THE CRIMSON PLAYGOER

Every now and then a cinema comes from across the sea to break up the monotony of a steady fare of Hollywood banalities, which restores our faith and interest in motion pictures. Such a picture is "The Blue Light" now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre, the work of Fraulein Leni Riefenstahl, now much in the public eye because of her intimate friendship with Der Fuehrer.

She has fashioned a film in which the treatment and setting subordinate the plot and acting. The story is based on an ancient legend of the Dolomite mountain-folk, that of the fatal attraction of the "blue light" which shines forth from the craggy peak of Mount Christallo, luring the young men of Santa Maria to their deaths. Only one person had climbed to the top and uncovered the secret of the mountain, a comely Italian girl, banished from the village for suspicion of witchcraft. One day a young artist, attracted by her beauty, followed her to the "light" and discovered its cause, moonlight reflected through a crystal cavern. This was reported to the villagers who removed the precious rock, and by this act brought about the girl's tragic end.

Set against the sublime grandeur of the Dolomites, this simple folk-tale becomes a motion picture of heroic proportions. Every scene is beautifully photographed, yet without obvious pretension. The roles are competently handled by Fraulein Riefenstahl, who plays the mountain girl, and a group of native Tyroleans. There is so little dialogue as to obviate any necessity for familiarity with German or Italian. "The Blue Light" is a truly distinguished and unusual film and one that would provide a refreshing evening to any picturegoer.

Included on the program are two entertaining educational subjects, one of which was created by Professor Kirtley F. Mather, professor of Geology at Harvard, and a Silly Symphony in color.