Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1956)

The Last Hunt" Kate*? O O O First-rate western, well-written and superbly produced, will have appeal for general audiences as well as the action trade. Exploitation, strong marquee help for good returns. This is the best western of recent years. Against a background of buffalo hunting, it is concerned with the personal relations of the people on the daring expedition. In the writing, as well as the top-drawer Dore Schary production, "The Last Hunt" has real distinction, emerging as a movie that will intrigue not only the action market but those audiences interested in strong dramatic fare. Word-cf-mouth is bound to be good and will help carry film to good returns generally The Brooks' script, and direction, have neatly integrated the broad dramatic outlines of the story with individual action sequences. Among the latter, the sie^ht of buffalo herds roaming the plains and bein° shot down is memorable. Brooks' skilful hand has kept the action flowing at an unflagging pace for the entire absorbing 108 minutes. The Schary production spells class throughout. The CinemaScope-Eastman Color photography by Russell Harlan is a fine plus-factor. Characters are sharply-etched, impressive, and well-played. Lloyd Nolan and Stewart Granger deliver sock performances, and Robert Taylor is interesting in the off-beat role of a sadistic hunter. Taylor and Granger team up to hunt buffalo and are joined by half-breen Russ Tamblyn and Nolan as skinners. Nolan and Granger soon regret the venture — it is evident to them that this slaughter is virtually starving the Indians to death — but Taylor takes a fiendish delight in the destruction. A tense situation is compounded when Taylor abducts Indian girl Debra Paget to live as his mistress. Granger resents the harsh treatment she receives, is soon in love with her and helps her to escape. Taylor kills Nolan in an effort to discover their whereabouts, and finally corners the pair in a cave. Taylor waits outside to kill Granger in the morning. When latter emerges for the show-down he finds Taylor frozen to death. MGM. 108 minutes. Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan Debra Paget Directed by Richard Brooks. Produced by Dore Schary. "Let's Make Up" Slim boxoffice for low-grade British musical comedy. Errol Fiynn gives it fair marquee value. This British entry, which United Artists is releasing, will be a boxoffice problem in the American market. A flimsy enough affair in story content, it is clumsily produced and, in the American version, badly edited. A kind of musical fantasy, in which Anna Neagle imagines herself as Queen Victoria, Nell Gwynn, etc., it fails to capture cither charm or whimsy. The musical numbers of both Neagle and Erroll Flynn figure to find little favor on this side of the ocean. Production is below-par, sound is not up to standards, nor is Eastman Color lensing. Muddled story concerns Neagle's fear of marrying producer David Farrar, because her parents' marriage (Flynn and Neagle) — a theatrical one — had ended in separation and her mother's death (told in a Flynn flashback). Flynn flies to England, tells Farrar to pursue his daughter, gives his blessing. !2l 'a. i£Zil i,* Z'nfX , f,ynn Ann* N"9'» 0"d Farrar Produced and directed by Herbert Wilcoi Page 10 Film BULLETIN February 20 I9S4 "Never Say Goodbye" ScuIhcm Ratou? O O O Strong appeal for fern audience in this sentimental dranu of "Magnificent Obsession" type. Rock Hudson name anc approving word-of-mouth for Borchers will help. Universal executed a coup when they signed Cornel Borchers. The beautiful and talented German actress) makes a strong impression in "Never Say Goodbye", z\ story that has more surface than substance, but which should olease the same audience that liked "Magnificeni Obsession" and other tear-jerkers of that type. With Rock Hudson for the marquee, the boxoffice outlook is promising. An intensely sentimental story about the problems oi a marriage and how a mother wins the love of a child she i has not seen in years, it gets quite a lift from Miss Borchers' luminous performance. Script is adequate, although it fails to come to terms satisfactorily v/ith the problems presented. The Albert J. Cohen Technicolor production is attractive, and Jerry Hopper's direction developes several, emotional highlights. Dr. Rock Hudson meets two people out of his past one night in Chicago — Miss Borchers and George Sanders. Borchers is his wife, who had been held a prisoner in the Soviet zone of Vienna. In flashback is told how Hudson, in the army, had met artist Sanders and his assistant, Borchers, in Vienna. Recalled are the Hudson-Borchers romance, marriage and their separation, which led to her detainment by the Reds. Hudson now convinces her to try to forgive him for his former jealou-, sies and to return home, and she agrees. After vainly trying to win the love of her daughter, Shelley Fabares, Borchers is set to leave with Sanders. Latter convinces the child to love her mother, and happiness is restored. Universal-International. 96 minutes. Rock Hudson, Cornell Borchers, George Sanders. Produced by Albert J. Cohen. Directed by Jerry Hopper. "Our Miss Brooks" Weak movie version of popular TV series. Lacks substance for feature length. Will serve only as dualler in family houses. Here's another television show that steps into the movie "big-time" armed with a pea-shooter script. "Our Miss Brooks", movie version, is a diabetic, if gingerly paced, rehash of the familiar TV show. The screenplay provided by Al Lewis and Joseph Quillan is flimsy and predictable, and Eve Arden's flippant wisecracks come few and far between. This Warner Bros, offering figures to draw fair response from the family trade, but it will be a problem in class and action houses. Wherever it plays, the companion feature should be a strong action or dramatic show. Al Lewis' direction shows grievous little inspiration or original thought, and scenes which should have been hilarious more than once die on the vine. In sum, more than occasional chuckles are needed for 90 minutes of entertainment. Worldly-wise, husband-hungry Eve Arden arrives at Madison to begin teaching English at the local high school. She pursues biology teacher Robert Rockwell, campaigns for principal Gale Gordon who is running for a higher post, and brings together a wealthy, sophisticated father and his rebellious son. Talkative landlady, Jane Morgan, keeps Eve in constant hot water, but Eve gets her man. Warner Brothers (A Lute Production). 85 minutes. Eve Arden Gale Gordon, Robert Rockewell, Don Porter. Produced by David Weiibart. Directed by Al Lewii.