The Exhibitor (1966)

February 1, 1967 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 5499 as a child (and whose leg she stole), invites him to visit and then to live with her. His ten¬ ancy lasts one uneventful and miserable night. He later returns for another try and finds that Bill has moved in. A showdown in Torn’s office results in Kastner running off with a valuable book, pursued by almost the entire cast. He is jailed. He is bailed out by Black, who is in love with him, and she, he, and his dog, taken from Page, are off on a tour of the city together. X-Ray: The concern of a young man about getting a girl and the concern of those around him for the virginal teenager make for a funny, if wildly unorthodox film. Its appeal will be greater with the younger set and to those adults seeking the different. Some of the foot¬ age is precious; some is outrageously funny; and some is tolerable. Protest is everywhere — in the actions of the hero; in the girls who compete for his attention; in his parents who don’t know what to do about their son; and in the boy’s associates. The pace is always go-go while its' execution ranges from the light fantastic to the heavy-handed. The acting is fine, and the direction and production values ■ are eminently suited to the subject matter, which can be serious to some and frivolous and even hilarious to others. Mark it down as something of a crowd-pleaser in a number of areas. The screenplay is based on a noval by David Benedictus. Incidentally, teenagers should be attracted not only by the subject matter but presumably by the vocals by The Lovin’ Spoonful. The use of color and the appeal of New York City locations are definite assets Ad Lines: “Big Boys And Big Girls Will Love This Fun-Filled Film About A Boy Look¬ ing For A Girl;” “It’s Go-Go All The Way In The Screamingly Funniest Film Of The Year.” FOREIGN Falstaff Drama (Chimes at Midnight) PeppercornWormser (Filmed abroad) Estimate: Effective classical import. Cast: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Mar¬ garet Rutherford, John Gielgud, Marina Vlady, Keith Baxter, Norman Rodway, Alan Webb, Walter Chiari, Fernando Rey, Michael Aldridge, Tony Beckley, Beatrice Welles. Pro¬ duced by Emiliano Piedra and Angel Escolano; directed by Orson Welles. Story: When John Gielgud is chosen King Henry IV in England, there is opposition and internal strife is the result. His son, Keith Baxter as the Prince of Wales, is not concerned with the state and prefers to pass his time in taverns with his friend, Norman Rodway, be¬ ing amused by the antics, tales, and actions of Orson Welles as Falstaff. Baxter does become involved in one of the battles, killing the son of an opposition leader, but Gielgud believes the raving and lies of Welles and assumes that the latter accomplished the noteworthy deed. Baxter continues his carousing while Gielgud deals the rebels a decisive defeat. When Baxter learns that Gielgud is ill and dying, he goes to his side, and he sees that there is need for him and for a change in outlook and manner. Upon being crowned King, Baxter breaks with his past to the despair of Welles, who had hoped to receive a title and an honored place in the kingdom. Welles even boasts to his friends that he will take care of them when he receives his reward for being a friend to the king. When he is turned down in front of everyone, he goes off and presumably dies of a broken heart. X-Ray: There’s a wealth of conversation to be found in this classic presentation, but there is also charm, humor, bits of action, intrigue, etc. Skill in treatment and execution puts it across in fine fashion, with Orson Welles great in the title role and most capable behind the cameras as well. The production values are impressive, as is the balance of the cast. It should be most rewarding in areas of the art theatre, particularly where there are university students, literary groups, and others who may be interested in the work, wherein the flavor and atmosphere of olde England are well established. Ralph Richardson narrates por¬ tions most admirably. Ad Lines: “The Story Of A Clown Who Would Be A Nobleman.” Guests Are Coming Comedy Drama 110M. Mitchell Kowal (Filmed in Poland) (English titles) Estimate: Good import with specialized appeal. Cast: Mitchell Kowal, Kazimeriz Opalinski, Zagmunt Zintel, Wladyslaw Hancza, Paul Glass, Ryszard Pietruski, Zenon Burzynski, Sylwia Zakrzewska, Wanda Koczewska, and the Gorals (Polish Highlanders). Executive director, Antoni Bohdziewicz; directors of the three episodes, Gerard Zalewski, Jan Rutkiewicz, and Romuald Drobacynski. Story: The first episode has Paul Glass as a young American on his way to visit his uncle in Poland, to whom his father has been sending money to buy and maintain an apartment. He is not in any hurry and tarries in several places with pretty girls he picks up along the way. His cousins are fearful that he will discover that they have used the money to buy an apart¬ ment for themselves and their daughter, and they persuade the uncle to leave his old folks’ home temporarily and live with them while Glass visits. The old man doesn’t like it, but he plays along and doesn’t give them away. Mitchell Kowal, in the second episode, is an undertaker, well-off, from Gary, Ind., who returns to the small Polish village of his father to visit and to take a wife home. He is treated like royalty, with everyone hoping to marry off eligible daughters to the American “million¬ aire.” He is wined and dined and resented by some young men, who don’t like the attention he is getting from the girls of the area. He finally settles on a well-built young lady, who was married before and who becomes tyran¬ nical after they are wed and are headed for the U.S. The third episode deals with a Chi¬ cago promoter who comes to Poland to dig up earth from famous battlefields to sell to PolishAmericans as authentical historical souvenirs. His authentications are wildly obtained by a hireling, and the dirt is intermixed a number of times. It is finally loaded aboard the vessel to be transported to the U.S. X-Ray: Although the entry is a bit on the long side, it entertains and gives viewers a good look at modem Poland and some of its people. The story is engagingly told with a number of humorous spots and situations in evidence. Audiences of Polish-American desig¬ nation will have a ball, while other should accept it as a good import on the light side. The acting is generally efficient, and direction and production are able. Ad Lines: “A Delightful Visit To Modem Poland.” Naked Among The Wolves Drama 100M. Lopert (Filmed abroad) (English titles) Estimate: Import for art spots. Cast: Erwin Geschonneck, Fred Delmare, Krystyn Wojcik, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Gerry Wolff, Peter Sturm. Produced by Hans Mahlich; directed by Frank Beyer. Story: It is 1945, and the prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp hear rumors of an Allied advance. They are hopeful that their day of liberation is close at hand. Pris¬ oners still keep arriving, and the Germans are still bearing down hard. In the most recent group of prisoners, a sick old man is seen dragging a suitcase. It is taken from him by several trustees who find a live child hidden in it. It seems that he is a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz, and the others hide him in the store room knowing that death awaits discov¬ ery. The ruling leaders among the prisoners take pity on the four-year-old and are deter¬ mined to keep him. A German officer dis¬ covers him but agrees not to reveal his where¬ abouts, hoping this may act in his favor when the Allies arrive. His wife creates doubt in his mind, and he decides maybe an anonymous note to the camp officials would take the pressure off him. A search doesn’t uncover the boy as the inmates had anticipated trouble, but the SS officers don’t give up. Several prisoners are tortured, but the child has become a symbol between the prisoners and the captors. The Nazis prepare to take the prisoners with them as the Allies approach, but the prisoners delay and then openly defy them. Death comes to some as some Germans flee and others fight, but the child and the majority survive. X-Ray: The dramatic moments that take place in a concentration camp when liberation is close at hand make for an interesting offer¬ ing for the art spots. The situation is further strengthened and audiences more involved by the addition of a child among the hundreds of inmates, who make of him a symbol that must be preserved and liberated at any cost. This is the crux of the drama that features good per¬ formances, moving and well-executed direc¬ tion, and impressive production values. A bit 'of shortening might have improved the entry even more. The screenplay is by Alfred Hirschmeier, based on a story by Bruno Apitz. Ad Lines: “Hundreds Of Desperate Men Band Together To Save A Child.” Young Aphrodites Janus Films (Filmed in Greece) (English titles) Drama 89M. Estimate: Okay art house entry. Cast: Takis Emmanouel, Eleni Prokopiou, Vangelis Joannides, Cleopatra Rota, Anestis Vlaclms, Yannis Jeannino, G. Papaconstantinou. Directed by Nikos Koundouros; produced by George Zervos and Koundouros. Story: In Greece around 200 B.C., a group of shepherds come down from the mountains in search of pastures and find that there is a shortage of water for themselves and their animals. They make their way to the seashore where they find an abundance of fresh water. There they decide to remain until the rains come to cool and wet the plains. Vangelis Joannides, 10-year-old shepherd boy, is en¬ chanted by 12-year-old Cleopatra Rota, who lives in the area, and he follows the half-naked girl around intrigued by her budding signs of womanhood. A woman of the village, Eleni