Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS ADVANCE SYNOPSES SHORT SUBJECTS CHART SHORT SUBJECTS THE RELEASE CHART This department deals with new product from the point of view of the exhibitor who is to purvey it to his own public. fjA Song to Remerober Columbia — Life and Music of Chopin The screen, when subject to intelligence and skill, is the most comprehensive of all creative media. Occasionally a picture comes along which restates this truth and foreshadows, as well, further possibilities for the future. "A Song to Remember" is such a picture. It makes use of every device which the medium offers : sound, color, movement, dramatic incident. The very texture of Merle Oberon's gowns in Technicolor is made to contribute not only to her characterization of George Sand, but to the furthering of the story. As for the music, played by Jose Iturbi, it is part and parcel of the picture itself and helps to make it an experience. Wfxh the aid of dignified exploitation, this film should find a ready market among adult audiences. For the bobby-sock trade — a question mark. The theme, which is the obligation of the artist —whether his sole duty is to himself and to the ij development of his art, or whether he owes a larger duty to mankind — is developed through presentation of the life of Frederic Chopin, great Polish composer, pianist, and patriot. We see him first as a small boy in Poland, a child prodigy who loves music and his native land. Years later he goes to Paris, accompanied by his teacher, Joseph Eisner, a character which Paul Muni portrays with fidelity and affection. In Paris, the young musician, played by Cornel Wilde, meets Franz Liszt in a highly effective scene. He meets, also, George Sand, the novelist. Demanding, willful, and vicious, she trades on Chopin's love to wean him away from his old friends, his old ideals. It is only when he learns that his Polish friends have been thrown into prison for their patriotic activities and when his old teacher points out that his obligation is not to his talent alone, but to the larger cause of liberty, that the composer abandons his life with Madame Sand. He embarks upon a concert tour which ensures the money necessary to free the patriots, but brings about the composer's own death. There is no one concerned in the making of "A Song to Remember," from Sidney Buchman, the =1 producer, and Charles Vidor, the director, through a notable cast headed by Muni, Miss Oberon, Wilde and Stephen Bekassy, and a splendid battery of technical talent, including Cameraman Tony Gaudio, who does not deserve high praise. Seen at the studio. Reviewer's Rating: Excellent.—Thau, h Bell. a^A^^f^^ "°' ti'ne, 113 min. PCA No. Adult audience classification. Prof. Joseph Eisner Paul Muni George Sand Merle Oberon Frederic Chopin Cornel Wilde Franz Liszt Stephen Bekassy Wma Foch, George Coulouris, Sig Arno, Howard Freeman, Oeorge Macready, Qaire DuBrcy, Frank Puglia. Hangover Square 20th-F ox— London Murders Under Gaslight Following _ closely upon the success of "The Lodger," which also traced the career of a murderous maniac in the side streets of an earlier London, Kobert Bassler and John Brahm, producer and director, have achieved an equally chilling drama MOTION PICTURE HERALD. JANUARY 20. 1.945 from Patrick Hamilton's novel, "Hangover Square." It is given to dark, narrow streets, cleverly lighted to define the action while preserving an atmosphere of foreboding, and shrill screams at night. It centers, too, in a murderer of parts, a composer this time whose consciousness snaps temporarily at discordant noises, returning to normal without any recollection of intervening crimes. This character represents Laird Cregar's last screen performance before his recent death, and is as forceful and terrifying as any in his brief career. The dramatic impact of the picture is somewhat lessened by the fact that the murderer, even in periods of sanity, is rarely a living person. But excitement and ingenuity are compensations. Two stunning fires rage during the course of the film. One is a Guy Fawkes Day bonfire which consumes the body of a murder victim while innocent youngsters dance around. The other spreads through the concert hall at the end of the film while the mad pianist continues his crashing chords until he succumbs. Linda Darnell and George Sanders perform ably in the principal supporting roles. Sanders is the man from Scotland Yard who divines the secret, and Miss Darnell is a bewitching singer who pre-cipitates the final breakdown by her callousness and is murdered for it. Barre Lyndon wrote the tense screenplay, which moves a little slowly in the first half but gains momentum as it approaches the climax. The music by Bernard Herrmann adds color and interest in its own right. Seen in the hom£ office projection room. Reinewer's Rating : Good. — E. A. Cunningham. Release date, February, 1945. Running time, 77 min. PCA No. 10428. Adult audience classification. George Harvey Bone Laird Cregar Netta Longdon Linda Darnell Dr. Allan Middleton George Sanders Glenn Langan, Faye Marlowe, Alan Napier, Frederic Worlock, J. W. Austin, Leyland Hodgson, Qifford Brooks, John Goldsworthy, Michael Dyne, Ann Codec, Francis Ford. Charles Irwin. The Great Flamarion Republic — Sharpshooter This melodrama, stark with tense, stirring action, is centered about a vaudeville actor, Flamarion, renowned for his sharpshooting act, who is driven to murder by a girl. Erich Von Stroheim and Mary Reth Hughes are starred. The sharpshooter has a young couple assisting him in his act. The girl, Connie Wallace, played by Mary Beth Hughes, has a hobby of collecting men and sets out to conquer Flamarion. He finally succumbs and Connie influences him to kill her husband. The murder appears to 'be accidental. Connie loses interest in Flamarion and disappears. He is obsessed with the idea of finding her. After locating Connie in a theatre in Mexico City he strangles her and in the struggle Connie mortally wounds Flamarion. The screenplay by Anne Wigton, Heinz Herald and Richard Weil is well assembled and satisfactorily worked out. Flamarion is based on a character, "Big Shot," by Vicki Baum from a Collier's magazine story. The film is fascinating and stark melodrama made effective by excellent characterization. William Wilder produced and Anthony Mann directed. Seen at the Republic theatre, New York, where a mid-day audience seemed satisfied. Reviewer's Rating: Good. — M. R. Y. Release date, not set. Running time, 78 min. PCA No. 10519. General audience classification. Flamarion Erich Von Stroheim „\^allace Mary Beth Hughes Al Wallace i>a„ Duryea Stephen Barclay, Lester Allen, Esther Howard, Michael Mark, Joseph Grandby, John R. Hamilton, Fred Velasco, Carmen Lopez, Tony Ferrell. The Shanghai Drama David Brill— FiHh Column Activities Able direction and a swift-moving and interestmg script plus excellent characterization make "The Shanghai Drama" a film that should receive audience approval. Dialogue is in French, but there are English titles by Herman G. Weinberg that well convey the spirit and flavor of the picture. An exotic atmosphere of intrigue and terror is the setting. The plot is laid in 1935, immediately before the Smo-Japanese War. Chinese traitors are workmg with the "Black Dragon," a fifth column organization. Christiane Mardayne as Kay, a cabaret singer who is a White Russian re-fugee, becomes a tool of the assassins and saboteurs. Louis Jouvet gives an excellent performance as Ivan, who forces 'Kay to cooperate with the "Black Dragon." A French journalist, played by Raymond Rouleau, is the dashing hero who appears at crucial moments and prevents disaster. Kay wishes to protect her 16-year-old daughter from a fate similar to her own and finally gives her life in winning happiness for her daughter. This Marc Sorkin production was directed by G. W. Pabst and adapted from the novel, "Shanghai Chambard et Cie," by O. P. Gilbert. The scenario was written by Leo Lenia and A. Arnoux. The_ photography by E. Shruffan is worthy of special note. Seen at the 55th Street Playhouse, New York, ivhere a matinee audience seemed interested and pleased. Rviewer's Rating: Good. — M. R. Y. Release date, January 10, 1945. Running time, 78 min. Adult audience classification. Louis Jouvet , •' Christiane Mardayne Franchon Raymond Rouleau Dorville. Suzanne D'espers, Elina Labourdette, Gabrielle Dorziat, Mila Parey, Linh-Nam, V. Inkijinoff, Ky-Duyen Hoang Dao. Mme. Fun-Sen, M. Lupovici. The Big Show-Off Republic — Romance with Music Arthur Lake and Dale Evans are co-starred in a pleasant little program picture which should fit well mto almost any double bill. Miss Evans is easy on the eyes as well as on the ears, and in the production numbers she is particularly effective. Lake gives his usual impersonation of a bashful bumpkin. Lionel Stander is excellent as the nightclub owner who undertakes to make the path of true love run smooth in spite of obstacles. The original screenplay by Leslie Vadnay and Richard Weil presents Lake as a pianist in a nightclub, too shy to reveal his love for its singing star. 2277