1941-01-25 — Page 21

Saturday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

January 25, 1941.

13

Entertainment Page

Gielgud As

Disraeli.

"THE TIEF OF BAGDAD," U:0 As the sinister grand vizler, Jaffar, “NORTHWEST PASSAGE," now nhowing of which at the King's Conrad Veldt rendera the capable per- showing at the Queen's, is another formance that might be expected of very long pieture, running for some- Theatro coincides with the Chinese an experienced player with abundant thing like two hours, and, lite "The New Year holidays, is one of the most knowledge of the tricks of lavish and colourful fins ever made. fession. Sabu and Veldt she pro- Thlet of Bagdad," would have Im- act proved with judicious cutting. But Mies Maileron Colourful in a sense apart from the Ing honours with

in this case, good technicolour_ngain splendid technicolour work which dis- Sultan with naturalness and effect. department of acting, there is little to who plays the part of a foolish old provides stimulating interest. In the

John Justin, as Ahmad the Prince, eritielse, Spencer Tracy and the rest after incident culled from the Arabi- s lamentably weak and disappoint of the cast all giving a good standard m Nights fables, presented with great ing, and his methodical reading of of performance.

dialogue spolis many a good ine, technical ingenulty and expense,

MUCH is brewing in tinguishes the production. Incident

British film duction, says a London create an imaginative appeal that can-

film writer.

pro-

not fall to attract.

Alexander Korda retains only the Bagdad background and the title in this version of the pleture made Fairbanks; but while Fairbanks gave

several years ago by the late Dougins

dash and movement to his story, the latter dominating the spectacle, Kor-

da approaches the subject from the

reverse angle. As a result, interest

Week's New Films

June Duprez,

20

Marlene And

Leg Appeal

For years, Marlene Dietrich, owner of that magnificent pair of extremities, has topped bal- lots for No. 1 leg appeal.

She tops it no longer. In a

The story is an adaptation of the first half of Kenneth Roberts' famous slory dealing with the French and Indian wars in America in 1759, but it concentrates on the eple deeds of world where such competitions the Rogers' Rangers, a group of men still make headlines, Miss Betty who set forth to wipe out on Indian section that delights in making hot-Grable is the new title holder: Has just been voted so, after a

pot" of human beings.

Straightforward direction of ma-nation-wide screen poll taken by terial that is full of netion results in the Screen Dancers' Guild.--. some lively adventures, with the In-

At Teddington, on a House of Commons set, I met Disraeli and Glad-

the Princess, dian masstiere as "the highlight, The There are, of course, runners- stone. "Dizzy" was John

do this well vered and at times lightened by Gielgud, stepping into technfen displays of the picture but she manages to

The plot, however, Zorina, Joan Crawford, Hedy rather than on the inte as it is told enough for the picture to be enriched Inconic comment.

which is

by her adornment.

lacks emotional impetus, being entire Lamarr, Ann Sheridan, Lana his first film part for and the general acting,

stolld, sto

slow and somewhat disjointed. The picture is too long, and the ly dependent upon action and move-

Turner, Sonja Henie, Brenda For fantacy, Korda makes use of effect is made all the more apparant ment. four years.

last the stories of the mechanical horse by poor editing, so that the spon-

(The

was in Hitchcock's cret Agent."

He wore a very tight

is focussed on the production and has little to do except to look pretty dialogue is lurid, is forcefully dell-fup—Alice Fuy, Eleanor Powell,

that files through the air, the giant torelly which most audiences demand ates the film as Major Rogers. He ankles and 13in. calves romp Spencer Tracy necessarily domin. Joyce. But Miss Grable's 84in. "Se-Genie of the bottle, the spider that it lacking. Nevertheless, it can be gives in fine portrait of a real trader home first.

guards the all-seeing eye, the alx- said to be an achievement, consider- of men. Robert Young plays the and the mngle of the usurperpeting that Korda's plans were many love-sick artist very well, but seems armed dancing doll, the magic

tires upret by the war. Production

In case you've forgotten how

All these are presented with special was begun in England, but the war somewhat out of place in the setting, pea-effects, and are interwoven into the stepped in: plans were made to flm Walter Brennan, of "Kentucky" and the other half of the world Ilves, story of the romance of the Prince in Egypt and Africa, but that was "Maryland" fame, is as efficient as let me remind you that Misa green frock-coat and even or Bagdad and the Frincess of Dasra. later inpossible, and finally it had ever; he has some of the best lines, Grable was once the wife of ex-

not the central character of the piece external scenes being largely filmed is incidental to the love In- In the Arizon desert and the Grand

Canyon.

tighter trousers, and could The gamin thief of Bagdad is really to be completed in Hollywood, the and delivers them with gusto. jfilm-prodigy Jackle Coogan, that

hardly sit down.

Fine gold chains dangled] from his neck, massive rings flashed from his fingers- worn, oddly, over heavy white kid gloves.

-he terest.

In spite of that, makes a fine impres Sabu, as the thief Abu, sion. This Indians

whom Korda

duced to the filins in "Elephant Boy" and "Drums," gives evil- ence of remarkable

Disraeli, as you know, was talent, and his future terrific dandy, and he had (at) as an actor is worth Teddington) just made his mai- watching. den speech as an M.P. On such occasions, he offended everybody by looking dandier than ever.

Mr Gielgud was about thirty- three when I saw him; he ends up as a political sage of seventy- two, but by that time his clothes are easier to wear. "I can sit down," Dizzy told me, striving to relax.

Gielgud has a magnificent part, full of clanging, rhetorical speeches, scorching epigrams, wit, contempt, all the dramatic highlights of the conscious ora- tor.

His remarkable voice, easy| dignity, and hereditary grease- paint he is a member of the Terry family-should make his "Dizzy" memorable.

{10+ A

Ruth Hussey provides the little they hogged columns of space in romantle interest that there is us the the newspapers by separating, heroine in the coming together, separating case, while the again, and then divorcing. suppor: mg)

cast acquit I give you this leg news de- themselves gen-liberately-in the hope that it erally with ere-may, for a few moments, divert dit,

your eyes from the skies,

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD

To Aid War Fund

LEADING British film stare

Hollywood-Herbert Marshall, Ronald Coleman, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier. Madeleine Carroll, Glorin Jean, Anna Neagle, the Dionne Quin-- tuplets, C: Aubrey Smith, Fred-

JUST ARRIVED

A NEW SHIPMENT OF

TWEED COATS

IN FLECKS, CHECKS and STRIPES LONDON TAILORED

$42.50 each

SKIN GLOVES

IN

WINE, NAVY, BLACK, CLOVER,

FAWN and BROWN

From $8.95 pair

die Bartholomew, Merle Oberon, WHITEAWAY, LAIDLAW & Co., Ltd.

Reginald Gardner and Mary Pickford.

No, it's not a who's who, but the performers heard in a special electric recording of the recent Canadian Red Cross ap- peal presented recently in Singapore in aid of war funds. Film they're making is called saying: "This is a working tille, Connie Cummings, an American re-

The opening address is by the porter, dazzled the optics with her "An Empire Was Built," and wait for the premiere"

In the meantime the pleture has serene,

Mr practical beauty softly Hon.

MacKenzie King. has many historic parallels with to be sold to you patrons on a boited, rather a hard-boiled, Prime Minister of Canada and to-day.

working title that doesn't work. It reporter.

Mr Alan Mowbray, the well-

He is hoping to out-Arliss George Arliss in film in London, tells me this is one-land" mys-nothing-to-you-and-is-

the Doubtless he will.

the

than

*

monies.

Max Milder, Warner's chief has to be changed. "This Eng- "This England" tells of Britain in known English film star in of three big pictures his com by the way, the title of a comic vaded from Caesar's time to Adolf's. Hollywood, in Master of Cere

column in a highbrow weekly. pany are making which will re- With him was Stephen Mur- present the best of English life galoid.

afold, growths surrounding Elstree, I SEE there's a movement to bring This broadcast, which re- the plaster village struck was back Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels cently resulted in over (U.S.) ray as young Mr Gladstone. to the world.

heaven Itself.

It had a pub-The inte flims. Not a bad Idea, either. $100,000 being handed over to His wife (not in the film) was

King's Hend blacksmith's and a Those effervescent uld-timers, with running around with a piece of

draper's shop, cobbled streets, an- their "plus" personality and irresisti- the Canadian Red Cross Fund, beef-steak in a paper bag for I FOUND the ideal village in Els clent thatches, and a pond inhabited ble gagging, have made "It Gang!" is most inspiring and entertain- tree-but it wasn't Elstree, it by mucky ducks. I award a cheer to the high spot of radio for months on ing. Nearly one hour's enter- "Secret Agent.")

was. Clevely Down, imaginary ham- the art director for this cameo of would like to see them in a siż- broadenst.

tainment is provided by this let in British National's film, This Merrie England... England.”

She looks after him on the sol -make-up, calls, meals, every- thing. It's a full-time job.

★

end.

I

I went inside the pub. Emlyn zing British musical in which they Who is the whe guy who thinks Willians, the man who is always a had their own particular stab at the up there insane titles? Why do thousand times better than his film dialogue. Then, at least, we would

im producers excuse themselves by part, was there as a farm labourer, get a few big foughts guaranteed.

The recording will soon be

heard here.

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