Harrison's Reports (1954)

October 9, 1954 HARRISON’S REPORTS 163 attracts the attention of Carey, a tough American who owns a fast boat; Leonard Sachs, a smooth Frenchman; and Harry Lane, a suspicious character. Through Carey, Maureen ob' tains a job in a cafe owned by Binnie Barnes, and through her learns that Sachs is involved in smuggling. In a series of complicated maneuvers, Sachs, accompanied by Maureen, hires Carey's boat to cross to Malaga and then tries to frame Carey with custom officials to get rid of him. Carey, however, escapes. Meanwhile Lane, in league with Sachs, suspects a double-cross and kills the Frenchman. This enables Maureen to obtain from Sachs' body a vital key to a safe deposit box, which contained the names of all the smugglers. Carey, aware of the key's existence, attempts to take it away from Maureen. She shoots him down, in spite of the fact that she now was in love with him. In the comphcated events that follow, Maureen hurries to Binnie for protection only to learn that she is the secret head of the smugglers. Binnie orders Lane to kill Maureen, but he shoots Binnie instead and forces Maureen to accompany him to the beach, where he was to meet the gang at a secret rendezvous. Meanwhile Carey, recovered from the shooting, returns to Tangier where Binnie, dying, tells him of the gang's rendezvous. Revealing himself as a secret agent, Carey, accompanied by the local police, rushes to the beach, where a pitched battle ends with the killing of all the smugglers and the rescue of Maureen. It was produced by N. J. Frankovich, and directed by Richard Sale, from a screenplay by Robert Westerby. Family. “Passion” with Cornel Wilde, Yvonne de Carlo and Lon Chaney (RKO, October; time, 84 min.) This is an indifferent outdoor melodrama, mainly because of an ordinary script and equally ordinary direction. One of its chief assets is some beautiful snow-covered mountain scenery, enhanced by the color photography, but it is not enough to compensate for the rather drawn-out tale about a man's efforts to track down the vicious killers of his wife and her family. The characters are never believable in what they do. The title, incidentally, is misleading in that it gives one the impression that it is a sex drama. Actually, there is very little romantic interest. The acting itself is fairly competent, but no one in the cast covers himself with glory. The color process is not identified, but the prints are by Technicolor ; — When Cornel Wilde and his cowboys reach the ranch of John Qualen, he learns that Yvonne de Carlo, whom he had seduced on the cattle drive the year previously, had borne him a son. He learns also that Richard Hale, who claimed ancient rights to Qualen's lands, was taking over the ranches in the area by strong-arm methods. While Wilde goes to town to arrange a church wedding to Yvonne, a band of terrorists employed by Hale and including Lon Chaney and Rudolfo Acosta, attack Qualen's ranch, burn down the house, and kill the old man, his wife and Yvonne. The only one to escape is Yvonne's twin sister (also played by Miss de Carlo), who rides to town for help. She returns with Wilde and finds the place burned to the ground. Both assume that the child, too, had perished in the flames. Actuadly, however, the tot had been rescued by a passing Indian and his wife. Wilde vows vengeance on the unknown killers, although Raymond Burr, the police chief, warns him not to take the law into his own hands. Although the twin sister had not seen the attackers, she recognizes the gang one night by their voices. Cornering Chaney, Wilde forces him to confess his guilt and to name the other attackers. He then kills Chaney in self-defense but, knowing that he cannot prove it, becomes a fugitive. Meanwhile he proceeds to exterminate the attackers one at a time until only Acosta remains. He trails him up a snow-covered mountain and finally catches him in a half-frozen state, but instead of killing him he delivers him to Burr. Before dying, Acosta admits the kilHngs and involves Hale. Thus Wilde, exonerated for his actions, prepares to face a happy future with the twin sister, now in love with him, and with his child, who had been located. Benedict Bogeaus produced it, and Alan Dwan directed it, from a story by Beatrice R. Dresher and Josef Leytes, who collaborated on the screenplay with Miguel Padilla. Adults. **Carmen Jones” with Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte and Pearl Bailey (20th Century'Fox, October; time, 10? min.) This CinemaScope version of “Carmen Jones” is indeed a unique and fascinating adult film entertainment, featuring a highly competent all-Negro cast. Photographed in De Luxe color, the picture is based on the successful Broadway musi-. cal show by Oscar Hammerstein II, who in turn based it on Georges Bizet's famed opera, “Carmen,” translating that distinguished masterpiece into modern times. Under the skillful handling of producer-director Otto Preminger, it emerges, not only as an artistic treat that is sure to appeal to class audiences because the Bizet score is heard in its original form with modern lyrics, but also as a force^l blend of illicit love, murder, tragedy and some comedy, the kind that should appeal also to those who like their entertainment lusty and loaded with sex. It should be well received in the metropolitan centers, but it is difficult to judge whether or not it will go over in the small-town and neighborhood theatres, or in other situations where there may be resistance to all-Negro casts. Fine performances are turned in by the entire cast, with those of Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte particularly outstanding. Miss Dandridge is excellent in the role of the immoral “Carmen Jones.” Beautiful and shapely, she gives the characterization all the fiery beauty and wild allure the part demands; the sexiness she imparts to the role will create considerable comment and no doubt will be a potent factor in drawing customers to the box-office. Mr. Belafonte is equally excellent in the part of “Joe.” A handsome man with a fine physique, his interpretation of a decent soldier who permits himself to be seduced by the sultry Carmen and who strangles her to death when she leaves him for a champion prizefighter, is one of the finest studies of human disintegration ever seen on the screen. The story is told in straight dramatic terms, and from time to time the different characters, together and alone, sing the different arias of the opera in modernized lyrics that further the story. A highlight among the musical sequences is the one in a night club, where ^Pearl Bailey sings “Beat Out the Rhythm on the Drums” while the patrons cut loose with some of the “hottest” jive-dancing sessions yet filmed. In most cases the singing voices of the principals have been dubbed, but the synchronization of their lip movements is so perfect that one does not notice the dubbing. The production values, the color and the camera work are first-rate. Briefly, the story takes place at a parachute factory outside of Jacksonville, where Dorothy, one of the workers, makes a play for Belafonte, a corporal stationed with an army security detail guarding the defense plant. Belafonte, in love with Olga James, pays no attention to Dorothy, but when she is placed under arrest for fighting with another woman employee he finds himself delegated to deliver her to the Jacksonville jail. Using her womanly wiles, she tricks Belafonte into spending the night with her at a cabin, and when he wakes up the next morning he finds her gone. Her escape results in his being sentenced to a term in the stockade, but she sends him a note promising to meet him at a certain night club when he is freed. The thought of meeting her again makes him forget Olga. Meanwhile at the night club, Joe Adams, the heavyweight champ passing through town on the way to Chicago for a match, makes a play for Dorothy and asks her to accompany him, but her passion for Belafonte is so strong that she decides to continue her wait. There is a joyous reunion between Dorothy and Belafonte when he shows up, marred by a fight with his sergeant, who tries to force his attentions on Dorothy. Lest Belafonte be tried for striking a superior, Dorothy persuades him to run away with her to Chicago. There he eludes the military police by hiding out with Dorothy in a miserable rooming house. When they run out of money, Dorothy pawns some jewelry to buy food, but when he voices his suspicions as to how she got the money, she leaves him flat and takes up with Adams. Belafonte tries desperately to make her give up the rich life with Adams but she tells him to forget about her. Tormented beyond reason, he corners her at the fight stadium and strangles her to death just as the mflitary pohce catch up with him. Otto Preminger produced and directed it from a screenplay by Harry Kleiner. Adults.