1940-09-07 — Page 15

Saturday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

September 7, 1940.

EU

ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

SWANEE RIVER

Film: Swance River,

Stars: Don Ameche, Andrea Leeds, Al Jolson. Verdict: Romantic musical biography.

-King's.

"SWANEE River" will set your feet tapping to tunes that everybody loves-"Swanee River", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Old Black Joe", "Old Folks at Home", and "Camptown Races".

The American Civil War comes into it, but not long enough to spoil the film.

Life story, somewhat em-

Film: Mortal Storm. Stars:

Margaret Sulla-

van, James Stewart.

Verdict: The story of

bellished, of Stephen C. Fos- modern Europe.

ter, who wrote 175 succcx8-

ful southern ballads, ruined

-Queen's, Alhambra.

his life through drink, and TS is the tragic story of a

died a pauper.

It's in Technicolor, Don Ameche plays Foster, but по sign of debauch appears on his peach-bloom complexion.

Al Jolson to the original Christy. of Christy Minstrels fame, who sang the songs that Foster wrote. Andrea Leeds plays Foster's wife.

Grches

Arc

Tsimple

German family caught in the clash of ideologies

The nigger minstrel

colour, although their lovely in brightly striped trousers have a dis- concerting imbit of turning from bright red in Jong shots to orange in Fee close-ups.

Don Amecho plays in "Swanco River" the unlucky Stephen Foster who wrote some of the world's most

popular tongs and died a

penniless, neglectel drunkard. Andrea Leeds is the woman The story who was the one bright spot of his wasted life. unfolds against a background of war prejudice and national hates during the American civil war.

Chester Morris.

"ash-can fleet," ancient fishing boats Verdict: War melodrama. secret radio communication with the with nondescript-looking crews and

Navy to summon them the moment F you are tough, if you can the U-boat broke surface. The film

means. It is magnificently

The film in a biography of Stephen that plunged the world into fesser who is too proud to deny his photographed and produced.

beliefs, tragedy comes with the new

Fonier, with a performance of most War, of his songs and of a part of a suko

posed.

The connexion between his music and the negro Bons of his time

On board the leading boat is Wal- ince Beery, a tug-bont skipper who is in disgrace with the naval authori

regime. To the mother who loves But if you are squeamish, if you tles because he disobeyed orders to The Roths were a happy family, her husband, her doughter and her don't want to watch the underwater try to run the war on his own.

The U-boat commander hails the struggles of a U-boat hunted by for small orchestra which he com negud of old Professor Rulli's world son, it comes ruthlessly.

Even to those True, bia two

who are fighting depth charges, the submarine crew feet, comes on board, and finds the Taman seientist. Foster appears to have had a sad step-sis bust joined the Nazi party Nazism this flue film has a warning, choking and gasping for life, one secret radio. Beery tries to ram the and disordered life from which the because all the young men were do. It is a plea for luleisonce, for the be going suddenly crazy, storms, der Germans, who sink the fishing boat on board the sub- But the professor, his wife Hef that all men are entitled to live ring-do, ships blown up, brave men and take him Dim manages to extract a good deal ing that.

drowning, then don't say I didn't marine as a hostage. It's an exciting of sentiment, but at the same time and his daughter hardly thought their own lives.

The Bit is tragedy, but not a warn you, for this is a fim story if one-sided battle.

Σ

Down slides the These things were naturni there are several scenes which make about it.

written round reality.

submarine to safety. Meanwhile the fur young inca. Suom they would tragedy without hope. an agreeable period piece.

The younger son, Otto, is not the

Navy arrives. forget it all.

true Nazi Ope. He has joined up Don't misunderstand me; there's Chester Morris, Deery's former breatise it the thing to do, He plenty of humour, so heurty, salty dockside rival, and now his superior you officer in the Navy, has to decide believes the Nazi creeds beeuse he and dockside that it makes has never bothered to think them laugh outright at lines in spite of whether

to spare the U-boat and over. Only at the last does he begin yourself.

Beery's Ille or to lak the sub- All the bitter race hatreds, the to doubt. frustrations, that made Hitler's Reich

In 1018 over eighty ships, includ- marine with depth charges. He shakes off his doubts, squares

Below, on the bed of the ocean, sco Beery applauding every inter- re crystallized in the one family his shoulders Hitler must be right, in the armoured cruiser San Diego,

The two step-sons vre passionate But such doubts do not die. In such were sunk by German U-boats in soul-shaking boom they suffer, then polation of allen harmony sometimes Nazis, blind In their folt that the men as Otto-men who wifi one day Amerlean waters.

managing to send up signals of their adds a distracting twang of uncom whole world will be a better place wake--lies the downfall of the Nazi The American naval authorities position from that cerle silence to fortable sentimentality.

If only everyone does what the Nazi

Krew desperate. Apparently for help his friends sign his death war- twenty years they have suppressed rant. Don Ameche, who plays the part party wants.

the fact that they eventually beat Yes, great stuff, and there is a the U-boats by sending out the happy ending.

But suddenly a mon named litler 18 intelligently explained One would was ruler of the German people. have thought that Foster's songs, in- And Professor Roth was a Jew. finitely nostalgic yet clean and clear

as folk muste, were almost foolproof,

but Mr. Al Jolson's exaggerated de livery and the Occasional

regime.

of Foster, sings rather stify, but treats the munte more fairly.

cul anti-Nazi peasant, to the

To the daughter who loves an pro-

Film: Thunder Afloat. Stars: Wallace Beery,

FRANCE FEELS WEIGHT OF

By HAROLD G. BARDOGIO

THE people of France are learning the real moaning of German oppression, and their misery is hoightened by charges of treachery and treason bandied between their past and present leaders.

A prominent French business man, whom I have known for years and who has just crossed the frontier, told me of the terrible plight of his people, and of the political intrigue that is being fought amid the ruins of their liberty.

While the country is being syr Supporters of Daludler, however, temalleally plundered, the Petain declare that plans for France's eur- Government seek to shift the respon- render tind been prepared months albility for France's defeat and sur- ngo by the Petain-Laval group, zender.

when the aged marshal was French Ambassador In Madrid and in touch

They accuse Daladier, Reynaud, with Axis representatives. And Gamelin of having rushed "* France into war, of lgnoring a On his visits to Parla, It is sileged, | solemn warning from General Wey Petain

Council was constantly gand about the strength of the Ger- with Laval and other "defeatists" at man Panzer divisions.

the Paris salon of M. Lesieur, the

It is claimed that, after the Ger- well-known industrialist.

man mechanised divisions had over- It is also pointed out that even run Poland, Weygand drow up 4 now, a month after the armistice, report on the inability of the French Marshal Petoin's wife is still stay- Army to meet such a menace. ing at Hendaye with her two ser- vants and much baggage, and has

•

HITLER'S YOKE

Now the Mucsigila is anchored in ter, the hours are long and the wages

PERSONAL VALOUR the estuary, surrounded by guard on the starvation level.

If once we feared that Fear itself might come,

A lodger with a retinue of

slaveм,

(Despair, misgiving, doubt, and other Inaves)

boats.

Instead of the five franes an hour M. Daladier and her other passen- and more which skilled workers got gers are forbidden to land, or hold under the pre-armistice conditions, any communication with the shore, few now get more than one trone | Fresh provisions have been meagrely an hour for a six-day week of ten

sent out by the French police. hours a day.

To make within our soul

A prominent Frenchman, now in At one big factory near Paris, their shameful home,

the unoccupied zone, has told me where men are paid on this scale, Like some dishonourable the first account of the incident they get a scanty breakfast given which led to the arrest of M. them on arrival, and, in the after- Mandel and his' detention for six noon, a. plate of thin soup and a hours.

hunk of bread. During the first few Mandel, then Minister of the In- days a number of them tried to terior, learned that Petain and Laval strike and held their fists in the air were about to sue for an armistice, in the Communist salute.

A hundred were taken out for Without consulting his Premier M. Reynaud, he ordered his staff to "exemplary" punishment; I am told prepare a warrant for Petain's arrest that at least 50 were shot. on a charge of high treason.

malady Concealed from all but our

own private knowing, Our one concern that there

should be no showing of fear of Fear, that worst

worm enemy. -Now that our danger riscs like the sun Chasing all thin confusing

mists away, How fine, how proud, our wings of courago sweep Clear as a sea-gull for, cach

separate one, Poising ourselves above our

island spray Around the bastions of our

lonely keep. V. SACKVILLE-WEST.

•

•

•

But the news leaked and reached In unoccupied territory there General Weygand.

is also much forced labour, and

He forestalled M. Mundel by send- many big factories are working- ing round two of his own ofcers, full pressure to fulfil the Ger- who placed M. Mandel under arrest. man demands..

When Fetala took over as Fremier, Railways in the occupied zone and when the armistice negotiations have been stripped of most of their had been opened up the marshal modern material, their steam and ordered Mandel to be released to electric locomotives, and their newest

passenger coaches and goods vana.

All these, have been sent to Ger-

He is said to have submitted territory for unoccupied France.

not yet seen at to leave occupied against him for the reason that avold a political upheaval. this report to Daladier and

with three members of his It is added that Petain met and Cabinet, M. Delbos, M. Cam Gamelin, and to have suggested shook hands with Von Sthorer, the pinchi, and M. Mandel, ho la The plight of the French many to renew the worn-out rolling various changes in the French German Ambassador in Madrid, on plans, as well as urging the at least three occasions before leave virtually a prisoner aboard the people is as bad in unoccupied stock of the German railways. utmost caution.

ing Spain to take up ofice in Franco. steamer Massiglia at Bordeaux. France as it is in the occupied Franco's heavy artillery, now, all

Responsible visitors from Hen- daye declare that Madame Petain

It was in the Massign that zone, where the country. Is be in German hands, is being moved But, it is alleged, they took no sotice. According to well-informed has frequently been heard to utter Daladier fled from France just be-ing emptied of its supplies of across the country. sources, a copy of the Weygand re- disparaging remarks about England fore the armistice, only to be refused grain and food, as well as cattle.It is said the guns are being

a landing in Morocco.

and horses.

mounted on the Atlantic coast, to keep of the British Navy and prow steamer from place to place until There is forced labour in the face vent, ald from the only, country that to answer the charges made she finally returned to Bordeaux, tories, and, where Germany is mas“ can save France, de

port is in Marshal Petain's possession

and

and may be produced when M, America.

Daladier faces his Impeachment in the High Court.

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A selection of over: 60 excellent views of the Colony. Very suitable for sending abroad.

Pictures comprise views of the latest buildings and hospitals, schools, churches, the harbour, The Peak district, Kowloon, Jubileo Reservoir, Now Territories, Cheung Chau, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Deepwater Bay, besides street and wharf scenes, etc., etc.

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