1932-12-30 — Page 5

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPIL FRIDAY, DECEMBER

CINEMA “SHOTS” AND “SEQUENCES”

SAHARA STORY

་ ་ ༑་

MOTION FILM AWARDS

RONALD COLMAN IN HONOURS GO TO HELEN HAYES

KING'S FILM

WHEN a surfeit of gangeter

filme, mother love themes and musicomedy has left an acute indigestion of those hack- noyed plots and a palata year- ning for some of those old-time exciting romances, with plots; counter-plots, intrigue and hair- breadth escapes, there comes The Unholy Garden, with all these ingredients, and more, de- licately propared, cooked to turn and delightfully garnished to appease both the gourmet and the epicure.

Dus at the King's on Sunday, this United Artists' production has more than its highly romantic story to make it a relief from the recent cinematic fare. First and foremost it has Ronald Colman to make feminine hearts flutter, play ing a bad man with a heart of gold, a delightfully suave, rogue with a fastidious eye for a pretty lady. Celman has probably wider appeal than any other star to Hongkong's theatre-going public, and his appearances are so fow box- and far between that the office success of The Unholy Garden is spalled with his name. Then, there is dialogue by Ben Hecht who turned out the book of The Front Page, with dry wit and nover a flagging moment, à big "atmospheric" cast of popular Bgures, and just the necessary touch of romance and sweetness in Fay Wray to offset the villainy.j

AND FREDRIC MARCH

FRANK BORZAGE AS DIRECTOR

NOTES AND COMMENTS BY “CELLULOID”

W

13

17HO is Hollywood's best; received the awards, but youth hos

actor and actress?

como into its own again, for both Naturally one thousand voices Helen Hayes and Fredric March will reply with one thousand are among Hollywood's teeming different names, for never

youngsters. The films that earned personal taste and prejudice, of Madelon Claudet and Dr. Jekyll them the distinction were The Sin which influences opinion, more and Mr. Hyde. Curiously, both films. at variance than on the merits were notable for the remarkable of films and the stars portrayed. | make-up of the stars.

But theatre-goers the world over Will End interest in the naming of Helen Hayes and Fredric March as responsible for the best histrionic displays, masculine and feminine, in Hollywood during 1932.

FREDRIC March's award was

given him for his work in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He is one of

Paramount's best looking alars.

Helen Hayes' solection gives her an outstanding record, as she is

the first to receive the honour on

her initial fim production. A graduate from the New York stage, she stepped into The Sin of Made- len Claudet, which was screened · here in July, and fow will cavil at the judge's choice. The film was one of the first of the mother-love cyclo that is still running: its plot extended over 60 years and Helen Hayes was called on to show the gradual fall of the innocent country girl to the derelict, through all the stages of the oldest profesalon.

It as a remarkable delineation by Helon Hayes, not so much as in the change of appearance, but in the corresponding alteration in voice and gesture.

Helen Hayes made only one more} film, Arrowsmith, with Ronald Colman, but is now working with Gary Cooper on A Farewell to Arms, which was Elissa Land's atage success.

Once the premise is swallowed that a gang of degenerates, huated; by the police of all nations, would Isolate themselves in a ruined

Fredric March's playing of the Sahara chateau, everyone of the

hideous Mr. Hyde of Stevenson's thrilling incidents that go to make

widely-read novel will never be The Unholy Garden something out

forgotten because of the fantastic of the usual rut, seem quito in

nature of the plot and the horrible order. Hollywood always dora this

figure of Hydo. Without detract- kind of thing well: there Is Tully

ing from March's great work it can Marshall, in a great character

be safely said that his name will be study an embezzling French banker, Lawrence Grant.

At any rate, that is the judg-remembered more because of his association with Stevenson's doctor with a past, Warren Hymer ment of the Academy of Motion grotesque figure than of his actual Picture Arts and Sciences, an and Kit Guard as a pair of bowery thugs, Lucille la Verne, the organisation in Hollywood that artistry. Critics way aver that if for "Mr. Hyde" won the award. hard faced mistress, Henry annually sits in judgment on the Armetta in his usual Latin role, productions of the year. Com- March then it should go to the man Mischer Auer, Ullrich Haupt and prised of a select band of in- with the grease-paint box-who- Estello Taylor. The French bank dividuale in all fields of motion ever he was for the horrible effect er has his embezzled millions with picture production, it makes its of Hyde owed much to the camera him and the plot talls of the nt-awards on the best individual muy and oven. Maren dhiot ply

work of the past year, and its de-may, and tempts to doprivo him of it.

clalons, while always open to criticism, generally reflect majort

да

There is no mystery about the finish: as soon as it becomes clear, ty opinion. who's who and what's what, it is equally as obvious that Colman, although throwing in his lot with Dressler and Lionel Barrymore,

the rogues, will save the money

for the girl, outwit the others, and depart with nothing but a rose to remind him of the hours in the "unholy garden" in the middle of the Sahara...

Ronald Colman is the film: he is in every scone and without his glamorous personality it is doubt- ful if the aim would have so much

the He is not appeal,

Usual dapper Colman of Bulldog Drum- niond and The Devil to Pay but an outlaw in shabby garments and haggard looks. He dominates every scene because it la mode for him and because he is Ronald Colman.

The rest of the carefully-select- cd bunch do nothing more than add vorisimilitude to the highly romantle plot. They filt In and out practically unnoticed, which is just as it should be, and is in keeping with the entire produc- tion. George Fitzmaurier who turned the story into colluloid was in his elemont: he revels in this type of story. and moves his camera up and down through ruin. od archos and Algerian street acenes to make picturesque shbtn, There are no halts in his, temno, and his telling of the story heigh- tens its romance and suspense and adds to its vividness.

- י

Last year the veterans, Mario

his own prenas-paint, the quiet dignity and breeding of Dr. Jekyll was one of the factors that made Hyde all the more repulsive, and March alone was reonsible for Jekyll.

JEVER since "Beau Geste" has Ronald Colman baen so glamourous as in "The Unholy Carden, a Sabera romance that comes to the

King's on Sunday. He has Fay Wray to mid his love making.

FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS.

THIS

THIS beautiful girl with the frank, gazo baars small

resemblance to the derelict old woman, but they

are ona aifu” the same. She is Halon Hayos, us abu ie herself and as the appeared in "The Sin of Madejan Claudet," which won her the motion picture award

for 1932.

Since March broke into talking alms from the New York stage

1929, he has played in every type

of film for Paramount, has shown.

fair

KEATON'S LATEST

"Speak. Easily"

his versatility as an artist with With Jimmy Durante in strong dramatic sense and a

or light comedy. yow no work- ing on the old stage success Sign of the Cross with Eliasa Landi.

The

Vickl

THE story of Speck Easily,

due at the Queen's; on Sun- An Hongkong has not yet hud opportunity of seeing Grand Hotel, day, provides an excellent vehicle out the selection of that production for the forte of the sober-faced uy the Academy us the best film of Buster Keaton, and he drives it year will add further to its home with a characterisation peal if it needs more, for Baum's novel was a best-seller, the that is faithful to the last shot. M.G.M. cast playing it includes The more obvious humour of inore stars than the milky way, Jimmy Durante also has its op- Garbo, the Barrymores, and Lewis portunity in the role of the tank- Stone, and it has broken records town stock producer suddenly whorever shown. It has been pass. boosted to Broadway by Profes ed by the censor in Hongkong and sor Buster's mythical inherit- was to have been shown at the Newance. The two present a Year, but, te queen & have so Lartinuous tickle to the risibilities. fixed no definite date.

con-

A word concerning the story The Hollywood Academy does not stop at films and artists but gocs will reveal-more as to the attrac- right through the army of unseen ton than a string of adjectives. workers, from director to techni-Professor Post, mildewed by years the confines of his college study, cians, photographers and Bound men. To most, these are not even decides to see the world after a names, but to the few interested, letter advises him of a $750,000 inheritance. Thrown in with a Bad Girl earned Frank Borzage the award for the best directed film, company of ham troupers, he calm-! What the academy takes into con- ly suggests he'll put them all on sideration when making its awards Broadway. His grammatical cor- player's referenco I am not aware, but I cannot join rection of a in ita commendation of Bad Girl. to a speak-casy provides the titlo which appented to me as having only for the show, and the professor's mediocre direction. Before, it I Innocent ambling about the stage would place Mamoulian for City during the premiere makes the Streets, Jekyll and Hyde and Love show a scream. It has been ro- Rie To-nigh, Sternberg for. Dis-, voaled that the inheritance letter homered or Roland Brown for Quiele was a hoax, but the writ of at- Milions, but that is purely a mat-tachment loses all its potence ter of opinion and taste, as la my when the show succeeds. substitution of James Wong Howe A bedroom and drinking scene As the best photographer instead and a bit of apartment dialogap of Lee Garmes, who carried away take the picturo out of the diot the prize with Shanghai Express, for juveniles, but for adults, a Unfortunately, the Nanking edict pro-luction crammed with laughs barred us from seeing that.

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