The Exhibitor (1962)

April 18, 1962 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 4925 REVIEWS The famous pink paper SA VEABLE SECTION in winch Experienced Trade Analysts evaluate coming product fubl!th*d •very Mcond at a taporotely bound and oatily tovoobl* Mctlon of MOTION PICTUU EXHIBITOR, this •xclutiv* 24 year old tervice It both numerically more complete, and Informatively more candid, than any timilar trade analytit. Cumulatively numbered by film teotont (Septentbw to September), It it recommended that readert contecutively terve all REVIEWS tection In a permanent file. The loct Ittee of each Augutt will alwayt contain a complete annual exhibit to dote the teaton. Combined, the every tecond week yellow paper SERVISECTION indexet to the patt 12 montht produd, and the alternating every tecond week pink paper REVIEWS, repretent a unique informative tervice to theotremM Pleate addrett all inquiriet or tuggettiont about thete two tervice feotwret to the EdHort of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, 317 N. Broad St., Philadelphia 7, Penna. APRIL 18, 1962 ALLIED ARTISTS The Big Wave Allied Artists Drama 73m. (Japanese made) (Dubbed in English) Estimate: Slow moving Japanese folk lore best for art spots. Cast: Sessue Hayakawa, Ichizo Itami, Mickey Curtis, Koji Shitara, Hiroyuki Ota, Rumiko Sasa, Juddy Ongg, Reiko Higa, Sachiko Atami, Henry Okawa, Chieko Mmata, Tetsu Nakamura, Frank Tokunaga, Shigeru Nihonmatsu, Noriko Sengoku. Produced and directed by Tad Dsnielewski; a Toho Studios production. Story: Hiroyxiki Ota, a farm boy, and Koji Shitara, a fisher -boy, live in a small Japanese vfilage periodically threatened by tidal waves. Juddy Ongg, Ota’s sister, follows them and dreams of becoming a pearl diver. Sessue Hayakawa, village patriarch, who lives on a hill behind the village, warns the fishermen of the coming of a tidal wave but they fail to heed him. A tidal wave destroys the village and there are only a few survivors including Shitara, Ota, and Ongg. Hayakawa sends for Shitara wanting to adopt him. The boy knows it means he will live in wealth, but he re¬ fuses to leave his friend and continues to live with Ota and his family as a farmer. Ten years later, the boys are as brothers with Shitara saving his money to buy a boat £ind return to the sea. Reiko Higa promises to let him have one of her boats as she has fallen in love with him. Hayakawa renews his offer of adoption and offers the lovers a large farm. Since both love the sea, they refuse and plan to face the future together as a fisherman and his wife. X-Ray: This slow moving bit of Japanese folk-lore is fascinating in its way and was written by Pecirl S. Buck. It is from her novel of ^e same title. The tidal wave se¬ quence is another example of the Japanese cinema art of making miniature sets look realistic. The shark kill sequence is also au¬ thentic and interesting. Otherwise, this story of three growing children in their poor surroimdings does not offer much for audiences other than art houses. Hayakawa as the an¬ cient philosopher is very good. Otherwise, the all Jaspanese cast is totally unknown here. Special effects and photography are okay. Originally this film was much longer but it has adroitly been edited. Ad Lines: “Despite Its Fury The Sea Holds A Strange Fascination”; “A True Idyll Of Old Japan.” Confessions Of An Opium Eater Melodrama 82m. Allied Artists Estimate: For the lower hsilf. Cast: Vincent Price, Linda Ho, Philip Ahn, Richard Loo, Jime Kim, Yvonne Moray, Alicia Li, John Mamo, Arthm Wong, Jo Aime Miya, Geri Hoo, Keiko Nishimora, Carol Russell, Terrence DeMarney, Vincent Barbi, Caroline Kido. Produced and directed by Albert Zugsmith. Story: Aroimd the turn of the century, a cargo of slave girls are smuggled into San Francisco. They are ambushed by tong lead¬ er and newspaper editor Richard Loo and his henchmen. Killers of a rival tong then take over the girls with the exception of Jime Kim, who in escaping saves the life of Loo. The supposed killing of Loo and the hijacking of the slave girls precipitates a violent tong war. Soldier of fortune Vincent Price arrives and decides to help Loo in his crusade to stop the sales of human beings. He places his services at the disposal of a rival tong -head¬ ed by Linda Ho, who has killed Loo secretly and taken over his leadership of the tong. Price gets in contact with Ho, is fascinated by her beauty, and pretends to go along with her. He also helps Yvonne Moray, Chinese “slave child,” and Kim escape, but they are recaptured by Mongofian giants. Ho, dis¬ guised as the dead Loo, conducts the slave auction, but Moray is again freed by Price and helps him break up the action. Fleeing with Ho, Price goes through a labyrinth of tunnels and sewers, until he is pulled into a sewer by her and they drown together. X-Ray: This nightmarish meller of high adventure in old Chinatown is strictly for the lower half. It is action all the way, although somewhat muddled. Its one redeeming fea¬ ture is that it may be exploited and sold in the action houses, with the slave auction scenes interesting and featuring considera¬ ble modified belly dancing, and pretty Ori¬ ental gals. Never before have there been so many secret passages, sliding doors, and mad-looking, hatchet wielding Chinese giants in any one picture. There is also an opium smoking scene and some slow motion stuff supposedly representing a pipe smoker’s fan¬ tastic dream. Incident^ly, this was dreamed up by Robert Hill and S. I. Miller. The title, of course, is saleable in spots. Ad Lines: “Wild Adventure In Old China¬ town”; “Tong War, Hatchet-Men, Slave Girls A Thrill A Minute.” Time Bomb (6104) Melodrama 92m. Allied Artists (A Franco-Italian Co-production) (Spoken in English) Estimate: Satikactory sea meller. Cast: Curt Jurgens, Mylene Demongeot, Alain Saury, Paul Mercey, Robert Porte, Dan¬ iel Sorano, Jean Duarand, Gabriel Gobin, Andre Dahbert, Jess Hahn, Raymond Loyer, Pierre Collet, Guy Daksir, JeanJacques Lecot, Henri Maik, Pierre Paulet, Jean Murat, Claire Guibert. Directed by Yves Ciampi. Story: A nearly destitute, orpahed brother and sister, Alain Saury and Mylene Demon¬ geot, whose family fortune had come from shipping interests, plot with her middle-aged lover, sea captain Curt Jurgens, to bilk an in¬ surance company of six million dollars. It is arranged for Jurgens to captain a freighter on a run from Hamburg to Helsinki, and he hires explosives expert Danial Sorano to plant a bomb and sink the ship in an area where mines are known to still exist, making it ap¬ pear the freighter struck a mine. Jurgens pushes the ^p toward its doom, knowing he and the crew can escape in lifeboats. The ship is delayed by a blocked lock in the Kiel Canal, and Jurgens orders time made up so the freighter will be in the mine area when the time bomb is to explode. One of the boil¬ ers explodes and a crew member is badly in¬ jured. Jurgens repents, hurries to the hold, and discormects the bomb. He brings the list¬ ing ship back to Hamburg and himself to the arms of Domongoet. X-Ray: This suspenseful sea meller will hold the interest of the average audience especially the males. Performances are good and the dubbing satisfactory. Production is first rate and direction is fast and sure. Jurgens gives his usual adroit interpretation in a role similar to that he has played be¬ fore. 'Hiis should get by okay as part of the program. Ad Lines: “A Thrilliiig Terror Cruise”; “Ex¬ plodes With Consipracy On The High Seas.” COLUMBIA Don’t Knock the Twist musical 87m. Columbia Estimate: Topical twist entry okay for fans of the movement. Cast: Chubby Checker, Gene Chandler, Vic Dana, Linda Scott, Carroll Bros., The Dovells, Lang Jeffries, Mari Blachard, Georgine Darcy, Stephen Preston, Barbara Morrison, Nydia Westman, James Chandler. Produced by Sam Katzman; directed by Oscar Rudolph; co-produced by Kal Mann. Story: Lang Jeffries, television circuit ex¬ ecutive, is given orders to turn out a twist spectacular within four weeks to beat an op¬ position network which also has a twist spec¬ tacular in the works. He turns to his friend. Chubby Checker, King of the Twist, for help, and together they start to line up some other artists. Jeffries decides to ask has girl, dress designer Mari Blanchard, to marry him, but she puts him off, being annoyed by adverse criticism of her latest creations. She designs a radical twist dress which creates quite a stir and brings in a number of orders. They go away for the weekend, where he discovers Georgine Darcy and her brother doing the twist. Jeffries and Darcy are attracted to each other. He asks her to be on his show, promis¬ ing to make a sizeable donation to the local orphanage. Blanchard signs her to show off the special line of twist costumes she is creat¬ ing. Friction grows between Jeffries and Blan¬ chard with the latter jealous over his atten¬ tions to Darcy. Blanchard tries to ruin both Jeffries and Darcy by framing a newspaper expose foto and hoping to curry the favor of the opposing network. The plan goes awry and the spectacular is a success, as is the romance between Jeffries and Darcy. X-Ray: In case any fans of the twist have missed prior releases featuring the dance, they have a chance to catch up as there are a variety of acts doing the twist as well as vari¬ ations of the same. There is a story that tries to tie together the various musical ends, but it doesn’t get in the way too much. There are some pleasant and good looking people on screen. The cast is average, as are the di¬ rection and production. 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