The Film Daily (1939)

Ill Monday, September 11, 1939 W DAILY :< :< REVIEWS Of THE flEW flLHIS :< ;< "The Rains Came" with Tyrone Power, George Brent, Myrna Loy, Brenda Joyce 20th-Fox 104 Mins. BRILLIANT STORY SUPERBLY PROJEC(r<j TO THE SCREEN WITH STARSTUcoED CAST IS A SURE-FIRE BOX OFFICE SMASH. Exhibitors can advertise this as a "must." It sweeps breathlessly through its dramatic telling to a climax that will leave moviegoers both glad and sad. And, mark this, it cannot fail to please every type of audience. Clarence Brown has delineated the characterizations sharply and honestly, and he makes the most of every situation provided by the well-knit script Philip Dunne and Julien Josephson evolved from the Louis Bromfield best seller. George Brent is excellent as a hard-drinking, shiftless Englishman. Tyrone Power gives a polished performance as an Indian officer and surgeon. Myrna Loy capably fills the role of the lady who marries for money, but loved too late; and Brenda Joyce, a newcomer to the screen, makes a scintillating debut as the girl who weds Brent to redeem him. Nigel Bruce, Joseph Schildkraut, Maria Ouspenskaya, H. B. Warner, Marjorie Rambeau, Jane Darwell give strong support to the principals with finished portrayals and the remainder of the cast is equally as good. Miss Joyce, lovely to look at, with a delightful speaking voice and the other necessary qualities, should go far. The story is told directly and simply. Brent, who was formerly in love with Miss Loy, meets her again at the maharajah's palace with her wealthy and obnoxious husband, Nigel Bruce. He has previously met Brenda, whose family are missionaries, but he thinks of her merely as a young girl. When he meets Myrna, he realizes all is over between them, but he becomes alarmed when Myrna starts making a play for Power, Brent's best friend. However, there is nothing he can do to stop their romance and, in the meantime, he becomes more attached to Brenda. The rains start, pour down unabated. Then disaster strikes the Indian state of Ranchipur in the form of an earthquake and dams are smashed, loosing a flood of water that literally destroys everything in its path. Nigel Bruce is killed and Myrna is torn between a desire to leave and live or stay with Power and help in the hospital, choosing the latter. H. B. Warner, the rajah, is also killed when his palace is shattered by the 'quake and, as he dies, he names Power as his heir. Plague follows in the flood's wake and Myrna is a victim, with even Power's olea not enough to instill the will to live. Brent and Brenda are married and Power becomes the rajah of the rebuilt state, although it is a lonely future he faces. The flood and earthquake scenes are terrifying in their realism. The entire picture has been enhanced by use of sepia, enriching the Indian background. CAST: Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, Nigel Bruce, Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Mary Nash, Jane Darwell, Marjorie Rambeau, Henry Travers, H. B. Warner, Laura Hope Crews. William Royle, Montague Shaw, Harry Hayden. CREDITS: Producer, Darryl F. Zanuck, "Full Confession" with Victor McLaglen, Sally Eilers, Joseph Calleia RKO Radio 75 Mins. POWERFUL PERFORMANCES BY Mc LAGLEN AND CALLEIA IN EMOTIONAL DRAMA MAKE SWELL ENTERTAINMENT. Here is a highly tense-dramatic production that brings Victor McLaglen back to the type of performance that shot him to the heights in "The Informer." He handles an exacting part with impressive ability, as does Joseph Calleia who forsakes his heavy roles to play a priest. McLaglen on Christmas Eve breaks into a department store to steal a fur coat for his girl (Sally Eilers) who has expressed a wish for one. Surprised by the watchman, (Barry Fitzgerald) he knocks him out, steals his gun, and making a getaway kills a policeman. The discarded gun later convicts the old watchman, who is sentenced to death. McLaglen has cunningly had himself committed to jail for a short sentence for a minor offense, by breaking a window of a store right after the cop's murder, thus establishing an alibi if he should be implicated in the crime. A quarrel between convicts results in McLaglen's serious injury, and he is thought to be dying. He confesses the murder to the priest, who is bound by his oath to keep the secret, even though his parishoner, the watchman, is about to pay the penalty for the other's crime. Then the drama of the story grows with increasing intensity as the priest exerts every effort to persuade McLaglen to confess. In a tense scene, he does finally give himself up to the police, and the priest has won a great victory. The picture ends on a high note of spiritual exaltation. Here is a film that will exert a profound influence on religious elements. It will also appeal to the average film audience with its powerful emotional appeal, end splendid acting of the two principals. Great direction by John Farrow, and the acting throughout is exceptionally fine. CAST: Victor McLaglen, Sally Eilers, Joseph Calleia, Barry Fitzgerald, Elisabeth Risdon, Adele Pearce, Malcolm McTaggart, Jchn Bleifer, William Haade, George Humbert. CREDITS: Producer, Robert Sisk; Director, John Farrow; Author, Leo Birinski; Screenplay, Jerry Cady; Cameraman, J. Roy Hunt; Editor, Harry Marker. DIRECTION, Excellent. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fine. "Blarney" to Alexander William Alexander has secured the American and Canadian rights to "Blarney," Irish pix starring Jimmie O'Dea, Dublin stage comedian. Film will have its American premiere at the Academy of Music, Brooklyn, Sept. 17. Director, Clarence Brown, Based on the novel by Louis Bromfield; Screenplay, Philip Dunne and Julien Josephson; Editor, Barbara McLean. DIRECTION, Brilliant. Aces. PHOTOGRAPHY, "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island" with Sidney Toler, Cesar Romero, Pauline Moore 20th Century-Fox 59 Mins. SUSPENSE AND THRILLS FOR THE FANS IN CHARLIE CHAN WHODUNIT. Charlie Chan piles on the suspense as the great sleuth played by Sidney Toler starts on the trail of a master criminal operating at the San Francisco Fair. The criminal is a magician who deals in occult science in a Temple of Magic. A writer has been murdered and his death made to appear suicide, but the Oriental sleuth learns that he was writing a book exposing the tricks of the occultist. Chan works with the assistance of a newspaper reporter and another magician (Cesar Romero) in unravelling this and other crimes and finally bringing the evidence close to the door of the menacing Zodiac. Pauline Moore plays the part of a mind-reader, and is of great assistance in helping the sleuth track down his quarry. She almost loses her life as she is about to reveal him as the killer of the author, but Chan moves n swiftly and the criminal is in the toils of the law. Sidney Toler is impressive in the part of the crime specialist. Cesar Romero as the great Rhandini is fine. Sen Yung is the amusing son of the great detective. CAST: Sidney Toler, Cesar Romero, Pauline Moore, Sen Yung, Douglas Fowley, June Gale, Douglas Dumbrille, Sally Blane, Billie Seward, Wally Vernon, Donald MacBride, Charles Halton, Trevor Bardette, Louis Jean Heydt. CREDITS: Producer, Edward Kaufman; Director, Norman Foster; Author, John Larkin; Screenplay, same; Cameraman, Virgil Miller; Editor, Norman Colbert. DIRECTION, Fair. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. "Prisoner of Corbal" with Nils Asther, Noah Beery Unity 75 Mins. ADAPTATION OF SABATINI NOVEL IS WEAK AND UNINSPIRED. A very weak and disjointed production attempts to bring to the screen the Rafael Sabatini story of the French Revolution. The trouble is that it jumps around from romance to the melodramatic, then kicks in with some rather risque incidents, some of which have been obviously clipped, so that the entire film is disjointed, choppy rnd uneven. Hazel Terry plays the role cf the girl who is saved finally from the guillotine. Nils Asther plays the part of the revolutionary leader. Hugh Sinclair is fine as the aristocrat in love with the girl. Noah Beery does a characteristic bit as a soldier. CAST: Nils Asther, Noah Beery, Hazel Terry, Hugh Sinclair, Ernest Deutsch, Davy Burnaby, Clifford McLaglen. CREDITS: Director, Karl Grune; Author, Rafael Sabatini; Screenplay, S. Fullman; Cameraman, Otto Kanturek; Editor, E. Stokvis. DIRECTION, Weak. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fair. "The Girl From Rio" with Movita, Warren Hull Mcnogram 63 Mins. MELLER FOR NABORHOOD FARE HAS MOVITA SPREADING HER CHARM. Fair number for the naborhoods, with Movita as the South American singer in New York endeavoring to secure the release of her brother who has been framed on a firebug charge through the conniving of the owner of a night club whose sideracket is collecting insurance on incendiary happenings he has created. She is aided by Warren Hull, who with the help of an insurance investigator, plans to get the evidence from the racketeer by having Movita planted as a singer in his night club. She secures the evidence in showing that the valuable stamp collection on which he collected the insurance is intact in his safe, but meanwhile the jealous girl friend of the night club owner discovers what the new singer's real objective is. The dramatic finale has the hero entering in time to save Movita from her tragic fate at the hands of the racketeer, and facing him with his guilt. Movita is very personable and appealing, and she sings well her Spanish numbers. CAST: Movita, Warren Hull, Alan Baldwin, Kay Linaker, Clay Clement, Adele Pearce, Soledad Jiminez, Richard Tucker, Dennis Moore, Byron Foulger. CREDITS: Director, Lambert Hillyer; Authors, Milton Raison, John T. Neville; Screenplay, same; Cameraman, Paul Ivano; Editor, Russell Schoengard. DIRECTION, Fair. PHOTOGRAPHY, Okay. "Stop, Look and Love" with Jean Rogers, William Frawley 20th Century-Fox 57 Mins. STARTER FOR NEW FAMILY SERIES SHOULD DO OKAY WITH POP AUDIENCES. Looks like the launching of a new family series, the family being the Hallers. The story revolves principally around the efforts of Jean Rogers to have herself a boy friend, with mother (Minna Gombell) gumming things up by making the young man believe he is already part of the family. So daughter has to get her entertainment away from home with the admirer. Richard Kelland plays the suitor. Then there is dad, played by William Frawley; Cora Sue Collins the kid sister who wants to crash the movies; Harry Neville, a likeable youngster who is sweet on Cora; Jay Ward as the jitterbug type. The cast seems to have the edge on their material, but the pix should do okay with popular audiences. CAST: Jean Rogers, William Frawley, Robert Kellard, Minna Gombell, Eddie Collins, Cora Sue Collins, Jay Ward, Roger McGee, Lillian Porter. CREDITS: Producer, Sol Wurtzel; Director, Otto Brower; Author, Harry Delf; Screenplay, Harold Tarshis, Sada Cowan; Cameraman, Lucien Adriot; Editor, Nick DeMaggio. DIRECTION, Fair. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. •* .«*