Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

The Newspapers on Guild Council Hm "SINCE YOU WENT AWAY" PaPe?s "Ali^ On Film, "Wilson An utterly mixed metropolitan press greets David O. Selznick's "Since You Went Away", in sequel to its Capitol Theatre opening in New York. About equally are the critics tor and against, but in one consideration they are mostly all in agreement: that the picture takes longer to say it than the content requires. The indications are that the customers, who are so utterly unanalytical, will be liking it better than those whose profession is looking at pictures and saying things about them. — TR WALL STREET JOURNAL Barbara Yuncker "Since You Went Away," which had its world premiere at the Capitol yesterday, narrowly escapes being a tear-jerker, but it does escape and by so doing it becomes truly memorable. Its theme is simple : A man goes to war and leaves a family behind. It's a capsule version of a whole world's experience, in its universality is its strength. NEW YORK HERALD-TRIBUNE Howard Barnes "Since You Went Away" jerks at one's tear ducts in no uncertain manner. It is overlong and episodic and it takes some license, to my way of thinking, with the obvious tragedy of war, but it has heart and a curious simplicity which permits each and every spectator to identify himself with a screen fable. "Since You Went Away" is a series of brilliant vignettes, which rarely fuse into a resolute and unified picture, but still carry an undeniable appeal. NEW YORK POST Irene Thirer "Since You Went Away," which runs two hours 51 minutes and has settled down to what will unquestionably be a lengthy hit engagement at the Capitol, is a warm and winning picture. It was adapted by Selznick himself (he apparently refused to cut, because there's a vast amount of unnecessary footage) from a volume of letters by Margaret Buell Wilder, and directed with keen feeling for individual tender and touching sequences by John Cromwell. WORLD-TELEGRAM Alton Cook Virtually the same story has been told about war widows several times lately in much less pretentious pictures, resembling this one only in the determined drive for the tear ducts. This one has more of everything than the others had —more tear drives, more cast, and above all, more tiny and time consuming detail. Because of all the advance uproar about this picture, it is likely to draw sizeable audiences to the Capitol for a while. They will find little to marvel at except the length, both in time and in the list of star names. DAILY NEWS Kate Cameron The former ("Since You Went Away") is a heart-warming, tenderly sympathetic and tragic picture of a family living from day to day under the restrictions and dramatic effects of the war. It is unashamedly a tear-jerker that has been kept from sloughing itself in a sea of despondency by the light touch of director John Cromwell. . . . There is nothing the matter with the picture which a scissors and the exercise of good judgment on the part of the producer can't cure. The picture's one fault is that it its much too long. THE NEW YORK TIMES Bosley Crowtber For two hours and fifty-one minutes this new film at the Capitol delves with a warm and gracious sympathy into the heart of what it terms "the American home" and yearns with a mother and her daughters whose best-loved men go dutifully to war. . . . No doubt, this would have been a sharper picture if Mr. Selznick had played it in much less time, and it would have been considerably more significant had he kept it somewhat closer to average means. Two hours and fiftyone minutes is a lot of time to harp upon one well-known theme — lonesomeness and anxiety. And that is all this picture really does. PM John T. McManus On the whole, it is a presumptuous attempt of a film-maker with apparently only a nodding acquaintance with his country to fashion a model section of it, peopled with magazine cut-out characters moved by the most superficial of motives, and present this to the people, at advanced prices, as a shining example of themselves. THE NEW YORK SUN Eileen Creelman "Since You Went Away" is beautifully produced, with care and skiH and tenderness. It is still, in spite of good direction, capable acting, and a handsome production, a film with a highly depressing effect. DAILY MIRROR Lee Mortimer Space limitations preclude telling in full detail what's wrong with Selznick's attempt to portray a year in the life of an average American family while papa is off to war. It is maudlin. It is verbose. It is 90 minutes too long. . . . • Selznick sought to strengthen a weak premise by using every trick of filmdom. He outtricked himself. JOURNAL-AMERICAN Rose Pelswick In "Since You Went Away," his first, picture since "Gone With the Wind" and "Rebecca," David O. Selznick offers an emotionally affecting study of an American family in wartime. . . . The picture is spun out with warmth and sympathy, and though overly generous in the matter of footage and tears, it provides a series of effective characterizations and incidents. Republic Opens Mexico Office Morris Goodman, Republic vice-president in charge of foreign sales, has announced that arrangements have been completed for the establishment of a Republic branch in Mexico. The new subsidiary is Republic Pictures de Mexico, Inc. Carl Ponedel, now manager of the company's Puerto Rico office, will be transferred to Mexico City the latter part of August to head the new branch. Hollywood Bureau The Council of Hollywood Guilds and L last week went to the defense of Twe 1 Century-Fox's "Wilson," directing a campa; protest and publicity at the Washington, (li Times-Herald in reprisal for what the ci described as a "sight unseen attack" on that j erty. Organized some months ago as the Emer Committee of Hollywood and comprising n< its membership 18 guilds and unions, the c< undertook as its first job the challenging c Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservati* American Ideals, another Hollywood organiz to substantiate or retract certain statements re ing the political coloration of some of Hollyv craftsmen. A resolution committing itself tc part constructively in Hollywood's and the i try's public relations activity was adopted early meeting of the council. Action First of Its Kind Last week's action in the Times-He), "Wilson" matter is the first of its kind or counts. It is the first time a cross-industr ganization has taken the field in behalf single, stipulated motion picture. It is lik i| the first time a cross-labor organization has st I into a newspaper-studio conflict based on po J issues. (Although the council utterance diiiil quote the Times-Herald article referred to, as; ij tion is that reference was made to that pu ] tion's contention that "Wilson," is a film ill political implications). The campaign, as described to the press, 1 sists of three steps: (1) an immediate protij the newspaper named; (2) a special relea I all major news services, including complete c i age of AFL, CIO and Railroad Brotherhood 1 1 papers; and (3) a special bulletin to all aval radio channels, including labor-sponsored prog I Statement Issued to Press A statement released \o the press at the of the council executive committee meeting \ resulted in launching the campaign said, freely concede that any newspaper, after vi< a motion picture, has a right to criticize it we strongly protest and condemn any attem slur a motion picture unseen. In so doinj Washington Times-Herald attempts organizec tatorial censorship, which would destroy not the freedom of the screen but the freedoi the press as well. "We have not seen this picture either, br most strongly believe that the principle inv demands that pictures be judged on their : when and as released. "The attack on 'Wilson' is one more attack the freedom of the screen, an attack that continued at regular intervals in recent j following the same pattern as the cam] against 'Confessions of a Nazi Spy,' a picture \ gave memorable warning to the country o: danger of the Nazi menace." Motiograph to Supply Shearer B. F. Shearer Company, which maintains th supply stores in Los Angeles, San Fram Seattle and Portland, Ore., has signed a long contract with Motiograph for exclusive dist tion of Motiograph Projectors and Motiog Mirrophonic Sound Systems on the entire coast and in Hawaii and Alaska. Pirtle Plans New Theatres The Pirtle Circuit of Theatres, Jerseyville, I is planning the construction of an air-condit I 800-seat, stadium type theatre in McLeans I 111., where it has purchased a lot with a 60 I frontage. In Bushnell and Abingdon, 111., I circuit also plans to build modern 700-seat I tres. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY 29. ^