CINEMA
" Samson and Delilah." (Carlton and Plaza.)=—“Transcontinent Express". (London Pavilion.) IT is impossible to write of Mr. Cecil B. de Mille's productions without using the words colossal and stupendous. In Samson and Delilah he has once again mustered vast crowds, clothed them in the richest of garments and surrounded them with chariots, camels, bugles, banners and brilliant sunshine so that the eye is nearly blinded with colour. However allergic one may be to the exaggera- tions and distortions of de Mille's particular brand of art, one cannot deny that his sumptuous approach to life is refreshing or that his technical ability is a source for wonder. Although Mr. Victor Mature makes quite a convincing Samson, and Miss Hedy Lamarr, as Delilah, battles with admirable courage against an impossible part, one is inclined to dismiss them in favour of their trappings or dwell with awe on the many sequences which defy belief. Samson killing the lion with his bare hands, for instance, is a miracle of trickery, as is also the great final scene when the Temple crashes on to the fleeing Philistines. These are in the best de Mille tradition and are ample recompense for those moments of tedium which inevitably arise from a story of seduction. It would be easy to mock this film, to debunk its pseudo-biblical script, its extravagances and vulgarity, but the fact remains that it is not only gigantic, stupendous, colossal and dazzling, but also highly enjoyable. It is everything I dislike most and I loved it. Transcontinent Express is ideal holiday fare. It deals, in cheerful terms, with the first American railway and the hard time it had laying its tracks across the country. Sponsored by Mr Forrest Tucker, it had to contend with rival means of transport, with wickedness in the river-steamer racket and sabotage in the stage-coach business, with the apathy of bankers and the chickenheartedness of the public. And, of course, Red Indians Except that the heroes of the piece are Heath Robinson engines, the film claims near kinship to every other pioneer picture, but it is considerably fortified by excellent dialogue and by a pleasing, sensible heroine, Miss Adele Mara.
VIRGINIA GRAHAM.
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