Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1958)

uesday, September 30, 1958 Motion Picture Daily 7 ftertero Tells The Barbarian and the Geisha Mich. Allied ( Continued from page 1 ) Ihoden, new chairman of the board, ipencer Leve, vice-president of NaLonal Theatres Amusement Corp. in harge of theatre operations; Alan Kay, vice-president and treasurer; B. perald Cantor, chairman of the executive committee of the board of lirectors, and Charles Glett, vicepresident in charge of television operations, Bertero referred to them as lis teammates with a "unity of protection," and stated there would be no hange in the present management tructure upon acquisition of NTA. It was further pointed out that acquisition of NTA, subject to acceptance by stockholders of both companies, will be made under an exhange of securities, with no cash Involved. A letter to NT stockholders, Lated August 19, 1958, signed by ihoden, was introduced containing he following pertinent information: "National Theatres proposes to make n offer to holders of common stock If National Telefilm Associates to acuire their shares on the basis of an xchange of $11 subordinated debenture principal amount and a warrant o purchase one-quarter share of your ompany's share for each share of ommon stock of National Telefilm kssociates. It is proposed to make an ffer to all holders of common stock >f NTA and to make an equivalent ofier to all holders of warrants and prions to purchase such stock. To Mature in 15 Years "The proposed subordinated debentures to be issued by National Theares will carry an interest rate of five nd one-half per cent, requiring sinkrig fund payments, and will mature t the end of 15 years. "Fifteen-year warrants for the •urchase of one-quarter share of your ■ompany's stock will provide for an initial exercise price of one dollar •elow the market price on the day irior to making the offer, except that if the market price is less than $9.50 i»er share, the initial warrant exercise •rice will increase one dollar per year luring each of first 10 years. ' The proposed offer is to be conlitioned upon obtaining at least 51 •er cent control of NTA. Cantor inted out that NT would not lose ontrol if the merger of interests is •onsurnmated with NTA, since there vould be a maximum of 450,000 warants earmarked for the transaction, nd NT has slightly under 2,700,000 [hares. Bertero, who will also continue as ^resident of Fox West Coast Theares, viewed the need for exhibitor inrests to expand into television, stat ( CONTINUED FROM PAGE I) Wayne ordinarily plays. Tact and patience are the hero's foremost qualities instead of the ability to triumph in a rousing brawl. Once in a while one gets the impression in this picture that the actor feels he could cut through all the quibbling over diplomatic red tape in two seconds if somebody would only hand him a knife. Second of the film's notable departures from the norm is its treatment of romance. The geisha of the title is a beautiful girl hired by the Japanese to spy on Harris in his home when he first arrives in the country. In spite of initial suspicions on either side, the two soon become fast friends. But their relationship never proceeds beyond the platonic— not even to the point of a brief embrace. And Eiko Ando, by the way, is something exquisite to see in the geisha role. Third in this film's list of distinctions is the use that director Huston has made of the sceneiy photographed (in CinemaScope and color by De Luxe) on location in Japan. Many exotic sights are recorded throughout the picture— colorful festivals, ceremonials, processions and the like in addition to the natural beauties of the countryside. All these are skillfully integrated into the film as a whole. Huston never stops his story for the camera to take an extended scenic tour or watch the local customs just to pass the time. And it is this strong emphasis on story— to the extent of refusing to compromise by introducing any extraneous action— that gives "The Barbarian and the Geisha" its greatest substance. As depicted in the script of Charles Grayson (from a story by Ellis St. Joseph) Harris is a man with one aim in view— persuading the Japanese rulers to give up their policy of isolation and specifically to sign a commercial treaty with the U.S. To these purposes both the character and the film strictly adhere. At the end Harris achieves his mission, but the accomplishment of it is difficult and filled with conflicts, which are mostly contests of wills. This is not to say there are no action elements in this picture in the conventional sense. When appropriate, such is supplied. Large sections of the port of Shimoda are burned down when cholera strikes to provide much excitement on the screen. And two other episodes make for striking spectacle— the long trek by Harris and Japanese attendants from Shimoda to Yedo and his reception at the lavish court of the shogun in the latter city. But the major action revolves around duels of wits that the diplomatic hero must wage to convince the reluctant Japanese to recognize there is a world outside with which they should come to friendly terms. And under Huston's direction these various crises— though generally more verbal than physical in expression— acquire intensity and keep the spectator in a state of suspense. Other assets of this picture include a fine supporting performance by So Yamamura as the arrogant Japanese governor who does all he can to send the American diplomat packing his bags and another by Sam Jaffe as companion and interpreter for the hero. Hugo Friedhofer has provided a flavorful musical score. Eugene Frenke produced. To repeat, "The Barbarian and the Geisha" is an intriguing, off-beat show. Running time, 105 minutes. General classification. Release, in October. Richard Gertner ing that "we cannot solely aim for theatre returns." Minimizing the competitive threat of television, Bertero held that the younger generation accepts TV as a medium which has been here a long time, and then remarked that "family life is such that when they get surfeited with what is available in the home, they want to go out. People are gregarious." Questioned on pay-TV, Bertero spoke of the variables and uncertainties as to when and how it will get off the ground, and reported NT severed relationships with Telemeter when the Los Angeles ordinance for a pay-TV franchise was rescinded. ( Continued from page 1 ) tempt to get Detroit exhibitor leaders to meet to explore the possibilities of making a sizeable contribution to the campaign at this time." Detroit exhibitors have banded together to run a successful localized campaign of their own, London explained, citing their preoccupation with the local effort as the main reason that Detroit had not acted sooner on the national campaign. Coincidentally, the co-chairmen reported, United Detroit Theatres sent in a sizeable contribution to the national campaign, which they received late last week. British Pact ( Continued from page 1 ) film remittance agreement with the British negotiating team tomorrow. It is expected the current agreement will be renewed for one year without major changes, but there was said to be some possibility the talks might continue tomorrow despite the absence of any known important differences. The British team is headed by Sir David Eccles, president of the Board of Trade, and Sir Frank Lee, undersecretary. Barney Balaban, Paramount Pictures president, and Spyros P. Skouras, 20th Century-Fox president, will be in Washington tomorrow night to attend a state dinner and screening for the British delegation at MPAA headquarters here. Book 'Ones' in Texas (Continued from page 1) istered the biggest 5-day, non-holiday gross for a United Artists release at the Victoria Theatre here with a huge $34,905, and also broke a fiveyear record for the Broadway showcase, UA said yesterday. The New York gross parallels the reo^rd openings in Philadelphia where the film set a three-year-mark of $18,250 for the first three days at the Stanton Theatre, and in Boston, where the three day total of $19,527 matched the best business rolled up at the Memorial Theatre in five years. Rogers Hospital (Continued from page 1 ) visited the x-ray room set up in the Hotel Astor. The free examinations will continue through Thursday. Abe Montague, president of the hospital, expects the heavy response to continue through the next three days. There was a waiting line prior to the 9 A.M. opening yesterday. THE GEVAERT CO. OF AMERICA, INC. Quality photographic i materials since 1894 6601 No. Lincoln Ave. Lincolnwood, ill. (Chicago) 6370 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles 38 California i m m 9109 Sovereign Row Dallas Texas mm mm Professional MOTION PICTURE FILMS release positive