Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1947)

8 Motion Picture Daily Monday, May 12, 1947 Reviews "Black Narcissus" (The Archers — G.F.D. — British) London MICHAEL POWELL and Emeric Pressburger — purveyors of the unusual — submit one which may bewilder the moron and the frequenter of the "industrial" type of theatre, but which will bring rare delight to all others. "Black Narcissus," patterned in loveliness, adds further lustre to the mounting prestige of British pictures. Which is not to say that it is one of those caviar things which rate esteem of the snooty snob order. It concerns itself with the simple elemental things. Its makers throw in with a sort of lush opulence the overtones of Technicolor magnificence, scenes of breath-catching beauty and cunning (oft-times sly) insight into human frailty which take the picture completely out of the common-rut category; which, additionally, should earn for it ripe dividends among showmen who have the wit to know what it is all about. The tale of the cloister and the heart is an old piece of film usage. In this latest edition, a little cluster of nuns belonging to an Anglo-Catholic order are sent to the topmost peak of the Himalayan range to set up a school and hospital. It is no Shangri-la location. A disturbing wind whirls around the mountain-top continually. There is the local ruler's English agent to be contended with ; he being a mixture of cynical caddishness, self-confessed degeneracy, not to say disturbing and extreme physical manliness ; he exhibits qualities which ill conform with the serenity of the veil. Frustration and fretfulness beset the lonely off-shoot of the convent. One of the sisters, going mad in that outpost of frustration, abjures her vows, declares her love for the agent, and kills herself in an endeavor to throw the Sister Superior down one of those Himalayan abysses. The rains break and the Sisterhood — beaten to surrender in outward seeming by the fretful frustration but in reality triumphant — ride down to their Mother-house again. The stark tale, told starkly, would have a scarifying impact. But Powell and Pressburger illumine it with tenderness and so much soft understanding that its starkness becomes enveloped in an aura of magic. Said one woman auditor at the preview, "It's a picture to swoon over." Women the world over will feel like swooning. Alfred Junge did the decor of the piece, Jack Cardiff the photography. Between them they have contrived a background hitherto and without doubt unsurpassed on the British screen. The Sisterhood is played most beautifully by a properly diversified band of young women led by Deborah Kerr, brightest adornment in the view of many of Britain's screen. Kathleen Byron is that tragic sister who goes berserk. Hers is a lovely, exquisitely tactful, performance. There is also Sabu as an Indian Prince, and Jean Simmons as a bedizenned and bijeweled naughty little Himalyan girl. And there is David Farrar as the English agent. In the eyes of the connoisseur Farrar has been long on the threshold of achievement. Here, beyond peradventure, he enters the choice portals. The Powell-Pressburger team could so easily this time have made a picture of some embarrassment. Instead they turn in one of superb lovelkiess. Running time, 100 minutes. Adult audience classification. Release date, not set. Peter Burnup "Land of the Lawless" ( Monogram ) 4' I AND OF THE LAWLESS" emerges as one of the best in Monogram's current series of Johnny Mack Brown starrers. J. Benton Cheney gave plenty of room for bang-up action in his screenplay, and director Lambert Hillyer, Brown and the other players all gave full measure of it in recording the proceedings for the screen. Cowboy fans should find the finished product highly satisfactory entertainment. When Johnny rides into a lawless frontier town, the few remaining goodliving citizens recruit him as their leader in an all-out effort to rid the community of a gambling-swindling-murder clique which has taken over. In short order he decides to employ the villain's own desperado tactics in defeating them, robbing them of their ill-gotten gains, polishing off their top gunmen in shoot-to-kill battles. There is not a dull moment for the customers. Raymond Hatten plays Brown's aide-de-camp, Christine Mclntyre is cast as the lady saloon-owner who is_ the "brains" in the dirty work. June Harrison, a capable songstress, plays the part of a cafe entertainer, and Tristram Coffin, Steve Clark and I. Stanford Jolly are the heavies. Barney A. Sarecky produced. Running time, 59 minutes. General audience classification. Release date, May 3. C. L. F. Coming Events Today — Motion Picture Association dinner for J. Arthur Rank, Waldorf-Astoria, New York. May 12-16 — Screen Guild national sales conference and board and stockholders meetings, Hollywood. May 13 — Monogram and Allied Artists regional sales meeting, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. May 13 — United Artists board of directors meeting, New York. May 13-17 — Variety Clubs International convention, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. May 15 — International Radio Conference, Atlantic City. May 16 — Motion Picture Associates presentation of "Beacon Award" to Sam Rinzler, Waldorf-Astoria, New York. May 18-19 — Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio annual convention, Dashler-Wallich Hotel, Columbus. June 3-4 — Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Arkansas meeting, Little Rock, Ark. Names in the News (Continued from page 1) national director of advertising-publicity announces. • Before entering the industry, Washer was drama editor and columnis. for., the New York World-Telegram, and was a representative for legitimate theatre producers, including George Abbott, Arthur Hopkins, William Harris and Norman Bel Geddes. He served^ with the U. S. Army during World' War II. At Paramount Gordon Swarthou. will continue as publicity-exploitation coordinator, with Sid Mesibov as assistant manager of exploitation, and C. N. Odell as New York press chief. Murray Silver stone Promotes Rosenvald and Three Others Roger Rosenvald has been appointed 20th Century-Fox supervisor of the southern division of Brazil with headquarters in Sao Paulo, reports Murray Silverstone, president of 20th Century-Fox International. Alberto Rezende has been named supervisor of the northern division, with headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and will be assisted by Armando Pavan, who also has been promoted. Heitor Passerino has been named manager of Porto Alegre, Geraldo Morra is the new manager in Sao Paulo, and Rudolph Schoham has been appointed traveling sales analyst and branch auditor. Hitchcock May Film Here Alfred Hitchcock will arrive in New York today from Hollywood to inspect possible sites for filming his first independent picture on his own, to be based on the Patrick Hamilton play, "The Rope." A large part of the film may be shot around Medical Center along the East River. While here Hitchcock will be joined by Sidney L. Bernstein, English circuit operator, in launching their new Transatlantic Pictures Corp. Mitchell Describes Radio Sales Aids Arrowhead Springs, Calif., May 11. — Greater recognition of the value of radio in film exploitation and publicity was urged upon the Paramount theatre partners today by Curtis Mitchell, the company's publicity and advertising director, at their meeting with Paramount executives here. Mitchell pointed out that radio served a special need in summer. He will spend a week at the studio conferring on publicity campaigns on pictures now in production before returning to New York. NBC to Televise Opening of Exhibit Ceremonies for the opening of RCA's Exhibition Hall in Rockefeller Center tomorrow will be telecast by National Broadcasting's New York station, WNBT. The hall will be a "showcase" for all RCA products, facilities and services, including television equipment and operations. Buys Color Cartoons Marc Gilbert Film Co. has acquired 25 Cinecolor cartoons, produced by Ub Iwerks, for Continental Europe. RKO's Annual Sales Meet Here July 7 RKO Radio will hold its annual sales convention at the Waldorf-Astoria, here, beginning on July 7. Dore Schary, vice-president in charge of production, who left for Hollywood yesterday after 10 days here, will return for the meetings, as will Perry W. Lieber, director of>(4> RKO Radio studio publicity. { £ Schlaifer Holding Promotional Meets Charles Schlaifer, 20th Century-Fox head of advertising-publicity, held a neeting in Washington over the weekend with William Michaelson, exploiteer and advertising manager, in connection with the campaign of 'Miracle on 34th Street," and "The Jhost of Mrs. Muir." He will leave today for Chicago for similar meetings with local exploiteers, and from there will proceed to Kansas City for the same purpose, and then go to the Coast where he will join Spyros Skouras, president ; Murray Silverstone, 20th Century-Fox International president; Tom J. Connors, vice-president in charge of sales, and William J. Kupper, general sales manager, who are leaving New York tomorrow to view new product and hold executive conferences with studio heads. Maurice Kinzler of Kanpon Spiero Agency, Christy Wilbert, advertisingmanager, and Louis Shanfield, art director, left New York yesterday to join the Coast conferences. Legion Explains Its Position on 'DueV Referring to a statement which appeared in newspaper advertising last week for "The Duel in the Sun," the Legion of Decency has issued the following statement : "Newspaper advertising for 'The Duel in the Sun' contained the statement, 'The picture has been passed by the New York State Board of Censorship and the Legion of Decency'. "The Legion of Decency has not 'passed' this film in the sense that the Legion has approved the film or given the film an unobjectionable rating. The Legion has rated the revised version with its numerous changes and additions of prologue and epilogue, B or Objectionable in Part for this reason : 'Immodestly suggestive sequences ; glorification of illicit love'." To Discuss Bid to Nelson Hollywood, May 11. — The executive committee of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers will confer here with its president, Donald Nelson, regarding his invitation to serve unofficially as economic advisor to President Aleman of Mexico. Nelson has said that he will not resign his SIMPP post. Wood Buys Original Hollywood, May 11. — Producerdirector Sam Wood has purchased an original story by Howard Emmett Rogers, with a background in the Planter's Hotel of St. Louis. He has scheduled it as an Interwood Production for Universal International release late in 1948.