Harrison's Reports (1949)

22 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 5, 1949 "The Bribe" with Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price and John Hodiak (MGM, March; time, 98 min.) The marquee value of this melodrama's five-star cast will, no doubt, be of considerable help in drawing patrons to the theatre, but as entertainment it is no more than fair. It should, however, easily satisfy those who do not mind a story that lacks realism and is, at times, wildly melodramatic. These melodramatics, all having to do with a government agent's efforts to track down a ring dealing in stolen war surplus goods, range from the hero almost being eaten by a shark to a rousing climax in which the hero and the villain shoot it out in the midst of a great fireworks display during a fiesta in a Latin-American country, where all the action takes place. These closing scenes are novel and highly exciting, but they are wasted on a story that is so unbelievable that its intended dramatic impact falls flat. The players do their best, but their efforts are not enough to overcome the artificiality of the plot: — Posing as a wealthy sportsman, Robert Taylor, a govern' ment agent, journeys to a Central American fishing village to investigate the activities of Ava Gardner, a sultry cafe singer, and John Hodiak, her alcoholic husband; both were suspected of being members of a ring that dealt in stolen war surplus goods. He wins their friendship and, during Hodiak's frequent trips away from town, he falls in love with Ava. In the course of his efforts to obtain evidence against Hodiak, Taylor is approached by Charles Laughton, a cringing waterfront crook, who bluntly informs him that the ring knew of his identity and offers him a $10,000 bribe to leave. Taylor brushes off the offer and in due time learns that Vincent Price, who posed as a mine owner, was the ring's master mind. When he discovers where the ring carried on its nefarious operations, Taylor, tormented by the thought that fulfillment of his duty would send Ava to jail, decides to accept the bribe and run away with her. Before he can act on his decision, however, Laughton, taking advantage of Ava's sense of loyalty to her ill husband, reveals to her that Taylor planned to put Hodiak in jail, and induces her to slip "knockout drops" into his drink so that all would have time to make a getaway. Taylor revives sooner than Laughton and Price had planned, and he goes in search of them. In a series of melodramatic events, in which Price first kills Hodiak and then Laughton, Taylor pursues Price through a festive holiday crowd and traps him in the midst of a tremendous fireworks display, where Price falls dead after an exchange of shots. Having obtained proof that Ava was unaware of her husband's connection with the gang, Taylor looks forward to a new life with her. It was produced by Pandro S. Berman and directed by Robert Z. Leonard from a screen play by Marguerite Roberts, based on a short story by Frederick Nebel. Adult fare. "A Canterbury Tale" with Eric Portman, Dennis Price and Sheila Sim (Eagle-Lion, no rel. date set; time, 93 min.) Produced in 1944, this is a charming British-made picture, best suited for selective audiences; the masses will probably find it too slow and talky. It is a modern story that has a vague resemblance to Chaucer's famed Canterbury Tales about pilgrims who, in the fourteenth century, made the journey to Canterbury Cathedral to do penance for their sins and receive blessings. The story, which takes place in Canterbury and in a typical English village nearby, during wartime, revolves around four present-day pilgrims, including John Sweet, an American army sergeant, who makes the journey because his grandmother was born there; Eric Portman, a village magistrate with an intense feeling for the lore and traditions of the country; Sheila Sim, a London shop-girl, whose fiance had been killed in action; and Dennis Price, a British sergeant who, as a civilian, played an organ in a London movie house. It deals with their meeting each other in the village, and most of the action has to do with their attempts to track down a mysterious person who had poured glue into Sheila'6 hair. The guilty person turns out to be Portman, whose act is forgiven when he explains that he was motivated by a strong desire to impart knowledge of the country's traditions to the people around him. The plot developments are somewhat obscure, but it has considerable comedy and sentiment, particularly in its depiction of how the American soldier comes to the realization that the English, despite their different customs and sense of humor, are fundamentally the same as Americans. In the end, the four principals make their way to Canterbury together, with each, in his own way, doing penance and receiving a blessing. The American finds his blessing in the form of long-delayed letters from his sweetheart; the shopgirl learns that her fiance was still alive; and the British sergeant fulfills his life's ambition by playing the organ in the Cathedral. The scenes of the English countryside and the magnificent interior shots of the Cathedral make it a beautiful production pictorially. It was written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. "Red Canyon" with Ann Blythe Howard Duff and George Brent (Univ.-lnt'l, March; time, 82 min.) An above-average western-type melodrama, photographed in Technicolor. Its mixture of wild stallions, horse-thieves, hard-riding, horse-racing and gunfighting gives the picture all the ingredients the action fans enjoy and keep the proceedings moving at a hectic pace. The story, too, is interesting, but it is somewhat unpleasant because of the fact that it pits a son against his father and brother to the point where he brings about their deaths in a gun battle. Even though the father and brothers are outlaws and get their just desserts, one does not relish seeing a man dispose of his immediate family. The action is exciting all the way through, but the most thrilling sequences are those that show the manner in which the hero methodically tracks down a wild stallion and captures him. There is considerable comedy and a fairly appealing romance. The outdoor photography is beautiful : — George Brent, a wealthy horse-breeder in Southern Utah, lavishes his attention on Ann Blythe, his headstrong daughter, whom he had forbidden to ride Sage King, his famous but unruly horse, who had never been beaten in a horse race. Ann crosses paths with Howard Duff, a wild horse tracker, who was determined to capture Black Velvet, a magnificent wild stallion, a feat considered impossible by the local ranchers. Unknown to Ann, Duff belonged to a family of horse-thieves who, years previously, had been responsible for the death of her mother. The murderous gang, headed by Duff's father and brother (John Mclntire and Lloyd Bridges), was still at large. Duff had broken with them and had changed his name. When Ann, as a gag, rides off with Duff's horse and makes him walk to town, Duff exchanges hot words with her and her father and boasts that he will capture Black Velvet and train him in time to beat Sage King at a forthcoming race. Aided by Edgar Buchanan, Duff succeeds in capturing the animal. Ann effects a reconciliation with Duff and helps him to train Black Velvet secretly so that she could ride him against Sage King, thus proving to her father that she can handle a dangerous steed. Learning of her intentions on the eve of the race, Brent becomes furious, but Ann determines to ride Black Velvet, even though Duff, in fairness to her, had admitted his true identity. On the day of the race, Duff's father and brother, to compel him to rejoin the gang, get word to the sheriff (Chill Wills) about his identity. Ann wins the race, and when Duff appears to collect the prize, Brent, notified of his identity, starts shooting. Duff wings him and flees. As he tries to elude the sheriff's posse, Duff notices his father and brother and their henchmen making off with, not only Black Velvet, but also Sage King. He starts to shoot it out with them and kills the entire gang with Buchanan's help. Having proved himself, Duff wins Brent's friendship as well as Ann. It was produced by Leonard Goldstein and directed by George Sherman from a screen play by Maurice Geraghty, based on Zane Grey's "Wildfire." Unobjectionable morally.