Variety (Dec 1929)

Wednesday, December 4, 1929 F I L M R E V I E W S VARIETY ATLANTIC (Continued from page 16) Ian") raves over "Atlantic." No ad- jective has beQD left out; no claim to the ultimate perfection Is lackingr, ^ Monty Banks la woefully miscast, sings (off key) Henley's ballad of fioul-mastershlp and captaincy of faiet' the captain exhorts everyone to "Be British," and the remaining nassengers sing a hymn while the vSl IS sinking. It should be said that the evidence given to the Amer- ican commission during the nqulry into the sinking of the "Titanic," UDon which Ernest Raymond's play was based, failed to show any truth In these alleged Incidents. Once, and once only, does Dupont aoDroach realism—when he shows the engine room men standing around and whispers are heard. TRADO TWINS Featured in Fanchon and Marco's "TYPES IDEA" Carlena Diamond .Singing andpancing ■ Harpist Peaiur«d in F. & M. "TYPES" IDEA "Perhaps there's a chance," "It'll soon be over now," and the like. Claiming to be realistic, this is the film's one point of true realismi its real dramatic moment Cast sel<3^pm become human, be- Ingrs. They are shown as, and they reniain, stock figures of melodi'aima: the young husband with a pregnant wife, the cheating elderly, husband with a tearful wife and an angry daughter, the heroic old cripple and his equally I-wIU-never-leave-you wife, the blase drunk, the Up-chew- ing calm young officer, the mild and peacefully-calm-amid-dangers par- son. All stock types. "Atlantic" is a fine piece of craftsmanship, but It is untrue to life on the one hand and It is not entertainment on the. other. Cred- ible correspdndents say it Is a great success in Germany. German masses are entertained bjr vivi- sected gloom and detailed morbid- ity. vThey enjoy the oblique expres sion of sadism. It is true that "NIbelungen" took more money in Germany than any other German film yet made. But it is also true that in the Anglo-Saxon countries It died overnight. ' Rush for the boats is ,,finely staged; the collision with the ice berg Is weak, aiid lacks conviction. Engine room "scenes, especially the closing of the watertight doors, are splendidly done. Scenes on the bridge are bad. And so. much is the thematic action confined to a small group of first class passen gers that the audience effect is apt to be antagonistic as an un conscious protest against the Im plied contempt for the other classes Acting is fair, with John Long- den outstanding. Franklin Dyall convinces at first, then tails off into a stock figure. John Stuart gives a good performance att a. machine- made young husband, and the rest of the cast is negligible. frat Marie Dressier as ''Marthy 99 in FORWARD PASS (ALL DIALOG, witli Songs) F^rst National production and release. Featurlngr Douglas Falrbanka, Jr., and tiO- rctta Touns. Directed by EKtdte CUne from story by Harvey Gates. Dialog credited to H. E. Rosera, Mtialc and lyrlca by Herb Magldlon,. Ded Washingrton and H. H. Cleary. Supervised by Ned Marin; At Strand, New York, week Nov. 29. Running time, 78 mins. . Marty Reid Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Patricia Carlyle.. Loretta Young Honey Smltb.., Oulnn WilUaros Mazta "Peanuts" Byron Coach Wilson.... i 1. .Bert Rome Asslstan t Coach .Lane Chandler Ed Kirby.... Allen Lane CHRISTIE" M-G-M Talking Picture Max Factor's Make-Up Used Exclusively In Hollywood ii an insticucion devoted exclusively to Mjikc-Up...the only one of its kind in the world. Over a period of twenty years we believe we have rendered a distinct and valuable Make-Up Seirvice to the profession. We how offer this Service to you...by mail. Because of the variety and vast- ness of our make-up experience we believe we can help solve any problem. Your inquiry will receive immediate attention. No obligation. Address: Service Make Up D^^^^^^ HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. Hollywood Blvd. .at Highland Ave. More football backed by a quartet of tunes, one of which lioretta Younff warbles. Grid stuff is good but short of a biff punch. Mainly due to Warners belnff handcuffed on exterior sound and not taklnff the trouble to transpose the rour of th^ crowd from sound track to disk and cut it in all the way on the game as well as just nsing unimportant newsreel shots, , one carelessly. Packs some laughs and should do average business in most program houses. Where they're fed up on the collegiate thing this one will likely have a time making the grade. Young Fairbanks and Miss Younr make a likable screen couple, the latter stepping out to warble in con- tralto which is not hard on the ear. Seconded by a male quartet in later choruses, Miss Youngr's debut as a songstress of the "Intimate" type is okay. Fairbanics Is film cut to stand up to football measurements, and when off the field plays oke, closely pursued for actual performance by Allen Lane as the undergraduate heavy. Comedy angle Is tossed to Guinn Williams and four supposed freshmen who And repeated trouble with upper classmen. Theme is just one of those things in having Fairbanks, regular quar- terback, (Voluntarily resigning from the fequad after getting banged up in a mid-season game. Coach sics the campus Cleo on . him .as the decoy to get him into his togs again. He gives in and just before the big game discovers the frame. Between that wallop and his rival, who is playing end and stalling on going down under passes, Falrbanlcs looks bad in the first half and is yanked. Heavy fakes an injury to get out. The two boys then nilx hand-to-hand, but make It upi In the dressing room before the squad troops in for the rest period. During the last quarter the girl gets a note to Fairbanks which squares everything. When called upon to go back into the game he asks that the former "menace" also be sent back to end. Between the two they forward pass. the other team to defeiat in the last five mln utes to win. Photography is generally good, also recording. An Interior train I. sequence is particularly noteworthy for sound In that the chugging of the engine up front, as well ias Its Whistling, has been retained to un dertone the dialog throughout this passage. The only time It . quits is during Miss Young's song. A swell piece of work which fully attains a realistic effect. Other sound con- centration lists particular pains with supposed cheering sections for yells in close-up. "Hello, Baby," has evidently been selected as the plug tune, reprised any number of times, vocally or In strumentally. Doesn't sound like a •natural" but possibly may get somewhere through forcing. Other numbers suit the purpose without readily threatening to Install them selves as spontaneous guests In the average memory. Specialty girl trots out at a sorority house dance to do "Huddlln*." Nice, average college picture held back a little too long for release, in view of the preceding, strong foot- ball screen matter which has been around this fall. Sid. At All Leading Drug Stores Max Factor's PANCHROMATIC aud TECHNICOLOR MAKE-UP for the Screen Max Factor's Theatrical Make-^ FOR THE STAGE HEARTS IN EXILE (ALL DIALOG, with Songs) "Warner Broa." production and release. Based on play by John Oxenhmn. Scenario and dlalot; by Harvey Gates. .Directed by Michael Curtis. Theme song, "Lllte a Breath of Sprlngtlmo." Lyrlca by Al DUbln.. liusic by Joe Burke. Dolores Costcllo starred. At Colony weelt Nav. 28. Running time, 84 mlnutea. Vera Zvanova, Dolorea Coetello Paul Pavlolt. Grant Withers Serge Palma... ,.Jamea R. Klrkwpod Dlmltrl' Ivanova. George Fawcett Governor.. David Torrence Anna Raacova. .Olive Tell Rat Catcher.; .....William Irving Soldier...... .* Tom Dugan Maid Rose Dlone | A3 a programmer, not half bad. Holding the Interest throughout, with well-knit scenes and . action, the suspensie always beautifully sus- tained and a theme sonfir that's bet- ter than th© average in program talkers. :^.Alons.:aJM!Ut i,the-„ae.cond._ree^^^ ijtbry is slowed up considerably, but quickly regains its pace and drives along to the finish with one situa- tion on top of another redeeming. I Strength lies not only in interest { .story creates but in surprising turns it takes. Even ending is difCerent, with audience left to decide whether it Is a happy or unhappy one. A lot to the story of ''Heart.i In (Continued on page 31) o Many thanks to those who gave such invaluable assistance in my cent talking picture debut. "PARIS" "SHOW OF SHOWS Irene Bordoni Personal Manager GALEN BOGUE 110 East 57th St. NEW YORK