The Exhibitor (1953)

EXHIBITOR June 3, 1953 screen play by Allen Sloane and others. MacGinnis is good in the titlg role, and the types were all carefully chosen. The musical accompaniment enhances the film’s effectiveness, and the production is ex¬ cellent, marked by careful attention to costume, custom, and backgrounds. The picture, however, is tailored for special¬ ized audiences. Ad Lines: “The Dramatic Life Of A Great Religious Leader”; “An Unequalled Spectacle Of Religious History”; “Thrill To The Days Of The Reformation.” The Shorts Parade TWO REEL Color Cartoons THE YELLOW STORK. Artkino. 14m. In attempting to incorporate in cartoon form the story of the class struggle, this Magnicolor fairy tale falls into a dreary propaganda lecture. In the China ruled by mandarins, there was a wandering minstrel who incurred the mandarin’s dis¬ pleasure when he refused to perform. However, the minstrel would perform for the working man. Required to move on, but wishing to leave something behind to entertain the workers, the minstrel drew a yellow stork on the wall. The stork would come off the wall and dance for the workers, but when the mandarin bid it to dance it would not. The ruler did everything in his power to make the bird perform, but the bird escaped to join the common people. FAIR. Drama JULIUS CAESAR. British Information Service. 20m. Seen is the forum scene in “Julius Caesar”, Act III, Scene II. Leo Genn’s diction is able to get across much of the beauty of the poetry, and Felix Aylmer, as Brutus, makes his speech ex¬ plaining the necessity for the assassination of Caesar. This should be appreciated by art house audiences. GOOD. MACBETH. British Information Serv¬ ice. 20m. From the royal intrigue of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, two of the play’s highlights have been chosen. From Act II, Scene II is the scene where Macbeth, played by Wilfred Lawson, is prodded on by his ambitious wife, Cathleen Nesbitt, to the murder of the Scotch king, Duncan. Then, from Act V, Scene I, is shown the conscious-stricken Lady Macbeth torn to remorse, and brought to a confession of the royal murder in the witness of a doc¬ tor, Felix Aylmer, and a gentlewoman, Catherine Lacey. The magnificence of Shakespeare’s lines shines through, making this okeh for the art houses. GOOD. Color Novelty BEDROOM FANTASY. Hoffberg. 18m. The Folliettes open this colorful burlesque program with a lively Can-can, followed by a vocalization of “Every Time I Think Of You.” A dance team, the Duponts, are next on the program, and, as a finale, Lily St. Cyr does a disrobing sequence. With Eastman color and a top name, this should go over in exploitation houses. GOOD. Sports CONQUEST OF THE ALPS. Hoffberg. 17m. The panorama of the Swiss Alps is shown with the crystal clear mountain streams where trout are bred in captivity. With modern engineering, the impassable peaks have been conquered, and all the cantons of Switzerland have been joined together with the help of the railroads. GOOD. ROCKY MARCIANO VS. JERSEY JOE WALCOTT. UA. 17y2m. 3-D and 2-D. This opens with training scenes showing Mar¬ ciano at Holland, Mich., sparring, and throwing punches at camera, and at chow time. Walcott, too, is shown training at Chicago, where the fight took place. Fol¬ lowing the weighing in, the round is shown with the knockdown in regular and slow motion with action stopped during the controversial count which shows Walcott still on the canvas at the count of 10. Nathan Halpern produced, and the 3-D adds to the overall effect of the short. The 2-D version obviously has the same attraction as the 3-D, minus the thirddimensional effect. GOOD. ONE REEL Art THE NEW VAN GOGH. IFE. 11m. In Technicolor, following the works of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, one sees the development reflected in the paintings of the artist’s insanity. Roman Vlad’s fitting musical score keeps pace with the rising turmoil in the artist’s work. This should go over best in art houses. EXCELLENT. Color Cartoons MOTHER HEN’S HOLIDAY. Columbia — Color Favorites Re-releases. 7m. When first reviewed in THE SERVISECTION of May, 1937, it was said: “Mother Hen has a brood of chicks that drive her nuts, but then comes Mother’s Day. The chicks become good, make mother hen the queen of the day, doing all her work for her. EXCELLENT.” (5613). TERRY BEARS IN OPEN HOUSE. 20th-Fox — Terrytoons. 7m. When papa bear reads that it is “Be Kind To Animals Week”, he lectures his cubs. The cubs proceed to make friends with some ani¬ mals. They bring home stray animals, and set up housekeeping in Papa’s room. Papa tries to get rid of his annoying guests, but Papa gets the rough end. He finally gets rid of the creatures, and regrets spon¬ soring the kindness program. FAIR. (5317) . TV OF TOMORROW. MGM— Cartoons. 7m. This is one of the best. It shows what TV will be in the future, and any audience will roar at the gags and antics. The humor, drawings, etc., make this a subject that will prove to be a real treat. It ridi¬ cules the westerns on TV, the commer¬ cials, and the other items which will strike the patrons’ funny bones. EXCELLENT. WHEN MOUSEHOOD WAS IN FLOWER. 20th-Fox — Terrytoons. 7m. An aristocratic but impoverished old mouse sees his prop¬ erty about to be confiscated by black knight Oil Can Harry. However, Oil Can Harry is willing to forego the lien on the property if he can have the hand of the mouse’s daughter in marriage. She re¬ fuses, and counts on her own knights to win the prize money at the jousting. Things look bad until Mighty Mouse ap¬ pears, putting Oil Can Harry to shame and his mouse friends in the money. GOOD. (5316). Musical SHORTY SHEROCK AND HIS OR¬ CHESTRA. Columbia — Thrills Of Music Re-releases. 10m. When first reviewed in The Servisection of March, 1947, it was said: “Shorty Sherock and orchestra pro¬ vide the music to the vocals of Frances Wayne and the tap dancing of Danny Daniels. Heard are “I’ll Remember April”, “You Were Meant For Me”, and “On The Sunny Side Of The Street.” GOOD. (5956) . Color Novelty TWO BAGATELLES. National Film Board of Canada. 3m. Using trick pho¬ tography, one sees a man on the lawn flying around and doing acrobatics at an unusual speed. In the Barnyard, the second part, shows a man similarly moti¬ vated flying up and down ladders and changing costume in a wink. This color novelty may attract in the art spots. FAIR. Novelty THE POSTMAN. MGM— Pete Smith Specialties. 9m. The typical postman comes across some typical hazards in the course of his duty, obstructed mail boxes, dogs, tricky gate locks, and, of course, people who ask him to do little favors which turn out to be all-day propositions. Most exasperating of all is the climbing of stairs, which is primarily responsible for the postman’s occupational disease, sore feet. FAIR. (S-458). WOODLAND SKETCHES. Hoffberg. 10m. Following the course of the seasons, the winter snow slowly melts, and the waters flow down the mountainsides as the first signs of spring emerge. The first mountain flowers bloom as a preview of summer, but the glory of summer fades into fall as the snow and ice of winter are soon covering the landscape again, de¬ claring the cycle end. The Vienna Sym¬ phony orchestra provides the music but the film lacks commentary or notes. It is strictly for the art houses. GOOD. Sports GREEN MOUNTAIN SPEEDSTERS. Paramount — Grantland Rice Sportlights. 8m. The World’s finest skiers, male and female, challenge the Green Monutain slopes in Vermont. Seen are downhill races, slalom events, and, of course, the ever present spills, against a background of some of America’s finest scenery. FAIR. (R 12-9). GRIDIRON GOLIATHS. 20th-Fox— Mel Allen’s Sport Shows. 9m. This is a fast rundown on the history of the football games between the college all-stars and professions. From its conception in 1934, this has brought many a thrill, and the camera provides glimpses of some of the highpoints. The short comes to climax with last year’s game between the AllStars and the Los Angeles Rams. GOOD. (3301) . Topical ^ HOMECOMING AIRLIFT. Laurel. 9y2m. This topical short has views of United Nation prisoners returning to their homes after being released from Chinese Com¬ munist prison camps as a result of the Korean negotiations. Produced by the air force, one sees the first ambulance loads of prisoners arriving at “Freedom Village”, where the exchange is completed. FAIR. Travel THE DON VOLGA CANAL. Artkino. 10m. A view is shown here of the canal connecting the Don and Volga Rivers in Russia that makes all the seas of Euro¬ pean Russia into one waterway. A compli¬ cated succession of locks raises the ships by degrees, and seen is the official opening with the Minister of Inland Waterways cutting the ribbon that lets the first ship pass through the canal. FAIR. WATERS OF LIFE. Stratford. 10m. The biggest enemy to the people of southeast Asia and, specifically, in Ceylon are the jungles. In order to alleviate the hard¬ ship of people, plans have been made by the Ceylon government to clear wasteful jungle and water the land by irrigation. (This was taken from “New Horizons”, a BIS production. — Ed.) GOOD. 3534 Servisection 6