Harrison's Reports (1954)

38 HARRISON’S REPORTS March 6, 1954 “Rose Marie” with Ann Blyth, Howard Keel and Fernando Lamas (MGM, March; time, 104 min.) This third version of “Rose Marie,” which was produced as a silent picture in 1928 and as a talkie in 1936, is distinguished by the familiar but unforgettable music score of the operetta on which it is based, and by the breathtaking scenic backgrounds of the Canadian Rockies, which, photographed in CinemaScope and in Eastman color, are alone worth the price of admission. The grandeur of the magnificent Canadian Northwest scenery is a perfect setting for the music, particularly “Indian Love Call,” as sung by Ann Blyth and Fernando Lamas, who sing in fine voice. Howard Keel, of course, does justice to the music with his rich baritone voice. The story itself is rather weak and slowmoving, and many movie-goers may not be satisfied with the ending, w^ch has Miss Blyth choosing Lamas, a somewhat disreputable fellow, over Keel, a fine Mountie, who had befriended her. On the whole, however, its mixture of music, romance, comedy and some melodrama should prove acceptable to the general run of audiences. Appearing all too briefly as a Mountie but registering strongly in the comedy department is Bert Lahr. The picture’s one production number, an Indian festival dance featuring Joan Taylor, has been staged most effectively. The CinemaScope photography is first rate, and its wide sweep adds much to the magnificence of the outdoor scenery: — Keel, a sergeant of the Northwest Mounted Police, finds that he has a wildcat on his hands when he forcibly takes Ann from the Canadian woods to Fort McLeod, thus fulfilling a promise he had made to her deceased father to see that she is taken to civilization. The unwilling Ann learns to admire Keel and to enjoy living among the Mounties, but Ray Collins, Keel’s senior officer, orders him to take Ann to Marjorie Main, an innkeep>er in the town of Maple Rock, where she can learn to become a lady. Ann protests against a citified life, but she becomes attached to the bighearted Miss Main and begins to enjoy her surroundings. Through Miss Main’s efforts, she takes on a beautiful and feminine appearance, and Keel, noticing the change, falls deeply in love with her. She returns his affection but soon finds her-, self attracted to Fernando Lamas, a romantic French Canadian trapper, who stood in ill repute with the Mounties. Lamas pursues Ann and wins her heart, but in doing so he arouses the ire of Joan Taylor, an exotic Indian maiden, to whom he had made love. Lamas continues to see Ann, despite Keel’s warning that he stay away from her. Complications arise when Joan, whipped by the chief of her tribe for attempting to see Lamas, stabs him to death with a knife owned by Lamas. Suspicion falls on Lamas because of the fact that he had quarrelled with the chief over the purchase of a piece of Indian land. He is arrested, convicted and sentenced to die. On the eve of the execution. Keel learns of Lamas’ former romance with Joan and he visits the girl to question her. This leads to her confession of the killing and results in Lamas being freed. Ann, grateful to Keel, accepts his long-standing offer of marriage, but Keel, aware that she loved Lamas, sees to it that she is reunited with him and rides out of their lives. It was produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy, from a screenplay by Ronald Millar and George Froeschel. Family. “Beat the Devil” with Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones and Gina LoUobrigida (United Artists, March; time, 92 min.) Every one connected with the making of “Beat the Devil” seems to have had a right good time, and it appears as if the movie-goers, at least the sophisticated ones, will enjoy it thoroughly. Filmed in Italy and set against the background of an Italian seaport town, the picture may best be described as a satirical comedy-melodrama, revolving around the misadventures of an international gang of odd and questionable characters, who secretly scheme to acquire rich uranium deposits in Africa. The accent is on the comedy, and most of it stems from the characters’ complete lack of faith in each other, and from their efforts to double-cross one another as a matter of self-protection. The story itself is inconsequential and confusing, but one does not mind this because of the amusing and subtle interplay of character, the witty dialogue and the unpredictable happenings. All in all, it shapes up as decidedly “different” entertainment with a tongue-in-cheek quality that should please the sophisticates. Whether or not it will be appreciated by the rank-and-file picture-goers remains to be seen, but it does seem as if there is much about it that should satisfy them, too. The direction is skillful, the acting tops, and the camera work unusually good. Briefly, the story casts Humphrey Bogart as an American confidence man, married to Gina LoUobrigida, an Iteilian beauty, and acting as a go-between for an international gang, whose members included Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Marco Tulli and Ivor Barnard. All wait in a Mediterranean seaport town for repairs to be made to a tramp steamer, by which they are traveling to Africa. While waiting, Bogart discovers that his “business associates” had killed a Colonial Office official, and that the purpose of their trip to Africa was to acquire land containing uranium deposits. He also starts a flirtation with Jennifer Jones who, together with Edward Underdown, her stuffed-shirt English husband, had booked passage on the same ship. Jennifer, gifted with a vivid imagination and a propensity for lying, informs Bogart that her husband has big interests in uranium deposits. Their conversation is overheard by Lorre, who immediately reports it to his associates. This gives rise to all sorts of suspicions that Bogart, working with Jennifer and her husband, will attempt to double-cross the gang, and sets in motion a series of underhand dealings by which all concerned seeks to protect his own interests. More complica'! tions arise when the ship resumes its journey and Jennifer’s husband, having learned of the land-grabbing scheme, threatens to inform the authorities. An unsuccessful attempt is made on his life, after which he disappears at sea. Shortly thereafter the ship has another breakdown, compelling the passengers to row to Arab territory. After further misadventures with the Arab authorities for entering the territory illegally, all return to the port from which they had sailed and find a Scotland Yard detective waiting to question them about the official’s murder. The gang members succeed in lulling his suspicions until Jennifer speaks up and discloses information that leads to their arrest. With the gang jailed, Bogart and his wife bid Jennifer goodbye, but just as they part a cable arrives from her husband, stating that he had gotten safely ashore, had bought the land the gang was after, and is now a wealthy man. It is a Santana-Romulus production, directed by John Huston, from a screenplay by himself and Truman Capote, based on the novel by James Helvick. Adults. “World for Ransom” with Dan Duryea, Gene Lockhart and Patric Knowles (Allied Artists, Jan. 31; time, 82 min.) An acceptable program melodrama, which succeeds in holding the spectator in suspense. To make the action more intriguing, the producer had it unfold in Singapore, where international intrigue is rampant. Dan Duryea wins some measure of sympathy when he, as a professional adventurer, sides with the law to uncover the plotters who had kidnapped the atomic scientist. The romance between Duryea and Miss Carr is not consumated, for toward the end she believes that he had killed Patric Knowles, her husband, deliberately, whereas he had been forced to either kill him or be killed himself. There is hardly any comedy relief : — Because of his friendship with Patric Knowles, and of his love for Marian Carr, Knowles wife, Duryea agrees to take part in a plot involving the kidnapping for ransom of Arthur Shields, a nuclear scientist, who was on his way to Singapore. Heading the plot are Gene Lockhart and Lou Nova, Lockhart’s assistant, both secretly associated with Knowles. The kidnapping takes place and Duryea becomes involved deeply and dangerously. Drawn into the case are Clarence Lung and Keye Luke, two Chinese, as well as Reginald Denny, a Major in the British Military Intelligence, and Douglas Dumbrille, Inspector of the Singapore police. Duryea and Denny eventually join forces. Panic-stricken as the law closes in, Knowles kills several of his associates in the kidnapping. Duryea, to save himself, is forced to kill Knowles. Thus Shields, the scientist, is freed. Marian, now free, repudiates her promise to marry Duryea because of her belief that he had killed her husband deliberately. His love spurned, Duryea goes his solitary way. Robert Aldrich and Bernard Tabakin produced it, and Mr. Aldrich directed it, from a screenplay by Lindsay Hardy. For the melodrama-loving fans.