Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1953)

wQUOT€S" What the Newspaper Critics Sag Abut New Films iV. I7. Critics tmihl "Jiuntl Wagon* With Lavish M*raise M-G-M's Technicolor production "The Band Wagon" received what was perhaps the greatest ovation ever accorded a Hollywood musical by the New York critics Every facet, from the Betty Comden-Adolph Green script, through the Arthur Schwartz-Howard Dietz music, right down the line of performances, direction and dance routines, received unrestrained praise from the scribes. The Times' Bosley Crowther pulled out all stops, tagging the film as a "show that respectfully bids for recognition as cue of the best musical films ever made." In his opinion, "Everything in this bulging picture . . . exemplifies its rousing theme song. That's entertainment, indeed!" "Sparkling musical . . . witty and consistently funny," wrote Otis L. Guernsey, Jr. in the Herald Tribune. He enthusiastically summed up his review with "The Comden-Green wit, the Astaire charm and the Freed-Minnelli showmanship are only a part of the big load of musical comedy pleasure whi'h has rolled into the Music Hall." The Post's Archer Winsten was completely overwhelmed by the film, finding it the "best musical of the month, the year, the decade, or, for all I know, of all-time. For my money it's better than 'An American in Paris'." Winsten advised that "You can't afford to miss it if you're going to see a motion picture this year." " This reviewer finds the picture a pure delight," penned William Hawkins of the World-Telegram & Sun. He found it "joyous and light and smart and wise . . . here's a 'Band Wagon' you'd be a fool not to hop on." In the Journal-American, Nick Lapole tagged the film a "gay, lilting, tunefull blending of humor, songs, and dancing tastefully presented." In his opinion, " 'The Band Wagon' is superior entertainment ... it picks up speed, verve and pace until, at its end, one feels regretful that there is no more to see, hear and enjoy." "THE MOON IS BLUE' United Artists "In spite of the published controversy over the decency of the (film) . . . the pit didn't yawn nor the heavens fall . . . Aside from its candor and its audacity with the words, (it) is not outstanding, either as a romance or as a film." — Crowther, N. Y. Times "Slickly contrived conversation piece . . . it is adult film fare — definitely not the picture for your young son or daughter." — Lapole, N. Y. Journal -American "There are bubbles in this film, but the comedy champagne is mixed with baser stuff in about fifty-fifty proportions." — Guernsey, N. Y. Herald Tribune "Excellent (Movie Meier Rating) . . . Picture panders in wholesome fashion to man's baser instinct. What could be a more socially acceptable theme than that all paths, including those of seduction, lead to the altar? . . . Prodigiously amusing show." — Winsten, N. Y. Post "One of the funniest pictures ever made, and may well be the most sophisticated one since sound arrived . . . To ban it for normal, mature people seems humorless and unrealistic."—Wr. H., N. Y. World-Telegram 'GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES" 20th Century-Fox "The girls wear form-fitting thises and thats . . . and just as if those forms couldn't attract sufficient attention, they are gyrated in fashions that must have originated long before Man climbed into his first tree . . . Picture simply follows the path of greatest profit." — Winsten, N. Y. Post "Slick and sumptuous musical . . . Eyes and ears to whom Lorelei is fresher will find this a gay romp of a musical." — Cook, N. Y. World-Telegram "Conveyance . . . take^ water almost from the beginning . . . Along toward the end, it wholly flounders and sinks dismally into those depths reserved for the wreckage of screenplays that haven't the structure or the ^teani. Hut the Misses Monroe and Russell, with their famous charms and airy graces, keep bobbing like chips on a wave." — Crowther, N. Y. Times "Makes the warm weather warmer . . . and the pay-off is big in a rousing musical..' — Guernsey, N. Y. Herald Tribune "Merriest movie this Summer . . A great big, beautiful, bounding hit!" — O'Connor, N. Y. Journal-American "THE MAZE" Allied Artists "Fair plus (Movie Meter Rating) . . . More interesting in story matter than it is in gimmicks . . . 3Ds are not nearly as effective in black and white (which this one is) as they are in color." — Thirtr, N. Y. Post "Keeps to the formula . . chances are this movie will prove as pleasant as most of three so-called thrillers."— P. V. B., N. Y. Herald Tribune "Modest suspense melodrama . . . drew authentic yelps from all over the house . . . However, the film remains a talky, meandering and old-fashioned reprise of many predecessors."— H. H. T., N. Y. Times "Chiller-diller . . . You'll be amazed at 'The Maze'." — Lapole, N. Y. Journal-American 'THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER' Warner Bros. "Audience is kept busy ducking arrows, spears, knives and chairs . . . Even without all these nerve jangling attachments, this would be a pretty fair new chaptei in Hollywood's long running warfare between the Indians and the U. S. Cavalry." — Cook, N. Y. World-Telegram "Fair plus (Movie Meter Rating) . . . Strictly juvenile melodrama, but also exciting in a loud, colorful, visually deep-dish style." — Winsten, N. Y. Post "Probably the best 3D job to date . . . Mighty fine film ... it will stand your hair on end." — O'Connor, N. Y. Journal-American "Good, well built Western with no more pictorial side-play than necessary . . . Medium was used to make a picture rather than the picture used to demonstrate the medium." — J. V. B., N. Y. Herald Tribune "As hoary as 'The Great Train Robbery' . . . this adventure makes no bones about pelting audiences with about every known 31) sight gag and clearly succeeds . . . An i provement on its predecessor in creat some illusions of deptn." — Weiler, N. | Times 'AFFAIR WITH A STRANGER' RKO "One more trip around the circuit of h band-wife joys and sorrows ... it is hart' worth the tariff." — Crowther, N. Y. Time j "Trite romance . . . story has little drive ) it, and the stars' personalities are all thai ; left in a very thin drama' ic idea." — Guerns', N. Y. Herald Tribune "Innocuous romantic drama . . . Lai 5 strength and vitality. It drags out ev> I known cliche." — Lapole, N. Y. Joun iAmerican "Fair plus (Movie M^ter Rating) . . .If these human ups and downs were recon I with fresh penetration, they might lureW audience into participation." — Winsten, N.f. Post "There really isn't much to the stc . Rather, it is the many warm, human quali s it possesses, the lighter moments against p dark, the gentle humor pervading all tjt! provide for the observer a very enjoyaie entertainment."— R. B., N. Y. World-Ti -!■ gram 'RIDE VAQUERO!' M-G-M "Pretentious, generally rhetorical he e opera, seasoned with Freud and a modie j of horse sense . . . Rates not Tiffany's v\ dow but the old cat bin." — H. H. T., X. Times "Routine Western capably staged by .1' ! Farrow . . . Nothing new . . . but it ti fi along at a good pace and in colorful sty — Guernsey, N. Y. Herald Tribune "Film gallops along a familiar Wet n trial . . . The old legend is given a rous g treatment, however, heavily laced with ( bursts of excitement." — Cook, N. Y. Wo Telegram "Fair plus (Movie Meter Rating) . j. Pretty conventional outdoor drama." Thirer, N. Y. Post Page 24 FILM BULLETIN July 27, 1953