The Film Daily (1946)

Thursday, July 25, 194€ iw CMUIY ^ HLffl DfllLV REVIEUJS Of REUI PICTURES ^ "Holiday In Mexico" with Walter Pidgeon, Jane Powell, Jose Iturbi, Roddy McDowell i-G-M 127 Mins. PI/TERNAKS FORMULA FOR SOLID "Great Day" with Eric Portman, Flora Robson, Isabel Jeans RKO 69 Mins. AN INTERESTING ENGLISH PRODUC HC^ ku ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCES TION FORTIFIED WITH SOME AMERI ' W .. .. /-AM MAliCC. CTDirxl V ArilflT CMTCD i : :iRNer?1ER LAVISH MUSICAL TO CHAL4;|.ENGE B. 0. RECORDS. Rich in musical charm and presented 1n ijuxurious Technicolor, "Holiday in Mexico" stablishes a pinnacle of production which iPasternak himself might find difficult to hurdle on his next effort. There is enough entertainment to fill two separate features. George Sidney's direction is exciting and delightful, easing the burden of the new, *fVcufhful and lovely singing star Jane Powell, who is mistress of the screenplay's situations and steals the spotlight with her thrilling voice. Of course, Roddy McDowell's impression ' ^ps the teen-age subject of her puppy love is definitely top-shelf and presents Roddy .in a fresh light that should set him for ^similar roles in his next group of films. Not only does Pasternak present Walter .fidgeon with a comfortable and suitable Tole as the United States Ambassador to :K1exico and father of Powell, but gives the ^ilm a wider international flavor by spotIting several Hungarian production numbers with the glamorous singer Nona Massey, who turns up as an old flame of Pidgeon's from the days of his diplomatic service in Europe. Jose Iturbi's "ear-resistable" piano interludes (which includes a molecule of boogie woogie for the Pasternak formula) is well spotted and appreciated. Xavier Cugat, likewise, comes in for a measure of applause iwith his Latin music. Harry Stradling's camera technique under Sidney's direction, ought to earn for him a P.D. (Doctor of Pianos). Never in the hisLtory of films has the piano been dissected and shot from so many unusual angles to establish it as a glamorous instrument — playing puppet to Iturbi's eloquent fingers. The film gets underway when Jane tries to prove her ability in arranging an embassy CAN NAMES; STRICTLY ADULT ENTER TAINMENT. To enhance the film's domestic value, RKO has wisely included the talents of Flora Rabscn and Isabel Jeans, two fine actresses whose faces are familiar to American audiences. The picture offers much for adult family fare, but should be exploited from its dedicatory angle: "Dedicated to the members of the women's institutes who throughout this war have given freely of their time and knowledge, and who by the work of their hands and without gain to themselves have greatly increased their country's resources." The film is intriguing from its opening sequence when it takes you to a small English village during the war years where Eleanor Roosevelt, on tour in England at the time, is scheduled to make an appearance. The women of the village are given 24 hours notice of her arrival and they set about under the guidance of Flora Robson to prepare a suitable reception. Robson delivers a creditable performance in her role as the wife of an ex-Army captain, Eric Portman, who has been living in his past glories since World War I, and has unconsciously lost his sense of responsibility tJ his family. Sheila Sim, their very beautiful daughter, mindful of the unhappy economic situation at home, nearly accepts a marriage proposal from a wealthy farmer much older than she, but an English soldier, her true love, changes her mind. To climax the incidents prior to the "great day" of Mrs. Roosevelt's arrival, Portman, arrested for stealing money to pay for a round of drinks at an inn that evening, considers himself a failure and is about to commit suicide for causing his family undue humiliation when Sheila convinces him that it is braver to live than to die. CAST: Eric Portman, Flora Robson, Sheila Sim, Walter Fitzgerald, Isabel Jean, Philip Friend /ball the day before she and her father were Marjorle Rhodes, Margaret Withers, Mare O'Neill |ohn Laurie, Kathleen Harrison, Leslie Dwyer, Beatrice Varley, Irene Handl, Patricia Hayes, Jacqueline Clarke, Norman Pierce, Pauline Tennant, John McLaren, Ivor Barnard, Valentine Dunn, O. 8. Clarence, Jean Shepherd, David Ward, Roy Malcolm. CREDITS: Producer, Victor Hanbury; Director, Lance Comfort; Screenplay, John Davenport, When Pidgeon sees Massey he changes ' Lesley Storm, Wolfgang Wilhelm; Based on scheduled to leave Mexico for a vacation in Vermont. Together with Roddy, the British .Ambassador's son, who is continuously trying to find her favor, they manage to round up the film's musical stars for the entertain .ment. his mind about taking the trip to Vermont. This puts a damper on Powell's plans and she seeks comfort from Iturbi for whom she has developed a "mature" infatuation. ^Pidgeon soon puts an end to Iturbi's embarrassing situation but finds himself in a 'similar predicament with one of Powell's I girl friends. This proves to be the comedy highspot of the film when Mikhail Rasumny, the girl's father, pays Pidgeon a visit for (the nuptial arrangements, which are necessarily broken through Pidgeon's shrewd 1 diplomacy. The picture ends with Powell ; gloriously singing at a concert given by ; Iturbi. I CAST: Walter Pidgeon, Jose Iturbi, Roddy Mc, Dowall, Nona Massey, Xavier Cugat, Jane Pow^ell, Hugo Haas, Mikhail Rasumny, Helene Stanley, i William "Bill" PhilHps, Amparo Iturbi, Tonia ■ Hero, Teresa Hero, Marina Koshetz, Linda Christian, Ann Codee, Paul Stanton, Doris Lloyd, Rosita Marstini. CREDITS: Producer, Joseph Pasternak; Director, George Sidney; Original story, William Kozlenko; Screenplay, Isobel Lennart; Musical play by Leslie Storm Cameraman, Erwin Hil lier; Art Director, William C. Andrews; Music, William Alwyn; London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Muir Mathieson; Film Editor, Sidney J. Stone; Sound, J. C. Cook, Desmond Dew; Assistant Director, T. Tomson. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Phillips Joins Ampro Chicago — The appointment of Maj. Richard B. Phillips as Southeastern representative is announced by the Ampro Corp. Phillips' background includes over fifteen years work in the 16-35 mm. motion picture equipment field, specializing in cameras and projectors. Direction, Georgie Stoll; Cameraman, Harry Stradling; Technicolor Directors, Natalie Kalmus, Henri Jaffa; Film Editor, Adrienne Fazan; Sound, Douglas Shearer; Art Directors, Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith; Set Decorators, Edwin B. Willis, Arthur A. Krams; Special Effects, Warren Newcombe. DIRECTION, Superb. PHOTOGRAPHY, Tops. "Notorious" with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman RKO 101 Mins. HITCHCOCK EXCELS HIMSELF IN MASTERPIECE OF MELODRAMA; BERGMAN RISES TO NEW HEIGHTS. One runs small risk of going out on a limb in saying that Alfred Hitchcock never has lent his name to a film superior to "Notorious." The picture offers a combination of talents that will prove an irresistible force at the box-office. A triumph for all concerned, the production is another master stroke of picture-making delivered in that facile manner so characteristic of Hitchcock's work. As if Hitchcock's services as producer and director were not enough to clinch its success, the film teams Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman romantically in a story from the trenchant typewriter of Ben Hecht. It is to the film's credit that it has inspired Miss Bergman to give a performance that excels anything sh? has done in pictures to date. Her work once more puts her in line for an Academy award. Grant, too, has been driven to outdo himself in a role that requires him to untap new facets of his dramatic talent. In "Notorious" Hitchcock has created brilliant melodramatic entertainment in which he gives full play to his genius as a master of suspense. It is hard to think of a film more capable of holding an audience spellbound, or one possessed of greater tenseness. Hitchcock builds up the suspense to a point where the audience is thrown into a high state of excitement. Ben Hecht has put together a screenplay that is a high mark in his career as a film writer. Situations and dialogue are superior to those commonly found in spy melodrama and they have been handled with unusual intelligence on the whole. The story deals with the efforts of U. S. Government agents to uncover a plot by a Nazi group in Brazil to manufacture atom bombs for a third world conflict. Miss Bergman, a patriotic American of German extraction whose father worked as a Nazi agent, undertakes the job of getting the goods on the villains at the behest of Grant, a U. S. agent. Grant and she fall in love, and there is a terrible struggle between duty and happiness. For the success of her mission Miss Bergman is married to Claude Rains, one of the plotters. When Miss Bergman's identity is learned her life is in jeopardy, but Grant saves her in the nick of time by a bit of strategy that brings the film to a thrilling end. Rain's death at the hands of his co-plotters spells a happy ending for the lovers. The l(we scenes are extremely moving and will hive the women in an emotional stew. Rains, Madame Konstantin, Louis Calhern are but a few of the supporting players who perform with distinction. The production Is an impressive one phy "Claudia and David" with Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young 20th-Fox 78 Mins. COMEDY AND DRAMA ARE SUPERBLY BLENDED IN DOMESTIC FILM ESPECIALLY RECOMMENDED FOR FEMMES. In "Claudia and David" 20th-Fox has turned out a sequel to its "Claudia" that is every bit as good as the original. From the Rose Franken stories about the domestic life of a young couple Vera Caspary has done an adaptation from which Miss Franken and William Brown Meloney have fashioned a screenplay full of warmth and understanding. The picture, a mixture of drama and humor of high quality, is particularly to be recommended as enS^ertainment for women patrons, who will find the film an emotional exercise above the ordinary. Where "Claudia" was a success "Claudia and David" can be expected to do as well, if not better . Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young once more are Claudia and David, giving the same fine accounts of themselves as they did in "Claudia." They make their domestic problems seem believable and understandable. Exaggeration has small place in the story of two young people who have their little misunderstan(.ing like so many countless couples in real life. Walter Lang's sympathetic direction helps to give the film a convincing quality. Under his guidance the film takes on a gentleness that cannot but touch a person's heart. He has made every effort to keep the film simple and real. Much of the story revolves around Claudia's undue concern for the health of her youngster and her reaction to David's interest in matters outside the home. How Claudia is given a maturer insight into marital life comprises some of the most moving and entertaining passages in the film. William Perlberg has produced superbly well. Mary Astor, John Sutton, Gail Patrick, Rose hlobart and Harry Davenport are some of the others whose work rates attention. CAST: Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Mary Astor, John Sutton, Gail Patrick, Rose Hobart, Harry Davenport, Florence Bates, Jerome Cowan, Else Janssen, Frank Twedell, Anthony Sydes, Pierre Watkin, Henry Mowbray, Betty Compson, Clara Blandick, Eric Wilton, Frank Darien. CREDITS: Producer, William Perlberg; Director, Walter Lang; Screenplay, Rose Franken, William Brown Meloney; Adaptation, Vera Caspary; Based on stories by Rose Franken; Cameraman, Joseph La Shelle; Art Directors, James Basevi, Albert Hogsett; Set Decorators, Thomas Little, Ernest Lansing; Film Editor, Robert Simpson; Musical Score, Cyril J. Mockridge; Special Effects, Fred Sersen; Sound, Bernard Freericks, Roger Heman. DIRECTION, Fine. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Luigi Luraschi Returning After European Survey Luigi Luraschi, head of the Paramount studio foreign department, jj^glly has concluded a three-and-a-half CAST: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude i month film and production survey in Rains, Louis Calhern, Madame Konstantin, Reinhold Schunzel, Moroni Olsen, Ivan Triesault, Alex Minotis, Wally Brown, Sir Charles Mendl, Ricardo Costa, Eberhard Krumschmidt, Fay Baker, CREDITS: Producer, Alfred Hitchcock; Production Assistant, Barbara Keen; Director, Alfred Hitchcock; Screenplay, Ben Hecht; Cameraman, Ted Tetzlaff; Special Effects, Vernon L. Walker, Paul Eagler; Art Directors, Albert S. i Editor, Theron Warth; Sound, John E. Tribby. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark; Set Decorators, Darrell [ Clem Portman. Silvera, Claude Carpenter; Musical Score, Roy | DIRECTION, Excellent. PHOTOGRAPHY, ExWebb' Musical Director, C. Bakaleinikoff ; Film cellent. Europe for Henry Ginsberg, studio head, and will arrive in New York from London hy clipper tomorrow. Luraschi will leave New York for Hollywood Sunday by plane.