rench producer, wil
other films, Visage. d’Enfanes“
and Greta Garbo’s last ute produc¬
tion, The Kiss,“ has ###ned out a
most compelling talking picture, in
which the leading players are Ra¬
mon Novarro and Helen Chandler.
Throughout this admirable screen
contribution there are scenes set
forth with onsiderable artistry.
this offering, which is now at
In
the Capitol, Mr. Novarro plays Willi
Kasda, an Austrian Lieutenant in
the Emperor’s guards. Mr. Novarro
is the only player whose English be¬
trays his foreign birth, but allowing
for that, he gives a pleasingly light
characterization of the impecunions
voung officer, who falls in love with
Laura Taub (Miss Chandler), a mu¬
sic teacher. The sequence in which
Kasda first encounters Laura is
sketched deftly, and Miss Chandler’s
performance is far and away the best
she has given in motion pictures.
Her task is more difficult than that
of Mr. Novarro, who is for most of
the time a gay young fellow ready
to flirt and drink and also to help
out a colleague. For be it known
that. an officer of the Empeor’s pet
regiment must, above all, respect a
debt of honor. The only way out if
an officer does not see his way clear
to meet the debt promptly is to put a
bullet through his brain, which one
of Kasda’s comrades does in the
early stages of this tale.
So far as Kasda is concerned, he
is urged by his uncle, General von
Hartz, cleverly acted by C. Aubrey
Smith. to marry the daughter of
wealthy parents. This, Kasda is op¬
posed to, but as his finances are at
a very low ebb, he does not see how
he can avold it. It is against the
regelations of his regiment for an
officer to wed a girl in a humble
station of life and therefore Kasda’s
chances of making Laura his wife
are remote.
In oneof the several interesting
sequences, another young officer of
the guards finds himself in debt to
the tune of 2.000 gulden. He thinks
that he will have to kill himself.
but Kasda comes to his rescue, first
by collecting 300 gulden from the
other officers and then by gambling
at chemin de fer ard winning the
desired sum, plus 400 gulden. Laura’s
friend, a coarse individual named
Schnabel, loses the money.
After giving his comrade in arms
th 2,000 guldens. Kasda decides to
try his luck with the surplus but
##he cards are against him and he
leaves the table owing Schnabel
14,000 gulden. So Kasda finds him¬
self in the same predicament as the
comrade he had helped. His avunc¬
ular relative, the General, however.
comes to his assistance, but first he
insists that Kasda marry the wealthy
girl. The young officer refuses to do
this and the General takes back the
money. General von Hartz finally
relents and sends the 14,000 gulden
to the ignoble Schnabel. And in the
end Kasda arranges matters so that
he can marry Laura.
Miss Chandler is particularly good
when she as Laura shares a bottle of
wine with Kasda. It is her first in¬
toxicating drink, and her portrayal
of the result is natural and re¬
strained. C. Aubrey Smith, looking
a fine figure of a man in a general’s
uniform, enhances the worth of this
film. Jean Hersholt is another
actor who senses what is demanded
of him in the part of the unpleasant
Schnabel. In this röle he often re¬
minds one of his impersonations in
„ Greed'’ and“ Stella Dallas.“ Schna¬
bel is a crafty individual, who, know¬
ing that Laura really loves Kasda, is
only toc glad when the young officer
loses the substantial sum of money
to him.
Clyde Cook is amusing as Kasda’s
Jackie Searl, who gave
orderly.
such an excellent account of himself
as Sidney in the pieturization
Mark Twain's Som Sawyer,“
called upon here to appear
Laura’s disagreeable pupil, whom
Kasda refers to sarcastically as be¬
ing Ccharming.“
piel im Morgengrauen
34. 5 He A
HEMSTREET
96 WARREN STREET
NEW YORK CITY
M Y TIME
JUN 7 1931
a debt of honor means to the young
officers of a crack regiment. There
must be no delay in paying the debt.
Next day at noon it is either sup¬
posed to be scratched off the books,
or the debtor must take his own life.
Mr. Novarro may be the önly one
player in this film, which was at
the Capitol, who speaks English
with a foreign accent, but here
it does not detract from the pro¬
duction. His acting is light, amus¬
ing and sympathetic. He is one
of those lieutenants who must not
marry without the permission ofthe
Emperor, who in this case is pre¬
sumed to be the late Francis Joseph
of Austria. Willi Kasda (Mr. No¬
varro) becomes enamored of the
humble Laura Taub, a music teacher,
and after meeting her he has no de¬
sire to marry an eligible daughter
of wealthy parents, as his uncle,
General von Hartz, wishes him to do.
Amusing Glimpses.
Lieutenant Kasda reveals his per¬
sistence when he first encounters
the pretty Laura. His antics are
probably more suited to comic opera
than to a drama, but they are never¬
theless agreeably amusing. And
when Kasda takes Laura to a place
where they imbibe wine, there is
Daybreak.“
excellent acting by both Mr. Novarro
and Miss Chandler, the latter being
RTHUR SCHNITZLER’S novel,
exceptionally impressive when Laura
A Daybreak.“ may have lost
is experiencing the first effects of
most of its literary valle and
a glass or two of wine.
its strength in the motion picture
There are some happenings in this
studio operation, but nevertheless
film that are more than slightly
the producers have turned out a neat
vague, owing to the fear ofthe cen¬
though tranquil entertainment, with
sorial frown, but the idea is there,
especially good performances by
and one appreciates what is meant.
Helen Chandler, Ramon Novarro, C.
General von Hartz believes that he
Aubrey Smith and Jean Hersholt.
has captured his scapegoat nephew
It is an admirably directed film, hav¬
for the daughter of the élite when
Ing been supervised by Jacques Fey¬
Kasda is almost ready to put a bullet
der, the eminent French difector
through his brain because he owes an
who, if he has anything like à pass¬
objectionable fellow, named Schnabel,
able story, makes the most of it. His
14,000 gulden. The General hands
scenes always reveal studious care
Kasda the 14,000 gulden to pay the.
linked with a fertile imagination, at¬
debt, saying that if it happened to
tributes that are likely to make al¬
be 15,000 he could not have given
most any narrative worth while. He
it to him. Then the old man makes
fuses his work with vitality, never
a point of Kasda’s marriage to the
hastening over a scene where there
desired young woman, but Kasda is
is a chance for humor or interesting
so determined that his uncle picks
det ail.
up the money and puts it back in his
This story is concerned with what
wallet. A few minutes later the
emissaries of the officers’ mess, who
wish to know whether Kasda’s debt
to Schnabel has been satisfied, ap¬
pear at the door and the good Gen¬
eral takes out the money again, puts
it in an envelope and has it trans¬
mitted to the unworthy creditor.
Kasda realizes that he loves Laura,
despite the fact that she has dis¬
Igraced herself with Schnabel. There
is no way to make her his wife so
long as he is an officer of the Em¬
peror’s guards. Therefore he decides
box 6/1