Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Opinions on Current Productions; Exploitips for Selling to the Public .FEATURE REVIEWS Another Part of the Forest A Univ.-Int'l ( ) 107 Minutes Rel. May '48 A grim story of family hatreds, scheming and greed is forcefully portrayed by an outstanding name cast. Like Lillian Heilman's "The Little Foxes," which deals with the same family, this should get a strong reception from sophisticated audiences. The story has tremendous emotional impact. Deft pacing keeps the film from bogging down under the complex theme. The dialog is barbed and subtle. None of the characters is likeable. Fredric March is superb as the ; ^ self-styled demigod who amassed a fortune in the south *V profiteering during the Civil War. The only sympathetic character is Florence Eldridge, 1he beaten mother. Dan Duiryea, March's second son, provides lighter moments as ' the family buffoon. Edmond O'Brien, the eldest, gains control of the family fortune by threatening to expose March as an informer for the north. Michael Gordon directed. Fredric March, Dan Duryea, Edmond O'Brien, Ann Blylh, Florence Eldridge, John Dali, Dona Drake. The Woman in White F Warner Bros. (724) 109 Minutes Rel. May 15, '48 Unblushingly, this claims to be the granddaddy of all mystery pictures, a rather acceptable pretention in view of the almost limitless facets which are knit together to make its somewhat labyrinthal whole. Based on a famous novel written by Wilkie Collins nearly a century ago, the screenplay r ■ does indeed avail itself of virtually every situation ever here 1., tofore employed by photoplays of its ilk; and, for good measv)C ure, there are many of the elements upon which is built the whodunit's more modern running-mote, the psychological ; thriller. Fortunately, such variety of literary ingredients was entrusted to a carefully-picked, star-encrusted cast which, through fine-grained delineations, renders the offering vibrant and engrossing. As an aid to the hard-working mummers and to add luster are lush, true-to-period production values and the sensitive direction of Peter Godfrey. Eleanor Parker, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead, John Abbott, John Emery. The Mikado F ‘"“S."; . Univ.-Int'l ( ) 90 Minutes Rel. The Prestige Pictures unit of U-1 is offering a timely reissue of the British-made film, first released in 1939 when it had only mild success. While the action is somewhat static, the lovely Gilbert and Sullivan melodies are splendidly sung by the D'Oyly Carte troupe, conceded to be the peers in their field. The soft hues of the Technicolor photography are comparable to those in "Henry V" and the broad comedy antics of the Japanese nobles will seem even more amusing to postwar audiences. Will do strong business in art houses and make a good supporting dualler generally. Kenny Baker's lyric tenor is heard to advantage in "A Wandering Minstrel I" and other familiar G&S tunes. The well-known tale burlesques the ancient outmoded pageantry in Japan when the Mikado ordered: an execution on the slightest provocation. Directed by Victor Schertzinger. Kenny Baker, Martyn Green, Sydney Granville, Jean Colin, John Barclay, Constance Willis, Gregory Stroud. The Argyle Secrets F Film Classics ( ) 65 Minutes Rel. May 7, '48 Considering the comparatively limited budget devoted to its making and the further fact that it is the kickoff venture of a newcomer independent company, this is a right impressive job of production. The initialer of Eronel Productions, organized and headed by Alan H. Posner and Sax X. Abarbanel, the picture is amply endowed to make it stand up in the second spot on any double bill. A whodunit w-ith a background of international intrigue, the offering is suspenseful, engrossing and fast-moving. For the sanguinary-of-mind — and that goes for most mystery devotees — there are no less than six slayings. The cast, which lists enough known names to give the film another exhibition advantage, turns in highly acceptable performances under the direction of Cyril Endfield, who gets credit also for having written the screenplay. William Gargan, Marjorie Lord, Ralph Byrd, Jack Reitzen, John Banner, Barbara Billingsley, Alex Fraser. Lightnin in the Forest F Republic (706) 58 Minutes Rel. Mar. 25, '48 After an unauspicious start as a screwball romantic comedy, this, in an obvious effort to sustain tempo, does an about-face and ends up as a cops-and-robbers actioner. In both phases it leans pretty heavily on slapstick for its laughs, while the pass at action and suspense depends principally upon gun battles and the exploding of a lavish amount of blank cartridges. The cast is sufficiently name-heavy to qualify the offering as a worthwhile booking in the supporting spot, to which it may be assi'gned with the additional advantage inherent in short footage. But fans may join critics in wondering why more acceptable material isn't made available for such an aggregation of triedrond-proven mummers. Production values are impressive while George Blair's direction, like the performances, fails to transcend literary limitations. Lynne Roberts, Donald Barry, Warren Douglas, Adrian Booth, Lucien Littlefield, Claire DuBrey, Roy Barcroft. Port Said F Columbia (909) ^ 69 Minutes Rel. Apr. 15, '48 Here is murder, intrigue and romance combined to entertain audiences that want vicarious adventure, with the setting in a world port adding atmosphere. Gloria Henry joins the ranks of those who play dual roles convincingly — closely resembling cousins who are the daughters of twins. One is a ba-ad girl and the other good, production cliche of the moment. William Bishop plays a young author who arrives in Port Said only to learn the friend he was to meet has been murdered. Trying to find the murderer leads to a rapid-fire romantic acquaintance with the "good" girl who, with her magician father, is trying to trap the bad cousin and uncle. There is tense drama when the audience knows swords have been switched in the fencing bout, but the police arrive to take over the villains. This is just an overage picture of its type. Reginald LeBorg directed. Gloria Henry, William Bishop, Steven Geray, Edgar Barrier, Richard Hale, Ian MacDonald, Blanche Zohar. Paisan A Mayer-Burstyn 114 Minutes Rel. Another superb Italian-made film which, in some respects, is finer than "Open City," also produced by Roberto Rossellini, The picture will be a strong grosser in all art theatres. Because all the dialog spokefi by Gar Moore and the rest of the American and British soldiers is in English, it will also do well in some smaller first runs and in many subsequents. However, the sordid backgrounds and ghastly war scenes make it strictly adult fare. Being composed of six separate sequences laid in the Italian campaign, the film is necessarily episodic but each part is dramatic and moving and filled with the terror of war and its aftermath. An outstanding^ sequence deals with a drunken American soldier who tells an Italian streetwalker about a pure girl he once met without realizing she is one and the same. Directed by Rossellini. Mayer-Burstyn is at 1481 Broadway, New York City. Gar Moore, Maria Michi, Robert Von Loon, Carmela Sazio. Dots M. Johnson, Harriet White, Dale Edmonds. 924 poxorric j The Lost One F Columbia ( ) 84 Minutes Rel. Mar. 29, '48 Music lovers and Italian-language patrons will find this feature a pleasing film version of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, "La Traviata." It was produced in Rome for Columbia with Italian singers and actors, and is superior to most pictures of this type previously brought to the U.S. There is a sketchy English narration of the seijtimental story of the rich man's son and Parisian courtesan who fall in love, are separated by the boy's father, and are reunited when the girl is on her deathbed. Two strikingly handsome performers — Nelly Corradi and Gino Mattera — handle these roles with great dramatic force. The singing is dubbed. The voices of Onella Fineschi and Tito Gobbi are heard in the arias. Although the recording is good, the synchronization is only fair. Gay costumes and lavish settings of 19th century Paris help make this outstanding. Carmine Gallone directed. Nelly Corradi, Gino Mattera, Carlo Lombardi, Massimo Serate. April 24, 1948 923