Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-29
THE GREEN GODDESS" PIeases
Goddess"


THE finished acting of George Ar
liSS, combined with the ability
of the Vitaphone to produce the
sound effect necessary to complete
illusion, makes 1.-The Green Goddess"
shown this week at Warmers Met
ropolitan, one of the outstanding
productions of the years cinema Of
feringS.
The Vitaphone production of 1.-The
Green Goddess" in which Mr.. ArlisS
achieved great success on the stage,
repeating it in part on the silent
this fantastic story of India is car
ried to indefinite lengths in achiev-
ing realism for the story.
The story, already we'll known to
the theater-going public, concerns
the airplane fight, over the Hima-
laya Mountains, of an English army
officer, Maj. Crespin, and his wife,
Lucilla, piloted by their friend, DR..
Traherne. They are forced to make
an emergency landing in the king
dom of Rukh, near temple where
the Green Goddess is worShiped, and
the party falls into the hands of the
Rajah, who, under a veneer of
cealS an Oriental fanaticism and
hatred of the English, which be-
comes tragically evident with his an
nouncement that they are to be sac
rif1ced to the Green Goddess. The
two Englishmen manage to obtain
control of the Rajah's modern wire
less station, operated by an English
criminal and fugitive from justice,
who, as Watkins, has become the
valet and right-hand man of the
Rajah. While sending a message to
the nearest English station for help,
Maj. Crespin is shot by the Rajah,
who enters the room unexpectedly.
The following day DR.. Traherne, OBJ
viously in love with Crespin's wife,
Lucilla, and the latter are about to
be sacrificed to the Green Goddess
when the English aeronautical
squadron, sent in answer to Crespin'S
appeal for help, arrives and rescues
the English woman and her COM
panion.
The vitaphonic effects in THE
Green Goddess" rank with the best
achieved by Warner Bros, and pre-
sent Arliss, with his excellent speak
ing voice and perfect acting, to far
better advantage than in his produce
ton, "Disraeli." The smallest sound
details are reproduced, even to the
buzzing of the wireless in the palace
of the rajah, which first reveals to
the English party that a wireless Is
on the premises The vitaphone also
has made possible tlfe weird beat of
the tom-toms, which have an i'm
portant effect in creating an oriental
atmosphere throughout the play.
Arliss is well supported by such
artists as Alice Joyce as Lucilla,
Ralph Forbes as DR.. Traherne, H.
B. Warner as Mai. CreSpin and Ivan
Simpson in the part of Watkins, the
valet. The ensemble of native
dancers, priests and the rajah's
army goes to make some excellent
scenes, and the vitaphone effect
lends a realism to the aviation
squadron impossible either on stage
or silent screen. Indeed, the vita
phone production is by far the most
interesting and attractive Of the
three productions of Arl1SS' famous
THE Green Goddess"
The Metropolitan also offers the
vitaphonic Evening Star Universal
News Reel with Graham McNamee
as the talking reporter" and in his
announcement of the events depicted
on the screen, McNamee gets many
a laugh from his audience. A silly
comedy, Lets Elope" and a vita
phone song -and-dance production,
Jazz Rehearsal" make tolerable
"fillers in" q. s. S.
EARLE-"SlightIy Scarlet"
THE program of entertainment at
= the Earle Theater this week is
as cheerfully Spring-like as the
cherry blossoms about to burst on
an expectant world in Potomac Park.
Nothing dissatisfying or tending