The Exhibitor (1966)

5434 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR moment — even accompanying her to the ladies room. One evening, she confesses to him that, despite his surveillance, she has still managed to be unfaithful. He believes it is mainly her imagination, but one morning he awakens to find her returning from an assignation. He chases her into the water at the beach and drowns her, afterwhich he goes for the police. Returning, they find that a fisherman has re¬ vived her and she is in a passionate embrace with him. “The Last Card” — Eleonora Rossi Drago and Aldo Giuffre are married, in love and broke. He was a good professional foot¬ ball player but hasn’t worked since. She spends their last money on a deluxe hotel suite in¬ habited by wealthy tourists and boasts about the sexual prowess of her husband to American women tourists, who are intrigued and in¬ terested in spending some time alone with him. A meeting is set up with one, but he can’t go through with it, preferring to remain with Drago and go to work if necessary. “Saturday July 18” — Sylva Koscina spends some time at a resort awaiting the arrival of her husband, Philippe Leroy, who comes full of desire for her and boasting that their first night will be one to remember. He notices a number of men greet her but thinks nothing else of this. In bed, later, the bed creaks deplorably and from next door comes a bang¬ ing on the wall and a shout about how every night they are kept awake by the creaking. X-Ray: Most of the episodes to be found in this import suffer from the same malady, excessive length and slowness of pace. The subject matter has interest much of the time, performances are generally good, and the direction and production are serviceable. It will get its best reaction in the art spots where sophisticated audiences can best appreciate the subject matter. Ad Lines : “Each Girl In Each Episode Has Her Own Way Of Selling Sex”; “Married Couples with Different Ideas About Sex, Love And Marriage.” 20TH-F0X Fantastic Voyage Science Fiction 20th-Fox (CinemaScope) (Color by Deluxe) Estimate: Original science fiction entry is intriguing. Cast: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Ed¬ mond O’Brien, Donald Pleasance, Arthur O’Connell, William Redfield, Arthur Kennedy, Jean Del Val, Barry Coe, Ken Scott, Shelby Grant, James Brolin, Brendan Fitzgerald. Produced by Saul David. Directed by Richard Fleischer. Story: Security agent Stephen Boyd de¬ livers Czech scientist Jean Del Val to the U.S. after helping him escape from behind the Iron Curtain. Enemy agents, however, pene¬ trate the security ring and wound Del Val severely so that surgery is impossible. Com¬ bined Miniature Deterrent Forces, a super¬ secret organization, is called to shrink men and equipment to microbe size so that they can work from inside De Val’s brain to repair the injury. CMDF has been successful in shrinking its subject for a 60 minute period, after which they regain their original size. Del Val knows how to extend the shrinkage in¬ definitely, which is why the enemy has tried to stop him. A new atomic submarine is shrunk as are its passengers: brain surgeon Arthur Kennedy; Raquel Welch, his assistant; Dr. Donald Pleasance, a circulatory system expert who will be in charge; sub pilot William Redfield; and Boyd, who will utilize his ex¬ perience as frogmen and communications ex¬ pert. One of the team is a security leak and Boyd is to keep this in mind as well. In com¬ mand at headquarters are General Edmond O’Brien and chief medical officer Arthur O’Connell. The shrunken sub and crew are injected into the bloodstream and work their way towards the brain. After a number of hazards and sabotage attempts are overcome they do reach the brain and Kennedy is able to clear obstructions with a laser beam. Plea¬ sance reveals himself to be the enemy agent as he attempts to stop them by using the sub as a battering ram, but he wrecks the vessel and is killed by protective anti-bodies. The others effect an emergency escape via the tear duct of the eye just as their shrinkage period comes to an end. X-Ray: Here is truly a different science Fiction entry, one that is concerned with inner space instead of the outer space that has occupied everyone else. The “inner space” depicted here exists in the human body and some of the sets are not only highly imagina¬ tive but extraordinarily original. The weird plot of shrinking men and equipment to the size of molecules for a voyage to repair a damaged brain is fraught with suspense, thrills and curiosity which should more than satisfy the science fiction fans as well as others brought in to see the film by the variety of campaign gimmicks that can be employed. There is not only the attraction of the inside of the human body to hold audiences but there is also an espionage factor in the tale to help build interest. The acting is good and direction and production values are extraordinary. The use of color aids the overall effort considerably. The only disturbing note is what will be the ef¬ fect on feminine portions of the audience and will there be enough interest to draw their pat¬ ronage in overwhelming numbers. The special effects should certainly be considered for an award this year. The screenplay is by Harry Kleiner. The adaptation is by David Duncan, based on a story by Otto Element and Jay Lewis Bixby. Ad Lines: “The Most Unusual Science Fiction Thriller Ever Made”; “A Suspenseful Adventure That Will Never Be Forgotten.” Drama 103M. 20th-Fox (Color By DeLuxe) Estimate: Interesting for animal lovers and family trade. Cast: Fess Parker, Diana Hyland, Katy Jurado, Hoyt Axton, Robert Wilke, Armando Silvestre, Jose Hector Galindo, Jorge Martinez de Floyos, Ted White, Chuck Roberson, Rob¬ ert Terhune, Jack Williams. Produced by Aaron Rosenberg; associate producer, David Silver; directed by George Sherman. Story: The wranglers of the Rocking R ranch are out to round up a pack of wild horses for breaking and eventual sale. While they get most, an outstanding black stallion avoids capture as he has in previous round¬ ups. A lone rider, Fess Parker, observes how the horse hides out and he forces the animal to¬ ward the ranch corral. The foreman, Robert Wilke, is chagrined, while the owner, attrac¬ tive Diana Hyland is impressed and agrees to hire Parker, especially after he shows that he can break wild horses better than the others. Parker makes friends with the black stallion, now named Smoky. The horse toler¬ ates Parker, but he refuses to allow anyone else to approach or ride him. Wilke finds out that Parker was in trouble in Laredo and pressures Hyland into asking him for an ex¬ planation, which he refuses to give. It turns August 17, 1966 out that he was blamed for something his brother, Hoyt Axton, did. Hyland accepts him and allows him to remain. Meanwhile, Axton shows up and gets a job under another name and pleads with Parker to let him remain, claiming he has reformed. While riding Smoky, Parker is thrown and injured. Smoky, instead of running off, helps get him back to the ranch. Hyland has him brought to the main house and she helps nurse him to good health. Meanwhile, Axton gambles and forges Parker’s name to IOU’s. Parker beats him and throws him off the ranch. Axton returns at night to try and steal Smoky for sale to a rodeo buyer and beats him. The horse kills him and es¬ capes. Hunted as a killer, Smoky is eventually taken and winds up as a rodeo attraction. Parker enlists at the outbreak of World War II. During his absence, Smoky plays the rodeo circuit and winds up as a junk dealer’s trans¬ portation. Parker, back from the war, tracks him down, buys him back and takes the horse to the ranch where Hyland is waiting for them both. X-Ray: This colorful tale about a wild horse and the man who tames him should be interesting for youngsters and the family trade. If some adults wonder at the familiarity of the subject matter, they have a point, in that several versions were made of the Will James novel many years ago. There are adequate amounts of action, drama, hints at romance, colorful settings and a heartwarming story for aforementioned audiences. The acting is ef¬ ficient and direction and production values are impressive. It should make up nicely as part of the show. The screenplay is by Harold Medford, based on a screenplay by Lillie Hayward, Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost. Incidentally, there are some musical numbers to help out. Ad Lines: “The Wild Horse Who Learned To Love One Man”; “An Action Adventure Thriller About The Capture And Taming Of A Wild Stallion.” UNIVERSAL The Pad (And How To Use It) Universal (Technicolor) Comedy-Drama 86M. Estimate: New faces brighten comedy laced with pathos. Cast: Brian Bedford, Julie Sommars, James Farentino, Edy Williams, Nick Navarro, Pearl Shear, Barbara London, Barbara Reid, Roger Bacon, Don Conreaux. Produced by Ross Hunter; directed by Brian G. Hutton; screenplay by Thomas C. Ryan and Ben Starr, based on the play “The Private Ear” by Peter Shaffer. Story: Brian Bedford is 24 and painfully shy, living alone in a one room apartment and finding solace for his loneliness and introver¬ sion from his intricate stereo system and clas¬ sical music. His best friend is James Farentino, aggressive and handsome and a lady-killer of the first order. Bedford, both repulsed and fas¬ cinated by the basically shallow Farentino, envies his prowess with women. Bedford meets Julie Sommars at a concert, and after practic¬ ally maiming the girl and spilling a drink all over her dress when he is carried away by the music, he screws up his courage and asks her for a date. She accepts, and he is both exu¬ berant and panic-stricken at the prospect. She is to come to his apartment for dinner, and he enlists the aid of Farentino. Farentino offers to ( Continued on page 5435) i 1 I $