The Exhibitor (1960)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 4687 March 16. I960 Cast: J ames Stewart, J une AUyson, Charles Drake, George Tobias, Henry Morgan, Frances Langford, Gene Krupa, Ben Pollack, Archie Savage Dancers, The Modernaires, Marlon Ross, Irving Bacon, Kathleen Lockhart, Bar¬ ton MacLane, Sig Ruman, Phil Garris, James Bell, Katherine Warren. Produced by Aaron Rosenberg; directed by Anthony Mann. X-Ray: When first reviewed in January, 1954, it was said of this reissue: “A warm tune-filled film, this is headed for the higher grosses. It is strong in star values, and has an interesting story, plenty of tunes, and the Miller music, among other things. Stewart as Miller is again superb, while AUyson, as his wife, helps bring an added glow to the film. Production values are high and direction is of the same calibre. It is a picture that ought to attract young and old.” Tip On Bidding: Better rates for re-release. Ad Lines: “The True Story Of One Of America’s Great Musicians”; “James Stewart As Glenn Miller — A Biographical Drama With Music.” FOREIGN Angry Island melodi^ma (Kajikko) Bentley Films (Eastman Color) (Cinemascope) (Japanese-made) (English titles) Estimate: Off-beat, hard-hitting drama concerning exploitation of children; Cast: Kazuo Suzuki, Shigeo Tezuka, Teruo Shibata, Yasuo Tsuchiya, Shigeaki Goto, Yukio Akiyama. Produced by Masafumi Soga; directed by Seijki Hisamatsu. Story: Boys are literally sold by burdened parents to brokers who resell them to fisher¬ men on an island off the main coast of Japan. Others also come from the reformatories as a means of supposed rehabilitation. The story concerns seven newly arrived boys who are put to hard work, beaten at the slightest provocation, imderfed, and ill-clad. They find one of their predecessors imprisoned in a tiny cage where he is being starved. The others try to smuggle him food. They also decide to try and get him to a doctor on the mainland during a festival when the owners are away from their homes. By this time, the boy has died and his closest friend refuses to abandon him and tries to get him to the boat stolen by the others. They make it to the mainland and disclose the i^uman conditions that exist, whereupon police, newsmen, and welfare officials invade the island to investigate the claims. The result is an end to the child slave market and bet¬ terment of conditions for those who want to work the boats. X-Ray: This screenplay by Yoko Mizuki is based upon stories in the Japanese press in which reported similar incidents. Some of the scenes depicting the cruelty of the boybuyers are hard to take, and the story is de¬ pressing. It is well-enacted and well-moimted, with color and Cinemascope effective aides in the presentation, which is limited to the art and specialty spots. Direction and production are good. Ad Line: “Boys For Sale To Do Anything”; “A Hard-Hitting Expose Of Yesterday’s Slave Market Off Japan.” Breakout Melodrama 98m Continental (English-made) Estimate: Interesting prison camp meUer peopled with English names. Cast: Richard Todd, Bernard Lee, Michael Wilding, Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Donald Houston, William Frankl3ni, Vincent Ball, Peter Ame, Peter Jones, Ronnie Stevens, Terrence Alexander, Andrew Foulds, Steve Norbert, Cyril Shaps, Eric Lander, John Dearth, Robert Bruce, Harold Siddons, Ian Whittaker, David Williams, David Graham, Howard Williams, Dincf Galvani. Produced by Cohn Lesslie; directed by Don Chaffey. Story: Captive officers and men in an Ital¬ ian prisoner-of-war camp have one thought in common — to escape. They tunnel all over the place, but are frustrated at all turns by camp commandant Peter Ame. They realize an informer is cimong them, but continue with their escape plans, finally making it af¬ ter binding up the informer, whom Ame kills accidentally while belatedly investigat¬ ing what is going on. X-Ray: Once it gets going this is an in¬ teresting melodrama of its type. The all male cast is peopled by well-known English names and they perform weU. Suspense is well main¬ tained throughout, and although nothing dras¬ tically new is found here, the film whl pass in most spots. Supposedly based on a true in¬ cident, this is from a novel by Michael Gil¬ bert. The mass escape seems incredible, and perhaps the film would have been more plau¬ sible had some of the prisoners remained be¬ hind. In most spots this is being sold with the documentary “Blitzkrieg.” Ad Lines: “A Shocking Story Of Men Con¬ demned To Hell”; “A Tense, Tingling War Thriller.” Blitzkrieg Documentary 91m Continental (English version) (German made) Estimate: Lower h^f filler. Credits: Introduction by Lt. Gen. Sir Brian Harrocks. A Certus Film production. Story: This shows World War II through German eyes. The film has been edited from countless thousands of feet of film taken on the front lines by over 200 Nazi cameramen. Included is the Russian campaign, Rommel in Africa, submarine warfare on the Atlantic, the death struggle of Berlin, etc. X-Ray: In both surprisingly well preserved photography and many shots that are pretty terrible photographically, this German-made history of the war is not too interesting to those other than historians. It is carefully explained for what it is in an introduction by Lt. Gen. Sir Brian Harrocks, who was one of the Allied Generals, and animated maps try to keep the action clear. Many of the scenes are pretty brutal and Hitler has himself a time in many shots, but it is all a rehash and of limited interest. This is being paired in most spots with “Breeikout,” and although its run¬ ning time seems much too long we suppose it can be sold along exploitation lines, and will prove lower half filler for the other feature. Ad Lines: “The Raging Inferno Of War”; “The True Story Of War As It Really Is — Inhuman, Ferocious, Ugly!” Nude In A White Car Drama 87m Trans -Lux (French-made) (English titles or dubbed in English) Estimate: Highly interesting import. Cast: Marina Vlady, Robert Hossein, Odile Versois, Helena Manson, Henri Cremieux. Directed by Robert Hossein. Story: On a dark summer night as Robert Hossein walks along a road on the French Riviera, a white car pulls along side, ^d a feminine voice asks directions after which he is offered a lift. The car turns onto a side road and Hossein is engulfed in an in¬ timate embrace. Moments later, he is ejected from the car, and when he protests, the stranger emphasizes her request with a gxm. He manages to catch a glimpse of the license, which takes him to a villa occupied by Odile Versois and her half sister, Marina Vlady, confined to a wheel chair since a polio at¬ tack at the age of 15. Hossein is welcomed and persuaded to remain the night. The next day he is offered the job of managing a record shop which the sisters are to open shortly. He is puzzled and accepts. He is attracted to Versois, but uncertain as to the identity of the mysterious driver of the car. He breaks with Versois when he thinks that she is lying to him, but he later discovers that Vlady has been faking at being an in¬ valid. She can walk and it was she who drove the cai' that night. He walks out of the house as Vlady falls dovm a flight of steps, really incapacitating her. X-Ray: The title, of course, refers to the first few minutes of the film where the hero is romanced by the nude driver of a car in the dark of night. His efforts to learn her identity result in a suspenseful and in¬ teresting yam that keeps interest alive until the surprising climax. The cast is good as are the direction and production, and the use of titles and/or Elnglish dialogue makes the entry playable anywhere adult audiences congregate. There is a back-up campaign to be put into effect by the distributor, and curiosity aroused by the title and subject matter could result in impressive returns where it catches on. The screenplay is by Robert Hossein, based on a novel by Frederic Dard. Ad Lines: “He Had To Find Out Who She Was Ever Since That Night On The Beach Road”; “You Must See This Film From The Beginning And Come Prepared. For The Un¬ usual.” Rosemary Comedy -Drama 105m Films Around -TheW orld (German-made) (English titles) Estimate: Sharp, biting satire on German manners and morals. Cast: Nadja Tiller, Peter Van Eyck, Mario Adorf, Carl Raddatz, Gert Frobe, Henne Wieder, Jo Herbst, Werner Peters, Karin Baal, Erich Von Loewis, Arno Paulsen, Tilo Von Berlepsch, Hubert Von Meyerinck, Helen Vita, Ruth Hausmeister, Horst Frank. Produced by Luggi Waldleitner; directed by Rolf Thiele. Story: A group of German industrialists discussing a huge business deal in which the Bonn Government is interested are inter¬ rupted by streetwalker Nadja Tiller and two strolling musicians. One of the businessmen promptly makes her his mistress. She enjoys the money and position and agrees to assist French Peter Van Eyck in gaining informa¬ tion on the doings of the German cartel. The businessmen, attracted to her bed, confess all their business secrets, which she tape-records. All powerful now. Tiller represents a threat to the Germans’ home lives and businesses. She has made many important enemies, and her former protectors have her mysteriously strangled. The street singers, meanwhile, have already found a new street walker to carry on where Tiller left off. X-Ray: Another example of the bitter Ger¬ man comedy-drama done in a highly stylized, cinematically fascinating fashion, this is a nat¬ ural for art houses. Sharp acting and excel¬ lent production and direction make it one discriminating filmgoers won’t want to miss. Tiller is a sultry new comer who generates plenty of heat, and she is ably assisted by a host of good male players. In the nature of “Threepenny Opera,” satiric musical accom¬ paniment by the street singers advances the story. Again, the Germans take a hard, bitter, satiric look at themselves, and the result is excellent art house fare, biting, sometimes hysterically funny, but always interesting. This is based on a true case history. Screen¬ play by Erich Kuby and Rolf Thiele. Ad Lines: “Another Satiric Masterpiece From Post-War Germany”; “Love And Busi¬ ness Clash With Serio-Comic Results That Etch The Screen With Acid.” MISCELLANEOUS Justice And Caryl documentary Chessman sterling World Distribution Estimate: Highly exploitable featurette is boxoffice naturi. Credits: Terrence W. Cooney Production; directed by John Jacobs; written by Jules Maitland; narrated by Quentin Reynolds. Story: The story of Caryl Chessman’s 12 years in the shadow of California’s gas (Continued on next page)