Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 8, 1943)

REVIEWS INFORMATION RATINGS ; | Vol. 8, No. 50 ‘Hostages’ with Luise Rainer, Willlam Bendix, Paul & Paramount 88 Mins. THIS ONE HAS ENOUGH MARQUEE NAMES TO OVERCOME HANDICAP OF FAMILIARITY OF ITS MATERIAL. Nazi villainy, the underground, sabotage, hostages. Again these elements have been combined for the purpose of film entertainment. The pattern scarcely varies. Repetition has made the story terribly familiar by now. It takes the finest effort in every department to make the theme palatable and a box office asset at this stage of the game. “Hostages” is far from the best of the films of its type. It starts out promisingly enough but gets badly out of hand before it advances very far. It is fortunate that in spite of everything the film manages to retain a certain quality of excitement and suspense. The picture has some fine isolated scenes vibrant with drama. which will help the production get over the hump. Also to the film’s advantage are several attractive performances from a cast which contains enough marquee power to make a big difference at the box office. These include portrayals by William Bendix, Oscar Homolka, Paul Lukas and Reinhold Schunzel. These run away with the acting glory. The film does not gain as much as it should from the performances of Luise Rainer and Katina Paxinou, the Greek actress. Miss Rainer lacks color and acts too much in one key. As for Miss Paxinou, she hasn’t too much to do. Besides, her role is rather cutand-dried. The excitement in ‘‘Hostages,” which is set in Prague, starts when a German officer commits suicide by drowning himself in a river in back of a cafe. Insisting it’s a case of murder, the Nazi hold the guests and personnel as hostages. To do this they have to tamper with the coroner’s report. Most of the plot has to do with the efforts of the underground to free one of the host ages, Bendix, its brains. Miss Rainer plays the daughter of a hostage Frank Tuttle has directed suspensefully. CAST: Luise Rainer, William Bendix, Roland Varno, Oscar Homolka, Katina Paxinou, Paul Lukas, Arturo de Cordova, Reinhold Schunzel, Fred Giermann, Fellx Basch, Michael Visaroff, Eric Feldary, John Mylong, Mikhail Rasmuny, Phillip Van Zandt, Rex Willlams, Hans Conried, Louls Adlon, Richard Ryen, Kurt Neue mann. DIRECTION, All Right. PHY, Fine. PHOTOGRA REVIEWS FROM FILM DAILY, NEW YORE ‘Submarine 1 Base’ with John Litel, Fifi D’Orsay, Alan Baxter PRC 65 Mins. WELL PRODUCED, DIRECTED AND ACTED MELODRAMA PACKS PLENTY OF SUSPENSE. Here is a melodrama well acted, produced and _ directed. Jack Schwartz handled the production chores, with Harry D. Edwards as associate producer. Albert Kelley’s direction maintains the suspense to the end, while Marcel Le Picard’s photography is splendid. Alan Baxter, a fugitive from the law, operates off an island on the Equator, off Brazil. His ‘“business” is furnishing torpedoes to Nazi submarines. One day he fishes John Litel out of the ocean. Litel, a former New York detective, now a member of the Merchant Marine, recognizes Baxter as a gangster. Baxter holds Litel a prisoner on the island, and Litel soon becomes suspicious of MBaxter’s newlyfound wealth. George Lee, an Englishman and long-time resident’ on the island, aids Litel. George Metaxa, a German agent, who pays Baxter for the torpedoes,-begins to feel that Baxter is trying to ‘double-cross’ him and the Germans, and has his suspicions fully confirmed when a2 Nazi submarine explodes off the island. Baxter had been supplying torpedoes, which were timed to explode a few hours after taking on a load. <A gun battle follows, with Metaxa killing Baxter. Eric Blore and Luis Alberni furnish the comedy, while Fifi D’Orsay, Iris Adrian and Jacqueline Dalya are among the members of the cast. CAST: John Litel, Alan Baxter, Eric Blore, George Metaxa, George Lee, Rafael Storm, Fifi D’Orsay, Iris Adrian, Jacque Hne Dalya, Anna Demetrio, Luis Alberni}, Lucien Prival. CREDITS: Jack Schwarz; Associate Producer, Harry D. Edwards; Leon Fromkess in charge of production; Director, Albert Kelley; Authors, Arthur St. Clair and George Merrick; erman, Marcel Le Picard; Musical Composer and Director, Charles Dant; Art Director, Frank Sylos; Editor, Holbrook H. Tedd. DIRECTION, Splendid. PHY, Excellent. Famous to Pay Extra Dividend Supplementing four 25 cent dividends paid in 1943, Famous Players Canadian Corporation last week declared a dividend of 50 cents a share payable December Sist to shareholders of record De PHOTOGRA ‘Dancing Miasters’ with Laurel and Hardy 20th-Fox 63 Mins. LAUREL AND HARDY COMEDY SHOULD GIVE SATISFACTORY ACCOUNT OF ITSELF IN NEIGHBORHOODS. “The Dancing Masters’ offers good entertainment for the LaurelHardy fans, who will find plenty of opportunity for laughter. The comedy, to be sure, is hardly fresh; yet it is nonetheless surefire stuff for the admirers of the comic pair. Which is to say that the kids especially will be royally amused by the comedians’ antics. This is no dish for the sophisticates; it was not intended to be. This time we see the comedy stars as operators of a dancing school. Laurel teaches the ballet while Hardy takes care of the jive. Hardy takes out an accident policy on Laurel with a phony insurance company operated by a bunch of racketeers. Most of the fun has to do with the attempts of the comedians to raise enough money to promote an invention helpful to the presecution of the war. The inventor (Robert Bailey) is the sweetheart of one of their pupils (Truay Marshali), whose father (Matt Briggs) is a rich industrialist. The father is opposed to the romance, wanting Miss Marshall to be married to a chap of his own choosing. Everything works out well when the industrialist changes his mind to the extent of financing Bailey’s invention. There is one sequence that appeals heavily to the child's love of action and excitement. It takes place aboard a runaway bus on which Laurel and Hardy are passengers. Director and author gave the sequence all the footage it could stand. Mal St. Clair’s direction makes for high animation. The picture was turned out by Lee Marcus. W. Scott Darling's screenplay was suggested by a yarn by George Bricker. Miss Marshall, Bailey and Briggs lend the stars acceptable support. CAST: Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, Trudy Marshall, Robert Bailey, Matt Briggs, Margaret Dumont, Allan Lane, Nestor Paiva, George Lloyd, Bob Mitchum, Ed. ward Earle, Charles Rogers, Sherry Hall, cember 15th. This makes the total! S2™ Ash, Wiliam Hande, Arthur Space, for the year $1.50 a share, the same as last year’s total. Daphne Pollard. DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPRY, Good. December 8, 1943 ° ‘Strange Death Of Adoli Hitler’ Universal 72 Mins. THIS ONE HAS NOVELTY TO RECOMMEND iT; PIC SHOULD DO WELL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTS. “The Strange Death of Adolph Hitler” has the benefit of novelty, something that cannot be said for many pictures based on the war. While the theme, rooted in the oftheard rumors that Hitler employs a double when occasion demands it, has not been developed to the full, it offers enough entertain ment away from the commonplace to please most film-goers. Perhaps the prime fault to be found with the picture is that its plot becomes a bit confusing at times. That is something easily understandable in the face of the fact that Ludwig Donath is compelled to play both Hitler and his double. Often it isn’t immediately clear who is who. Let it be said, however, that this shortcoming doesn’t detract seriously from the entertainment. Donath also has a third role to play, that of a Nazi-hating German who is seized by the Gestapo and made to appear physically like Hitler through facial surgery. What makes the Gestapo pick on him is the fact that he has the knack of imitating Hitler with uncanny accuracy. To lend effectiveness to its scheme the Gestapo makes it appear that the Nazihating Donath has been shot for treachery. The drama becomes intensified when the “widow” of the man who was transformed into the double sets out to “get” Hitler. The story is brought to an ironic end when the vengeful woman (Gale Sondergaard) shoots her own husband, thinking he is Hitler. The film, which should no nicely in the neighborhood houses, has been directed well by James Hogan and produced capably by Ben Pivar. Donath does exceedingly well with his difficult assignment. Clever makeup gives him a remarkable likeness to Hitler. Miss Sondergaard is good as his wife. Among others who acquit themselves with merit are Fritz Kortner and George Dolenz. CAST: Ludwig Doenath, Fritz Keortner, Gale Sondergaard, George Dolenz, Fred Glermann, Willlam Trenk, Merrill Redin, Charles Bates, Joan Blair, John Myleng, Kurt Kreuger, Rudolph Anders, Hans Schumm, Ivan Triesault, Lester Scharff, George Sorel, Trudy Berliner, Erno Verebes, Richard Ryen, Gene Stutenreth, Hans von Morhart, Hans von Twardowski, DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY,