Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1948)

'THE SEARCH' TOUCHING REALISTIC DRAMA OF WAR-TORN GERMANY Rates • • • for select houses; less g M-G-M j.0!> Minutes. MoiiUjoiiicry Clijt, .llinc MacMahun, Janiiila Nox'olmi, Wendell Corey, Mary Patton, Uivarl G. Morrison, IVilliam Roijers, Ivan Jamil, Leopold Borkozvski, Claude Gambler. Dircclcd by /''red Zinneniann. "The Search" is a woiulcrful fihii in many ways. Few motion pictures have ever reached so deep inlD the hearts of the people who see it. It bears tlie stamp of authenticity, of real people and real situations, and transports the viewer into tile harsh, cold world of suffering, pain and courage. The critics have cheered it and so will your customers — hut it will take a lot of intelligent selling to achieve the grosses it merits. There are no Hollywood stars, no synthetic sentimentality; just the stark tragedy of the war's aftermalii. Tlie picture's realism is accentuated by the desolate, shattered ruins in aiid around Nuremberg, Germany, where M-G-M enerally sent director Fred Zinnemann and writer-pro'luctr l.azar Wechsler. They rounded up an unu .ually gifted group of amateur actors in addition to the four professionals. Of the former, nine-year-old Ivan Jandl is a wonderful discovery. He is the wide-eyed, ragged war produel who wanders, numb and speecliless, until lie encounters the humanizing influence of a conip.issionate G. I. Montgomery Clift plays t!ie American with a naturalness that makes the part come alive. The lad's mother is portrayed by Jarmila Novotna, the Metropolitan Opera star. There is no hint of glamorous opera singer in her performance; rather an impression (if a drab looking woman who plods desperately from one L'XRRA camp to another, seeking her only link to ha])piness. In addition to the sensitive performances, the perceptive directorial touches by Fred Zinnemann provides unforgettable poignancv to a stirring production. I-::\IM,()lT.\TlO\' : Give this both barrels. Hail it as a GREAT film. Play up the unusual circumstances of the first post-war feature filmed on-the-spot in occu[)ied Germany. Rill it as a stirring drama, full of throbbing emotion. Circularize teachers, editors and .social workers ijiterested in the rehabilitation problem. Homeless waif, Ivan Jandl, does \v>t undcrstaiid that he is no longer the victim of Xazi cruelty and runs away from the shelter of an L'.N'RRA camp. Sergeant Montgomery Clift finds him and takes him into his home. By kindness and afTection, he brings the \y>y back to a normal adjustment and teaches him to speak F.nglish. The boy is happy with his companion until he observes the family relationship between a visiting American woman and her .s(/ii. Dim memories of his own mother are disturbed and he runs away to find her. Clift brings him back and arranges to place him in the L'XRR.^ camp until he can send him to .America. Meanwhile, Novotna, in search for her son, is told by UNRR.\ director that he was drowned. She goes to work at the camp taking care of the children. Her subsequent reunion with her son makes a heart-stirring eliding. ABRAMS. 'THE PIRATE' FLAMBOYANT TECHNICOLOR MUSICAL WILL PLEASE Rates • • • generally M-G-M lOZ Minutes. Judy Garland, Gene Kelly. Walter Slc:ak. Gladys Cooper, Reginald Ou'en, George Zneco, Nicholas brothers, Lester Allen, I^ola Deem, Ellen Koss, Mary Jo Ellis, Jean Dean, Marion Murray, Ben Lessy, Jerry Bergen, Val Sets, Gaudsmith brothers, Cully Richards. Directed by Vincente Minnelli. The mighty resources of Metro have turned out a sumpticjus, tuneful extravaganza that outshines most musicals of the season. It should be a house-filler, for it is jam-packed with lively songs and dances, strung together on an unobtrusive plot, and presented in a riot of Technicolor. Director Vincente Minelli has splashed rainbow hues around with a lavish hand, at times to the point of excess. And the picture brings us the nimble talents of Gene Kelly, too long absent from the screen. He sings, dances and postures adroitly as the swaggering, bragging rogue who becomes pirate for a day. As h.is partner, Judy Garland is at her best, singing in. her intense manner and imparting vivacity to some rowdy comedy. The supporting performances are appropriately and amusingly hammedup, best of a good lot being Walter Slezak •IS a retired buccaneer, and Gladys Cfwper as Judy s mercenary foster-mother. The Cole Porter songs have some clever lyrics, but are not tlie kind that will send the customers out humming, with the possible exception of "Be a Clown." Scripters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich have adapted the S. N. Behrman comed\' about the Spanish main with considerable ingenuity, except for some slightly phony business about hypnotism. Much of the sparkle of this Arthur Freed production is derived from the musical scoring by Lennie Hayton and the sjiectacular art work by Cedric Gibbons and Jack Smith. EXPLOITATION : Sell it as a lavish Technicolor musical spectacle. Feature the inimitable dancing by Gene Kelly and the singing by Judy Garland. Tie in with advertising of the Cole Porter songs as recorded by M-G-M. Catch-line : 'The Pirate of Love Stole Her Kisses and Lost His Heart." Judy Garland is betrothed to Walter Slezak, mayor of their little Spanish town. She meets Gene Kelly, a wandering actor and lady-killer, and under his hypnotic influence, confesses her secret love for Black Maccoco, the notorious pirate. Kelly follows her to her home and is confrrinted by her indignant fiance, whom he recognizes as the former buccaneer. Slezak is terrified by the threat of exposure and permits Kelly to pose as Maccaco. Kelly bluffs the whole town and orders that Judy be brought to him. She catches on that he is a phony. Meanwhile, Slezak brings the \'iceroy and frames Kelly with a chest of stolen treasure. Kelly is condemned to hang and asks to give a farewell performance. Judy goes into a routine about how much she loves the romantic pirate. This is the final straw for Slezak's pride and he proclaims his identity with drawn pistols. He is overpowered by Kelly's partners, a. id final scene shows Kelly and Garland doing a double song and dance act in his troupe. DAV. •WINTER MEETING' DISAPPOINTING VEHICLE FOR BETTE DAVIS Rates • • • — on star value JVarner Bros. 104 Minutes Bctle Daz-is, James Davis, Janis Paige, John Hoy I, Florence Bates, Walter Baldwin, Ransom Slierman. Directed by Bretaignc JVindust. The Bette Davis fans who have had a long wait for the reappearance of the Warner Bros, star will probably be disappointed in "Winter Meeting." Her performance as the spinsterish poetess gets the most out of a role which was tailor-made for her inimitable talents, but there wasn't much to extract. The story moves with exasperating slowness through a stilted adaptation by Catherine Turney from the Ethel Vance n<)vel. There are too many long periods in Vvhich the two principals sit and talk and nothing much happens. The plot has a religious twist, describing a woman's quest for love and faith and is calculated to appeal to the feminine audience that likes to find expression of their problems and emotions on the screen. UnfortunateIs-, the uninspired direction by Bretaigne Windust allows the theme to drift, rather than achieve dramatic heights. Miss Davis' new partner is a big hunk of man named James Davis. He does project considerable conviction into the role of a war hero who wants to become a priest. In contrast to his strong, silent performance, John Hoyt supplies an elegant and witty characterization, while Janis Paige, as a flashy steno, is counterpoint to Miss Davis' prim austerity. Henry Blanke's production is adequate and the Max Steiner musical background is commonplace. EXPLOITATION: Build on Bette Davis' reputation for gripping, dramatic portrayals and r.uggcst the theme of faith, love and regeneratio)-,. Catchlincs : 'A Love Fierce and Sudden as a Winter Storm" . . . 'Two Secrets They Dared Not Confess!" Bette Davis meets naval hero James Davis at .1 dinner party. He ditches his date, Janis Paige, and takes her home. After some verbal sparring, he makes love to her and next day they drive out to her family home in Connecticut, where on a frolicsome sleigh-ride they fall happily in love. She tells him her history; how her minister father had been driven to suicide by the coarse behavior of her mother. He chides her for her unforgiving attitude towards her mother, and confesses that his burning ambition to become a priest had been broken by his war experiences. He leaves her abruptly and they meet again in New York. He is with Paige and she is accompanied by her employer, John Hoyt. They get together in her apartment and she tells him that she intends to find and look after her sick mother. This renews his faith in himself and he leaves to join the priesthood. ABRAMS. FILM BULLETIN