Harrison's Reports (1946)

202 HARRISON'S REPORTS December 21, 1946 "Stairway to Heaven" with David Niven and Kim Hunter (Universal-International, nu release date set, time, 100 min.) For something different in screen entertainment, this British-made fantasy fills the bill. Magnificently produced, and photographed in Technicolor, the picture should prove a delight to high class audiences because of its unusualness both in theme and in presentation. Its odd, fanciful story revolves around an RAF flyer who escapes death miracul' ously, causing considerable consternation in Heaven because of his failure to arrive there as scheduled. How he battles with the administration in Heaven for the right to continue living is told in a brilliantly conceived manner as the action shifts between Heaven and Earth. From a technical point of view, the picture introduces many innovations in the art of making pictures. For example, the scenes on Earth are in Technicolor, changing to dyemonochrome when the action shifts to Heaven. The story itself is rich in humor, tender in romance, and often emotionally stirring. There is no doubt that it will appeal to the ultra-discriminating, but its reception by average picture-goers is questionable because of the story's intellectual approach. The dialogue, which is generally on a lofty plane, will probably go over the heads of many people, particularly in the closing reels, where the trial of the hero in Heaven turns into a lengthy debate between opposing counsel on the relative merits of the British and American ways of life. The story opens with David Niven jumping out of his burning bomber without a parachute, resigned to his death. He lands in the ocean, injured but miraculously alive. In the course of events he falls in love with Kim Hunter, an American WAC, but he suffers frequent hallucinations due to concussion and imagines that he should be dead, and that the administration in Heaven was demanding his surrender in order to balance the Heavenly books. A Heavenly messenger tries to induce him to take his rightful place in Heaven, but Niven, claiming that the mistake was not his and that he was now in love with Kim, refuses to accompany him. Seeing merit in the young man's claim, the administration grants him the right to appeal. A trial is held in the Supreme Heavenly Court, where Niven's attorney, basing his case on his client's love for Kim, wins him the right to live. The action on Earth centers around Niven's romance with Miss Hunter, and around the efforts of Roger Livesey, a doctor, to cure him. Both disbelieve his stories about his conflict with Heaven, but sympathize with his condition. While Niven is rushed to a hospital for a brain operation, Livesey meets accidental death and becomes his attorney in Heaven. Niven comes out of the operation successfully just as he wins his case in Heaven. In the sequences where the Heavenly characters visit the Earth, time stops, and the earthly characters remain "frozen," unable to see, hear, or move. It is a fascinating and novel technique. All the players, including Raymond Massey, as the prosecuting attorney, give expert performances. It is a J. Arthur Rank production, written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Adult entertainment. "The Beast with Five Fingers" with Robert Alda, Andrea King and Peter Lorre (Warner Bros., no release date set; time, 88 min.) The fantastic doings in this melodrama should give the undiscriminating horror picture fans a treat. The story, which has psychological and mystical overtones, is confusing and leaves one bewildered in the end, but those who are willing to overlook story detail should find the proceedings weird, different, and spine-chilling, for it has as its villain none other than a hand, severed at the wrist, which, through trick photography, crawls around and even comes to grips with one of the characters, a crazed astrologist. Discriminating patrons will probably find it all quite ridiculous, while some others will find it too repulsive to be entertaining, for the sequences involving the hand are not pleasant to behold : — Victor Francen, a retired concert pianist, who could play only with his left hand because his right side was paralyzed, lives in an Italian villa attended by Andrea King, his nurse; Peter Lorre, his neurotic secretary; and Robert Alda, a com poser. Emotionally upset over Andrea's plan to leave him, Francen dies in an accident and is buried on his estate. Charles Dingle, Francen's brother, and John Alvin, his nephew, come to the villa, confident that they will inherit the estate, and infuriate Dorre by threatening to sell the books on which he depended for his study of astrology. All are surprised to learn that Francen's entire fortune had been left to Andrea. Dingle, angered, conspires with Francen's attorney to contest the will, and even accuses Andrea of murdering his brother. Shortly afterwards, the attorney is found strangled to death, and J. Carrol Naish, the police commissioner, discovers that the fingerprints matched Francen's. An inspection of the mausoleum discloses that Francen's left hand had been severed from his body. For several nights afterwards the entire household is subjected to a reign of terror involving the hand. Eventually, Andrea pieces the mystery together and comes to the conclusion that Lorre, in whose imagination the hand lived, had used it to commit the murder and to terrify the others. She confronts him with her suspicions and, after confessing his guilt, he becomes stark mad and is captured by Naish. Curt Siodmak wrote the screen play from a story by William F. Harvey, William Jacobs produced it, and Robert Florey directed it. Adult entertainment. "California" with Ray Milland and Barbara Stanwyck (Paramount, no release date set; time, 97 min.) A fairly good Western, photographed in Technicolor. Produced with lavishness and acted by a capable cast, it offers entertainment that should go over pretty well with most picture-goers, for the story revolves around an interesting era in American history — the gold rush days of California, at which time political scheemers sought to set up the territory as an independent empire. Although there is nothing startling about either the story or its unfoldment, it is fast and exciting and has a full measure of lawlessness, thrilling fist fights, and gunplay. Ray Milland, as a crusading adventurer opposing the forces of evil, plays the part with conviction, and his romance with Barbara Stanwyck, a hardened gambling queen, is of importance, being a motivating force in her regeneration. There is some human appeal in Barry Fitzgerald's characterization of a kindly farmer: — Milland, a cynical soldier of fortune, is hired by Fitzgerald to guide a wagon train to California. Despite Milland's objections, Fitzgerald permits Barbara to joint the train for the trip West. An instantaneous dislike spring up between the two, although each was attracted to the other. The train becomes completely demoralized when word comes that gold had been discovered in California; wagon after wagon deserts in an effort to cash in on the gold fever, and Milland, injured when he tries to stop the rush, remains behind with Fitzgerald. By the time both men reach California, they find that Barbara had become a reigning saloon queen, in league with George Coulouris, a former slave trader, who subjugated the pioneers and headed a political group plotting to keep California from accepting statehood in the Union. Milland challenges Barbara to a game of Faro and wins her saloon, but Coulouris takes it away from him at the point of a gun and runs him out of town, after beating him up. Barbara moves into Coulouris' hacienda and promises to marry him. Milland recovers from his injuries and returns to oppose Coulouris' political trickery. He rallies the pioneers and gets them to elect Fitzgerald over Coulouris as a delegate to the Monterey Convention. Fitzgerald's impassioned plea to the delegates brings California into the Union. Angered, Coulouris' followers resort to armed force, killing Fitzgerald. Milland and the pioneers quell the rebellion, and during a showdown fight between Coulouris and Milland, Barbara, realizing her love for Milland, and seeking to avenge Fitzgerald's murder, shoots Coulouris to death. Frank Butler and Theodore Strauss wrote the screen play from a story by Boris Ingster, Seton I. Miller produced it, and John Farrow directed it. The cast includes Albert Dekker, Anthony Quinn, Gavin Muir and others. Unobectionable morally.