Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

\" HERE'S one thing tat leasO 70
be said for the Warner Broth
! ers. They're surprising. They
Il asteunded every one several
| years ago when they started, all
/ of a sudden, to make good pictures,
Among these were the first Luhitseh
comedies ("The Marriage Circle" PFiR-
cipally)' and the John Barrymore
dramas (notahly Beau Brummel."l
Their next and biggest surprise waa
| the demonstration of o curious device
/ known as the Vitaphone, which enabled
! characters on the screen TO talk, sins
rasp and gurgle. Following which they
introduced, in ION With the 6hew,s the
| first all-technicolor musical comedy.
| Now they are presenting eellulaid
and wax version Of "BisFaeli," the biag'
raphy of the great Semitic EnslishMan,
with George Arliss In the title Fele. The
surprise this time Is that "DisFaeli" ID
remarkably effective drama. There are
| those of us who expected 1t weula he
| otherwise.
AS play, "Disraeli," by Louis N. Par
ker served Mr.. Arliss for several seasons
| in the pre-war era. 1t was the begin
ming Of his enormous reputation in
America, and it gathered unto hiFa an
| audience that has remained loyal te
him through several lesser efforts In the
last 10 years.
"Disraeli" is a good play, but 1t Is one
to be regarded in these hard-boiled days
as distinctly out of date.
| If the Warner boys had happened ia
ask me for advice before they made
| 'Disraeli" into a talking picture, ]
should have told them, Fellows, you're
crazy It will be a disaster"
Which goes to show that there's really
nothing like sound, constructive eriti-
eisn.
Mr.. Arliss, in his own masterful sell
| on the screen, and "DiSraeli' still pro-
vides the greatest part that ever wal
written for him, If may be permitted
| to phrase it thus, "Disraeli' is his dish
Dish? 1t is his solid gold platter. His
ease, his absence of effort, his adrait
dexterity, his perfect control are admir-
| ably suited to his subject. He leaves
no room for doubt of Disrael!'s power or
| his cleverness. He is the ultimate diplo-
mat of tradition; ehocelate-e coated
arsenic,
The praise lavished on Mr.. Arliss'
performance can hardly be extended to
cover the plot, or rather series of plots
| through which he glides. But that
hardly matters. Mr.. Arliss is the whole
picture, and he Is superb.
The Messrs. Warner will present
George Arliss again, in 1.-The Green
Goddess" another of his stage successes
1t Is to be hoped that there will be more
| to follow. For If Mr.. ArliSS can be per-
suaded to remain in Hollywood, the va
| caney caused by the departure of Emil
Jannings won't be quite so enormous.
| X X X
TT Is we'll within the bounds of posi-
bility that William Fox's latest Of
fering, entitled (fer no good Feasen)
Sunny Side Up" will prove to be the
biggest box-efice success of the year.
Speaking as one who kept close count
can testify that sunny Side Up tal
every single one Of the elements that at
tract customers to the grilIed window
Cinderella romance, broad and not-too-
clean comedy, excellent music, plenty Of
sex appeal and story that only Q
moron could love,
Janet Gaynor is the heroine wfR
ascends from an East Side tenement to
southampton villa in less time than
| II takes to change the reel, Charles
Farrell Is Prince Charming himself
This is the first time that I have
heard either of them through the loud
speakers. and the attractiveness of beth
| Is lessened somewhat by the revelation
OF Sound. Miss Gaynor certainly could
90 with great deal of training in die
ZION her voice is naturally pleasant,
put 1t Is twisted into uneeuth shapes hy
her exaggerated articulation Mr.. FAR.
reIl IS smoother, but he should place
notes. S"@
David Butler directed Sunny side