The Exhibitor (1966)

November 2, 1966 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 5467 (Comet Film Distributors) (Eastman Color) Estimate: Exciting tale of police vs dope smugglers. Cast: (alphabetically) Senta Berger, Ste¬ phen Boyd, Yul Brynner, Angie Dickinson, Georges Geret, Hugh Griffith, Jack Hawkins, Rita Hayworth, Trevor Howard, Jocelyn Lane, Trini Lopez, E. G. Marshall, Marcello Mastroianni, Amadeo Nazzari, Jean Claude Pascal, Anthony Quayle, Gilbert Roland, Harold Sakata, Omar Sharif, Barry Sullivan, Nadja Tiller, Eli Wallach. Directed by Terence Young. Story: American police agent Stephen Boyd arrives in Iran to purchase a shipment of opium ahead of crooks who regularly make the purchase from tribal chieftain Hugh Griffith. His higher price results in the sale being con¬ cluded, but he and the convoy are ambushed. Boyd is killed. The United Nations sends two agents, Trevor Howard and E. G. Marshall, to investigate and also try to crack the interna¬ tional dope market. They tangle with Angie Dickinson, who claims to be Boyd’s widow, and then she disappears. The Iranian police, headed by Jack Hawkins and Yul Brynner, cooperate with a plan to impregnate a future shipment with radioactive material which would then be allowed to go its way. This could be tracked by the use of geiger counters with contacts duly noted. UN scientists Nadja Tiller and Omar Sharif cooperate in this as¬ pect. Contact is lost momentarily and rein¬ stated in Naples where the pair are assisted by policemen Marcello Mastroianni and Amedeo Nazzari. The trail takes them to a murdered pasta manufacturer and a former gangster de¬ ported from America, Eli Wallach. User Senta Berger is killed when she panics. Boat captain Anthony Quayle knows something but is not talking. In Monte Carlo, millionaire Gilbert Roland and his wife, Rita Hayworth, become involved, with Dickinson again on the scene posing as someone else. Trini Lopez is seen entertaining at the casino there. Howard boards Roland’s yacht where he is unmasked and killed. Marshall follows Roland and his accomplices on a crack French train, and the climax results in the death of several and the apprehension of Roland, with Dickinson pro¬ viding an assist. It turns out she is a secret agent and the sister of Boyd. X-Ray: Excitement runs high as this chaseadventure made under United Nations’ auspices unreels in interesting fashion in a tale that takes viewers across Europe with a cast loaded with “names” and competent actors. The pace is well maintained from start to finish, and audiences should find the entry an attractive one. It should be noted that the film was shown in shorter form on a one-time basis on the ABC television network a number of months ago, in case there are any complaints about it seeming familiar. The acting is good, and direction and production fall in the better category. The star-studded cast can, of course, be used to great advantage in the selling. Jo Eisinger wrote the screenplay based on a story by Ian Fleming. The use of color provides a valuable assist. Ad Lines: “Excitement . . . Suspense . . . Blazing Action”; “The Story Of Another War, More Deadly, More Destructive . . . Against the World-Wide Opium Conspiracy.” FOREIGN The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t Childhood Productions Fantasy 95M. (Foreign-made) (Eastman Color) (English language) Estimate: Best for young audiences. Cast: Rossano Brazzi, Paul Tripp, Lidia Brazzi, Alberto Rabagliati, Mischa Auer, Sonny Fox. Produced by Barry B. Yellen; directed by Rossano Brazzi. Story: Some 50 years ago, Santa Claus (Alberto Rabagliati) finds he is in trouble when Rossano Brazzi, a wealthy industrialist, purchases the North Pole and wants to evict Rabagliati and his wife, Lidia Brazzi, because they can’t pay their rent. Rabagliati appeals to lawyer Paul Tripp for help, and they try to get Brazzi to forego foreclosure just before Christmas. He refuses. They investigate his background while Tripp gets Rabagliati a job as a department store Santa in a shop owned by Sonny Fox. The venture is a success until Brazzi buys Fox out to put Rabagliati out of a job. When the children learn of his plight, they contribute and collect large amounts of coins which they deliver to Brazzi in time. Rabagliati takes off with his presents for chil¬ dren everywhere in time on Christmas Eve, and he even has a present for Brazzi, a sail¬ boat which he asked for at the age of five but which request had been lost all these years. Brazzi regains his spirit of Christmas, and everyone is happy. X-Ray: Kiddie audiences should get a kick out of the efforts of Santa Claus and those around him to save the spirit and toy-giving aspect of Christmas. Although a bit on the overlong side, it should keep most youngsters entertained. The acting is adequate, and direc¬ tion and production are efficient, with the use of color aiding in the presentation. A few musical numbers break in on the story now and again, which should give the small fry a chance to head for the candy counters. The book, lyrics, and story are by Paul Tripp. Ad Lines: “About The Year That Santa Almost Never Came To Millions Of Homes Around The World”; “Santa Claus Vs. A Vil¬ lain Who Didn’t Like Christmas.” The Hero’s Wife Drama 91M. Landau/Unger (Filmed In Israel) (English titles) Estimate: Okay entry for specialty spots and art circuit. Cast: Batya Lancet, Gideon Shemer, Shmuel Umani. Produced and directed by Peter Frye. Story: Batya Lancet is the widow of an Israeli hero who died during the fight for in¬ dependence. For years, she has been true to his memory, for he gave her love and comfort after undergoing the horrors of the German concentration camps. She has taken to teach¬ ing visitors from foreign lands the Hebrew language when they come to the kibbutz for a limited period. Among the group is Shmuel Umani, a cynical American, who has deserted his pregnant wife and who is sexually attracted to Lancet. Her husband’s best friend, Gideon Shemer, who is in love with her, tries to pre¬ vent her making a fool of herself, and she resists giving in to Umani. During a farewell celebration for the students, the kibbutz is shelled by border enemies, and when fire threatens gasoline supplies, Umani heroically saves the fuel. Lancet thinks that he is badly hurt or dead and is relieved to find that he has survived. She gives in to him. Later, she urges that he leave with the others, returning to his abandoned family to meet his responsibilities. X-Ray: Israel and some of its people and projects are detailed here along with a roman¬ tic story, which holds interest well enough despite being a bit too long. The cast is gen¬ erally good, and direction and production are competent. It will go best in the specialty spots where there is interest in Israel and in some of the art spots as a bit of a different type of release. Some limitations are imposed by the use of titles in place of English dialogue. The screenplay is by Batya Lancet and Joseph Netzer, based on a story by Margot Klausner. Ad Lines: “How Long Can A Woman Be In Love With The Memory Of Her HeroHusband?”; “A Man And A Woman In Love On The Israeli Frontier.” The Loves Of A Blonde Comedy Drama 88M. Prominent Films (Czech-made) (English titles) Estimate: Good art house offering. Cast: Hana Brejchova, Vladimir Pucholt, Antonin Blazejovsky, Josef Sebanek, Milada Jezkova, Jana Novakova, Jan Vostreil. Di¬ rected by Milos Forman; produced by Barrandov Studios. Story: Hana Brejchova, young and attrac¬ tive blonde, works in a factory in a town where the women outnumber the men 1 6 to one. The manager tries to alleviate the situation by hav¬ ing the army come in for maneuvers. A dance is held to break down barriers, and she and two girl friends are picked up by some seduc¬ tion-minded middle-aged soldiers. Brejchova, however, is attracted to the young piano player, Vladimir Pucholt, with the touring orchestra. She spends the night with him, and they make promises to see each other. She takes him seriously and hitchhikes to Prague, where she calls at the apartment occupied by him and his parents. The latter are bewildered, and her mother is upset. They reluctantly per¬ mit her to stay because it is late and she has nowhere to go. When the young man arrives home, he is surprised by her presence and gets a bawling-out from his mother. She forces him to spend the night in bed with her and her husband. He disclaims inviting Brejchova as she listens. Returning home Brejchova em¬ broiders on her adventure in Prague. X-Ray: When a girl wants romance, she is' willing to believe the soft-soaping by a hand¬ some young man, and this leads to some com¬ plications which come off in humorous fashion. There are also some amusing bits as a townful of women, starved for male companionship, attempt to get together with visiting soldiers. The import will probably best be accepted by the art house set with its good performances and capable direction and production. The film was one of the highlights of the New York Film Festival. The screenplay is by Jarolslav Papousek, Milos Forman, and Ivan Passer. Ad Lines: “Sixteen Women To Each Man Could Lead To Some Funny Complications”; “The Hit Of The New York Film Festival.” Loving Couples Drama 113M. Prominent Films (Swedish-made) (English titles) Estimate: Sex-laden entry best for mature audiences at art spots. Cast: Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom, Gio Petre, Anita Bjork, Gunnar Bjomstrand, Inga Landgre, Jan Malmsjo, Frank Sundstrom, Eva Dahlbeck, Heinz Hopf, Hans Straat. Directed by Mai Zetterling. Story : Three young women await the arrival of babies in a Swedish hospital around ( Continued on page 5468)