Cinema

Down on lower Second avenue at the Yiddish Art Theatre where through this winter Maurice Schwartz has been regaling our people with drama and comedy, the first talking and singing picture about Paestine had its premiere yeaterday. And it can truthfully be reported that this film, called “The Dream of My People,” is an extrmely interesting production which you cannot possibly afford to miss.

Presented by the Palestine American Film Co., Ltd. this is an idealistic bit of propaganda calculated to arouse further interest in the Promised Land, Flashe on the screen are shots of Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, Harfa and many other Palestinian sttlements. Besides there is a good deal of material showing the boulding up and growth of various industries and national projects. Ruttenberg’s Electrical works, Hadassah hospitals and other institutions are among the points of interest.

The producers have been able to catch an almost complete picture of everday life in Palestine and you are able to see just how the inhabitants work and play. In addition the late Cantor Rosenblatt may be both heard and seen and some of his songs will bring back a keen nostoglia for the voice of that great artist.

“The Dream o My People” is the most eloquent appeal that has come from Palestine. It is more effective than the combined efforts of an entire corps o lecturers.

OTHER SCREEN NOTES

Last week this colummn was pretty heavy on the theatrical side. The result was that we have not been able to report on the current picures until now. First prize goes to Lionel Barrymore who, in the M. G. M. film, “This Side of Heaven,” at the Capitol, plays the part of a worried accountant whose wife is asuccessful novelist. Taken from Marjorie Paradis’s novel of the same name, th picture is a sincere, intelligent, restrained production. There is anough action to satisfy the flighty, a happy ending for the sentimental but there is also enough body for the intelligent. The plot is involved and concerns the toubles of the accountant’s family. They are not really serious aff irs but of a kind pertinent to {SPAN}{/SPAN} all. Fay Bainter as the wife is practically perfect.

“Madame Spy” starring Fay Wray, unusually good melo-drama now showing at the Roxy. It tells of Maria (Fay Wray) who marries an army captain to get information for Russia while he is workng just as hard for Germany and Austria. This, as you would suppose, brings on all sorts of complications which work their ways nearly to a satisfactory ending. The photography, and the directing which was done by Karl Freund are excellent and although the picture is pure melograma and hokum, it manages to hold your interest.

At the FAramount (Brooklyn and New York) the offering is not up to par. It is called”Search for Beauty”an seems to be the result of an international contest for movie talent. Some score or more young gentlemen and ladies who had won contests in their localities were sent to Hollywood for a chance to get into one picture.This is it. The story revolves around the promotion of a health magazine and hoe the owner, interested in maing money rather than promoting health leads to the victimizing of the contestants. Considering the material in hand Paramount has done very well indeed.