Evening star., 1936-01-08
CharnnGiven
To Realistic
Child Story
Rare Qualities Shine
in French Product
at the Belasco.
BY ROBERT b. PHILLIPS. JR.

BY ROBERT b. PHILLIPS, JR.
IT IS so refreshing to find now and
then a motion picture dealing with
people as plain, unadorned human
beings that one Is thrown of balance
in attempting to estimate. its value.
La Maternelle," the French product
. opened at the Belssco last night. Is
such story, handed with realism in
sight. subtle humor and half dozen
other qualities utterly alien to the ma
chine-made program picture. Conse-
quently there arises the dihculty OF
Judging a cinema which has no parallel
in our own celluloid product, and was
created by an entirely different set OF
standards. To appraise 1t in direct
comparison to our average Hollywood
concerto would be like measuring gar
denias with yard stick.
Even the best that Hollywood has
to offer does not spring from the same
premises as la Maternelle." The
French producers o. this tale were in
teresteo in it as an intelligent thesis
on the problems Of childhood. The
producer of an American film is in
terested in its possibilities as enter
tainmnent. The thesis, the problem,
comes second, If at all. Which method
is the more successful the box office
receipts indicate clearly. Which Is
the more laudable remains to be de-
cided.
There is no particular necessity.
howeve", for launching further into
comparative dramatics because La
Maternelle" Is in town. The picture
speaks eloquently for itself, for the
technique and wisdom of its sponsors.
A story about children, meant for
adults, it also achieves honor as an
Illuminating lecture on the relation
ship of parent and child, the influ-
ence Of parental conduct on children's
sensitive psychological makeup.
Fifty-odd children in the cast are
handled with incredible skill. They
are not conscious, yet their
moods and actions fit as clearly into
the plot as if they were a brigade of
Shirley Temples and Jane Withers. |
The only child among them obviously
y. q
wistful girl who seems to know the
childish emotions Of terror, fear and
loneliness, quite as thoroughly as Miss
Temple understands the arts of the
cut-up, the precocious child, the win
some rascal. In this picture Mile.
Elambert is the daughter of a disso-
lutte mother, who gives her no COM
h ,1I aF
that Offset by moments when the
mother feels her daughter is merely
nuisance, standing in the way Of
pleasure.
This unhappy child attends one Of
the Montmartre nursery schools, where
she becomes attached to young
nursemaid Madeleine Renaud). The
maid also is lonesome and lost per-
son. Through her friendship with
little Paulette she learns to feel in
stinctively the right way to handle
difficult or thwarted youngsters. to
gain their confidence and straighten
out the quirks in their minds. The
development of that faculty In a won-
an may not sound like rousing drama |
to you. It is, strangely so.
There are English subtitles to ex-
plain the dialogue and an excellent
auxiliary cast to aid the principals.
Mady Berri, q robust and able actress. |
is especially helpful with her imper-
sonation of q veteran school maid. |
LA Maternelle" was adapted from the |
Goncourt prize novel by Leon Frapie.
As @ story and q filn 1t Is rather
rare tribute to q national prize COM
nittee.