FilmIndia (1946)

FILMINDIA May, 1946 Here is a smart girl, Dulari, smartly turned out in "Namak", an Azad picture. maintain their faith in the boats as fighting craft. They are given an opportunity to prove this theory when the Philippines are blockaded after the Pearl Harbor attack. Before long, their courageous raids account for many Jap vessels, and they become a most important factor in the stalling of the Jap invasion. With but four boats remaining of their squadron, Montgomery and Wayne receive their most important assignment — the evacuation of General MacArthur and other high-ranking officers from Bataan. They complete the hazardous journey at the cost of two of their ships, but they succeed in delivering their human cargo to its destination. Their mission completed, Montgomery and Wayne continue their raids on Jap shipping. Eventually, both crews are separated during a desperate encounter, with Wayne losing his ship when it is bombed by a Jap plane, and with Montgomery beaching his ship, which had been crippled. With his few remaining men, Wayne treks through the jungle and succeeds in finding Montgomery. As both leaders prepare to join the fleeing army, they receive orders to board the last plane out of the Philippines, and to return to the United States to train new P. T. crews. Frank Wead, Comdr. U.S.N. (Ret.) wrote the screen play, and John Ford, Captain, U.S.N.R. produced and directed it Cliff Reid was associate producer. The cast includes Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Marshall Thompson and many others. "LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN" (20th Century-Fox, January; time, no min.) This is a powerful dramatic entertainment. The story, which is based on Ben Ames Williams' best-selling novel, of the same title, concerns a beautiful woman whose vici ousness affects many lives. It is not a cheerful entertainment— as a matter of fact, extremely sensitive persons may find some of the situations highly distasteful and even sickening; but audiences that seek originality in story, tastefulness in production values, and perfection in direction and acting will find it fascinating. There is no doubt that it will be an outstanding box-office attraction, particularly in large cities. Gene Tierney, as the jealous wife, whose possessive love for her husband drives her to extremes, including murder and se'f-destruction, is a most unsympathetic character, but her portrayal is outstanding. Cornel Wilde, as the husband, gives an extraordinarily good performance; the spectator feels deeply the tragedy his selfish wife brings into his life. The entire supporting cast is fine. Not the least of the picture's assets is the superior Technicolor photography: — Gene falls in love with Wilde when both visit the New Mexico ranch of a mutua' friend. She breaks her engagement to Vincent Price, a Massachusetts attorney, and, employing her womanly wi'es rushes Wilde in.o marriage. Her love for him becomes so possessive that she determines that no one, not even Wilde's young crippled brother Hickman , to whom he was devoted, sha'l invade their privacy. When the boy accompanies them to a Mainemountain resort, Gene, resentful, permits the lad to drown, making it appear like an accident Wilde, despondent keeps to himself. To renew his interest in her, Gene decides to have a baby. But, when she realizes that she would have to share Wilde with the child, she deliberately throws herself down a staircase, killing the unborn baby. Wilde, having grown suspicious of her actions, goads her into confessing both murders. He leaves her, but Gene, determined that no one else shall have him, particularly Jeanne Crain, her adopted sister, of whom Wilde was fond, concocts a plan: she kills herself by placing arsenic in her sugar, but before dying arranges circumstantial evidence indicating that Jeanne, in league with Wilde had "murdered" her. Jeanne is indicted, and during the trial Vincent Price, Gene's discarded lover, now prosecuting attorney, convinces all of her guilt until Wilde takes the stand and reveals that Gene had murdered both his baby and brother, and states that she had killed herself in a way that was designed to hold him from the grave. Jeanne is acquitted, but Wilde is given a two-year sentence for concealing evidence from the state. Released from jail, Wilde rejoins Jeanne to start life anew. Jo Swerling wrote the screen play, William A. Bacher produced it, and John M. Stahl directed it. The cast includes Ray Collins, Mary Philips, and others. Adult entertainment. "THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE" (RKO, no release date set; time, 83 min.) Very good! Produced with care, directed with intelligence, and acted competently by an impressive cast, this gripping murder-mystery melodrama offers thrills and suspense in a manner that is sure to hold mass as well as class audiences engrossed. The settings, lighting, photography and music are of considerable aid in creating a tense atmosphere, putting the spectator in a receptive mood for a story of this type. The central figure in the plot, which revolves around a mysterious, maniacal murderer, whose victims are women with physical handicaps, is Dorothy McGuire, who enacts the role of a mute housemaid. She gives an excep 66