Harrison's Reports (1932)

December 31, 1932 HARRISON’S REPORTS 2 1 1 “Rasputin” with John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore {^MGM Roadshow picture.) During the first two or three reels one gets the feeling that ‘‘Rasputin” will turn out to be the best drama produced to this day, and that the other producers will go a long way before they will duplicate it; but after that one discovers that the Holly%vood mind could not have kept that dramatic pace. It would have been unbelievable for such minds not to resort to their cheap, tawdry, and disgusting lustful scenes. From the point where Rasputin, impersonated by Lionel Barr>-more, enters the picture, the sympathetic interest drops like a ton of bricks and is not regained until the very last scenes, which depict the death of the Royal family ; they are shown shot down by the representatives of the Soviet Government in cold blood. Lionel Barn,'more takes the part of Rasputin with realism, but such part is unpleasant and in many places repulsive to people with decent feelings. For instance, the sight of his entering the room of one of the princesses, a mere child, not older perhaps than seventeen, with the intention of seducing her, coming immediately after his seduction of another princess, cannot help but create a feeling of revulsion to persons with some tenderness in their heart, particularly to fathers and mothers. It is the Hollywood idea of entertainment, which decrees that no picture can be entertaining or a box office success, unless there are seductions in it. In addition to being revolting on that score, “Rasputin” is also horrible, at least in one situation. This is where the Prince is shown striking Rasputin on the head with a poker, then dragging him out and throwing him into the river, and drowning him. The sight of Rasputin with his head covered with blood, almost unrecognizable, will sicken the heart of many a person. .At the opening night I heard expressions of horror by women around me. With all these defects “Rasputin” holds the interest; at times it grips it. The first part, which shows the Royal family celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the Romanoffs, attending the Moscow Cathedral where a Te Deum for the preservation of the Royal family’s health was sung, are very impressive. The sight of the Csarevich ill in bed with hemophillia, or failure of the blood to coagulate, with the physicians unable to stop the flow of blood, and despairing of saving his life, is deeply pathetic. Ethel Barrymore is able to impart to the spectators the grief she feels as the mother of the Csarevich. The story deals with the rise of Rasputin, a peasant Monk, to great influence and power in the Russian Empire during the World War, after being able to restore the Csarevich’s health ; the Emperor and the Empress believed in his miraculous powers and no one could turn them against him. A. young prince (hero), in love with one of the princesses, feels that the influence of this common monk is detrimental to the future of Russia and, conspiring with other friends, they lure him to a party and there the prince murders him. A revolution takes place and the Royal family is eventually shot down in cold blood on orders of the revolutionarj government, which feared to let them live lest they be restored to the throne. The plot has been founded on a story by Charles McArthur; it was directed by Richard Boleslavsk>’. Ralph Morgan and Tad Alexander support the Barr>-mores, as the Czar and Czarevich respectively. Since it is a roadshow picture, it has to be shown on the days the film company dictates, regardless of its suitability for Sundays. It will, no doubt, draw, but at best it is a picture that has been produced in accordance with Holh"wood conceptions. It cannot be great. “Fast Life” with William Haines, Madge Evans and Cliff Edwards (MGM , Nov. 19; ruwiittg time, 81)4 minutes) A fairly good entertainment. What it lacks in story material it makes up for in speed and excitement ; it also has some good comedy. The closing scenes, which show a boat race, are most thrilling, and .should hold the audience in suspense. The boats are seen going around the race course at a terrific speed, most of the time jumping out of the water into the air. some of them capsizing and throwing the driver into the water directly in the path of speeding boats. The actions of the hero in forcing people to give him money are not quite honest, but one sympathizes with him since his reasons for doine so are to outsmart the villain and to help the heroine’s father recoup his fortune, his idea being to repay all the people from whom he had taken money. The situations that show the hero escaping in the stolen boat and evading the police are exciting and humorous : — The hero and his pal, ex-sailors, are broke While in a rowboat off Catalina Islands, the heroine crashes into them with her yacht. She jumps in the water to save the hero who purposely had called for help. He is thrilled to learn that her father is a well-known ship builder, for the hero had invented a new engine that would make excellent speed in a racing boat. He finally interests her father in it and he goes ahead with his plans to build the boat. At the trj'out there is a blowup and the father is injured. In addition, he is ruined for he had used all his resers'e for the building of the boat. He is forced to close his business. The heroine refuses to see the hero or to permit him to see her father for she reels that he had cheated them. The villain, in love with the heroine, refuses to help her father finance Ae hero, who now knows what was wrong with the engine. Instead, he plans to take the boat himself and to run it for his bootlegging business. The hero finds out about this, steals the boat, and using the tactics of a pirate procures enough money to buy materials with so as to set the boat in order. He kidnaps the heroine from the villain’s yacht so as to prevent her from marrying the villain. She finds out the truth about the villain when two of his henchmen attem.pt to capture them. Now she is all for the hero. They enter the race the next day and win. When the villain insists on having the hero arrested, she threatens him with exposure and he withdraws the charges. The hero and the heroine are united. The plot was adapted from the novel “Let’s Go,” by E. J. Rath. It was directed by Harry Pollard. In the cast are Conrad Nagel, Arthur Byron, Warburton Gamble, Kenneth Thomson, and others. Suitable for children and for Sunday showing. “Animal Kingdom” with Ann Harding and Leslie Howard (RKO, Dec. 23; running time, 84J4 minutes) Excellent entertainment for sophisticated audiences. The theme is rather delicate since it relates to sex, but it has been handled wih such good taste that it is not offensive at any time. In addition, there is some excellent comedy caused by the rough manners of the hero’s butler. The storj’ presents an interesting problem, and although there is no action, but mostly talk, it holds one’s atention throughout. Much sympathy is felt for both the hero and the heroine; for him, because of his lack of understanding of his wife’s real character ; for her, because of the unhappiness brought to her by the hero. Several situations are quite dramatic. One is where the hero tells the heroine he is going to marry some other girl. Another is where the hero's wife's true character is suddenly revealed to him ; — The hero and the heroine had been living together for several years. While she is in Paris on a business trip he meets another girl and is captured by her beauty. He proposes, and is accepted. The heroine returns and the hero decides to see the heroine and tell her everything before any one else has a chance to do so. Before he tells her she confesses that she wants a child and asks him to marrj' her. He is heartbroken but tells her the truth ; he begs her to continue seeing him but she refuses. A year later the heroine e.xhibits some of her paintings and the hero calls to see her. Realizing how much she still loves him she packs her things and leaves New York. Upon her return she receives a call from the hero’s wife to pay them a visit. Being curious to know what is back of the invitation, she accepts. Once there she realizes that it is only the physical charms of his wife that keeps him interested in her. Finding the wife in the arms of a man, she makes an excuse and leaves. The wife attempts to interest the hero in selling his book business to some cheap publishers, but this he resents. She dresses herelf in an attractive gown, makes everything comfortable and then sets out to induce the hero to accept his father’s invitation to live with him in his Fifth Avenue home, and also to cash a check his father had sent him for his birthday. The true worth of his wife suddenly dawns on him and for the first time he is able to see things clearly. He endorses the check over to her, and tells the butler that he is leaving, to go back to his real “wife.” The plot was adapted from the play by Philip Barry. It was directed by Edward H. Griffith. In the cast are Myrna Loy, Neil Hamilton, William Gargan. Henn Stephenson, Ilka Chase, Leni Stengel and Donald Dilloway. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. It is unlikely that it will prove acceptable in small towns where the religious sentiment may be strong.