Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-25


colors the presentation of Poll de
Carotte," French film, which opened
yesterday at the BelaSco. Relating
the sorrows of a child prosecuted by q
cruel woman, this otherwise realistic
chronicle errs in presuming that an
unhappy boy is able to diagnose his
own ailments along philosophical lines
and reach deliberately correct con-
illusions. Instead of failing to recog-
nize the old truism that children
understand more than they are given
credit for, the authors and directors
of this film credit them with more
than they possibly could understand.
In appalling contrast to our own
popular tastes in Midget Joe Jeffersons
the hero of Poll de Carotte" is a
gawky young man of rather repulsive
physiognomy. While he is undoubt-
edly mistreated by one stupid parent
and neglected by father who is
kindly, but too preoccupied to notice
what goes on in his own family, this
young fellow displays a rare talent
for dramatizing his martyrdom. an
infinite capacity for self-pity and an
assortment of thoroughly unenchant-
ing mannerisms.
Not that we are pleading for an
unbroken line of Shirley Temples and
Freddie Bartholomew In child roles,
but young Robert Lynen seemed to us
quite often Intellectual because he dis
torted his face well beyond the limits
of human comprehension. And his
map was no beauty to begin with.
r X \ y
T IKE many foreign films, "Poil de
Carotte" attains a realism almost
unknown, or at least thoroughly I'M
popular, among Hollywood directors.
The characters bear a stronger re-
semblance to people than to cigarette
ads. The settings. costumes and ges-
lures intimate that these men and
women are made of flesh and blood.
They even dare not to be overly allur-
ing or strong or graceful. There is
not really one wholly pleasing person
In the film, unless 1t be the father
Harry Bauer) in his more president
moments, but neither will any Of them
be quickly forgotten by those who
have met them on the Belasco screen.
While the courage to present the I'M
vanished personalities and trivialities
Of life IS one of the great virtues OF for
eign language cinemas, they also share
another eiement-the insuperable dis
advantage Of dialogue spoken in one
tongue and augmented by explanatory
English subtitles.
Under this system, following two or
three minutes of character-revealing
dialogue, half a dozen English words,
purely narrative, are thrown forth
to represent the entire scene. Much
subtlety and force drifts away in the
transition, and audiences for the large
part dependent upon the English notes
find their chances for appreciation cut
down about 40 per cent.
In addition to Master Lynen and
Mr.. Bauer, the most important play
ers in Poll de Carotte" are Catherine
Fonteney, as the mother, Louis
Gouthier as Parrain and Christiane
Day as Annette. The Belasco also has
several short subjects to offer.
X X \ Il
'THUMBs UP" will not come to
Washington on October 7. In
stead the legitimate theater season
here will be inaugurated with Lau-
renee Schwab's production of Venus
In Silk" the Viennese musical play
which made a hit in the st. Louis
outdoor theater this Summer. A tele-
phone call from New York late yes
terday brought word from Steve Coch-
ran that the Eddie Bowling revue has
been Cancelled and Venus in Silk"
set for the same date at the National
Theater. The Schwab piece has a
chorus Of 80, music by Robert Stolz
(who wrote 1.-TWO Hearts in Waltz
Time" and about 40 other waltzes)
and J. Harold Murray, Nancy McCord,
Audrey Christie, Joseph Macauley,
Gilbert Lamb, John Sheehan and a