The Film Daily (1936)

TREjsV 20 1 ll-FOX 'MESSAGE TO G Altl I A GRAND THRILLER, R. O. WOW Notable Portrayal By Wallace Beery <?X *» /■ A MESSACE TO GARCIA' (20th Century-Fox) Producer Darryl F Zanuck Associate Producer. ...Raymond Griffith Direction George Marshall Story Lieut Andrew S. Rowan and Elbert Hubbard. Screen Play W P. Lipscomb and Gene Fowler Photography Rudolph Mate Assistant Director. ...Booth McCracken Cast Wallace Beery, Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles. Alan Hale, Herbert Mundin, Mona Barrie. Enrique Acosta, Juan Torena, Martin Garralaga. Blanca Vischer, Jose Luis Tortosa. Lucio Villegas, Frederick Vogeding, Pat Moriaritv, Octavio Giraud. The message of this robustious adventure picture, with its Story straight out of revered American history, its triple stellar draw and its consummate production values, is one of profits and more profits at the little glass cage Darryl Zanuck has struck 12 for exhibitors again For this is as high-tension a discharge of entertainment voltage as anyone could desire It brings vividly to life the heroic Spanish-American war story immortalized by Elbert Hubba'd and known to almost every American It packs a swift succession of hairbreadth escapes that makes the Perils of Paulme and all her successors seem child's play on the front lawn And it brings to the screen a serio-comic character portrayal destined for the cmema hall of fame Sergeant Dory, the renegade exmanne who helped Lieutenant Rowan get through the Spanish lines and into the interior of Cuba as played by Wallace Beery emerges as engaging and heroic a scalawag as any modern Falstaff Not smce Beery s Villa has he had such a chance or enacted so superbly well-rounded and engaging a portrait John Boles plays the undaunted Lieutant Rowan, bearer of the message to Garcia, and his too, is an impeccable portrayal, vigorous and dynamic Barbara Stanwyck is the high-bred and courageous Cuban girl of history who in the screen version not only aids the lieutenant but accompanies him on most of the perilous trip Miss Stanwyck is not an exotic Latm but she gives a forthright and unaffected performance that combines appealing beauty and convincing heroism Events move rapidly from the very beginning and the pace never slackens Following a bnef prologue m which President McKmley gives Rowan the message the lieutenant is found as a Canadian stoker on a British tug off the Cuban coast But Spanish spies have wind of him and the villainous Captain Krug has been hired to capture him at all costs Krug intercepts the boat and in the first of many chases Rowan swims .'s^ore under a blanket of bullets In a low Cuban bodega he is pickup by the disreputable but resource *4gU20t . . . 20th Century-I makes life sweet for exhibitors! ful Dory For a price the mercenary ex-sergeant offers to get him through the lines to the ranch of the Cuban Maderos and he is forced to accept the doubtful aid. From this point onward the comical rogue dominates the story, pitting his wits against the relentless Krug. They see Maderos shot down by Krug's men just before his lovely daughter (Barbara Stanwyck) arrives. In those circumstances they meet and the girl resolves to help the Cuban cause by seeing Rowan through Soon the three alone are working their way through the pathless and miasmic tropical swamps, constantly harassed by the ever-following Krug. Beery unwittingly leads Boles to the stronghold of Krug He himself is captured1 by the Cubans and persuades General Garcia into a ride to the rescue of the tortured Boles and, as it happens, of the wounded girl It is a gory and spectacular finish This is a grand job of picture-making throughout and there are a host of credits earned The skillfully devised script by W P Lipscomb and Gene Fowler is carefully built on Lieutenant Rowan's own published account and a vast amount of research tor picture purposes is evidenced Tact has been used to avoid wounding Spanish sensibilities as witness the employment of the foreigner Krug for everything beyond the Spanish code of honor in war The direction of George Marshall is unsparingly vigorous in its development of never-slackening pace and menace and of pungent and telling detail at every turn, however swiftly taken The photography of Rudolph Mate, with its multitudinous problems of night lightings in uncanny places, is impressively atmospheric and he is splendidly aided by the art contributions of William Darling, Rudolph Sternad and Thomas Little Of the extensive and admirable support Alan Hale stands out as the merciless Krug Herbert Mundin supplies a touch of comedy as a cockney tinware peddler lost, with his stockin-trade, for weeks m the |ungle This is a bit hard to take but is dramatically |ustified at the end The numerous Spanish parts are taken by members of the studio's gifted Spanish stock company, with handsome, young Juan Torena notable as the girl's soldier brother and Enrique Acosta as General Garcia There are also meritorious bits by Mona Barrie, Blanca Vischer, Martin Garralaga and lose Luis Tortosa V, " BEERY A MESSAGE TO GARCIA with ALAN HALE • HERBERT MUNDIN • MONA BARRIE a DARRYL F. ZANUCK 20th Century Production Presented by Joseph M. Schenck Suggested by Elbert Hubbard's immortal essay and the book by Lieut. Andrew S. Rowan Associate Producer Raymond Griffith Directed by George Marshall Scraen play by W. P. Lipscomb and Gene Fowler THE KEYSTONE OF YOUR FUTURE