The Exhibitor (1965)

5358 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 29, 1965 excellent performances, including newcomer Geraldine Chaplin and veterans Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, and Ralph Richardson, The tale starts out on a note of curiosity and en¬ velops the viewer completely. The many facets of the story are brought forth and given an all inclusive treatment, which holds viewer attention on high throughout the lengthy l-unning time. There’s action, romance, spec¬ tacle, tense drama, great scenic beauty, etc., and during all this, the human equation is not neglected. The film is one of MGM’s most important releases, and the public should like what it sees to the mutual advantage of both. The direction is outstanding, and the production values are brilliant. The screen¬ play is by Robert Bolt, based on Boris Paster¬ nak’s Nobel Prize novel. Tip on Bedding: Highest rates. Ad Lines: “One Of The Great Films Of All Time”; “A Tale Of Love And Country That Will Become A Classic Of The Screen.” 20th FOX Do Not Disturb Comedy 102M. 20th-Fox (Color by DeLuxe) (CinemaScope) Estimate: Cute, cute comedy in the Day manner. Cast: Doris Day, Rod Taylor, Hermione Baddeley, Sergio Fantoni, Reginald Gardiner, Maura McGiveney, Aram Katcher, Leon Askin, Lisa Pera, Michael Romanoff. Produced by Aaron Rosenberg and Martin Melcher; associate producer, Barney Rosenzweig; di¬ rected by Ralph Levy. Story: Rod Taylor, young executive with an American wool company, is transferred to England to direct and stimulate the sales force. He has an attractive assistant in Maura McGiveney. Accompanying him is his wife, Doris Day, who decides to get a house in the country. They rent one from Hermione Bad¬ deley which Day decides to redecorate after she learns to drive a standard shift car on the opposite side of the road. She meets hand¬ some Sergio Fantoni, dealer in antiques, and he offers to help her. Meanwhile, Taylor learns that Leon Askin is Europe’s largest wool buyer and to be invited to one of his stag parties means that you’re in. Fantoni persuades Day to fly over to his Paris shop to see something special. She agrees, has a ball, and drinks quite a bit. They wind up trapped in his shop overnight. Taylor finds out, and there is a bit of tiff since he comes over to try to sell Askin. Taylor is invited to Askin’s party, as is Day. They have a wild time although there are a few misunder¬ standings. Everything is more or less straight¬ ened out at the end. X-Ray: All of you know about films with Doris Day. She is always in a bind with a husband or a boy friend, and there are numerous misunderstandings that are cute; comic situations that are cute; leading men that are cute; and opposition chicks that are very cute. Perseverance and Day-by-Day stick-to-it-ive-ness overcome all, and then is the happy ending. Performances are neat here; direction keeps moving; and the pro¬ duction values are magnifique. The costumes and color are tres chic. Chalk this up as another amusing entry for the Day fans, one that should be pleasantly accepted for the most part. The screenplay is by Milton Rosen and Richard Breen, based on a play by William Fairchild. Several songs are heard, including “Do Not Disturb” and “Au Revoir Is Good¬ bye.” Color is a definite asset here. Tip on Bidding: Day rates. Ad Lines: “The Funniest Comedy of Errors Ever”; “Fun And Romance The Doris Day Way.” The Flight Of The Phoenix Drama 148M. 20th-Fox (Color by DeLuxe) Estimate: Well-made drama. Cast: James Stewart, Richard Atten¬ borough, Peter Finch, Hardy Keuger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Barmen, Ronald Fraser, Chris¬ tian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Ken¬ nedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase. Pro¬ duced and directed by Robert Aldrich; asso¬ ciate producer, Walter Blake. Story: James Stewart is the veteran pilot of an oil company cargo-passenger plane in the desert. On a flight out carrying equip¬ ment, men on leave, and returning visitors, the elderly plane comes up with a dead radio in the middle of a sandstorm and is forced into an emergency landing on the desert. Two are killed and one is wounded. Navigator Richard Attenborough, Stewart, and the others survive, and they begin rationing water sup¬ plies while hopefully awaiting help, although they are far off course. British army captain Peter Finch assumes command, aided by re¬ bellious army regular Ronald Fraser, who has been suppressing his hatred for harsh military authority. They exist on dried dates, and their meager water supply as the time passes. Finch and another passenger decide to try to walk to the nearest oasis. Ernest Borgnine, who is being sent home because of mental fatigue, follows, and his body is found by Stewart not too far away. Mean¬ while, passenger Hardy Kruger, woh is an aircraft designer, assesses the damage and comes up with the idea of using the avail¬ able parts to build a single engine emergency plane to take them out. Stewart scoffs at the idea but gives in, seeing there is no other solution. It gives the people something to do and keeps their morale high. Finch stumbles back into camp in rough condition, and he eventually recovers. As they work on the plane, voices are heard over the dunes. They find a group of Arabs camping nearby. Finch and Dr. Christian Marquand go to see wheth¬ er or not they are friendly. Stewart and the others later discover the Arabs gone -and Finch and Marquand dead. They complete the plane which eventually flies them to safety. X-Ray: A group of men with varying back¬ grounds and occupations are forced down in a plane in the desert, and their efforts at survival make for highly dramatic screen fare. There’s conflict, bravery, cowardice, ignorance, mental anguish, physical strain, and suspense, along with top notch per¬ formances and highly competent direction and production. The whole emerges as an entry that holds interest on high throughout. The running time is long, but there is always something happening despite the limiting story. Stewart is great in the lead, and he receives fine support from those around him. The use of color is a helpful factor. Lukas Heller wrote the absorbing screenplay, based on a novel by Elleston Trevor. Tip on Bidding: Higher rates in many situations. Ad Lines: “A Plane Load Of Men Against The Burning, Merciless Desert”; “A Fight For Survival Is Gripping Drama With An All-Star Cast.” Comedy Melodrama 107M. 20th-Fox (CinemaScope ) (Color by DeLuxe) Estimate: Entertaining spoof on secret agent routines. Cast: James Cobum, Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, Edward Mulhare, Benson Fong, Gianna Serra, Sigrid Valdis, Shelby Grant, Helen Funai, Michael St. Clair; Produced by Saul David; directed by Daniel Mann. Story: Leading nations of the world are confounded by abnormal weather changes that seem to be man-manipulated. Efforts by espionage leaders to find the source of the trouble meet with little success until former military and espionage hero James Cobum is called in, much to the regret of espionage head Lee J. Cobb, who dislikes his refusal to take orders. When the three mad scientists behind the weather changes find out that Cobum has accepted the assignment, orders go out to eliminate him before presenting the nations of the world with an ultimatum to junk their armies and navies or be des¬ troyed. Gila Golan, Edward Mulhare, and Michael St. Clare are given the task to des¬ troy Cobum, who evades all their traps with a number of special gimmicks and gets on their trail through some slim clues. His girl friends are captured as hostages, but this doesn’t deter him. He allows himself to be captured and transported to the tropical isle in the Pacific where the scientists have their headquarters, and then he sets about to systematically destroy their set-up as their deadline for destruction of the world grows near. The scientists invite him to join them, but he refuses. He rescues Golan from death because she has failed in her assignment, and he also frees his girl friends. They get away as the island is destroyed along with its mad inhabitants. They are rescued by the Navy. X-Ray: The adventures of James Cobum as a superspy make for a slick, fast-moving adventure yarn good for many a laugh. Its greatest impact comes three-fourths of the way through, and then it sags a bit as a climax and ending are sought. The ending is highly reminiscent of the climax in the James Bond “Dr. No” feature that seems to have started the whole thing. Productionwise, the film is really tremendously impressive, with gimmicks, settings, and production values that will be applauded. The spectacu¬ lar story holds interest, with James Cobum, an admirable secret agent, providing much fun for viewers. Attractive gals galore are to be found here, and the use of color really dresses up the proceedings. The acting is efficient, and the direction is good. It’s the kind of entry that the public seems willing to buy these days, and there is every reason to believe that this will take off in a big way, given some aid in the selling. The screenplay is by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, based on a story by Fimberg. Ad Lines: “The Greatest Secret Agent Of Them All Foils A Plot To Wreck The World”; “ ‘Our Man Flint’ Will Be Your Man For Tops In Fun Adventure And Entertain¬ ment.” UNITED ARTISTS Our Man Flint Viva Maria United Artists (Eastman Color) (Pana vision) (English titles) Comedy 119M.