Harrison's Reports (1955)

88 HARRISON'S REPORTS May 28, 1955 "The Sea Shall Not Have Them" with an all-British cast (United Artists, June; time, 91 min.) This British-made war melodrama pays tribute to the air-sea rescue service of that country's armed forces in World War II. It is a well made picture of its kind, and it graphically depicts the suffering of four downed airmen who drift aimlessly in the open sea, hoping to be rescued, and the heroic efforts that are made by the rescue service to locate and save them. Its appeal to American audiences, however, probably will be limited, for the subject matter is grim and, though well done, lacks the suspense and move ment necessary to make an unusual picture. Another draw' back, of course, is that several of the players speak with thick accents, as well as the fact that most every one in the cast is generally unknown to American movie-goers. There is exciting action in the closing sequences, where the downed air crew is rescued within range of the enemy's shore guns, but all this is hardly believable: — The story opens in the autumn of 1944 and centers around a crew of four airmen, including Dirk Bogarde, Jack Wat< ling, Michael Redrave and Bonar Colleano, who crash into the North Sea when their plane is downed by an enemy fighter. When their plane is reported overdue, the rescue service is alerted and a wide search is begun both by planes and sea launches. While the four men drift in a rubber boat for more than two days and suffer untold hardships, the action alternately switches to the rescue planes and launches, as well as a shore station, depicting the anxiety of fellowofficers and families, and the bad weather and engine trouble that hampers the rescue work. The climax has one of the launches discovering the airmen as they drift within sight of the Belgian coast and within range of the enemy's shore guns. Despite shells that burst all around them, the crew of the launch pick up the airmen and make a safe getaway back to England. It was produced by Daniel M. Angel, and directed by Lewis Gilbert, who wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Vernon Harris, based on the novel by John Harris. Family. "Mad at the World" with Keefe Brasselle, Frank Lovejoy and Cathy CDonnell (Filma\ers, May; time, 71 min.) Centering around the viciousness of senseless juvenile delinquency, "Mad at the World" is a fairly effective melodrama that should get by as a supporting feature in double* billing situations. The story offers little that is new on the subject, nor does it present any solution to the problem, for the main action revolves around an angry father whose baby had been killed by a quartet of drunken hoodlums and who seeks to track them down on his own when police methods move too slow for him. How he nearly loses his life, except for the timely arrival of the police, makes for a fairly exciting climax. Keefe Brasselle is competent as the father who seeks vengeance, and so is Frank Lovejoy as the firm but understanding detective. Cathy O'Donnell is sympathetic as Brasselle's wife, and Karen Sharpe is highly sexy as an unwitting waitress who puts Brasselle in contact with the gang. The authentic slum backgrounds lend a realistic touch to the proceedings: — Using a stolen car, Stanley Clements, Paul Dubov, James Delagado and Joseph Turkel go for a joy ride, get drunk and deliberately hurl a bottle at Keefe Brasselle, striking his baby and mortally injuring the child. Lovejoy starts an investigation of the crime, but his inability to find the criminals quickly gripes Brasselle, who decides to track down the hoodlums on his own. He goes to the slum neighborhood from which the car had been stolen, assumes another identity and becomes friendly with Karen, a "fast" but lonely waitress, who takes him to a social club patronized by the neighborhood's hoodlums. There, he poses as a crook who is interested in "big-time" hauls, wins the attention of the boys responsible for the death of his child, and goads them into agreeing to accompany him on a round of crimes. Meanwhile, Lovejoy picks up one of the hoodlums on suspicion and, with the aid of Cathy, gets him to confess the crime and implicate his pals. Just as Brasselle sets out with the young toughs to lead them into a trap, he is recognized by one of them as the father of the murdered child. A terrific chase and fight ensues in a lumber yard, in which Brasselle is cornered and threatened with death by fire, but he is rescued by the timely arrival of Lovejoy and the police, who round up the hoodlums in the process. It was produced by Collier Young, and directed by Harry Essex from his own screenplay. Adult fare. "Soldier of Fortune" with Ciark Gable, Susan Hay ward and Michael Rennie (20th Century-Fox, June; time, 96 min.) Very good mass entertainment is provided in this romantic adventure melodrama, which is based on Ernest K. Gann's best-selling novel, and which has been photographed superbly in CinemaScope and De Luxe color against authentic Hong Kong backgrounds. The magnificent views of modernday Hong Kong, with its teeming masses and its crowded harbor filled with ships and junks, are alone worth the price of admission. Fortunately, the picture offers, in addition to the fascinating backgrounds, an intriguing and exciting story, centering around a beautiful and fiery American woman who comes to Hong Kong to find her missing husband, a task that is accomplished for her by a daring and wealthy soldier of fortune, an Amencan-in-exile, who wins her heart in the process. The tale is packed with colorful characterizations, the most dominent being that of the adventurous hero, played by Clark Gable with a charm and virility that movie audiences go for in a big way. The beautiful Miss Hayward is very good as the desperate heroine, and her relationship with Gable is warm and appealing. The action moves along at a snappy pace, has good dialogue, a thrilling climax and highly amusing touches of comedy to relieve the tension: — The story opens with Susan arriving in Hong Kong to search for Gene Barry, her husband, a magazine photc grapher who had disappeared after venturing out of Hong Kong into Red China. Unsuccessful in her efforts to get help from either the American or British authorities, Susan makes inquiries of people who had met her husband and is subsequently put in contact with Gable, whose smuggling activities involved him with all shorts of shady characters who might know of Barry's whereabouts. Gable, attracted to Susan, expresses a willingness to help her, but he loses no time in kissing her to make her understand that he will expect favors in return. The kiss infuriates her, and she tells him that she can do without his help after giving him a piece of her mind. She comes back to him, however, when her efforts to find Barry on her own prove futile. Gable again agrees to help, but this time surprises her with assurances that he will not take advantage of her. A strong love grows up between them as he goes about the task of learning her husband's whereabouts. Eventually, he discovers through underworld sources that Barry was held prisoner by the Chinese Reds at a Catholic Mission in Canton. He organizes a daring plan of rescue, in which he enlists the unwilling help of Michael Rennie, a local British police inspector. The plan goes off without a hitch as they free Barry, after overpowering his guards. All return safely to Hong Kong on Gable's armed junk, but not before they are almost sunk in a running gun battle with a Communist patrol boat. Gable watches dejectedly as Susan departs with her husband to sail for the United States, but his joy knows no bounds when she returns to him within a few hours and explains that Barry, realizing that her heart belonged to him (Gable), had decided to give her up. It was produced by Buddy Adler, and directed by Edwaid Dmytryk, from a screenplay by Ernest K. Gann. Suitable for the family.