Harrison's Reports (1958)

February 22, 1958 HARRISON'S REPORTS 31 Herbert E. Mendelson produced it and Jodie Copelan directed it from a screenplay by Richard G. Taylor and John K. Butler, based on a story by Robert A. Reeds and Robert W. Woods. Family. "Campbell's Kingdom" with Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker and Barbara Murray (Ran\ Film Distr., March; time, 102 min.) A robust, action-packed adventure melodrama, set in the Canadian Rockies, is offered in this large-scale Britishmade production, which has been photographed finely in Eastman color, enhancing the majestic beauty of the mountain backgrounds. The picture's one drawback, insofar as American exhibitors are concerned, is the fact that the all-British cast has no marquee value. Otherwise the picture presents a virile mixture of heroics, skullduggery and excitement, fashioned in a way that should go over well with the action fans. Potent thrills are provided by dynamiting that wrecks bridges and creates landslides, and by the bursting of a gigantic, newly-built dam that unleashes a devastating flood, endangering the lives of the principals, who are caught in the onrushing waters. The closing scenes, where the hero and the villain fight to the death in the swirling waters of the flood, are highly exciting. The direction is expert and the acting competent: — Dirk Bogarde, a young Englishman who believes himself to be incurably ill, arrives in a backwoods Canadian town to claim land he had inherited from his grandfather, who believed it to be rich in oil. Bogarde finds the townspeople hostile to him because many of them had lost money invested in his grandfather's oil operations, but he plans to continue the search for oil. Bogarde soon finds himself opposed by Stanley Baker, an unscrupulous contractor building a huge dam for a hydro-electric project, which could turn into a costly failure if Bogarde discovered oil and prevented the flooding of his land. When Bogarde refuses to sell his land to him, Baker resorts to all sorts of trickery to prevent him from reaching his property to start oil drilling operations. But Bogarde, aided by Barbara Murray, daughter of his grandfather's former partner, Michael Craig, a mining engineer, and James Roberston Justice, a rig operator, manages to outwit Baker and reaches his property. There, he strikes oil, despite more dirty work on the part of Baker. In a final move, Baker decides to combat Bogarde by illegally flooding the land. This scheme is foiled, however, when the dam, which had been built with inferior materials, collapses. Bogarde risks his life to save many of the dam's construction workers but is eventually caught up in the swirling waters together with Baker, who tries to kill him. In the ensuing struggle, Baker drowns while Bogarde, rescued, is hospitalized. There, the doctors inform him that he is not suffering from an incurable disease, much to the joy of Barbara, with whom he had fallen in love. It was produced by Betty E. Box and directed by Ralph Thomas from a screenplay by Robin Estridge, based on the book by Hammond Innes. Family. "Cattle Empire" with Joel McCrea, Gloria Talbott and Don Haggerty (20th Century-Fox, Feb.; time, 83 min.) Enhanced by the eye-filling panoramic sweep of CinemaScope photography and the beauty of DeLuxe color, "Cattle Empire" is a highly satisfactory western, one that reaches spectacular heights, for it seems as if more cattle is seen in this picture than in any other western produced to this day. The rugged story is not without its shortcomings, but these are overcome to a considerable extent by the skillful direction and fine performances, which makes the actions of the different characters believable. Joel McCrea is most effective in his he-man role of a trail boss who had been unjustly jailed for the drunken acts of his hired hands, and who sees an opportunity to avenge himself when the people who persecuted him depend on him to successfully head a giant cattle drive to a Northern market. Considerable suspense is generated by the fact that the spectator is never sure if McCrea will double-cross those who had entrusted him. It comes to a satisfying conclusion, however, when McCrea overcomes his bitterness and is regenerated toward the end: — Imprisoned because his hired hands had killed several bystanders during a drunken spree, McCrea returns to the town where the trouble took place after serving a five-year sentence. The townspeople, still angered, attempt to lynch him, but he is saved by Don Haggerty, a powerful rancher, who had been blinded by McCrea's drunken cowboys. Taken to Haggerty's ranch, McCrea discovers that his benefactor had married Phyllis Coates, his former sweetheart. Because of McCrea's experience as a trail boss, Haggerty offers him the job of conducting a huge cattle drive to the North, the success of which was most important to the people in the impoverished area. McCrea accepts the offer and treacherously plans to drive the herd to a dry waterhole to die, thus avenging himself on his tormentors. At the same time he makes a secret deal with Richard Shannon, a rival and unscrupulous cattleman, to guide his herd to the buyer, who sought 5,000 head of cattle. McCrea insists that Haggerty, Phyllis and several men who had led the lynch mob ride trail with him and obey his commands. He does everything possible to slow down and misdirect Haggerty's cattle, while secretly giving proper directions to Shannon. But the thought of leading fine cattle to their death torments McCrea, and before long he has a change of heart. He quits helping Shannon and enters into a race with him to deliver the cattle to the Union Army quartermaster at Fort Clemson. In due time, McCrea gets ahead of Shannon and, with victory at hand, his cowboys want to celebrate. McCrea stops them because of his past experience. The men resent the decision and are about to defy him when Haggerty intervenes and confesses that he, not McCrea, was responsible for the last debacle. The cowpokes rally behind McCrea and deliver the cattle after besting Shannon and his forces in a gun battle. Vindicated, McCrea rides off to start a ranch of his own after promising to return one day to Gloria Talbott, a comely young lady who had won his heart. Robert Stabler produced it and Charles Marquis Warren directed it from a screenplay by Endre Bohem and Eric Norden, based on a story by Daniel B. Ullman. Family. CHECK YOUR FILES FOR MISSING COPIES Now and then your copy of Harrison's Reports is either lost in the mails or mislaid in the office but you are not aware that it is missing until you look for some information that you need immediately. In such a case you are greatly inconvenienced. Why not look over your files now to find out whether a copy of an issue or two issues is missing? A sufficient number of back issues is kept in stock for such an emergency. All such copies are furnished to subscribers on request, free of charge. BINDERS AVAILABLE Special binders, which clamp copies of Harrison's Reports in place on the wide margin without making it necessary to punch holes in them, may be purchased by writing to the office of this paper at 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y. 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