Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 16 June 1938, page 27


CINESOUND'S NEW FILM HAS

MUSICAL CLIMAX.

Alfred Hill's Operetta Sequence.

"The Broken Melody" - the twelfth film directed and produced by Ken G. Hall for Cinesound during the past six years - will be re-leased at the Embassy Theatre tomorrow.

The screen play by Frank Harvey is based on the novel by Frederick J.

Thwaites, who said at the preview yes terday that he was more than pleased with the screen presentation of his first book. Mr. Thwaites is now at work on his twelfth novel.

Also at the preview was Alfred Hill, who composed the special musical score which

gives colour to the whole of the film.

As the last notes of the operetta sequence died away and the lights went up in the theatrette, Mr. Hill wiped a few tears away fiom behind his spectacles.

"Eyes a Little Moist."

"I DON'T know why, but my eyes are a little

moist." he said.

The story of the film, which combines comedy, drama, and music, concerns a young university student whose heart is more in music than in his father's sheep station.

A boat-race night disturbance in a cabaret results in John Ainsworth (Lloyd Hughes) bring sent down from the University, and disowned bv his father, after a bitter quarrel.

LLOYD HUGHES, who plays the lead- ing role in "The Broken Melody.''

Through hte depression Ainsworth searches in vain for a job, and eventually finds himself down-and-out, and sharing a cave in the Domain with "Joe the Dip" and the cabaret singer Raggedy Ann (Diana du Cane), who had also been mixed up in the cabaret dis-

turbance

Change of Fortune

THEIR fortunes turn when Ainsworth is

offered a job as a "vagabond violinist";

he goes to England, and achieves success as a composer mainly through the good favour of

a prima donna, Henriette de Large (Rosalind

Kennerdale).

Ainsworth has worried over the disappear- ance of Raggedy Ann on the eve of his depar- ture from Australia, but little realised how he

Sydney with an opera company.

Operetta Sequence

THE operetta sequence is the spectacular

climax to the picture, and Mr. Hill ex-pressed his pleasure at the recording of the

musical ensemble.

"Frankly," he said, "I did not think it

possibly to obtain such results. It is splendid

to think that it is an all-Australian effort."

Mr Hill's music was presented by Hamilton Webber, conductor of the State Theatre Orchestra, who rehearsed and finally conduc-ted the A.B.C. Symphony orchestra conducted by Lionel Lawson.

The operetta sequence is presented in the forms of overture duet for tenor and soprano, and finale by principals, chorus and orchestra.