Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

'UNCONQUERED' MAGNIFICENT DeMILLE TECHNICOLOR FRONTIER SAGA Rates • • • • Paramount 146 minutes Gary Cooper, Paulett« Goddard, Howard DaSilva, Boris KarlolT, Cecil Kellaway, Ward Bond, Katherine DeMille, Henry Wilcoxen, Sir C. Aubrey Smitli, Victor Varconi, Virginia Grey, Porter Hall, Mike Mazurki, Richard Gaines, Virginia Campbell, Gav.n Mulr, Alan Napier, Nan Sunderland, Marc Lawrence, Jane Nigh. Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Exhibitors will have to dig deep into then thesaurases to find words adequately describing the entertainment value — and boxoffice power — of Cecil B. DeMille's "Unconquered." Here is the master producer-director at his greatest — DeMille at his DeMillenium. Here is sock-o entertainment for every picturegoer except the cynical sophisticates — a potential record-smashing crowd-puller for every boxofflce in the land. Call its technique old-fashioned, if you will; but its craftsmanship is dated only in that it calls to mind DeMille's greatest successes of the past, his roadshow masterpieces of yesteryear. In "Unconquered" he depicts with unerring strokes on a tremendous canvas the pre-Revolutionary era of 1763. It has marquee names, romance and action. It has spectacle, sweep and suspense. It has pace, movement and situations. In short, it has everything mass movie audi ences wouid want — plus Technicolor. Thanks lO DeMille's unerring direction, performances by the strong cast are clear cut and convincing. Gary Cooper as a Colonial militiaman, Paulette Goddard as a hapless bond slave, Howard DaSilva as a treacherous trader— all are perfect in their respective loles; but to single out any particular player would be manifestly unfair to the reniainmg members of the huge, proficient and talented cast. The script by Charles Bennett, Fredric M. Frank and Jesse Lasky, Jr., does I'ull justice to Neil H. Swanson's novel. Packed Vvitn thrills, combats, pursuits and rescues, it furnishes nearly two and onehalf hours of adventure and romance. The film has but one minor flaw — some of the fortuitous, hairbreadth escapes do tax the spectator's credulity. Production quality is magnificent; Technicolor, photography and lecording are superior. EXPLOITATION: Go to town with this one — it should prove a bonanza in prestige and profits, goodwill and grosses. Play up the performances of Gary Cooper, Howard DaSilva, Paulette Goddard and Boris Karloff; the resplendent Technicolor, and the name of Cecil B. DeMille. Stress the film's sweeping portrayal of a great historical era. its colorful costuinco, its autnentic detail. Sell the highlights: Paulette Goddard sold on the auction block as a bond slave... the massacre of settlers... a beautiful v/hitt girl faces torture by Redskins. . .Indian pursuit foiled by the fugitives' leap from a mighty cascade. .. frontier outposts sacked ...Fort Pitt besieged, beleaguered Colonials rescued by a regiment of dead soldiers! 1763. Powerful trader (and traitor) Howard DaSilva bribes venal slave-driver Porter Hall to sell him beautiful Paulette Goddard, an indentured servant previously purchased and freed by Virginia militiaman Gary Cooper. His empire threatened by the influx of settlers, DaSilva arms tne Indians, plots with his father-in-law Chief Boris KarloJf and 17 other chieftains to war against the v/hites. Aware of DaSilva's treachery, Cooper exposes him to the British military commander but gets nov/here. Destruction and torture sweep the frontier settlements. Karloff's blood-crazed savages prepare the captive Paulette for death at a burning stake. Cooper rescues her by a daring ruse. Pursued by the enraged redskins, he effects his and Paulette's escape by sending his closely-followed canoe over a towering wa'uerfall. The two arrive at Fort Pitt, v/arn Captain Henry V/ilcoxen of the Indians' approach. Thrown into a cell for technical desertion, Cooper escapes. Aided by DaJilv'a's betrayed redskin wife Katherine DeMille. Cooper makes his way to tiie nearest GU.post to get reinforcements for Fort Pitt, now beleagured and facing annihilation. Unable to obtain reinforcements, Cooper musters a handful of drummers and bagpipers, marches with them and several waronloads of erect, but dead, Redcoats ana cleverly vanquishes the savages besieging Fort Pitt. At end, he kills DaSilva ana v\-cds Paulette. 'THE FOXES OF HARROW IMPRESSIVE COSTUME DRAMA Rates • • © — where co-stars' names 20th Century-Fox 118 minutes Rex Harrison, Maureen CHara, Richa'rt Haydn, Victor McLaglen Vanessa Brown Patricia Medina, Gene Lockhart, CharleH Irwin, Hug'o Haas, Dennis Hoey, Roy Rob erts. Marcel Journet, Kennetli Washington, Directed by John Stahl. Twentieth Century-Fox has spent plenty of money in bringing Frank Yerby's bestselling novel to the screen and the outlay shows in production quality, a strong cast and two hours of colorful spectacle. Unfortunately, however, the picture as scripted by Wanda Tuchock and edited by James B. Clark, leaves much to be desired; essential motivations are missing, their footage devoted to extraneous scenes of voodoo rites to give atmosphere to the film, and last-reel hurricane scenes to hypo John Stahl's slow-paced direction. Despite its faults, the picture should appeal to audiences generally, particularly women. Suitably exploited, it will score above-average grosses in most situations. The large and well known cast acquits itself creditably; Rex Harrison is well cast as a ne'er-do-well gambler thirsting for powei and Richard Haydn ronip.s home with the picture's comedy-honors. Ma.nreen O'Hara, Gene Lockhart and Vanessa Brown give indifferent performances, while Victor McLaglen's diction is occasionally unintelligible. Photography by Joe La Shelle is superb, settings and recording are of the highest order. Costumes of the period (1827) are attractive. EXPLOITATION: Among the first ten on draw the best-seller lists for 32 v/eeks, "The Foxes of Harrow" has been pre-sold to millions of readers — approach every boolc outlet for window and counter displays, contact literary groups by mail, offer copies of the book as prizes in a contest (Do Women Like to Be Dominated?), supply material for school .".nd library bulletin board displays, u.sc blowups of the books as lobby and marquee displays. Play up the strong cast, headed by Rex ("The Ghost and Mrs. Muir") Harrison and Maureen ("Miracle of 34th Street") O'Hara. Well-born, dashing Rex Harrison, caught cheating at cards aboard a Mississippi steamer, is marooned on a sandbank. Rescued by pigboat skipper Victor McLaglen. he makes his way to New Orleans, become.acquainted with wealthy Creole dandy Richard Haydn. Through Haydn he meets haughty aristocrat Maureen O'Hara, then woos and finally wins her. Their temperaments clash and, after a quarrel over hi.< riverboat friends, Harrison and Maureen live as strangers at his palatial estate, Harrow. Their son is born crippled but Harri son refuses to accept the boy's frailties and builds a vast empire for him. Maureen softens, seeks reconciliation, but Harrison has found happiness with pretty quadroon Patricia Medina, and their estrangement becomes complete v/hen their son dies at, the result of a flery argument. Bent on hi.s own destruction, Harrison tosses away hi.s fortune. Maureen visits Harrison at P.itricia's, in vain begs him to retui n to Hai row, its furnishings now sold to pay hi.s debts. The slaves, heedless to her pleas, refuse to save the corn crop, threatened by a hurricane. She tries to do the job almost single-handed. Harrison suddenly returns, takes command and saves the da;, . Reconciliation follows. TALK ABOUT BOXOFFICE PICTURES! Wait till this combination comes your way . . . ALAN LADD i BASIL BATHBONE ''The BLACK CAT BORIS KARLOFF BELA LUGOSI ''BLACK FRIDAY »7 S K P T E M H F R 2 ') . 19 17 19