Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1939)

FILM BULLETIN FOUR FEATHERS' BRILLIANT TECHNICOLOR SPECTACLE Rates • • • generally, if sold United Artists (Alexander Korda) 115 Minnies Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, John Clements, June Dwpres, Jack Allen, Donald Gray, Robert Rendell, Allan Jeayes, Henry Oscar, Frederick Culley, Archibald Batty, John Laurie Hay Petrie, Clive Baxter. Directed by Zoltan Korda One of the most spectacular and stirring films to issue from I he Korda Studios, FOUR FEATHERS is certain to impress onlookers with Ihc magnificence of its production and the unexcelled Technicolor photography which embellishes the Nile backgrounds, the Egyptian desert and mountain sequences and the London street scenes. Battle stuff is astoundingly realistic and many of these action shuts are almost breath-taking. Acting is of a high order, hut lack of familiar east names v. ill he a handicap w hic h will necessitate strong selling in this country. A typically-British tale of military adventure, the him is often absorbing and frequently moving, but it sutlers from being overlong. Primarily a mans" story of loyalty and heroism in the face of extreme danger, the romantic element enter onlj into the early anil final port inns. John Clements plays a sensitive youth, one of a family of great military men. who is given the white feather (mark of cowardice) by his three pals when he revolts against army life and resigns fr the service. Realizing that his fiancee, too, doubts him. lie lories her to give him a fourth feather and voluntarily breaks the engagement. The main story concerns his journey to Egypt to redeem himself in the eyes of his former comrades. Disguised as a Sengali native, whose tongue lias been removed. Clements first rescues Ralph Richardson, who has been 'MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN' BEST OF SERIES Rates • • • for action houses ; good dualler elsewhere I It >lly wood Preview Monogra m 72 Minutes Boris Karloff. Grant Withers. Marjorie Reynolds, William Royale, Peter Lynn, Huntly Gordon, James Flavin. IjoIus Long, Bessie Loo. Lee Tong Foo. Little Angela, Richard Loo. Guy Vslier. Directed by William Nigh Mead and shoulders above previous films of this series. Monogram has a substantial boxoffice bet in MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN. Cleverly contrived screenplay has genuine suspense, good dialogue and interesting situations. Exploitation and the Karloff handle will sell this to above average grosses in the action houses. Other local ions can confidently dual it with any light attraction. Yarn concerns the mysterious murder of a Chinese Princess in the apartment of Mr. W ong (Karloff), where she has apparently come for aid. Police inspectoi Grant Withers is summoned and the search for the slayer is begun. It is ultimately discovered that the girl had come to America in behalf of the Chinese government to secretly purchase arms, animation and war planes. Her death came at the hands 'WATERFRONT' FAIR PROGRAM MELODRAMA Rates • + for naborhood duals and action spots only Warners ")'.) Minutes Gloria Dieison. Dennis Morgan, Marie Wilson. Larry Williams, Sheila Bromley., Ah/rich Bowker, W ant llond. Arthur Gardner, Frank Faylen Directed by Terry Morse. An action film of the sordid, melodramatic type. WATER FRONT is strictly double hill fare. Lacking any draw names, it will fit in befit coupled with a comedy or musical of marquee value. Although the title suggests that dock sequences will predominate, most of the action takes place in furnished rooms or longshoremen's hangouts. The male characters all make good use of their fists, while the two fe Minine principals are of the long-suffering, self-sacrificing sort. A weak point in the story is the failure to develop audience sympathy l"i' the hot-headed hero, whose promises to restrain his temper are i tinually broken and w ho spends much of his time in jail. Dennis Morgan plays a handsome longshoreman, who can't resist a light despite the efforts of his fiancee to make him give up battling. lie finally agrees and they decide to many and live mi a farm. Before leaving they attend a dance held to elect ;i president to succeed Morgan as president of Hie Waterfront Club. Morgan's brother is killed by a blow from Ward llond. neighborhood bully, and he vows vengeance. Bond's girl and .Morgan's wife try to ( Mori l'i riens on I'age IS) blinded and left for dead, against almost in SUn mtable odds. Later, he is chained and thrown into a native dungeon with the other two pals and is instrumental in freeing all the prisoners who revolt against their jailers anil capture the arsenal for the British. Back iii England he regains the love ,,f his fiancee. Ralph Richardson gives the film's outstanding perfo nuance as the blinded officer who voluntarily renounces the girl he realizes Clements loves. The latter contributes a sup'il' feat of acting, particularly in the Egyptian Sequences, .lime Duprez makes a lovely heroine. ('. Aubrey Smith supplies a slight touch of humor as a boring old British Army officer and the others are entirely Capable. Zoltan Korda's direction is excellent. Al) HPS: Use a teaser campaign making a Play on the title. Stress the adventure anil aetion angles. Feature the Technicolor. LEYENDECK ER of a hanker, to whom she had entrusted her letter of credit, hut who had used the finances to cover a deficit. Karloff's portrayal of Wong achieves a new high — enhanced by several humorous notes. Grant Withers is surprisingly good. Marjorie Reynolds, as a sob sister anil romantic foil f,,r Withers, lends an agreeable feminine touch. Sole sour note to a splendid production is the pivot role played by Huntly Gordon, whose Characterization is weakened due to the actor's obvious inability to remember his lines. We mention this only because it is the second or tllird u we have noted "line fumbling" in Monogram pictures— ,a fault du< ly to carelessness. William Nigh's direction is 0f the highest order. lie moves his story adroitly attaining entertaining suspense anil action. AD TIPS: Decorate lobby ami front with oriental display. Feature mystery and intrigue popularly imagined of a big city's chinatown. HANNA ( Hollywood) keep the men apart through a series of suspenseful episodes. Morgan's accidental firing at his wife finally brings him to his senses, while Bond falls to his death for the thrill climax. Dennis Morgan, formerly an M-G-M contract player under his real name of Stanley Morner, does a good acting job despite script deficiencies. Gloria Dicks,,,, and Sheila Bromley create sympathy for the characters of the waterfront sweethearts, hut Marie Wilson, dragged in for comedy relief, gives a stock -,111,111, gal' portrayal. Direction is average. AD TIPS: An atmosphere front and plenty of action stills will attract the thrill fans. LEYENDECKER