Judge — March 30, 1929 — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JUDGE JIUVGING TEMOVIES By PARE LORENTZ s it employed the talent rst rate director, and playwright, etter” should. in- all the best efforts of a talking movie. hervie efforts at atmosphere, and viger of Je: The remains downright dull, Miss Eagles is called upon to tell her husband that despite his clean faith, his) unwavering thinks he is a dedo and that she will always love the vegoat into which she pumped three or four ounces of lead carlier in the picture. Miss Eagles tells her husband with and hate you could ask But in order to register this se camera has to be brought within three or four feet of her face, which leaves nothing else in the picture have no grudge against the k truthfully that it has never d me than any other face dull to have a She might have dirce' all the audience say that the movie sions which the cast, corporate And, the vim despite despite Letter” love, she all the es it splendidly. vehe- menee you could mention, it remains wf dramatic scene with only one been talking to the camera-man, th Actors’ Equity for On the one hand you ean camera can cover untold dimen- statior » forbids, but at the time the movie n not register three talking and reproduce their voices and their faces at the same time. ‘Thus, any attempt at dram: irector while he is passi face to another. Dummy,” works better because your hold on the td not be so intense. 1 have seen W. C. Fields send his audience across the street for a malted milk during some Of his acts, and have them return to laugh immediately at him. However, “The tter” is dull. Monte Bell gave it dignity, and an all-star east prevented it from amateur, But none of them could overcome ror the secretary of the is aware. same lera or four people slips away from th the « from one Comedy, as in “The mer: audience the deficiencies of the rasping movietone or the short comings of the camera lens, xv “The Canary are a devout reader of these I take the announcing that the movie couldn't have been to me Murder Case” was dull. If you Van Dine mystery risk of mortally offending you by as dull I take that back Detective as the novels, as the original manuseript. it would have been bh. chosen to drop his g's « is directions demanded, For that reason alone I con- gratulate William Powell for sticking to his y’s in the movie. Several critics announced that Powe M fell down on this part beeause he wasn't as as the ch ter in the appeared ill at ease in the part. He did appear ill at case in the vinced me that he is a good called upon to appear humorous by drawling an un heard of accent and maki Kinstein I would be Vance, author's funny, or humorous, novel, and that he part, and it actor, because were 1 profound references to as ill at case as a rabbit meeting a boa-constrictor on a busy corner. a movie and not a literary criticism, the movie version of “The Canary Murder Case" is written and directed so obviously it will be dull for any of you who got beyond the cighth grade. The g. © so premeditated you hear them coming the movictone grumbles them out at you, and the climax is so poorly effected you are hardly interested in the solution of the The Canary Murder Case” is not cheap, It’s just uninteresting. So is “The Letter.” I congratulate the Paramount company for making such brave ef- forts and for hiring such excellent talent. A silent movie is hard to make. With present me- chanical defects it appears impossible to make a dramatic talking movie. Write congressman for more comedies. However, as this is supposed to be ong before murder. your The Movie Guide at Sea” tamble Artbur and Da ‘A Woman of Affairs” —The « bo print worth preserving ‘Alias Jimmy Valentine” Haines Lionel Barrymore in a ““Brotherty Love’ Arthut-Dane ‘arnation Kid" —Kte My Man”, much of Fas e first talking ‘The Man in the tron Mi all not have winning photography and Pairbanks as graceful as ever and Corinne -Old, bat it still gon Thing poetare yet m “gins of the Fothers™—The scenario the worst of the sinners. ES TT SS comicbooks.com