Variety (Dec 1929)

$0 VARIETY FILM REVIEWS Wectnesda]^, December 25, 1929 Nosferatu the Vampire (Continued from page 26) Horace L-iveright In October, 1927. Like the play the picture Is a shivery melo spilling ghostlike im- possibilities from beginning to end. Action details the forages of a nobleman who is dead yet alive, making night time raids on human beings .and compelling them to be- come subservient to him by suck- ling ih© blood from their necks, often plaguing them to death. His ©special delight is a. pretty woman. •ilurnau proved his directorial ar- tistry lii "Sunrise" for ifox about three years ago, but in this picture' he's a master artisan demonstrating not only a knowledge of tlie subtler . side of directing but in photogria,phy. One 6hot of the sun cracking at dawn is an eye filler. Among others of extremely imasinative beauty is one which takes In a schooner sail- ing in a rippling streani photo- i^phed in such a manner that It ha,s the Illusion of color and an enigmatic weirdness that's more perpiexing than the ghost action of the players. His funeral scene In the deserted town street' where the bodies of the pjague victims are carried in coffins held aloft hy straggling pall- bearers is unusual to say the least. EJmpty shattering buildings photo- ?raphed. to suggest the . despei:ate desotation brought on by the vam- pire: is .extremely .effective sym- boliism. ; . Max Schreck as the vampire Is- an able pantomimist and works ^ ^dckUke, his makeup sujggesting everything that's goose pimply; He did his worst on every occasion— . which was good. OH YEAH! . (ALL DIALOG) •■ Pathe .production'apa rel^aee. Froifa story '♦No BtakeV *>y A. W. SomervUle. Adapt- ed aiid .directed by Tay aarnett.. Dialog, by ' jainc^^'-.Olea86o. .Cameramiin; jVrthur Mu- ' l<jr. JameEi''01eaa)rt and Robert Anr strong .<eatMreil."-'Mu9Jc' Wr Q^ne,, ..Gree.j^^Bna- . aeorge" Wnggner. "Love Found Me wneni I Potiina" 'SoMi" theme song. RCA Photo- • phouft'sounded. At 5Sth St., New Tork, :: tbre:0^ Bay8,i Dec 18-20. Running, time,. 7f ■. ■ mlniiteBi | T>ude.\.,.. J.... i .Robert Armstrpng , '. Dusty .James Gleason ■ Pinkie...v.;....T«i<..»,....iI*atrlcla Cawm TSie Blk.,.,.....i...... ..Zasu Pitts • Pop ';Eye.',.V. • ...Biid Fine : Hort FoOiti.Friank Hagney, ■3l»llnterti.... .......Harry Tyler . Superli)teifdent Paul Hurst "6hl Tea^l!" Is now a picture with a series' of situations made plausible' by dialog. Looks very much..like ■ Tay Gfarhelt missed an 6pl)ortunity to shoot action Into this one that Iv6ul4 tvtalce It cohtsslve .and iactive. - /Only draniatic action, that Alters chroUgh Is a flst flght or two wherii the . two weaker.'.brethren sma'pft >veF. a:cQUpIe of bigger and tougher ; looking! hombres In a way that - . makfesU a; &uy feel, ashamed he's •3Vei* Blx;*f6et tall. ' iiames Gleason wrote thiEf dialog as well as acted in one of the principal roles. To him 'oelo'ng^. the credit of saving the film ; from-ah altogether-negative possl- olllty/ His gags provide .laughs that linake the film fair m<.'at for neigh- borhbod'houses. ' Cdul^tt't go bettier for several . .'easone;; ' >Ialn one is that story is presented too weakly. "liOvS Feund Me When I Found Tou," ■ theme. sojig, is pleasant hut mildV and Armstrong's singing of It in one sequence is nothing to make It sure fire In technique, picture suffers from too many chatter scenes between iGrleason and Armstrong. Former shows up well as film actor, al- though the brown derby should go to ZaSu Pitts for the role of the soft speaking:, dumb acting camp wait- ress. Patricia Caron as the heroine, while new to pictures as Gleason is, tramps oft evenly but she must not be -confused with Pauline Garon^. dimiriutlve blonde. Photographically the flint Is well done and has a teasing shot or two that caiTles the warmth of the out- doors where most of story takes place. Recording is okay except in spots where difficulty is probably more likely due to actors' enuncia- tion than equipment. Story is tale of two boomer brake- men played by Gleason and Arm- strong. They land In one of Oiose interior railroad centres that dot the west and land a job with the super by proving their physical prowess over a guy who tried to hang the croolc tag to them. Pair have been bumming together for years. When Armstrong meets the paymaster, commissary chief and general factotum of the camp, k girl named Plnlfle, he refonns and gets set to give up hitting the road. His pat goes likewise' for The Elk, the dumb. waitress. ., Armstrong loses* his roll In a crap game and gets jobbed f6r a theft he didn't commit. ' It Upsets the ro- mance of the pair only to become ironed out when the two bums acci- dentally hit "upon the real crooks on a runaway gondola. SHANNONS OF B'WAY (ALL biALOQ>With Songs) Universal product(6n: end release, starring James and Luclle Gleapon, ■who created piece on stage. Directed by Emmett Flynn. Adaptation of stage play by Agnes Johns- ton. Cameraniian, Jerry.. Ash. At the Col- .ony> ; N. T;, week of Dec. ao. Runrlngr .time, 66 mlns. . - ' MlckiEiy -Shannon,;...•!«,>.;..< .James Gleason '^Jnunti $bann4n.-4..'...'<»a...Luclle Gleason Swanzey..'.'. i .i*... Charles Grape win Tessle. r . Maiy Phllbln Chuck......... w>..... ..... .John Breeden Bradford.J...... .Tom Santschi Sddle Allen.......;;:;.v.......Harry Tyler ■Alice Allen;......... . . ... :Qladys Crollus 2fInerva...,.., .Helen Mehrmann Albee.......k......Robert T. Haines Newt...* ;.Sllm Summervllle SBurt . Tom Kennedy :Hez..... 1.;. .Walter Brennan which go to keep it alive for the necessary 65 minutes. . Film hap nothing but the principal pair, subordinate characters being extremely subordinate. Mary^ Pnli- bin Is the usual Ingenue and plays it trimly as always. Charles Grape- win, likewise does splendidly with a bit, and John Breeden looks the manly juvenile with little to do. Outside of the Gleasons nobody had much of a chance to shinie. Camera- man did no better than so-so with his phdtbfirapby, although there was not jhuch to spread on in the main scene of a country hotel lobby. Finish, with the pair returning to the stage in an elaborate revue act produced out of their real estate winnings, makes a capital flnls to the story, the only touch of the splurge that should have been_better emphasized all the way. msft. MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (COLOR, 90%; DIALOG. 5%) H-G-M production and release. Adapted and directed by Luclen Hubbard from story the same title by Jules Verne; Photographed by Percy Hlllburn. Musical score (synchronized) by Broones and Lange. In Technicolor. 90%. At the Ca4)Itol, New York, Deo. 20. Running time, 05 min- utes. ■ • • ■ Dakkar..................Lionel Barrymore Sonla........;.. ............. .Jane Daly Nikolai Uoyd Hu ghee Falon. .Montagu Love Mikhail. .Harry Gribbon Anton. iS.nltz EMwarda DnUtry........... Gibson Gpwland Teresa .Dolores Brlnkraan JOE LaROSE PMOPVCTIONS FOX tHEAi:RE;S - "Shannons of Broadway" loses a igbod deal in its translation to the ^crfeeh, but even at that it makes first i'ate entertainment; Production Is directed mechianlcally, and set- tings, are not well, don^, but even inediO.Cre studio technique, does not biur i'nuiMe hljttianriess ot'-the Glea- Bori play / of a • vaiideVille . couple ivhb. ai:^ hlckS on the stirface but a Ibveable/pali' at 'heart F'lgur to do fair %usi]iiessi v' ' Screen V has ^ done .libthlhg t'b en hahce the . original while tnuctt that carried tifcight in the jiVay has been lost ft the shadow traiiscriptlon; the result 'ot" ■uninspiired dtrectionn,'. .The Gleasona. In" their bid parts have none- of ; th$ ; flicker tricks, playing the-rbles. as' they would .hefbre . the footljigiitii. Performance- in ebiise- quenCe is of rather too fine—in the ^sense 6| subdued qulety--a, quality.: Sto^y. should have been a conaedy , natural if It had been heightened: with Hollywood's usual resourceful- iiess in gagging and elaboration of settings- As revealed here It Is no- more than a good program picture, plus the value of the play's Broad- way success and the prestige of the Gleasons' name,- whatever that may mean in pictures. . Script heeded pointing and dress- ing for the screen. It is without the sprightly background of most back stage stories, depending upon, the' subdued humor of. the character sketches. Job of the adapter and. director should have' been to trans- late these elements into screen values aq was done .With "Broad- way," also by Universal, and a mucb better bit of work. Lacking the elaborate setting, di- rector has concentrated oil the brisk comedy of the characterizatlbns, the punch of surprise gag lines, and the singing, dancing and musical spe- cialty of the vaudeville pair, all: of Based on a story by Jules "Verne, who dreamed fantastic and imagin- atively described devices later to materialize, this picture, of neces- sity, is weird and greatly at vari- ance with both logic aiid history. But its impresslveness and unusual- ness are unquestioned, and therein rest its box office possibilities. It should draw fair grosses, with the advantage of beinir suited to re- vivals and showing In the art the- atres after its original field- has been exhausted. i There is a steep production cost to overcome. Shot almost com^ pletely . in Technicolor, with . a wealth of special sets, costumes, mechanical devices and elaborate miniatures. Picture is reported to have been two years in the making, probably oh the shelf most of that time. Where foreign distribution is not ruined by politics, there are .fur- ther gross possibilities. And with only a few minutes of opening: dia- log, conversion to foreign under- standing is easily ..accomplished. Aside from the continual nov- elty of scenes, performance . o£ Lionel Barrymore ias the inventive genius is predominant. . He never falls to hold tense interest, from the moment he explains his me- chanical creations to the time he demands to be burled alive In his one remaining submarine. It is a powerful yet perfectly toned role. Lloyd Hughes and Jane Daly Jis the love interest supply an attrac tive background. Barrymore plays Count Dakkar, who on his island off the mainland supervises construction of two>sub- marlnes noany years before they be- caine historic realities. Falon, also a noble, is anxious to secure the throne by revolution- and believes Daidcar's inventive genius will aid hilmi..", Failing to secure the Inven tor's assistance by pleas, he. cap tiires Dakka and his Island cr.ew while Bakka's assistant is below the sea'testing' one of the submarines. Men in the submarine later rescue Dakka from tbrtm» but "Cannot find his sister, with whom Falon Is in love. As they are plfeparlng to subnierge again, Falon's men turn cannons on the submarine, sending it tb the bottom helpless though still watertight In certain compart- ments. At the bottom, Dakka an4 ' his men look out upon ah undergrbund city, populated ^th repulsive crea- tures i9omewhat resemblintg men. By slaying a huge dragon with tor- pedoes, they win the people's grati- tude and prepare for a short period of investigation in diving suits her fore dying for lack of air. Dakka'S sister,' meanwhile, has hidden in a dupliciate submarine on the island and is about to flee with a few Crew members when Falon and several of his men enter the ship. The girl cripples the sub- marine by hurling a bomb at its key mechanism, and the ship sinks alongside the other one. There is a short battle undersea between Falon's and Dakka's men, with Falon killed. Warm blood stirs the undersea people to lust. .They attempt to kill all the humans hy slccing a huge octopus on them. Dakka is fatally crushed, but lives to be brouisrht to the surface by his assistant and the sister, who fix one submarine with a part from the other. Then when Ws island Is recaptured from Falon's remain- ing^ men. and his sister Is safe in the arms of his young assistant, Dakka voluntarily goes down in his submarine to a living burial. Lucien Hubbard's handling of mob scenes and Individual pierform- ances is excellent. His finished product would have been greatly benefited by stricter cutting. There are several Intervals causing 95 minutes to be obviously too many. Photography by Percy Hlllburn Is skilled craftsmanship. Shots of mobs, sets and miniatures are al- ways impressive. Technicolor is. used except In un- derwater sequences. Musical score is synchronized to act throughout as emotional Stimulant, Dialog for five minutes to set the story at the start. . I - . . ; Disclosure of the submarine, radio and harnessed electricity as ancient history may gall some sticklers. iBut blame that on Ver,rie. Bang. MEISTERSINGER (GERMAN MADE) (Silent Produced by Phoebus Films. Released by Movlegrapha, Inc. Baaed on Richard 'Wagner opera ol same name. Original fllm. title iB "Der Melster von Nurenberg.*' Directed by Ludwlg Berger. Photographed by Carl Path and A. Graatkjer. Architect, R. Batnberger. Cast Includes Rudolf Rittner, Max Guelstorf, Maria Solveg, Gus- tav Froehlich, JuUus Falkensteln,. Velt Harla:n, Else Wagner and Hans.'Wassman. At 06th St., New Tork, 'week Dec. 14. Running tlme^ 82 minutes. It's A Job to plant an operatic ideal into silent films and^stiU re- tain dramatic harmony. ^In this picture though the producers at- tempted a sincere effort they failed in transposition endeavors to carry over the imaginative qualities of the Wagiierlan opera, that takes a light, sensitive theme and with music trai>sforms it into a tingling, soul- ful masterpiece. The picture is flat even for the sure-seaters. With the music of the opera deleted the story becomes blunt, sombre, humorless and naiVe; Cast bikay and action is carried out with good directorial effort, but the soul of the drama is missing. It lies In the imuslc. ^ • In present state it's neither spec tacle nbr worth'^/irhlle theatre fare. .Only ray is Maria Solveg*. as »the girl. -' .^hCils keen and a gobd'player, and her bright complexion coupled- by the fact that shb/iVore a light costume throughout the film, ih contrast to the. scowling, scheming, blacK countenancea of the ;, rest 'of the cast in their black diitflts. . ♦ The villain wore tortoise shell glasses of a .1930. th'ake.. " Beyond this 'it may be said for Director Berger that. he i>rbduced some' fine acting arid especially de- tail with the. mob' scenes. "Society Sinners" instead of "Clipped Wings" is title of = picture being niade for Cfuze Productions by Walter Long. ' Complete east Includes Olive Borden,' . Lloyd Hughes, George Fawcett, "Wilfred Lucas, Bbdil Rosing^ Howard.Hick- man,' Gertrude Messenger, Nbrman PecH, James T. Mack, Charlotte Stevens; Raymond Keene, Harry MacDonald. _^ . ' COURTIN' WILDCATS (ALL DIALOG) TTnlveroal production and release, w. s recorded. Directed by Jeronje Storm. Story by ■William Dudley Polley. Cast Includes , Hoot Gibson, Eugenlci Gilbert, Harry Todd Joseph Glrard, Monty Montague, John Oacar, Jim Corey, Jamea Farley, Pete Mor- rlson, JOe Bonomo. At Loew's New York one day, Deo. 17, one half double bill' Running time, 66 minutes. This Is good example of how talk- er stuff has changed old line west, ems, until only thing resembling the silent pancakers ground out ih the pre-dlalog days are the hbrses, and if their neighs could be recorded even they might be different. Yet picture must be classed In old style —with talk. And on such basis piakes fitting opera for the deserted western ■ fans. ■ It^s got ' seVeral laughs, brief brohcho-bustlng epi. sode, auto race, two-gun heroine: and a finish that tickles^ Hoot Gibson- Is 'a.book worm coU lege boy, son oi; wealthy foundry owner. Papa 'wants to put him . into foundry to help .hUlId him up phys- ically, and son balks. SSb, with aid of family docforr boy is farmed to friend owning wild west, and the kid is a howl. He saves the leading [ady, who's the toughest hbmbre in the outfit, froni the police for shoot- ing hei* father's enemy—^and then marries her. . . . Dialog's okay. Recording good and photography in approved manner. HIS FIRSt COMMAND (ALL blALOG) Pathe production and release. Directed by Gregory LaCava, also credited \vith dialog. IVilllahi Boyd, Dorothy Sebastian featured. RCA sound recording. At; the Hippodrome. N: Y., week ot Dec. 21. Run- ning time, 65 minutes. Terry Culver William Boyd JUdy Gaylord..; Dorothy Sebastian I^leut. Allen Gavin Gordon Jane. .Helen Parrish Col. Gaylord Alphonz Ethler . Major Hall..; ......Howard Hickman Sergeant 'Westbrook Paul Hurst Corporal Jones .Jules Cowles Mrs. Pike......... Rose-Tapley Mrs. Sargent ..Mabel yan Buren Homer..; Charles Moore Folks who never were in the army won't be the wiser that anyone act- ing like" Terry Culver would be automatically slapped Into the brig. The Hollywood version would end too abruptly if army regulations were known out there. So, young Terry is able to sheer and wise- crack at officers until he ■ gi^ts a commission himself, after which he simply marries the Colonel's daughter. Well .ehotigh knit to run smoothly and "be cbusidered a; good program -picture by .the masses. • William Boyd is called upon-to do a Haines .and he;, accomplishes with poise, porothy Sebastian plays right along -with.him as Judy.- daughter ojC the Gommahdant. Paul Hu^-st doips. a tbugli sergeant. As W^iBtbrbbk he - is as. good. aa the . (6ohtInued;^tt P^^^ e o s nr ij M E 0. F'OR HIRB PRODVCTION0 ' XXPIiOITATIONS I SPAiamATIN AMpGAN FILM Kow Acting as. Ad-vtBor for SONO-ART'S PBODUOTION, "60MBRAS DE OIX>BIA,'' STABBIMO JOSE BOHB ADDRESS METROPOLITAN STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD Telephoiae OR iBlU Appearing With Sister Harriet AT i=»-A.RAMOUNT, NEW YORK, NOW in Louis McDermott's "WHITE CAPS" Unii PINCH-HITTING OCCASIONALLY FOR PAUL ASH CiiMtion Publix, LEDDY & SMITH R-K-0, EDWARD S. KELLER