THE CINEMA
" The Paradine Case." (Leicester Square.)—" The Saxon Charm." (Astoria.)—" Third Time Lucky." (Odeon, Marble Arch.)
ROBERT HICHENS' The Paradine Case has been turned into an excellent film, sometimes, particularly in the court scenes, too slow, but on the whole flowing at a steady pace and maintaining through- out the interest of the beholder. The cast mustered for the occasion is a brilliant one, and does credit to both sides of the Atlantic both in looks. and histrionic ability, and there is not a misfit anywhere, each player wearing his or her part like a smooth unwrinkled glove, so that the whole film has a polish and compactness that are very enjoyable to see. The heroine is the Italian star Valli, and though she is not allowed to be anything but withdrawn and beautiful, she promotes an appetite for any future films in which she may appear. Mr. Gregory Peck as her love-sick lawyer is admirable, and so is Miss Ann Todd as his wife. She has a great gift for naturalness, and is one of the few English stars who give the appearance of living in this world and knowing how to sew on a button. Then there is Mr. Charles Laughton, very much himself in the part of the "hanging fudge," and that other able veteran, Mr. Charles Coburn. Add to these Miss Ethel Barrymore and a goad newcomer, M. Louis Jourdan, and you will realise that the plums in this pudding are of the very choicest quality. Mr. Alfred Hitchcock has directed the picture, Mr. David Selznick produced it, and as an instance of inter- national co-operation I commend it unreservedly to the attention
of U.N.O. * *
It is evident that Mr. Robert Montgomery is obstinately determined to play odious parts, and we can no longer go to see him in the
certainty of being charmed. Granted, in his latest film, The Saxon Charm, he is supposed to have such an abundance of this indefinable quality that it blinds his victims to his outrageous behaviour ; but though charm may conceal weakness and dishonesty, nothing will make me believe that it atones for appalling table manners, dictatorial- ness, bad temper and megalomania. As Matt Saxon, a great Broad- way producer, Mr. Montgomery hypnotises his entourage into placing their lives in his hands, and he delights when they are safely netted there to squeeze every drop of happiness out of them, to make them utterly dependent on him, to indulge, in fact, his power complex. He does this extraordinarily well,• and one can easily understand how weaker mortals come under his influence, but that this influence is based on charm is, frankly, not apparent. The film is handled with intelligence, and the dialogue is adult and convincing, so that with the help of Miss Audrey Totter, Mr. John Payne and Miss Susan Hayward, Mr. Montgomery holds one firmly in his grip throughout an evening of good entertainment.
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Though the reformation of sinners lies close to our hearts, it is time Mr. Rank, and everyone else for that matter, stopped making heroes out of murderers and gamblers. In Third Time Lucky Mr. Dermot Walsh earns his living by gambling, and though he gets a bullet in his back for being so wicked, this doesn't kill him, and we leave him, looking very handsome, promising Miss Glynis Johns he will never touch a dice again. The fault in this film, morally speaking, is that Mr. Walsh is invested with all the trappings of a hero ; he is kind, thoughtful, strong, intelligent and good-looking, and yet he is allowed, without a word of censure from anybody= not even from the Ministry of Labour—to earn his daily bread play- ing roulette. Miss Johns trails after him, and it seems stfange to me that a girl of her type shouldn't show the smallest distaste for her loved one's modus vivendi. She is a quiet, sensible girl living in Finchley, and I feel it would have added considerably to the ethical flavour of this picture had she, at odd moments during its run, implored Mr. Walsh to take a nice, steady job in a biscuit factory. Apart from the complete failure of these two to be dis- reputable, which offends me, the film is not a good one, and shows no talent save in its ability to copy its American counterparts not
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