The Exhibitor (1950)

Wagner if he could not pay back a con¬ siderable sum of money he had once borrowed from her. Ahlersmeyer insists that the contract must be fulfilled, but the matter is settled when it is discovered that Domgraff-Fassbender is Wagner’s son. When, on the wedding night, Ahlersmeyer WOOS Peters disguised as Hauff, and sees Domgraff-Fassbender flirting with Hauff disguised as Peters, the story ends satis¬ factorily with each party satisfied with his mate. X-Ray: This adaptation of Mozart’s “Marriage Of Figaro” has few deviations from the original story but yet manages to be believable on the screen. Good act¬ ing, particularly on the part of Hauff and Ahlersmeyer, plus excellent singing, should make this a popular entry with art and specialty house patrons. Recordings are excellent, and the Berlin State Orchestra gives a brilliant performance. The scen¬ ario was written by Georg Wildhagen. Ad Lines: “Mozart’s Greatest Opera Brought To The Screen In All Its Grace And Charm”; “Listen To The Most Beau¬ tiful Melodies Ever Written By Mozart”; “A Delicious Comedy Set To Delightful Music.” A Matter Of Murder (Hoffberg) (English-made) Estimate: Fair English meller for the lower half. Cast: John Barry,. Maureen Riscoe, Charles Clapham, Ivan Craig, Ian Fleming, Sonya O’Shea, Peter Madren, John Le Mesurier, Sam Lee, Blanche Fothergill. Produced by Roger Proudlock; directed by John Gilling. Story: Bank clerk John Barry has em¬ bezzled some of his employer’s funds for the sake of a worthless woman. When she is found murdered in circumstances which implicate him, Barry seeks refuge in a boarding house run by Maureen Ris¬ coe, whose father, Ian Fleming, is a detec¬ tive, and whose husband, Ivan Craig, is a crime reporter. They quickly penetrate Barry’s disguise as a commercial traveler, but are ordered to say nothing by Scotland Yard, who know that Barry is not guilty of the murder, and suspect that the real murderers will be after him for the money they believe he has. The two murderers, John Le Mesurier and Sam Lee, lure Barry into the cellar of an empty house, where they try to blackmail him. A fight en¬ sues, and Barry is getting the worst of it, when the police arrive, headed by Flem¬ ing. Barry saves Fleming’s life, and dies in Craig’s arms. X-Ray: This routine English meller will find its niche in the lower half of those houses where rather pronounced English accents are no handicap. Performances are competent, but there is little suspense in this over talkative, slow paced pro¬ duction. The screen play was written by John Gilling, Ad Lines: “Pursued By Police And Murderers, Where Could He Turn” “Dog¬ ged Pursuit And Breathless Excitement In ‘A Matter Of Murder’ “He Paid For His Crime With His Life.” The Mulatto Drama 97m. (Scalera) (Made in Italy) (English titles) Estimate: High rating import. Cast: Renato Baldini, Umberto Spadaro, lole Fierro, Little Angelo, M. Hussein, Giulia Melidoni, R. DeAngelis. Written and directed by Francesco De Robertis. Story: Renato Baldini, released after several years in prison for stealing food during the war, returns to the home of his friend, Umberto Spadaro, to see his son, bom while he was in jail, his wife having died in childbirth. Spadaro tells him that his former sweetheart, lole Fierro, was given the child. She, in turn, tells him that the child was placed in an orphanage. At the institution, he is shown the child, a youngster with colored skin and light hair, and the head sister tells him that under the law he is the father since his wife bore the child while married to him. He flees, leaving the child behind. He berates his friend for not telling him before that his wife was xmfaithful, and that the child was a mulatto. When the sister appears with the boy, Baldini doesn’t have the heart to reject him al¬ though he dislikes the boy. He finds that legally he has claim to get rid of the boy. The boy goes along with Baldini and Spadaro when they play and sing in cafes, and gradually Baldini comes to love the boy. At a future birthday party, a Negro from America appears to tell Baldini that he has learned that his dead brother had a child, Angelo, and that he is here to adopt him and take him home if it is agreeable to all concerned. Angelo is drawn to the American and seems happy with him so Baldini permits him to go to America. He and Fierro hope to face the future together. X-Ray: A highly interesting import, this should get good reaction from art and specialty house audiences with its differ¬ ent subject matter and its simple effective treatment. The players are fine in their roles, the pace is good, and the direction in the better class. ^ Ad Lines: “When G.I.’s Liberated Italy They Also Left Some Problems, And One Was ‘The Mulatto’”; “He Wanted His Father But Could He Ever Be Wanted”; “Fate Plays Some Strange IVicks, And The Result Is Surprising Entertainment.” The Outsider Drama 95m. (Ballantine) (English-made) Estimate: Good English drama has lim¬ ited appeal. Cast: Richard Attenborough, Sheila Slim, Bernard Miles, Cecil Trouncer, Robert Flem3mg, Peter Reynolds, Edith Sharpe, Anthony Nicholls. Jean Hickson, Herbert Lomas, Percy Walsh. Produced by John Boulting; directed , by Roy Suiting. Story: As part of an experiment, groc¬ er’s son Richard Attenborough is sent to a tradition-ridden English “public school.” At first, his Cockney background plus the animosity of snobbish housemaster Cecil Troimcer make the going rough. He tries to escape but is persuaded by wounded veteran teacher Robert Flemyng to stick it out. Flemyng wants to have a scholar¬ ship established for such boys as Atten¬ borough with money that has been as¬ signed for a war memorial, but Trauncer’s prejudices foil the plan. It is onlv when he sees Attenborough’s parents, Bernard Miles and Jean Hickson, and notes what a lot they have in common that he recog¬ nizes his bias against Attenborough, and agrees to establish the scholarship. When he is forced through ill health to relin¬ quish his post as housemaster, he hands over the job to his previous enemy, Flemyng, and Sheila Slim, Flemyng’s future wife, and his daughter. X-Ray: This well-acted and well-di¬ rected film deals with a subject not generally familiar to American audiences, and will therefore appeal only to certain art and class houses. In these situations, however, Attenborough’s moving perform¬ ance as the young Cockney boy trying to adiust himself to an alien environment will help. The screen play, based on the play, “liie Guinea Pig,” by Warren Chetham Strode, was written by Bernard Miles and Strode. Ad Lines: “See This Refreshingly Differ¬ ent Picture Of A Boy’s Struggle To Ad¬ just”; “The Struggle Between Tradition And Progress In English School Life”; “Richard Attenborough In The Greatest Role Of His Career.” Paris 1900 Documentary (Mayer-Kingsley) (French-made) (English adaptation) Estimate: Documentary should draw in art and specialty houses. Credits: Original scenario direction and preparation by Nicole Vedres. English adaptation by John Mason Brown; nar¬ rated by Monty Woolley. Story: This includes every aspect of life in Paris between 1900 and the out¬ break of the first World War. Such per¬ sonalities as Andre Gide, Auguste Renoir, Sarah Bernhardt, Edmond Rostand, Buffalo Bill, Leo Tolstoy, Maurice Chevalier, etc., are shown against the background of the fashions and foibles of the age as recorded by amateur photographers. The Paris Ex¬ hibition of 1900, the flood, the strikes, etc., are faithfully shown, but the emphasis is on the gayer aspects of Parisian life. The new fashions, the bicycles, the first mov¬ ing pictures, processions, and fashionable weddings are the principal topics although the rumbles of war can be heard in the distance, and the film ends with shots of soldiers leaving for the front in 1914. Also included are some very shaky recordings of the voices of Sarah Bernhardt and Caruso. X-Ray: This is a skilful compilation selected from over 700 films belonging to private and public collections. Some of the sequences may seem ridiculous to modem audiences but the chance to see Debussy, Renoir, Rodin, etc., offers unusual exploi¬ tation possibilities for art and specialty house patrons. Claude Dauphin, who did the original French narration, sings three folk melodies. Guy Bernard wrote the musical score. Ad Lines: “The Motion Picture Camera Brings A Unique Record Of Paris At The Time Of Her Greatest Glory”; “See Such Personalities As Sarah Bernhardt, Claude Debussy, Auguste Rodin”; “The Time Was 1900 And Paris Was Bright And Gay.” MISCELLANEOUS Sex Comedy International Burlesque Musical 80m. (Jewel) Estimate: Girlie show has the exploita¬ tion angles. Cast: Betty Rowland, Vince Barnett, Inez Claire, Deenah, Michele, Genii, June, Pam. Story: This is a round -up of strip-tease art the world over held together by a run¬ ning commentary by radio announcer funnyman Vince Barnett. Inaugurating an international television service, a radio company has television cameras trained on such strip-tease greats as Betty Row¬ land, the “red-headed ball of fire,” from New Orleans: Deenah, from Haiti: Michele, from Paris; Genii, from Cairo; Inez, from Rio de Janeiro; June, from Cuba, and Pam, from Istamboul, as they undress in their respective locales. In between each act, Barnett has difficulties putting across his company’s commercials in some mod¬ erately amusing sequences. X-Ray: While the version seen appar¬ ently was edited to meet censor regula¬ tions, the portion viewed still had enough sex appeal to go well with qiale audiences in situations which can play this type of film. It should be noted that the running time probably varies to the area where the picture plays. Servfsection 5 2973