Silver Screen (Feb-Oct 1935)

48 Silver Screen for February 1933 Reviews UNBIASED OPINIONS OF PICTURES SEEN Francis Lederer and Ginger Rogers in "Romance of Manhattan." Lederer reaches his natural role by way of Iceland and the Hessian army. Greta Garbo and George Brent in "The Painted Veil" — a triumph. IMITATION OF LIFE Rating: 95°— Magnificent— Universal RARELY, too rarely, do you find a picture ■ so lovely, so warm and human, so utterly poignant as is this translation to the screen of Fannie Hurst's famous story of 1 he tragedy of motherhood and the tribula;ions of the negro race. Quietly and sincerely dramatic, without one false touch, this picture simply tears ( your heart out, heats relentlessly against, your emotions until you forget that it is only make-believe, and you, too, are sobbing like a baby over Aunt Delilah's funeral. In "Imitation of Life," hungry Ned Sparks gloomily watches Claudette Colbert "brown the wheats." Claudette Colbert, beautiful and sympathetic, gives another magnificent performance, and her heart-break in the last scene, when she gives up the man she loves, is something you will long remember. Louise Beavers is excellent as the colored Delilah, and so honest and real is she that you have to exert will power to keep from getting up there on the screen and slapping Fredi Washington for being so mean to her. Briefly, the story concerns two young mothers, Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, who are thrown together by the merest circumstance, and who combine to battle life for the sake of their two little girls. As the years pass, riches and success come to them and they reach out eager hands for happiness, but they clutch only bitterness, despair and disappointment. Louise's daughter breaks her mother's heart by publicly disowning her in her effort to pass as white. And Claudette's daughter, home from finishing school, falls desperately in love with the man Claudette loves and intends to marry, and she is forced to sacrifice herself to keep her daughter's love. Rochelle Hudson and Ferdi Washington as the daughters give grand performances. Warren William is perfect as the heart interest, and old sourface Ned Sparks is funnier than ever. THE MIGHTY BARNUM Rating: 93 "—"The Greatest Show on Earth"— Twentieth Century HERE'S top-notch entertainment for every movie-goer, young or old or fair to middling. It's packed with laughter and tears and good old hearty brawls, with bodies and furniture and lions and midgets hurtling through the air. What fun! Wally Beery, as that grand fake, P. T. Barnum, gives his most magnificent performance to date, and, when you consider "Treasure Island," that's saying a Joe E. Brown mouthful. And Adolphe Menjou, sakes alive, he's never been better, and his Mr. Walsh (Mr. Baily Walsh) is as inspired a bit of acting as these old eyes have ever seen. Janet Beecher plays Nancy Barnum, P. T.'s thrifty and law-abiding New England housewife, who's afraid to have children for fear they'll have five legs, and Miss Beecher is simply superb. Virginia Bruce, the late Mrs. John Gil bert, is beautiful as Jenny Lind, "Swedish Nightingale." who becomes of Mr. Barnum's "attractions," though it the one was really Jumbo, the elephant, he wanted. Rochelle Hudson, as P. T.'s comely niece who loves, alas, the erratic Mr. Walsh, is also excellent. As are the midgets, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb, played by George and Olive Brasno. And, ah, the bearded lady. As you've probably guessed by now, the story's all about the rise and fall and fall and rise of P. T. Barnum, the showman who lived a hundred years ago and who, among other things, is famous for that wisecrack, "a sucker is born every minute." Starting with his sideshow of freaks and frauds, P. T. ascends to the heights of society when he becomes Jenny Lind's impresario, but, a faux pas at a banquet one night, and the next morning he's back where he started. This is a picture you can take the entire family to see without any qualms. FORSAKING ALL OTHERS Rating: 89°— Fast and Funny— MetroGoldwyn-Mayer NICE old Mr. Metro had the swell idea of co-starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery all in the same comedy, to be directed by Woody Van Dyke, which, heaven knows, is a treat in any language, but with one of those movie mogul gestures he said "Oh, shoot the works" and threw in Charlie Butterworth, Billie Burke and Frances Drake. And my, my, what a lot of hilarious fun. Joan plays a society gal who is left waiting at the church for the irresistible Bob, who has been her Prince Charming all her life. Bob, in the meantime has gotten drunk and married Frances Drake, the little gold-digger he knew in Paris. And then the fun begins, with Clark Gable, the best man in more ways than one, trying to show Joan that she's an idiot, and Bob, recovered from his binge, trying to make up to Joan for the great wrong he did her. There's all kinds of comedy ranging from drawing room to slap-stick and you'll laugh and laugh and laugh. Of course, in the final reel, Joan discovers that it was good old Clark she loved all the time, and there's a grand finish. Charlie Butterworth comes into his own in this one, and is simply marvelous. There's a new girl named Rosalind Russell who looks promising, and there's Billie Burke, so beautiful and so charming in her own brand of comedy.