Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

VIVA ZAPATA' COLORFUL MEXICAN DRAMA FOR THE CLASSES Rates • • • — in metropolitan first-runs, less generally 20th Century-Fox 110 minutes Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn, Joseph Wiseman, Arnold Moss, Alan Reed, Margo, Harold Gordon, Lou Gilbert, Mildred Dunnock, Frank Silvera. Directed by Elia Kaban. Although "Viva Zapata" contains some vivid action material and is, in essence, a broad, sweeping outdoor drama, it unfortunately does not contain the elements that make for generally popular entertainment. It is a bit overlong and has several draggy spots. Its best grosses will be in metropolitan first runs and houses catering to more sophisticated audiences. However it can be sold strongly to action houses. Written by John Steinbeck and recording the story of Zapata, the famed Mexican revolutionist, the script is a sympathetic study of the patriot. The dialogue is tersely effective — the characters, real. Elia Kazan directs the stunning Darryl F. Zanuck production in the style of semi-documentary. The film, however, is not a high point in Kazan's career, of whom we can expect the best. As a study of the Mexican scene it is superb. As drama it is most effective in its consluding sequences, notably that in which Zapata is shot and left to die in the square of his village. "Zapata" is a conscientious motion pictures display, meticulously worked out in respect to story and performances, hugely effective in its atmospheric content. It will need strong selling., Marlon Brando gives a most convincing performance of the untutored revolutionist, and Jean Peters charms as his wife. Anthony Quinn is splendid as Zapata's brother. STORY: The title role is played by Mar Brando, a peasant who, seeing the corr tion of the Diaz regime, takes to the h and begins a program of raids. With Pan Villa working in the North, Zapata, in south, Diaz is subject to such harassrr that he flees the country. Another presic takes over the government, but Zapata s recognizes him as the ineffectual stoogt the same forces that produced Diaz. Aj the people raly around him and fight. V their victory, Zapata becomes president, finds himself making the mistakes of predecessors, resigns his office and aj becomes a symbol and a leader. The ! ceeding government believes it must Zapata to destroy his hold of the people. Zapata's death they destroy a body create a myth that is vastly more effeci JAMES WITH A SONG IN MY HEART' A WONDERFUL MUSICAL— WITH A HEART Rates • • • except in action houses 20th Century-Fox 117 minutes Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, Robert Wagner, Helen Westcott, Una Merkel, Richard Allan, Max Showalter, Lyle Talbot, Leif Erickson. Directed by Walter Lang. "With A Song In My Heart" is a wonderful musical, a big, gorgeous, tuneful Technicolor show with that rarest of commodities, a story to match its production excellence. Because they are colored so extravagantly, theatrical biographies are movies a critic approaches with dread even if many of them are slam-bang popular entertainment. "With A Song In My Heart," spun from the life story of the heroic singer Jane Froman, makes no undue demands on the audience's credibility. It presents her enormous human drama accurately and effectively, spotlighting her rise to fame in a series of effective musical clips and then moving into the account of the plane crash at Lisbon and her gallant efforts to resume her career. A heart throbbing treatment, excellent songs, a good spicing of comedy and a thrilling finale makes "With A Song In My Heart" a film eveyone will love and talk about. Susan Hayward, getting the breaks at 20th that she deserves, plays Miss Froman with warmth and sincerity. Her mastery of the musical nuances is astonishing, showing meticulous prepartion on her part and splendid technical resources on the part of the studio. Like the Jolson pictures, the biography is accomplished by having the subject sing her own soundtrack. The musical numbers resemble an All Time Hit Parade as Jame Froman sings the songs that made her famous plus many others — all climaxed in a superb salute to famous American cities by means of the songs identified with them. Miss Froman is indeed the star of her own picture. Her story is an inspiration to everyone, and her misfortunes seem to have brought added persuasiveness to her considerable vocal powers. STORY: The narrative records Miss Froman's rise to fame from a singer of commercial jingles on her home-town radio show RETREAT, HELL!' FAMILIAR, BUT ACTIONFUL WAR FILM ^ates • • + with exploitation, more in action houses Warner Bros. lhe scared kid who makes good 95 minutes Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Rusty Tamblyn, Anita Louise, Ned Young, Lamont Johnson, Robert Ellis, Paul Smith. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis. A hard-hitting, realistic film that should Hive the action fans plenty for their money, "Retreat, Hell!" unfortunately has too many stereotyped situations and characters to latiify those who are looking for quality pictures. The action revolves around a Marine battalion battling its way through North Korea just as the Chinese Reds enter the war. Most of the characters are familiar typei: the tough World War II sergeant, the reierve captain with a family at home, an! the scared kid who makes good. The fact that in "Retreat, Hell!" the cardboard cutouts assume a semblance of credibility is a tribute to Joseph H. Lewis' direction. The film sporadically drives home the suffering and hardship experienced by the fighting men who are attacked by the Chinese when U.N. troops approached the Manchurian border. Lewis, with the aid of actual battle clips, has also managed to reproduce the savagery of Red attacks and the gallantry of the marines in fighting a numerically superior foe without going too deeply into familiar heroics. "Retreat, Hell!" should make satisfactory fare for the action spots unless even those blood-and-lliunder addicts are surfeited with war film. Elsewhere, grosses will depend on exploitation to reach to that of featured performer on the stal From this she steps into personal app ance work, eventually makes the grad< Broadway, in Hollywood and as a netv star. Her mentor is David Wayne, a s time performer who readily sacrifices own career to aid hers. But after marriage he begins to resent standing i background. There are several misun standings between them. At the begin of the war in Europe the star is invited seas by the U.S.O. Off Lisbon, the f crashes and she is one of the rescued | sengers. Another is Rory Calhoun, a [1 Thrown together in the hospital an affe* « grows naturally and easily. Froman t ri< o resist its force but eventually concedes^ it exists. All the time she is fighting^ battle back to health, going from doct doctor, hospital to hospital in a grim < to save her leg from amputation. Bet operations, she tries to work. Finally s well enough to go overseas and completfl tour. During it, both her physical and I tional problems are straightened out. I"l XA (Hollywood) better than fair returns. STORY: A Marine group is activatt the outbreak of the Korean War. Th< undergo extensive training in Califorr they ship out to Korea where they 1 pate in an amphibious attack that eve secures South Korea from the Reds outfit is ordered into North Korea wh the edge of the Manchurian border, tli encircled by hordes of Chinese 1 Though they slaughter the Chinese ', thousands, the Marines are forced to draw southward to an evacuation porl end finds the survivors of the retreat, by their colonel the "attack-in-the-ot rection," successfully fighting theii through Red ambush and vowing to someday to finish the job. NEW! : 10 FILM BULLE