Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

4^ OUOIfS What the Neiospaper Crit/cs Say About Neiu F/lms 'HUMORESQUE' WARNERS 'T Tnadulterated schmaltz .The Warner Brothers have wrapped this piteous affair in a blanket of soul-tearing music which is supposed to make it spiritually purgative. . .The music, we must say, is splendid — and, if you will only shut your eyes... and your ears... you may enjoy it very much." — CROWTHER N YTIMES. "J_Jardly any story at all to fill its two hours and five minutes. So the characters just stand around and kill time by talking ...A much more substantial side of the entertainment the picture brings is the long and frequent interludes devoted to the violin music." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM. "IJemarkable variation on the Svengali theme. It is chock-full of come-ons; it is not much in the way of entertainment... Even with Jean Negulesco's sometimes effective direction, 'Humoresque' is definitely palling. .. Levant earns his screen simoleons b-' playing rather triumphantlv when the plot goes dead."— BARNES N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. '"jphe award performance she (Joan Crawford) gave in 'Mildred Pierce' is more than sustained in 'Humoresque' ►.Sure-fire hit." — THIRER, N. Y. POST. "W/*^" written, judiciously directed and sincerely acted drarn^ " CAMERON, N Y. DAILY NEWS. *' ■STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL ^. ' "gripping and fanciful .. .Part kmusing, part serious, and an almost wholly intriguing bit of make-believe. . .Fascinating trick of cinema fancy, another plus score for Powell, Pressburger and the English film industry." — GUERNSEY N Y HERALDTRIBUNE. "Conservative British humor is combined with extravagant Hollywood taste. . .Unique picture, an amusing and often delightful comedy of a serious theme." — HALE N Y DATT.V NEWS. ' "jr\elicate charm, the adult humor and visual virtuosity of this Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger film render it indisputably the best of a batch of Christmas shows. . .Deliciously sophisti cated frolic... Take this recommendation: see 'Stairway to Heaven. It's a delight." — CROWTHER, N Y. TIMES "^n intellectual strip-tease, a titillating cerebral prank, a gay and tender adult holiday, a movie that dances for joy on the premise that movie audiences have wit and minds and imagination Ar^ti'^^'l^/"'^ original picture, a treasure of joy to the wise." " picture of rare distinction and intelligence. . .Perfectly balanced. perfectlv eniovable picture, always noting the fact that, as usual, the British make no concessions to youthful or immature grouDs in movie audiences." — WINSTEN N Y POST \7ery enjoyable fable, slyly comical one moment and pleading to GRAM.''^'' ^^^^^ ^°°^' WORLD TELE •THE WICKED LADY' UNIVERSAL ■'(-|loak-and-nonsense drama. . .Impossible wickedness and impos in this lentthl f ''f T P''"'^"^' "^^"^^ ^'"^-d -^"n^-s ^xaggL e ?hffi> ' ''^'^ '^""y '^^^^^ serves to hSaLD%ribUNE. GUERNSEY, N. Y. •"phe English picture that had to be sent back across the Atlantic gowns" Who'le'Xr hT'' '"'"^ '^^^ ^""^''^ ^^^^'^ t° ^o^^^slo^^'':^.^^^ emphasis rrther'undTst""' t'T'""'' ""'^ '"^'^^"^^ themselves upon the solitarrffc; of '"'"^ ^-^^ ~. iZ' ^ =\S.'' -^NS»S ''^''r;eh?ows 'ifluf guaranteed to cause lifted venlure"^ captures desSte'a'^ ^^^^^^ '"-^"^^ ^d extravagant Plot' the ' °' ''^^"'^ P^''^'^^ ^"'^ ^» England." -^.'S^N.^WO^S^^^^^^^ — ^ 'ABIE'S IRISH ROSE' JANUARY 6 , 1947 UNITED ARTISTS "■^To objection to 'Abie's Irish Rose' on religious grounds. If a mediocre little movie like the current conception of Anne Nichols' marathon comedy preaches anything, it's tolerance. You certainly don't get provoked with any special person or race in the picture — only at everybody who acts so foolishly for a whole hour and a half's unreeling." — THIRER, N. Y. POST. "'T'he old jokes about the Jews and the Irish have not only been squeezed dry, they create at this stage in civilized progress a peculiar embarrassment among listeners. . .The fun in 'Abie's Irish Ro^e' was never authentic. At present it is tasteless. . .Acting is no better than the script."— PIHODNA, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "■^Tot much harm in it... But not much entertainment either." ■'-^ COOK, N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM. "A source of intermittent laughter; laughter which stems from the exaggerated racial and religious prejudice; ... But some, how in this dav one does not relish this sort of humor. . .Direction lacks comic inventiveness and the dialogue, alreadv supposedly tontd down by the producers, still contains seemingly unnecessarily offensive lines." — PRYOR, N. Y TIMES. 'CROSS MY HEART' PARAMOUNT "1" Tneven farce. . .A court-room scene does have some moments of ^ frenzied and fanciful fun... But then the whole thing goes haywire ... Obviously the writers and the director (John Berry) took the silliest way out." — CROWTHER, N. Y. TIMES. "'T'here are more than enough antics for a screen comedy, but they add up to very little laughter. . .Generally tedious and tasteless entertainment. . .Never succeeds in making wacky screen comedy much more than wearisome." — BARNES, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Qonny. . .Betty. . .They do not fit. The director or someone connected with the picture has it jumping incoherentlv from Fcene to scene in the effort, but they cannot make it." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM "/Caricature and satire, with plenty of vigor. . .There is a racuous ^ impertinence about 'Cro'^s My Heart', something almost burlesquev in its spirit, that impels your reviewer to rank it well above its predecessor and a bit higher than would the popular 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' RKO "T^ocument of small town existence ... Has moments which are trying, but they are easily forgotten in the fluency and realism of a forthright and deeply felt motion picture. . .Loaded with artistry and sincerity. . .With Stewart playing the chief figure in his cinematic morality play, it is engrossing and universally pertinent." — BARNES, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. ""IS^r. Capra, back from the war, has resumed with a will his previously manifest penchant for portraying folks of simple, homely worth. . .Great abundance of colloquial incidents and emotional tangles of a mistful, humorous sort .. .Weakness is the sentimentality of it — its illusory concept of life." — CROWTHER, N. Y. TIMES. "'T'he war made no change in Capra, glory be, but it seems to have made a considerable one in Capra's favorite actor, James Stewart — and every hit of it decidedly for the better... Like many another Capra masterpiece, this is a humorous fantasy. Once more this director will demonstrate the fallacy of the old Hollywood maxim that fantasy is poison at the box office." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM. "/^apia seems to have lost touch somehow. He is trying for the ^ big meaningful sentiments and as often as not falling into eml;arra£sing theatrics. . .His sense of comedy seems to have rusted during the years away from Hollywood. . .A pictuie built along noble lines" — WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. 23