Woman of Passion," which Sam Taylor, producer-director, di¬ rected. It comes to the. .theatre . On the verge of exhaustion, with lines tumbling through her mind, she finally put her hands to her throbbing head and said, half to herself, “FORGET IT! FORGET IT!” The words happened to be a cue in the dialogue of the script. Miss Talmadge unconsciously followed the cue and seriously spoke the lines that follow. “But there is nothing to forget,” she quoted. Then realizing the amusing nature of the situation—that she was to all purposes talking in her sleep— she called herself a couple of fools and went to sleep. Conrad Nagel and William Far¬ num play the leading roles opposite Miss Talmadge. Plenty of Shorts — They Build Interest Although she owns expensive automobiles, Norma Talmadge went riding in a carriage not long ago. And what a carriage!—covered with gold leaf, padded with velvet, the interior lined with heavy bro¬ cade, a distinguished crest on the door panels, a coachman and a foot¬ man at her command, and two spirited coal-black horses in the reins. The reason being that Miss Tal¬ madge’s latest picture for United Artists, “Du Barry, Woman of Pas¬ sion,” a.screen story based on the love affairs of the noted siren, has a sequence calling for this luxury. The picture comes to the. .theatre . The Sam Taylor production has a notable cast, including Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Hobart Bos- worth, Ullrich Haupt, E. Alyn War¬ ren, Eugenie Besserer, Lucille La Verne, Cissy Fitzgerald, Maude Truex, Henry Kolker, Tom Ricketts and Michael Visaroff. Miss Talmadge restricted her car¬ riage driving to the United Artists lot in Hollywood. An actress playing the role of an actress - that’s Cissy Fitzgerald’s latest screen assignment. In Norma Talmadge’s new United Artists feature, “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” now showing at the. . . .theatre, Miss Fitzgerald, with years of stage and screen experience, portrays a Pari¬ sian actress. She wears magnificent clothes and jewels in the role. And she knows how an actress should act. The screen play was written by Sam Taylor, producer-director. Prin¬ cipal roles are played by Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Ullrich Haupt, Hobart Bosworth, Allison Skipworth, Tom Ricketts, Edgar Norton, Lucille La Verne and others. One hundred huge incandescent drum lights were required to light an enormous interior set for Norma Talmadge’s latest United Artists starring picture, “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” now showing at the . theatre. The set, created by William Cam¬ eron Menzies, represented the pal¬ ace walls and magnificent gardens of a king of France and was used for a fete in which hundreds of players participated. The picture is a Sam Taylor production, and in the cast principal roles are played by Conrad Nagel and William Farnum. He couldn’t direct a dog in a comedy picture but he could direct Norma Talmadge, John Barrymore, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Harold Lloyd. That’s one of the paradoxes in the life of Sam Taylor, producer- director for United Artists, whose latest contribution to the screen is “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” starring Miss Talmadge. It is now playing at the.theatre. His first chance to direct years ago was with the dog star, “Brownie,” in a one-reel comedy. He was fired. Since that day he has climbed into the forefront of screen directors with not a failure against him. In the present Talmadge vehicle he directed a veteran acting cast, including Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Ullrich Haupt, Edgar Nor¬ ton, Hobart Bosworth, Allison Skip- worth, E. Alyn Warren, Lucille La Verne, Cissy Fitzgerald, Edwin Max¬ well, Tom Ricketts, Oscar Apfel, Henry Kolker, Eugenie Besserer and Maude Truex. “Coaching” has become just as important to talking pictures as it is to football. The coach must be a man who has made a success of stage direc¬ tion, who is an expert in drama and English speech, and who knows the principles of motion pictures. One of the most successful is Earle Browne. He came to Holly¬ wood from New York, where he was a stage director, and coached Norma Talmadge and the entire cast for “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” the star’s latest United Artists feature, which is now showing at the. .theatre. Sam Taylor, producer-director, says that Browne was of invaluable assistance. He was present at all rehearsals and during the filming of every scene. The picture’s cast includes Con¬ rad Nagel, William Farnum, Hobart Bosworth, Edgar Norton, Allison Skipworth, Edwin Maxwell, Tom Ricketts, Lucille La Verne, Maude Truex, E. Alyn Warren, Eugenie Besserer and Tom Santschi. (REVIEW) In the supreme performance of a brilliant career, Norma Talmadge, United Artists star, makes the glam¬ orous, haunting personality of “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” step alive from the shadows of the past to again enchant mankind. Her portrayal of “Du Barry,” whose love life was the sensation of all France, enthralled those who attended the.theatre She gives piquancy and extraor¬ dinary charm to the lovely milliner who brought a nation to her feet, ruled a king, and lavished the gold of the country for her whims until the red shadow of revolution swept her to disaster. Splendid performances are given by Conrad Nagel, as her soldier- lover, and William Farnum, as the king who tempted her with riches and power. This is Farnum’s .first appearance on the screen since his retirement because of illness at the height of his success several years ago. Sam Taylor, producer-director, has told an absorbing story, enrich¬ ing talking pictures with another classic. The settings of the drama are magnfficent, a credit to the col¬ orful imagination of William Cam¬ eron Menzies, supervising art director. An exceptionally capable cast gives Miss Talmadge finished sup¬ port. Those who appear in impor¬ tant roles are Ullrich Haupt, Hobart Bosworth, Edgar Norton, E. Alyn Warren, Tom Ricketts, Edwin Max¬ well, Cissy Fitzgerald, Oscar Apfel, Maude Truex, Henry Kolker, Eu¬ genie Besserer, Tom Santschi and Knute Erickson. • “Du Barry, Woman of Passion” indicates that Norma Talmadge will continue the great success she has enjoyed in the silent films. An ac¬ tress of deep feeling and a natural aptitude for making her effects seem natural and plausible, Miss Tal¬ madge has been able to heighten her effect through the medium of speech achieving delicate nuances of character coloring that give a cli¬ mactic emphasis to all her scenes. Abetted as she is in this picture by a cast of players all stage-trained, her abilities attain a fullness of ex¬ pression surprising in view of her short career in the new medium. Iforma c Taimadge in. “ DuBarrg, OJoman of Passion 9 —One Col. Scene (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) (REVIEW) It is refreshing to view Norma Talmadge’s magnificent drama, “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” based on the love life of the famous French charmer. Her new United Artists starring picture, produced and directed by Sam Taylor, opened yesterday to an appreciative audience at the. . theatre. It marks the return to the screen of an American idol, William Far¬ num, whose tremendous following of fans waited six years for his re¬ covery from ill health. Playing the role of King Louis XV opposite Miss Talmadge, he reveals a more dy¬ namic gift of characterization than ever. - Miss Talmadge’s performance is not only brilliant from the stand¬ point of technique but is extraordi¬ nary in its warmth and vitality. Her love scenes with Conrad Nagel, lead¬ ing man, have poignancy and charm. Those with Farnum have a gay beginning and a tragic finale. In no other role has she been so convincingly a creature of love and flame. Conrad Nagel, as the soldier-lover of the milliner before whose beauty the King of France kneeled in humble adoration, again shows the qualities which have made him so tremendously in demand in talking pictures. He has a most difficult portrayal and handles it impres¬ sively. The story moves from situation to situation with increasing sus¬ pense. It mirrors the struggle of a beautiful girl to choose between love and luxury, tempted beyond endur¬ ance, but winning back to idealism in the shadow of doom. The direction by Sam Taylor is proof of the opinion in Hollywood that he is the most versatile director in the motion picture industry, hav¬ ing been uniformly successful in vehicles for Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd, John Barrymore, Douglas Fairbanks and Miss Talmadge. "Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” has exceptional production value. The settings by William Cameron Menzies, supervising art director, emphasize the extravagant luxury of the most romantic period in French history. The picture has a perfectly bal¬ anced cast of veteran players whose names have long been familiar on both stage and screen. Important roles are played by Ullrich Haupt, Hobart Bosworth, Edgar Norton, E. Alyn Warren, Tom Ricketts, Edwin Maxwell, Cissy Fitzgerald, Henry Kolker, Eugenie Besserer, Tom Sant¬ schi, Knute Erickson, Maude Truex, Truex and Michael Visaroff. This Norma Talmadge picture which marks the star’s second ap¬ pearance in a talking film, is based on the famous Broadway stage hit of David Belasco. Norma Talmadge Got into Pictures by Following "Hunch” When a Little Girl Obey that impulse! Norma Talmadge did when she was a high school girl. Her suc¬ cessful starring career was the re¬ sult. The impulse came one afternoon when she was on a shopping errand for her mother. She turned in the opposite direction and went to the old Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn. She applied for picture work and got it. Today as a mature artist of the screen she still obeys a hunch.” Casting about for a new starring vehicle for United Artists she re¬ membered the story of “Du Barry, Woman of Passion,” whose life is a classic all over the world. It was a life drama she had read many times before and its vigor and emo¬ tional quality thrilled her afresh. The picture was made under the direction of Sam Taylor, producer- director for United Artists, and is now showing at the. theatre. In the cast are Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Hobart Bosworth, Ullrich Haupt, Allison Skipworth, Edgar Norton, Henry Kolker, E. Alyn Warren, Tom Ricketts, Edwin Maxwell, Cissy Fitzgerald, Maude Truex and Michael Visaroff.