Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-13
METROPOLITAN
j o h n
is superb
General Crack"

Ia HOrf
General Crack" is superl
in his mrs
appearance on the sound screen in tn,
role OF General Crack, romantic figur,
of the eighteenth century. who was al
once soldier, gypsy and prince.
Here We have the Barrymore of Tho
stage once more, adding to his powers
OF physical portrayal, which alone car.
ried him to the pinnacle in silent
drama, the magnificent dramatic quail.
ties of his speaking and singing voice
And we have him in role worthy OF
the talents of such an artist. These
factors, combined with an excellent sup
porting cast, artistic setting and flaw
less direction, place this Warner Bros
production in the front ranks of sound
.llmS.
Marion Nixon, cast as the lovely sister
of the Emperor, and the newly dis
covered Mexican beauty. Armida, who
plays Fidelia form striking contrast,
the blond beauty of the charming Nixon
complementing perfectly the dark-eyed
flame that Is Armada. Lowell Sherman
is fine as the rather weak Emperor Leo
pold II, and Hobart Bcsworth does a
neat bit of acting In the role of the Aus
tran minister of war. Costumes and
setting are all that could be desired of
production that is planned on scale
far more comprehensive, perhaps, than
would have been possible on either the
silent screen or the stage.
The story is one of conquest and re-
venge, the later turning bitter in the
mouth of the vengeful Prince Christian,
known as Gen. Crack to his men, who
discovers almost too late that the cure
for a wound to the soul is not the dam
nation of other souls, but rather the
healing influence of love. There is not
p dull moment in the picture from the
prologue to the final fadeout. Nor is
there one foot of film that is not filled
with action suspense, emotion and, In
short, all the elements of rouSing good
drama. Extraordinarily clever dlalogu.
has been put into the mouth Of one who
knows how to turn a pretty phrase or
a cutting one with equal grace and
suavity.
TAINTED by a sighting reference to
his gypsy mother, dropped carelessly
from the lips of court ladies, upon his
first visit to the palace of Leopold II,
Emperor of Austria, to offer the Serv-
ices of his army to the crown, Prince
Christian, rightful Duke of Kurland
Though by an illegitimate union), asks,
in return, the hand of the grand
duchess, sister of the ruler. This being
granted very reluctantly by the En-
pSIUIB LIE llSllOIlS SSIlSIdI AOIllCdlly
proceeds to release her highneSs from
the betrothal Ito one whose mother
she could not meet" and marries in
stead a gypsy maid who becomes I'M
faithful during her bridegroom's abb
sence in battle. The Emperor himself
Is her tempter.
Learning of this, Gen. Crack plans a
cruel revenge. but first carries out his
agreement to place Leopold on the
throne of Bavaria. He both crowns
and uncrowns him, and, having COM
"evening all scores" at the expense of
the Emperor's sister, the grand duch-
ess, when his revenge suddenly turns to
ashes. He not only spares the life of
the Emperor and the honor of his sister,
but restores to him his Bavarian king
dom. Through this remuneration
Christian ultimately wins the lovely
Maria Louisa, regains his own duchy
of Kurland and finds happiness in a
deeper love than that impetuous passion
that had mismated him to the faith
hess gypsy.
1t is masterful tale, masterfu1y
Owing to the length of the feature,
subsidiary attractions are confined to
news reels. C. F.
pAT ACE The charm and dra-
matte personality of
"New York Norma Talmadge domi-
Nights" nate her first dialogue
picture, New York
Nights which the Palace is showing
this week as the thiyd in the series of
Loew January festical presentations.
There is only one conclusion to draw
after viewing the picture. and that is
that the debut of Miss Talmadge as a
speaking actress has too long been de-
1syed. She is revelation. even for
star of such magnitude. Her voice is
warm and flexible and her use of 1t
is smooth and easy. Altogether her
initial experiment with speech from
the screen Shove painstaking care. The
result is q decided success.
1t is regrettable. however, that a
more appropriate vehicle than New
York Nights" could not have been
found for Miss Talmadge's introduction
as a talkie prima donna. The char
acter of the play and the role in which
she had been cast are different, very
pastels in which we are accustomed to
seeing her, and that of course Is dis
appointing. Even so. Miss Talmadge,
in her versatile way, handles the char
acterization with inimitabie skill, con-
sidering its restricted limitations.
The picture itself. is absorbing and
unlike. in certain respects, a number
of the recent outpourings of photo
plays based on racketeering and the
night life of New York. The story is
an adaptation of the play of the stage,
"Tin Pan Alley"
New York Nights" has its dramatic
moments, its pathos and a sprinkling
of comedy relief. and these seem to be
the only ingredients required of any
interesting play. The theme, however,
Is one of those Believe it or not" vari-
ties. which some might term far
fetched.
Miss Talmadge is cast as a pretty
chorus girl, who is tied, by the bonds
of matrimony, to a ne'er-do-well song
writer with weakness for drink. Gill
bert Roland appears as her soaked,
song writing husband. So far as the
acting routine goes Roland does exactly
what other drunken husbands have
been doing for years, but the way he
does 1t is not too impressive.
The performance of John Wray as
Joe Previdi, a Chicago gangster, who
has become big shot" in New York,
and of Lilyan Tashman as an alert
and case-hardened lady of the ensemble
of a Broadway revue, however, more
than compensate for the lack of virtues
In the other roles.
The trials and tribulations of Miss