1934-10-18 — Page 2

Page

with

Douglas

Fairbanks Elizabeth Bergner

ANA

CATHERINE

the GREAT

·FLORA ROBSON &

SIR GERALD DO MAURIER

Directed by PAUL

CZINNER

AT

THE

Produced by

ALEXANDER

Concion lm Production

SATURDAY

Al

KORDA

PINTD

KING'S

By "Apoialment to H.M. The King. FINDLATER'S

DRY GIN

FINDLATERS

[DRY GİN

The foundation of The Best Cocktails.

GILMAN & CO., LTD. Agents Phone 28011

WHEN ENGLISH IS DANGEROUS

(Special Air Mall Service)

Londen, Sep, 28. Prince Leonid Lieven, whom I met yesterday, told me of an ad- venture he had a few days ago in Berlin, writes a correspondent.

With a young German baron whom he had known at Oxford he went into a restaurant. Their conversation-both of them speak- ing at least four languages with equal facility-was carried on in English.

Some Nazis from an adjoining table came up to them and said aggressively: "This is Germany, therefore speak German." They ignored the interruption and con tinued their conversation in Eng-- lish H

The Nazis with rising temper, said." We know you to be talking politics"--this was quite untrue- and unless you talk in German, we shall report you to the Gestapo" (the Secret police)

STAGE NAPOLEONS

A Fatal Fascination

(Special Air Mall Service)

London. Sept. 28. The magnetic personality of Napoleon seems to have a special

fascination for dramatists - too often a fatal fascination, writes a correspondent. "Josephine." the new play at His. Majesty's, must, I fear. be added to the list of unsuc- cessful attempts to put the little Corsican, on the stage.

It is only a week or two ago since Mr. Alfred Sangster's "Napoleon " was produced at the "Embassy. This, too, falled to do jusfice to its subject.

Mr. R. C. Sherriff and Miss Jeanne de Casalisjhave collaborat- ed in writing a play about Napo- leon on St. Helena. It promises to be the best of the present batch.

There have been Napoleon plays by such famous men as Signor Mussolini and Mr. Bernard Shaw. The most successful, commercially, bowever, was "A Royal Divorce." which was revived many times after its criginal production in 1891.

"AN ADMIRABLE CRICHTON

Spanish Royalist Leader

(Special Air Mail Service)

London, Sept. 28. Don Antonio Goicoechea, the Spanish Royalist leader, who has been on a short visit to this comm- try, is one of the finest orators in Spain. He is also one of its lead- ing barristers.

In fact, as a public man he is something of an Admirable Crich- ton. Not only does he combine eloquence with legal ability, but his knowledge of Parliamentary procedure is matched by his con- summate mastery of Parliamentary tactics.

leader of the Monarchist "Refo-

vacion Espanol party in the

Cortes.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1934.

“CATHERINE

IS GREAT

Performances Of The Year By Bergner And Fairbanks, Junior C Coming To The King's Theatre On Saturday

THE WORLD'S

BEST

A

Elizabeth Bergner

The main attraction at the King's Theatre on Saturday is "Catherine the Great." starring Douglas Fairbanks Jn: and Ellba- beth Bergner. The film had a big sucess in London.

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., has the the part of his career as the Czar Peter, who fiom a selfish and er- rath youth gradually becomes the unbalanced and at times fanati- cally cruel Emperor. His brief reign of six months is ended by Catherine who has him arrested and succeeds to the throne to be- come "Catherine the Great,"

Evabeth Bergner, of whom Charles B. Cochran stated that if he were forced into the difficul; position of having to make an ar bitrary list of modern glants, he would say that the world's best "legitimate" actress was Elizabeth Bergnet, has the finest role of her brilliant career.

T

Besides the high quality of the acting in this film, striking fea- tures are the superb settings de- signed by Vincent Korda and the and uniforms gorgeous costumes created by John Armstrong, who designed the costumes

Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. & Flora Robson in

'CATHERINE THE GREAT!

Private Life of Henry VIL" lous compound of the gamin. al- "Catherine the Great" is directed | most the tomboy, and the spiritual, by Dr. Paul Calaner and produced highly sensitive woma

for The

by Alexander Korda,

Douglas Fairbanks Im & Elizabeth Bergner in

*CATHERINE THE GREAT!

BERGNER ON

TRIAL

It is strange that the actress who has packed a London theatre for months by sheer personal mag- netsm; whore Continental fame

An American writer, with the bluntness of his race, has word- painted her as “a little, škinny thing without orthodox sex appeal, bat with charm and a screen per- sonality."

1

There is not enough there to tell us what she is really like. But her almness and smallness are certainly the physical characteris- as a film star matches her great tics which one notices Arst. Her reputation as a släge artist; whose | figure is slight but firm, like new British screen contract has boy's. Her face, in repose. is cur- been a front-page story in the lously uninteresting and character- newpapers; is only now about to less for that of a supremely ini make her debut before thousands telligent woman, but, is a magni- of filmgoers in this country,

Acent instrument for the expres sion of the most delicate shades

Elizabeth Bergner's surname slips, as readily of the tongue as those of feeling. of Garbo. Harlow, Dietrich andi Shearer.

Margaret Kennedy's play, Escape She has been a sensation in

pended when she was Me Never." which had to be sus- 11. and could not be continued without her, although audiences were still ela- mowing to see it when it was withdrawr.

Cess

To watch her, in an intensely dramatic scene is to realise the

and the crudest emotions can be extent to which the most violent

sublimated by the art of the in- tellectual actress. You feel that Bergner acts entirely with her. mind, but that the workings of the mind, are subtly revealed, without the slightest effort, in every move- ment of the slim body and every

..

Unless I am wronging her through a necessarily restricted knowledge of her full capabilities, she lacks the quality of menace essential to the successful portray- al of a woman destined to domin- ate others by force of personality rather than charm of person-

She is measurably better as the wistful, dreamy little German princess of the opening scenes of "Catherine the Great" than as the maturing woman and potential ruler of the second half of "the picture. When she is supposed to be imperial and dam'nating, she looks doli-like and fragile. Her

ON

hot sultry days a cooling and re- freshing sweet is es- sential to every meal. A fresh-fruit jelly is always appropriate and is sure to please if made with-

Cerebos Jelly Crystals

Cerebos Jelly Crystals

LEMON

Agents) John D. Hutchison & Co., Past In 43, Hong Kong

CEREBOS LIMITED.

CABLE NEWS IN BRIEF

(Special to the "Hong Kong Dally

Press" (Copyright.)] --

she has only six million. Only & per cent. of Germany's wool con- sumption is raised at home and more than one milliard marks are paid yearly for imported raw wool.

to those taking up wool

Traninceun Kuo Min.

Berlin, Oct. 16. The calm on the "sharemarket was continued on Tuesday, inves- To hasten the desired develop- tors and operaters both showing ment which is of extreme national extreme caution. One disturbing importance, the Reichsgovernment factor is the Anglo-German dis-1, now granting financla aksis- cussion which is at present going tance on for the settlement of accounts raising- between the two countries, Sir Frederick Leith-Ross, leader of the British delegation having returned en Monday night to resume his efforts to find acceptable the working basis. Fixed interest securities were rather brighter, many gold and mortgage bonds and elty loans being a shade higher.

UNDERGROUND SECRET REVEALED

[Special to the "Hong Kong Daily Press" (Copyright.)]

Berlin, Oct. 16. While levelling the ground for the so-called Olympic village pro- viding living quarters for competi- tors in the Olympic games in 1936 at Doeberitz, a few miles from

Call Money 4 to 4 1/8, Young Loan declined to 93, Reichsbank dropped 11 to 147, Dyetrust rose 9/8 to 144 5/8, Salzdetfurth Potash declined to 1581; German Steel Trusts improved 1/8 to 42, German Berlin, labour service men stum- Mineral Oils 7/8 lower at 106 bled on the remains of an Indo- Siemenshalske advanced to 143,

Germanic village constituting a Bernberg Rayon unchanged. at

And prehistoric 1344.-

of exception- eart- al Importance.. Numerous Transoce za Kun Min.

henware vessels. tools and hundreds of fragments of pot- tery afford eviderice of 3 "stone age settlement of ́s ́ period" of 2500 to 2000 years, B.C. The out- lines of five houses and two large rubbish pits, in which a large number of bones and fragments of pottery have been found, have been excavated so far,-- Transocean Kuo, Min.

REICHSMARK QUOTA.

TIONS

performance is a minor triumph (Special to the "Hong Kong Dat

of mind over matter, but it falls to bring forth anything 'ke the full flavour of her genius..

We shall have to wait for that experience. In all probability, un til "Escape Me Never" is Almed.

1

Press" (Copyright.)]

Berlin, Oct. 16. Relchsmark quotations (withou; guarantee):—-_

New York Paris ..... Amsterdam

Paris Sterling Dollar

I hope that those who see Berg- ner's Catherine, and are vaguely disappo'ated with it, wif ̈ ́ suspend judgment until they have another and a futter opportunity of esti-Transocean Kuo Min. mating the extent of her talent for

themselves.

It would be a thousand pities If one of the greatest actresses to reach the English stage and screen In this generation were tried and found wanting on the inadequate evidence of a single not-too-suc- cessful peri-rmance" in one film.

MOVIE NEWS

Buddy Rogers is stated to be considering an offer to return to. the screen as Margaret Sullavan's leading man in "Good Fairy."

Constance Collier .has been given a contract by M.G.M. who are believed to be going to try her out in parts similar to those of the late Marie Dressler.

REVUE PROFITS

(Special Air Mail Service)

London, Sept. 281: Mr. C. B. Cochran has been do- ing some calculatión. He estimates

two failures, his last twenty revties

TY

.40.82-

...8104

.:59+43

.73.9

„15.04

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

IN NORWAY

[Special to the "Hong Kong Dally Press" (Copyright.31 -

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

(Special to the "Hong Kong Dally

Press" (Cupyright.)]

Berlin, Oct. 10:

A law concerning the new qath of allegiance to be SWOFFL by Reichs Ministers and members of State Governments to Adolf Hitler was passed by the Reich Cabinet in Tuesday session. The law pro- vides that henceforth members of the Reichs Cabinet must, when assuming office, take the following Dath before the Fuehrer and loyal and obedient to the leader of Chancellor: "I swear that I will be

Oslo Oct. 16. The official returns of the muni- cipal elections held on Monday throughout Norway reveal a slide towards the Left since the Labour Party increased its number of seats by 94 to a total of 652 while the German Reich and nation, the Bourgeois parties fell off from Adolf Hitler, and that I will exert a total of 755 seats to 713, The every effort for the welfare of the heaviest was

the so-called Foll-German people, uphold the laws, my duties tical Group which retained only 69 conscientiously fulfil Beats out

official task of 121 formerly held and conduct my **The Natiorial

without fear or favour, so help me Concentration Party," which designation given to them by the Norwegian

Government National-Socialists,

before

was God."

Members of State participated will take the same for the first time in the elections Provincial Governors while mem- bers of the Prussian. Government and obtained 15 seats,

will be sworn in by the Chancellor himself.

The election campaign had been extremely bitter. In Oslo, the Labour Party distributed special prizes such as radio sets and sports articles to those who had attended at least seven election meetings. Transocean Kuo Miu

WOOL RAISING IN GERMANY

Special to the Hong Kong Dalls Fress" (Copyright.)]

The ceremony of swearing alle- glance by members of the Reich Cabinet subsequently took place. In the course of the session the Cabinet passed a 'number of lawa Including a one simplifying "taxa- tion and à measure modifying the military law. Tranaceon Kuo Min

BRITISH FINANCES

He was a member of various Conservative Administrations be- fore the advent of Primo de Rivera. With the establishment of Her first British film, "Catherine the Directory, however, "he return- the Great. ran for many weeks, Deeding expression which crosses ed to his legal practice, only re-

as e West End cinema, and several, the mobile face.

Technically, she is capable of entering, politics after the revolt of her Continental pictures have tion which overthrew the Mon- been shown in London with aus- playing any part brilliantly. Drchy.

Hugh Sinclair, her leading" man Bat, outside of London, she is in the stage version of "Escape He is now. King Alfonso's per- sonal agent in Spain, and the still half a myth. "Except in a few Me Never" has said that "She re-that, after deducting the losses on privileged districts. where there duces everything to the absolute have been special pre-release show-simplicity of truth. She does not have made an aggregate profit of

some £240,000. Ings of "Catherine, the British act a part; che lives it."! public have had practically no op-

His twenty-first revue, "Stream- The claim that an actress lives line" which was running in Man- portunity of seeing her at work her parts is, of course, an old one, chester and opens in London to-

Halle, Oct. 15.

London, Oct. 16, A situation, surely, which could and is more often applied casually

Speaking to an assembly of Exchequer returns for the past who have no illnesses and never only have arisen in the oddi ar than accurately, But, In Bergner's day, has already broken all records. peasants from the districts of

ween show that during the current: ranged world of the films,

case) It is as near to being rom-Me. Cochran already held the Liebenwerda, Dr. von Haussen o financial year the total ordinary Mr. Kean's union is ikewise The public now about to see pletely justified as ever it was

record for the biggest week's tek Halle, representing. the Sheep revenue, exclusive of self-balanc- amall. White Mr. Bevin might "Catherine the Great" have had There is abundant evidence that ings for a revue in Manchester Breeders Association of the Pro- ing revenue, amounted at October talk of 200,000 members, Mr. Kean's no such previous experience. They abs does not play to an audience with "Helen, which was produced vince of Saxony, sald by this time 13 to 295,448,800, which is £307,- organisation is one hundredth part cannot be expected to know; unless but forgets her audiences through at Christmas time, when evening next year, the number of sheep in 474 less than the amount collected by Intuition that it is not the rest her entire absorption in her chor-¡ prices were charged for matinee Germany would have to be in at the corresponding date. last Its members, too, work or small Berger whom they will see, but acterisations A faculty which seats articles in gold and silver and a Bergner struggling to master a should help her immeasurably in

creazed by at least one million. years bee Streamline, it is understood, This step la imperative so as to Expenditure of the same period, other precious metals. This is the He is the smallest member of the first time that a representative of part fundamentally outside her her film work).

has passed - Helen's" total" by a reduce the quantity of wool Ger- exclusive of self-balancing items, General Council, and about half these skilled workers has prasided

Her Haltat or, where they exist | few pounds with the sum of £3,700 muany la obliged to import for her was £302,822,413, which exceeda the weight of some of its more over a body that stends for millions vidual and as incalculable as Gar- mental. Her very nature places bered that in Manchester the most The speaker went on to say that responding date last year by £8,

Here we have an artist is inci- | are purely physical and tempera- in one week It should be remem- own consumption the amount expended at the cor- ponderous figures. He is a genial of trade unionists.

bo; dimcult to describe and still her at a direct disadvantage in the expensive stalls cost only is ed, as seventy years ago Germany, pos- | 005.476.-*-*-*-*-* more difficult to analyse

role of Catherine, for she is a cur- against 128 34 to 158 in London. seed 30 million sheep, but to-day British Wireless.

A DEPARTURE FROM

TRADITION

(Spedal Air Mail Service)

London, Sept. 28.

Mr. "Billy" Kean's election as chairman of the Trudes Union Congress is a departure from tradi

tion.

miss a meeting:

that size.

soul and very much alive. ́ ́ More- **Multum in parvo" might be orer, he is one of the hardy sort I an appropriate motto for the year.

|| scope. (...)