Harrison's Reports (1962)

2 HARRISON'S REPORTS January 13, 1962 "The Happy Thieves" with Rita Hayworth, Rex Harrison, Joseph Wiseman, Alicia Valli, Gregoire Asian (United Artists, Release N«t Set; 88 mins.) FAIR. A former film exploitcer (Richard Condon) wrote the original of this. From novel to screen transition some of the flavor, mystery and entertainment values were lost. The result is far from expectations and somewhat disappointing. All throughout its telling you keep on saying, « this has been done before. There are few novel twists to the tale, nor surprises that spring at you with the suddenness of good, storytelling excitement. For, hair-raising, nerve-tingling, sheer excitement is the lubricant of mystery. Without it, the flow of the movie is sluggish, the emotional impact dull and the net results rather displeasing. Harrison, suave, smooth, boldly courageous gives a good account of himself. Brilliant Britisher, he is given to talk, talk, talk. But, that's the way the script unfolds itself. Rita Hayworth, his confederate, fails to rise to any great distinction. The support is strong. The British moulders of mystery-talcs lean heavily (as do our own makers of mystery movies) on odd camera angles; intricate lighting setups; chill-thrill shadowy stuff. If they usually produce their dramatic effects, they're not used here. Yet the straight-away camera manipulation was rather good. The tale refuses to take itself seriously, follows the attitude of the leads and fails to milk its quota of excitement such mystery melodramas hold promise of. Since Madrid is the locale of the make-believe story, it was cameraed right in the sunny setting of Spain. All the outdoor shots had that old-world beauty that dresses up a film for so many of us Americans who can't get to these places. The mystery highlights several cold, commercial plugs. We deal here, with a "gentleman thief," (Rex Harrison.) He is a lifter (stealer) of the masters. He pilfers a painting from the castle of a duchess (Alida Valli.) Trying to smuggle the costly painting into France, Miss Hayworth is outwitted. The painting is gone. The search is on, but soon Harrison knows who lifted the Velasquez. In between there is a killing, Miss Hayworth wants to quit, another coldblooded operator (Gregoire Asian) enters the scene. There are threats, intimidations, retaliatory skullduggery. There is also the planning of the next haul of a master, - a massive job of Goya's "Second of May" taking up half of the wall of the local museum. The brilliant artist who copied the other originals (Joseph Wiseman) goes to work on the Goya. It is finished and ready to be carted out of the museum. For all its size, the simple plans make it look as if they were going to lift a small calendar off a 5 -and10 counter. The plan backfires, there is another death (Asian) , Harrison and Wiseman are arrested, the former does a little finegaling, giving Wiseman his freedom while he (Harrison) is willing to take a five-year rap on a manslaughter charge. Miss Hayworth, already married to the "gentleman thief" knows that while the wait will be rather long, when Harrison does his stretch there'll be a new life stretching out before them. Directed by George Marshall; screenplay by John Gay, based on the novel "The Oldest Profession," by Richard Condon. General patronage. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" with Janet Munro, Leo McKern, Edward Judd (Universal'lnt'l, May; 90 mins.) GOOD. Science fiction, these past few years, has supplied the movie makers with plot structures that have climbed to insurmountable heights of fantastic imagination. Many of the tales dealing with the world above, beyond and below toppled from their fictional pedestals because of unacceptable believability. Even the innocently gullible refuses to accept the science fiction films whose probable logic is stretched too far and too thin. This British entry has an almost frightening ring of strong probability and acceptable believability. What's more important, it is highly entertaining. So much excitement, weird-like emotional impact inundate the viewer, that before you know it, the story has unspooled itself with a swiftness and smoothness that make you wonder where the 90minutes went to. London has already sounded its full-throated "bravos" over this entry in the realm of science fiction. Considering that most of the action is in the city room of a London daily, our irrepressible, indispensable brethren of the press would have been the first to rip this apart were it not faithful to the reality of journalistic operation, even if it is spun out of the mesmeric pattern of cinematic make-believe. Verily, it's the way our British gentlemen of the press go about telling their story to the thundering whir and roaring grind of the Hoe presses that give the presentation an aura of believability and authenticity that account for the goodness of this cinema, and makes it a vehicle of entertainment. The acting is splendid, even to the use of amateur Arthur Christiansen (as an editor) who in real life (2 5 -years) was editor of the Daily Express. The photography is good, with the splicing of stock clips a highly professional job. The newsroom of the London Daily Express is deserted. Only one reporter is on the job (Edward Judd) writing the biggest news story the teetering world has ever known. At hand may be the end of man, or another beginning. Devastation, tornados, floods, blizzards beyond all imagination and reason have paralyzed most of the globe. Governmental officials go about their work with sealed lips. Reporters are unable to get any news. Judd and a science expertwriter (Leo McKern) are able to come up with this: Climatic upheavals were the result of nuclear tests by the Americans (at the South Pole) and by the Russians (at the North Pole). Judd meets Janet Munro (at the meteorological office) . While in quest of information he finds love with this vibrant looking brunette beauty. In the line of journalistic duty, Judd sells her out when she imparts to him some secret information. It is now known that the combined jolt of the two explosions has shifted the earth's orbit. This brings about (in London, as elsewhere) tropicallyhigh temperatures; droughts, epidemics, untold suffering. Miss Munro is arrested because of her innocent disclosures. The people are in panic, chaos mounts, the world is ripping apart at the seams. From all corners of the globe, the maddened cry is for "action!" The answer is the planting of four super-bombs to explode simultaneously, thus halting the earth's sunward orbit. The bombs go off. In the newspaper press room the men are ready to "roll" the super-extra edition. What