National Board of Review Magazine (Jan 1939 - Jan 1942)

January 1942 19 PARIS CALLING / — Elizabeth Bcrgner, Randolph Scott, Basil Rathbone. Original screen story by John S. Toldy. Directed by Edivin L. Marin. Universal. An adventure film with locale in occupied Paris where a French girl who joins the underground movement and a stranded Yankee who flew in the R.A.F. meet, fall in love and finally defeat the Nazi gang who try to destroy them. Frankly propaganda, the film after a slow start picks up momentum and after passages of pathos, heroism and suspense, ends in swift melodrama which if a trifle unlikely is none-theless thrilling. RED RIVER VALLEY — Roy Rogers. Original screen story by Malcolm Stuart Boylan. Directed by Joseph Kane. Republic. A nice friendly Western with the time honored fixin's, a dash of romance and some very pleasant singing on the part of the star. Roy, a radio cowboy, comes home to find his town on the verge of bankruptcy because of mysterious accidents on a dam in which the townfolk had sunk most of their money. He tracks down the criminals in spite of much opposition and all ends well. SOVIET POWER / — A documentary composed of five sections. Artkino. A very interesting documentation of various phases of the activities going on in the USSR both at war and at peace. The film obviously is composed of five separate pieces strung together to make a single movie. For that reason there is a wide variance in its quality from a technical viewpoint. The loveliest part deals with Armenia, its progress and education under Soviet rule. Two sections entitled Russia's Millions Mobilize and For Freedom, Honor and Country deal with Russia in the present war. The other two concern the ordering of life in the Soviet, one. Path of the Future, outlines the education of the young from birth to adolescence and the other. The Soviet Woman, explains and pictures the position of women in the political and economic life of the country. The film has a strong propaganda intent but a large part of it has beautiful camera work and all possesses material of general interest. TUXEDO JUNCTION / — The IV eaver Brothers and Elviry. Original screen story by Dorrell McGoivan and Stuart McGoivan. Directed by Frank McDonald. Republic. An overdrawn caricature of a poor man who befriends transient boys to protect them from a rich neighbor who wants them put in institutions. There is plenty of music in the film and no end of the Weaver wit and kindliness, but the picture could be whittled down to its own advantage. THE VANISHING VIRGINIAN / — Frank Morgan, Kathryn Grayson, Spring Byington. Based on the book by Rebecca Yancey JVilliams. Directed by Frank Borzage. MetroGoldivyn-Mayer. A frankly biographical film well played by all the cast, covering the domestic and political career of a Virginian blueblood. Nostalgic and tender, it has the kind of appeal, humorous and touching, that Frank Morgan can project so well. The type of film, episodic and chiefly concerned with character drawing, militates against swiftness of presentation but its leisureliness is rarely draggy. SELECTED SHORT SUBJECTS INFORMATIONALS CALL, OP CANADA, THE— f— (Magic Carpet)— A somewhat disconnected but factually interesting view of parts of Canada and its work for war production. 20th Centurv-Fox. *CAVALCADE OF AVIATION— f— A compilation of newsreel shots of aviation's history in the making, showing its hei'oes, its frequent comic interludes with weird new inventions, and its occasional tragedies. Universal. HEDDA HOPPER'S HOLLYWOOD NO. 2— f— Both at home with William Farnum and in a Hollywood night-spot. Miss Hopper entertains, contrasting the old and the new. Paramount. HERE IS TOMORROW— f — With well documented information and very little synthetic exaltation, this short film presents the Cooperative movement in operation as a possible blueprint for the future. It describes the factories, buying agencies, research and kitchen testing bureaus, the insurance and the credit bvireaus which are all operated as Cooperatives, eliminating the middleman. The advantages of the system are shown as well as the safeguards preventing its exploitation. Resembling advertising, it nevertheless stimulates the audience to make further inquiries about the movement which is perhaps the highest purpose it could strive for. Recommended to schools for instructional use. The Cooperative League of the U.S.A. KEYS TO ADVENTURE— f— A color short that takes one through the urban and rural sights of the Florida Keys. Universal.