Harrison's Reports (1939)

July 8, 1939 HARRISON'S REPORTS 107 "Four Feathers" {United Artists, [1939-40] Aug. 4; time, 116 mm.) An excellent British production. No matter how accustomed audiences may be to "big" pictures, the lavishness of this technicolor work, particularly in the war scenes between the British soldiers and the native tribes, will leave them breathless. The mob scenes during the battles have been handled so realistically that one is held in tense suspense, although the brutality of the fighting in a few spots may prove harrowing for women. There is deep human appeal in many of the situations, awakened by the suffering of several characters with whom one is in sympathy. The bravery of the leading characters under the most trying circumstances is inspiring. Although the love interest is minimized, it has an important bearing on the story, for the hero, by reason of his love for the heroine, eventually redeems himself in the eyes of his friends : — On the eve of the departure of his regiment to join Kitchener's army in the Sudan, John Clements, a young, sensitive man, who had been forced into army life because of family tradition, hands in his resignation. His three intimate friends are shocked ; each of them sends him a white feather, indicating cowardice. His sweetheart (June Duprez) breaks their engagement. Clements asks her, too, to give him a white feather. Wishing to regain Miss Duprez' affections, Clements leaves for Egypt, his purpose being to show his bravery and to return the white leathers to the givers. Disguised as a mute native, he makes his way up the Nile through hostile Arab ground. In the meantime, his three friends had been chosen to lead their men in a bait to trap the Mahdi. Ralph Richardson, the leader, who had gone to the mountains to look for the tribes, accidentally drops his sun helmet. He faints. By the time he is found, the intensity of the sun had blinded him. Before he could warn his men, the Dervishes attack. Richardson is left for dead, and his two friends are made prisoners ; the remainder are killed. Clements, who had pretended to be fighting with the natives, leads, at times carrying, Richardson across the desert to English headquarters, without revealing his identity. He then slips one of the feathers into a letter Richardson had been carrying in his pocket. He again joins the tribe in an effort to save his other two friends. This he finally accomplishes, but not until he had suffered tortures at the hands of the tribe, who had discovered his identity. He and his friends are directly responsible for Kitchener's eventual victory. In the meantime, Richardson, who had returned home still unaware of who had been his benefactor, becomes engaged to Miss Duprez. But when he learns the truth, he releases Miss Duprez. A joyful reconciliation takes place between Clements and Miss Duprez. A. E. W. Mason wrote the story, and R. C. Sheriff, the screen play ; Zoltan Korda directed it, and Alexander Korda produced it with Irving Asher as associate producer. C. Aubrey Smith and others are in the cast. Suitability, Class A. Note : Paramount produced this in 1929, with poor results. "Hell's Kitchen" with "The Dead End" Kids, Margaret Lindsay and Ronald Reagan {Warner Bros., July 8; time, 81 mm.) This melodrama, with a slight comedy touch, is somewhat depressing entertainment. Not only is the background sordid, but the story itself is morbid, for it treats with cruelty and suffering. One of the most offensive characters seen in a long time is that portrayed by Grant Mitchell. As the sadistic head of a boys' reform school, he goes so far asto punish one of the boys, who had a bad cough, by putting him in a refrigerator, thereby causing the boy's death. But that is only one of his offensive acts. The closing scenes, too, are objectionable, for they show the young boys taking the law into their own hands in dealing with Mitchell. Stanley Fields, as a reformed gangster who becomes interested in the school, supplies the light touch. One exciting feature is a rough hockey game. The romance is routine : — Fields, a gangster, who had been arrested and tried, is given a suspended sentence; the Judge tells him that if he could prove within a year that he had changed for the better, the sentence would be removed. Fields, following the advice of his nephew-lawyer (Ronald Reagan), decides to give up all his rackets. By so doing, he incurs the enmity of a hockey manager. Having contributed large sums of money to a reform school headed by Mitchell, Fields decides to take an active interest in it ; he obtains an appoint? menl to work with Mitchell. When he arrives, he is amazed to learn that Mitchell had kept the money for himself, and furthermore that he was treating the boys cruelly. He soon changes things, thereby winning the boys' respect. Reagan, with the help of Margaret Lindsay, a teacher, forms a hockey team. Fields arranges lor the team to play another school, for which he hires a large place. Mitchell plots with the hockey manager to ruin tields. The manager puts his own rough players on the competing school's team, and then bets fields a large sum of money. Fields' team naturally loses, but, when he finds out about the double-cross, he knocks down the manager. Since this was against the parole rules, he is forced to run away. Mitchell goes back to his old tactics. The boys become enraged when one of the inmates dies because of Mitchell's cruelty. They rebel; they try Alitchell and find him guilty. Fields arrives in time to stop them from killing Mitchell. He sets the school in order, and then gives himself up to serve his term. Reagan and Miss Lindsay take charge. Crane Wilbur wrote the story, and he and Fred Niblo, Jr., the screen play ; Lewis Seiler and E. A. Dupont directed it. Too morbid for children. Suitable for adolescents and adults. Class B. "The Man Who Dared" with Jane Bryan and Charley Grapewin {1st National, June 3; time, 6U min.) When this picture was first produced in 1931, under the title "'1 he Star Witness," it was excellent entertainment. But many gangster pictures, more exciting than this, have been produced since that time ; consequently, this remake is only lair program entertainment. As was the case in the first picture, the gangster is not glorified ; instead, he is made to appear as something despicable compared to decent, upright citizens. One situation may prove too harrowing for the average spectator ; it is the one where the gangsters beat a man unconscious. The closing scenes hold one m lair suspense, affording some comedy in addition to drama because ot the amusing characterization by Charley Grapewin as an old man with a strong will. 1 tie story deals with a family, consisting of father (Henry O'Neill,), mother (Elisabeth Risdon), two sons (Jimmy McCallion and Dickie Jones), daughter (Jane Bryan; and grandfather (Grapewin), who are witnesses to the murder of a government investigator by gangsters. They are terror-stricken when the gangsters enter their home so as to escape through the rear ot the house. Ihey voluntarily go to the District Attorney's office where, from pictures, they pick out one of the gangsters, who is arrested. A few days before the trial O'Neill is kidnapped by gangsters and, when he refuses not to testify, is beaten unconscious. This incident frightens the family ; and later, when the gangsters kidnap Dickie, they make up their minds not to testily. Grapewin is the only one who insists that they testify. On the day of the trial, Grapewin escapes from police surveillance, and goes out in search of Dickie. He finds him ; after a terrific battle with the gangsters, in which the police join, he rescues Dickie and rushes to court with him. Through Grapevvin's testimony, the gangster is convicted. Lucien Hubbard wrote the story, and Lee Katz, the screen play ; Crane Wilbur directed it, and Bryan Foy produced it. In the cast are Fred Tozere and John Russell. Unsuitable for children, but satisfactory for adolescents and adults. Class B. Tempo, fairly fast. "Nancy Drew Trouble Shooter" with Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas and John Litel {Warner Bros., June 17; time, 69 mtn,) Those who enjoyed the two previous pictures in this series will find this one, too, fairly entertaining. Again Bonita Granville and her young friend (Frankie Thomas) set out to solve a mystery ; but this time Bonita is more interested in the case, for a good friend of her father's (Aldrich Bowker) was involved in the murder, although innocent of the crime. As usual, laughter is provoked by the methods employed by the two youngsters to gain information. The closing scenes, in which Bonita and Frankie are trapped in a plane from which the pilot had jumped, are fairly exciting and somewhat comical. There is a suggestion of a romance between Bonita's father (John Litel) and Charlotte Wynters, which Bonita at first resents, for she believed Miss Wynters to be a siren. But she later grows fond of her and, therefore, docs not object to her father's attentions to Miss Wynters; the romance is, however, not culminated. Kenneth Ganiet wrote the original screen play; William Clemens directed it. In the cast are Edgar Edwards, Rente Riano, Roger Imhof, Willie Best, and others. Suitability, Class A. Tempo, fairly fast.