Canadian Film Weekly (Jul 12, 1944)

REVIEWS INFORMATION FF RATINGS | _Vol. 9, No. 28 REVIEWS FROM FILM DAILY, NEW YORK $2.00 Per Annum Gaslight with Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman M-G-M 114 Mins. MELODRAMATIC MASTERPIECE IS A GEM OF SUSPENSE; ACTING, DIRECTION, PRODUCTION ACES. The Patrick Hamilton melodrama, “Gaslight,” now running on Broadway under the title “Angel Street,’ has been converted into a film that should be accepted as enthusiastically as the stage presentation. The picture has been produced painstakingly by Arthur Hornblow, Jr., to capture the feel and spirit of the original. The picture is a brilliant and terrifying demonstration of the power of psychology. The villain of the piece works on the mind of his wife in a hellish plot to drive her crazy so he can seize the possessions left her by her aunt, a famous singer. Unknown to the wife, there are hidden among these possessions a fortune in jewels in his search for which he killed the aunt many years before. With the girl out of the way the villain knows he can carry on his quest unhindered. The plot is developed through the effective use of de‘tails until there is attained a cumulative effect that is nerveshattering and terrifying. The powerful suspense is a definite achievement in the face of the fact that the guilt of the villain is never in question. What grips the mind is whether the husband will succeed in gaining his end. The audience breathes more easily when a man from Scotland Yard, suspicious that something is wrong, comes to the wife’s rescue, telling her the truth about her husband and convincing her that she is not going mad. At the climax she helps the Scotland Yard investigator trap her husband. Director George Cukor has deliberately striven for mood to give forcefulness to the story and to sustain the interest. The film is a spellbinder largely because of his wise direction. The film has the services of a superlative cast, Charles Boyer making the husband genuinely 2 fearsome character and Ingrid Bergman bringing to the role of the wife sensitiveness, feeling and loveliness. Joseph Cotten is fine as the Scotland Yard man. CAST: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Dame May Whitty, Anxela Lansbury, Barbara Everest, Emil Rameau, Edmund Breon, Halliwell Hobbes, Tom Stevenson, Heather Thatcher, Law rence Grossmith, Jakob Gimpel. DIRECTION, Fine. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fine, The Impostor with Jean Gabin Universal 44% Mins, DUVIVIER PRODUCTION IS STRONG TALE OF REDEMPTION; OFFERS UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLOITATION. “The Impostor” is the dramatic recital of a man’s redemption under the ennobling influence of love of country. All the little human details necessary to give a story like this force and acceptability are present in profusion in the Julien Duvivier production. The subject has been handled with feeling and earnestness and the plot unravelled with vivid incident, occasional excitement and a measure of suspense. The film will have to depend primarily upon its theme and the value of Duvivier’s name for its drawing power. There are not many exciting names in the cast line-up, although the acting has much to commend it. The picture relies heavily on the magnetism of Jean Gabin’s name, a name which is likely to strike a responsive chord in feminine breasts. Gabin is an escaped murderer who assumes the identity of a French sergeant, killed while retreating before the Nazis. He makes his way to Africa to join the De Gaulle forces, not because he has any sense of patriotism but because it improves his chances of hiding from the law. Gradually Gabin, established as a leader of men, comes to learn the meaning of patriotism, the jarring note being his accepting honors for the heroic acts of the man he is impersonating. When Gabin’s secret is discovered, he is court-martialed and reduced in rank. At the finish he meets a hero’s death in destroying an enemy gun nest. Despite Duvivier’s association with the film as producer, director and author, “The Impostor” doesn’t carry much distinction. The production is commonplace though undeniably effective. There is a routine quality to Duvivier’s direction, indicating that the stuff of which “The Impostor” is made is not the best outlet for the Frenchman’s talent. CAST: Jean Gabin, Richard Whorf, Allyn Joslyn, Ellen Drew, Peter Van Eyck, Ralph Morgan, Eddie Quillan, John Qualen, Dennis Moore, Milburn Stone, John Ph'lliber, Charles McGraw, Othe Ga'nes, John Forrest, Fritz Leiber, lan Wolfe, William Davidson, Frank Wilcox, Warren Ashe, Peter Cookson, Leigh Whipper, Ernest Whitman, Grandon Rhodes, George Irving. DIRECTION, Fair, PHOTOGRAPHY, Good, Buffalo Bill with Joel McCrea, Maureen O'Hara 20th-Fox J 90 Mins. ACTION JAMMED TECHNICOLOR SAGA OF WILD WEST STACKS UP AS SPLENDID FARE, As his latest contribution to the happiness of lovers of westerns, Harry A. Sherman comes forward with a routine saga of the old West, the excitement of which is heightened by the employment of Technicolor. The film clinches its appeal to the action fans by its purporting to be the life story of Buffalo Bill, whose very name conjures up visions of bold and red-blooded adventure. By relying, however, too much on the most obvious material in Buffalo Bill’s life in this story of western heroics and villainy, the film cuts down its potential appeal outside the ranks of western fans. The story, built along routine lines, has to depend upon the exciting manner in which it is unfolded and the sweep of its action for its hold on the audience. . Sherman has shot the bankroll on this one. The result is a vivid, colorful production employing an army of performers to create a sense of magnitude. For his main roles he has obtained such name players as Joel McCrea, Maureen O'Hara, Linda Darnell, Thomas Mitchell. The story deals with the financial and romantic fortunes of Buffalo Bill Cody. He is presented.as a friend of the Indians who finds himself drawn into a conspiracy by a group of whites determined to exterminate the Redmen. for selfish ends. The villains seek their end by wiping out the Buffalo herds, the Indians’ sole source of sustenance. Consciencestricken, Buffalo BIL breaks with his wife, the daughter of one of the villains. Broke, he goes East where he tries to make a livelihood as best he can. When everything looks hopeless, his wife comes back into his life. At the finale he is enjoying his fame as the great wild west showman that he was. William A. Wellman's direction accents the element of action. CAST: Joel McCrea, Maureen O'Hara, Linda Darnell, Thomas Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan, Anthony Quinn, Moroni Olsen, Frank Fenton, Matt Briggs, George Lessey, Frank Orth, Geerge Chandler, Chief Many Treaties, Nick ‘Thompson, Chief Thundercloud, Sidney Bleckmer, Edwin Stanley, John Dilson, Evenly Beresford, William Haade, Merrill Rodin, Talzumble Dupea. DIRECTION, Routine. PHOTOGRA. PHY, Fine. Men on Her Mind with Mery Beth Hughes, Edward Norris, Ted North, Alan Edwards, Luis Alberni and Kay Linaker PRC 6&7 Mins. EXCELLENT CAST AND SPLENDID DIRECTION COMBINE TO PUT THIS ONE OVER. This is a pleasing program offering, highlighted by the work of an excellent cast. Wallace W. Fox has supplied splendid direction and Alfred Stern good production values, Mary Beth Hughes does nicely as a graduate of an orphanage, who is determined to achieve success aS a singer. Ted North, Edward Norris and Alan Edwards are the men in her life, each wanting to marry her. Mary gets a job as Edwards’ secretary, but his sister, Kay Linaker, makes things so unpleasant that Mary quits. A small-time night club operator, whom Mary meets, is slain by an old sweetheart, and Mary flees scene. Edward Norris, wealthy playboy, aids Mary and brings her the news that the night ciub operator’s slayer has confessed. Through the efforts of Alan Edwards, who is a millionaire, Mary wins the top singing spot on an important radio program — and makes good. Ted North, a young music teacher, whom Mary has inspired te write a popular song, vies with Norris and Edwards for her love, and it is North whom she finally accepts. Raymond L. Schrock wrote the original screenplay, while the songs used by Miss Hughes include “Heaven On Earth,” by Lee Zahler and Pat O'Dea; “Once Around the Clock,” by Zahler and Carol E. Cooper, and “I Predict,” by Sam Neuman, Michael Breen and Billy Lynch. Robert Cline’s camerawork is praiseworthy. CAST: Masry Beth Hugkes Edward Nerris, Ted North, Alan Edwards, Luis Alberni, Kay Linaker, Claire Rachelle, Lyle Latell, Claire McDewell, Eva Hamil, Isabel La Mai, Lane Chandler. DIRECTION, Geod. PHOTOGRAPHY, Praiseworthy. Barron Write-up In "New World’ Win Barron, Paramount's Canadian advertising and publicity manager and voice of Canadian Paramount News, was featured in a story on the newsreel in the July issue of New World Magazine.