The Exhibitor (1966)

5462 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR October 19, 1966 even to the ending where the criminals are off ostensibly unpunished to other adventures, and perhaps to eventual justice. The conclusions are left to the preferences and moods of the viewers. Viewers who like this type of subject matter should be well satisfied. Ad Lines : “ ‘Our Man Flint’ In A New Off-Beat Adventure Thriller”; “A Thrilling Experience In Suspense.” r| Comedy Drama 1 1 100M. Columbia (English-made) Estimate: Very good entry for mature audi¬ ences. Cast: James Mason, Alan Bates, Lynn Red¬ grave, Charlotte Rampling, Bill Owen, Clare Kelly, Rachel Kempson, Denise Coffey, Doro¬ thy Alison. Produced by Robert A. Goldston and Otto Plaschkes; directed by Silvio Narizzano. Story: Lynn Redgrave (Georgy) is gawky, on the chubby side, large, and not very beauti¬ ful. She also is inexperienced when it comes to men, never having had a boy friend or even a real date. She allows Charlotte Rampling, pretty, hard, and promiscuous, to share her apartment. When Rampling receives lover Alan Bates in the apartment, Redgrave con¬ veniently goes off to visit her parents, Bill Owen and Claire Kelly, servants in a huge house owned by James Mason and his ill wife. Mason likes Redgrave and has been seriously considering making her his mistress, even to making up an agreement. She doesn’t take him seriously. Rampling informs Bates that she is pregnant and is prepared to marry him, al¬ though she doesn’t mind going through a third abortion. He wants her to have the child and agrees to marry her. He moves in with the girls, and as her pregnancy progresses, Ram¬ pling becomes more and more of a tyrant. When she goes to the hospital, Redgrave com¬ forts Bates, and he realizes that he loves her. Rampling rejects the child from the moment of birth and plans on giving him away. When Bates objects, she walks out on him and turns both the baby and Bates over to Redgrave. There are complications from the authorities. Meanwhile, Mason’s wife dies, and he redecor¬ ates the house. His mania to make Redgrave his increases unbearably. Redgrave gives all her love to the baby and rejects Bates. She agrees to marry Mason when he agrees to adopt the baby, and happiness seems to have come at last to Georgy. X-Ray: The search of a lonely and unbeau¬ tiful girl for love, affection, and a bit of hap¬ piness leads viewers on a sometimes merry and mirthful, sometimes heart-touching and heartwarming trail. Demonstrated, too, is the effect that love can have on both a mental and physical level. Lynn Redgrave is just fine as the girl in search of love, putting forth the proper touches and moods to make the role a memorable one and to make the name of Lynn Redgrave one to be reckoned with in the area of new talent. The frank and modern story about the search for love holds attention on high throughout as it tells all through a variety of moods and unusual situations. All in the cast aid and abet the story line, with James Mason delightful as the middle-aged, wealthy would-be lover and Alan Bates re¬ freshingly able as the male friend and lover. The others are excellent as well. The direction is very good as are the production values. One would imagine that word of mouth as well as an imaginative campaign could make this an outstanding hit where mature audiences con¬ gregate, both in the art spots and in regular houses. The screenplay is by Margaret Forster and Peter Nichols, based on the novel by Forster. Ad Lines: “The Film For Mature Audi¬ ences Everyone Is Talking About”; She Wanted To Be Loved In The Worst Way . . . And Almost Was.” EMBASSY Jack Frost Fantasy 79M. (612) Embassy (Color) (Filmed In Russia) (Dubbed in English) Estimate: Okay fantasy for the kiddies. Cast: Natasha Sedykh, Alexander Khvylya, Eduard Isotov, Yuri Millyar, Inna Churikova, Vera Altaiskaya, Pavel Pavlenko, Anatoly Kubatsky. Directed by Alexander Row. Story: In ancient Russia, a family of four consists of Pavel Pavlenko; second wife Vera Altaiskaya; his daughter Natasha Sedykh; and Altaiskaya’s daughter Inna Churikova. The stepmother makes life miserable for Sedykh while pampering her own daughter, and Sedykh’s father doesn’t have the courage to stand up against his tyrant of a wife. The step¬ mother tries to get her daughter married off, but suitors prefer her step-sister, which makes the stepmother even more angry. Eduard Iso¬ tov, handsome and conceited lad, sets out to make his way in the world. He comes across a gnome who is willing to help but can’t abide his spoiled attitude. The gnome puts the head and hands of a bear on him, which he even¬ tually works off via good deeds. When he meets Sedykh, they fall in love but are separated. She is abandoned in the forest by her father, who bows to the wishes of the stepmother. There, she is found by Jack Frost, who takes her to his home. Isotov looks for her and comes across an old witch. He forces her to help, but she also turns the girl into a frozen lifeless form. He finds her and his tears bring her back to life. With the blessings of Jack Frost, they return to the village where they are wed. This gives her father courage to assert himself, and happiness seems in store for most of the people in the story. X-Ray: This entry seems to be the Russian version of Cinderella (evil stepmother, selfish and angry step-sister, etc.) with familiar bits and pieces from other fairy stories thrown in, including a wicked witch, forest bandits, a maker of magic, etc. With all this and color, too, going for the entry, the film dubbed into English is bound to make a hit with the very young. Acting, direction, production, and spe¬ cial effects are adequate. The screenplay is by Mikhail Volpin and Nikolai Erdman. Ad Lines: “A Thrilling Fairy Tale”; “Fun And Adventure Galore In The Exploits Of ‘Jack Frost’.” MGM One Spy Too Many Melo^^a (67020) MGM (Metrocolor) Estimate: Men from U.N.C.L.E. back on big screen. Cast: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Rip Torn, Dorothy Provine, Leo G. Carroll, Yvonne Craig, David Opatoshu, David Sheiner, Donna Michelle, Leon Lontoc, Rob¬ ert Karnes, Clark Gordon, James Hong, Cal Bolder, Carole Williams, Tern Shimada, Arthur Wong, Robert Gibbons. Produced by David Victor; directed by Joseph Sargent; executive producer, Norman Felton; written by Dean Hargrove; an Arena Production. Story: Rip Tom, who believes himself to be a reincarnation of Alexander the Great, is determined to rule the world by stealing the formula for a gas that robs men of their will. In the process, he has decided to break all 10 commandments. Thrown into the battle to thwart the evil Torn are the men from U.N.C.L.E., Robert Vaughn and David Mc¬ Callum. They find an ally in Tom’s wife, Dorothy Provine, who is determined to get a divorce from Tom and to reclaim a million dollar inheritance. The forces of evil seem triumphant, but the trio of daring spys escape a series of attempts on their lives. The mad Torn is ultimately defeated and meets death at the hands of his most faithful henchman. X-Ray: The men from U.N.C.L.E., popular video heroes, repeat one of their two part tele¬ vision adventures for the big screen. There¬ fore, fans of the series will have seen this be¬ fore. It shouldn’t bother them too much, how¬ ever, for the tongue-in-cheek spy adventures look far better on the big theatre screen and bathed in color. The girls are pretty, the dia¬ logue sharp, and the breathtaking escapes suitably hairbreadth to keep the audience this is aimed at happy. Where previous adventures of Napoleon and Ilya have clicked, this should find a warm response. Theatres may find it a bit strange playing second-run to the television screen, but that’s part of our changing industry. Ad Lines: “The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Is Sensational On The Big Screen In Color”; “She Was One Spy Too Many . . . But Pretty Enough To Turn Any Agent’s Head.” Spinout (67080) Comedy with Music 95M. MGM (Panavision) (Metrocolor) Estimate: Presley rides again and it’s fun. Cast: Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, Deborah Walley, Dodie Marshall, Jack Mullaney, Will Hutchins, Warren Berlinger, Jimmy Hawkins, Carl Betz, Cecil Kellaway, Una Merkel. Produced by Joe Paster¬ nak; directed by Norman Taurog. Story: Singer Elvis Presley is quite happy racing his car now and again and touring with his band, consisting of drummer Deborah Wal¬ ley, Jack Mullaney, and Jimmy Hawkins. Pres¬ ley enjoys remaining single. Walley would like to change that, and she is joined by Shelley Fabares, daughter of wealthy auto-maker Carl Betz, who hires Presley and band to perform one number for Fabares on her birthday. Betz would like Presley to drive his new racer in an upcoming race. When Presley is about to leave town, Betz maneuvers him into staying, with Presley even renting the house next door, where he throws some swinging parties. Local policeman Will Hutchins, who is a gourmet cook, takes an interest in Walley and her cook¬ ing. Meanwhile, another gal who has her eye on Presley is author Diane McBain, who is writing a book about the perfect American male. She intends to marry him when she’s found him. She settles on Presley as the answer to her quest. A party before the race finds Betz falling in love with McBain while Betz’s assistant, Warren Berlinger, falls for Fabares. Presley does fine in the race but in a different car. At the end, he marries off the three girls to their new found loves. He leads the band once again with another cute gal drummer, and he’s still a bachelor. X-Ray: Well produced, slickly directed, and filled with the proper amount of plot and counter-plot, loads of pretty girls, some action,