The Exhibitor (1964)

June 10, 1964 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR REVIEWS The famous pink paper SAVEABLE SECTION in which Experienced Trade Analysts evaluafe coming product Published every second week, as a separately bound and easily saveable section of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, this exclusive 26 year old service is both numerically more complete, and informatively more candid, than any similar analysis. Cumulatively numbered by film seasons (September to September). It is recommended that readers consecutively save all REVIEWS section in a permanent file. The last issue of each August will always contain a complete annual exhibit to close the season. Combined the every second week, yellow paper SERVISECTION indexes to the past 12 months' product, and the alternating every second week pink paper REVIEWS, represent a unique informative service to theatremen. Please address all inquiries or suggestions about these two service features to the Editors of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, 317 N. Broad St.. Philadelphia, Penna. 19107. 5173 SECTION TWO Vol. 71 No. 22 JUNE 10, 1964 AMERICAN-INT. COLUMBIA The Evil Eye Melodrama 92M. American International Pictures (Italian-made) (Dubbed in English) Estimate: Good whodunit for program. Cast: John Saxon, Leticia Roman, Valen¬ tina Cortesa. Executive producer, Massimo DeRita; associate producer, Salvatore Billitrei; directed by Mario Bava. A GalateaCoronet production. Story: Leticia Roman arrives in Italy for a holiday, which she is going to spend with her aunt. The aunt is stricken and dies, and Roman flees the house to get help. She falls prey to a purse snatcher on her way to the hospital. Knocked unconscious, she is awakened by a scream and sees a woman collapse across the piazza with a knife in her back. A man appears, removes the knife, and disappears. Roman faints. She is found in the morning by a passerby, who flees as a policeman arrives. She is hospitalized and considered hysterical from the shock of her aunt’s death. The murder story is discounted until a woman’s body is found in the river days later. Roman discovers a series of mur¬ ders, all unsolved, had been committed at the same spot at which he saw the woman fall. John Saxon, the young doctor who had tended her aunt, is skeptical, but she per¬ sists. She moves in with a friend of her aunt, whose husband seems a prime suspect. She discovers a box of clippings about the old murders in a closet. An ex-newspaperman who has made a cause out of the un¬ solved murders leads her closer to the killer. He is found shot. Roman stays on at the house despite the pleas of Saxon, who has fallen in love with her. Finally the real killer, her aunt’s friend, reveals herself. Roman has a narrow escape but is saved by the killer’s husband. X-Ray: The curiosity of an amateur sleuth and a string of baffling murders make up an interesting plot which has been enacted with enough skill to make for good entertainment. Events move at a fast enough clip to sustain interest throughout, and the location in Rome offers fine background material for the lensmen. The usual seasoning of romance and humor has been added, which should provide general appeal. Ad Lines: “She Was Next . . . When Would The Killer Strike Again?”; “Look Deep Into ‘The Evil Eye’ And Know The True Mean¬ ing Of Fear!” The Long Ships Melodrama 125M. Columbia (Technirama) (Technicolor) (European made) Estimate: Lavish and spectacular period adventure tale. Cast: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Russ Tamblyn, Rosanna Schiaffino, Lionel Jeffries, Oscar Homolka, Edward Judd, Bebe Loncar, Clifford Evans, Gordon Jackson, Colin Blakely, David Lodge, Henry Oscar, Paul Stassimo, Jeanne Moody. Produced by Irving Allen; directed by Jack Cardiff. Story: Richard Widmark, devil-may-care Viking, is shipwrecked off the Moorish coast, where he leams of the existence of a golden bell. He is captured by the Moors but re¬ fuses to tell the Moorish chief, Sidney Poitier, where it is located. He escapes and returns to Denmark, where his shipbuilding father, Oscar Homolka, has just completed a new long ship for the King. To search for the bell, Widmark and his brother, Russ Tam¬ blyn, steal the ship and take the King’s daughter, Bebe Loncar, as hostage. Surviving a mutiny, Widmark is again shipwrecked in the maelstrom and cast up on the Moorish coast, where he is again captured by Poitier. Despite torture, he refuses to tell Poitier where the bell is. Relations are not im¬ proved when the Vikings break out of prison and raid Poitiers harem. With the aid of Poitier’s wife, Rosanna Schiaffino, Widmark and Poitier agree to sail together and share the treasure. They bring the bell back, and the Vikings are saved from Poitier’s treachery by the King and his men, who have captured the Moorish city. Poitier is killed by the bell falling on him, and Widmark is for¬ given by the King and his father. X-Ray: This brawling meller, which in parts reminds one of “The Vikings,” is so full of action and little else that it is sure to please the general public. Widmark’s per¬ formance is tonque-in-cheek and in vivid contrast to that of Poitier, who takes his part seriously. With definite fairy-tale quali¬ ties, this is so crammed with shipwrecks, battles, and brawls that there is time for NOTICE In order to bring reviews to readers as soon as possible, the REVIEWS section of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR has been expanded to eight pages this issue. In it will be found reviews of 20 feature pic¬ tures plus a listing of FOREIGN and SPE¬ CIALTY PICTURE SOURCES. There is no EXPLOITATION Section this week. THE EDITORS DO SAVE . . . pink REVIEWS They provide a permanent evaluation of all features as caught by our skilled reviewers. Pages are cumulatively numbered and in¬ dexed, and punched for a standard ring bind¬ er. Establish your seasonal set. little else. Production and direction are first rate, and the wide screen and color are de¬ lightful. Something for all types of audiences may be found here; the glamour is amply taken care of by the leading ladies; and while there are disconcerting moments, such as that afforded by the incongruity of the many accents of the players, this is okay escape fare. Ad Lines: “An Adventure Of The Viking Age”; “They Came In Search Of The Fabled, Golden Bell Of St. James.” EMBASSY Zulu Drama: 138M. Embassy (Technicolor) (Technirama) (Filmed in Africa) Estimate: Highly interesting entry. Cast: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Ivor Emmanuel, Paul Daneman, Glynn Edwards, Neil McCarthy, David Keman, Cary Bond, Peter Gill, Tom Gerrard, Patrick Ma¬ gee. Produced by Stanley Baker and Cy Endfield; directed by Cy Endfield. Story: In 1879, as the Reverend Jack Hawk¬ ins and his daughter Ulla Jacobsson witness a Zulu marriage ceremony as the guests of the chief, a runner arrives to report that 1200 British soldiers have been slaughtered by other Zulu warriors. Knowing that natives will move against a small British garrison around the mission, they hurry to warn the soldiers. Lt. Stanley Baker refuses to leave as they have orders to remain, and he starts building makeshift defenses with the aid of fellow officer Michael Caine. Hawkins tries to get permission to have the sick evacuated, but Baker feels he needs every man that can hold a rifle to repulse the 4,000 natives, who strike a number of times but are repulsed each time. The brave soldiers take a heavy toll, an eventually when things look black¬ est, the Zulu leader withdraws after saluting the men behind the flimsy barricades. Many of the survivors are awarded the Victoria Cross. X-Ray: Based on an incident in British history, this colorful tale of five-score British soldiers who survive the attack of thousands of fierce Zulu warriors is interesting; packed with adventure, action, suspense, and drama; and also contains bits of cemedy. It is a trifle long for the story it has to tell, with some feeling that the climactic battle scenes are a bit too long in coming. Performances are quite good, as are the direction and produc¬ tion, with the onspot filming and color pro¬ viding invaluable assists. The screenplay is by John Pre'bble and Cy Endfield, suggested by an article by Prebble. Action fans will be pleased. Tips On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “Thousands Against A Few In An Exciting Saga From History”; “Thrill To The Greatest Of Action Adventure Films.”