The Independent Film Journal (1955)

Richard Burton and Fredric March star in Robert Rossen's $4 million production of "Alexander The Great," CinemaScope-Technicolor. Spectacle also stars Claire Bloom and Danielle Darrieux. Faith In The Future Olivia de Havilland and John Forsythe in Norman Krasna's "The Ambassador's Daughter," CinemaScope. Frank Sinatra stars in Otto Preminger's "The Man With the Golden Arm," also starring Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker. Robert Mitchum and Genevieve Page in Sheldon Reynolds' "Foreign Intrigue." Burt Lancaster, Gina Lollobrigida and Tony Curtis in Hecht-Lancaster's "Trapeze," CinemaScopeTechnicolor. Featuring the greatest concentration of top calibre stars ever presented in a single year’s program, the United Artists product slate for 1956 ranks as the finest in the company’s .ST-year his¬ tory, the studio says. Twenty-nine features already set, with additional films to be an¬ nounced in the coming months, will be re¬ leased at the rate of three or four a month. A promotional budget of at least $7,500,000, a 25 per cent increase over the 1955 outlay, will back an inten.sive ad-publicityexploitation pi-ogram, assuring exhibitors all-media pre-selling designed to reach the widest ])ossible audience. Among the films slated for release in the fii-st half of the year is Robert Rossen’s massive ])roduetion of Alexander the Great, a $4,000,000 CinemaScope-Technicolor spec¬ tacle filmed entirely on location in Spain. The epic drama, three years in the making, stai-s Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom and Danielle Darrieux. Employing a cast of 7,500 for key scenes, the film will be backed by a $1,000,000 promotional campaign. Otto Preminger’s The Man With The Golden Arm, one of the most widely-dis¬ cussed motion pictures of recent years, is expected by the studio to earn a place with the greatest UA money-makers of all time. The screen version of Nelson Algren’s prize¬ winning novel stars Frank Sinatra, in the title role, with Eleanor Parker and Kim Novak. Ilecht & Lancaster’s Trapeze, a Cinema Scope susiicnsc thriller with an international circixs background, boasts the star trio of Burt Lancaster, Gina Lollobrigida and Tony Curtis. The multi-million-dollar production was directed on location in Paris by Sir Carol Reed. Also made on location in the French capital is The Ambassador’s Daugh¬ ter, Norman Krasna’s CinemaScope romantic comedy starring Olivia de Havilland, John For.sythe and Myrna Loy. Stanley Kramer’s The Pride and the Passion, Vista Vision drama to star Cary Grant, Frank Sinati-a and Sophia Loren, is now in preparation for April location film¬ ing in Spain. One of the costliest screen projects ever undertaken, the historical drama is slated for release in the latter jiart of 1956. Other impoi'tant prodiictions on the If A program include Carl Krueger’s Comanche, CinemaScope adventure starring Dana An¬ drews; and Jed Han-is-Michael Myerberg production of Patterns, film version of the smash TV drama, starring Van Heflin and Everett Sloane; The Killer Is Loose, Crown Productions’ suspense drama starring Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Fleming; Cornel Wilde’s Storm Fear, starring Wilde and Jean Wal¬ lace; and Sheldon Reynolds’ Foreign In¬ trigue, filmed on location in Europe with Robert Mitchum starred. {Continued on page 40) Joseph Cotten in Crown Production's "The Killer Is Loose." Van Heflin and Everett Sloane in Harris-Myerberg's "Patterns." Quality And Quantity Film Fare Due From United Artists In '56 12 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— January 21, 1956