Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS ADVANCE SYNOPSES SHORT SUBJECTS SHORT SUBJECTS CHART 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. The Other Love United Artists-Enterprise — Woman's Picture It's all been done before, beginning with Camille and, no doubt, even earlier. In "The Other Love," the background is the Swiss Alps and fancy Continental resorts. But the pattern is familiar, easily recognizable by the regulars who find motion pictures their best entertainment. In this case, the best bet — and it could be substantial — is the feminine end of the audience contingent. Women will find in this film, based on a story by Erich Maria Remarque, who once wrote about the quiet on the Western Front and later got around to the Arch of Triumph, a series of good performances having a time with stereotyped material and doing their best under the circumstances. An added difficulty is .the dialogue invented by Harry Brown and Ladislas Fodor, ascribing to the leads verbiage that is found in pot-boilers and only remotely in real life. Barbara Stanwyck is the noted pianist whose lungs give out. Her breakdown falls into the medical arms of David Niven, who promptly falls in love. But Miss Stanwyck, rebellious underneath, rebels openly after a chance meeting with Richard Conte, smoothie with apparently unlimited means and a charming manner with women. They leave the Alps for the European hot spots. Her health grows worse and her cough louder. Niven goes in pursuit, spurred by more than a medical interest in Miss Stanwyck. When Niven catches up, she is functioning on a policy of smashing the face of the clock — as the dialogue has her declare — and enjoying life on a mountain top with only air between her and the sun — as the dialogue also has her say in about these words. Niven, appealing to her fruitlessly, has better luck when he explains matters to Conte. Miss Stanwyck returns to the haven of the sanitarium where, finally, she marries Niven. Shortly thereafter she dies, and the film comes to a close. Story content and dramatic motivation are not particularly strong. They make it required to embark upon footage which is often superfluous in relation to the development of the main story line, such as it is. But all of it is played against backgrounds and foregrounds of toplevel production values. "The Other Love" ranks well up at the top of the heap in terms of technical excellence. It is constantly good to look at if not constantly good to hear. Andre de Toth directed. David Lewis produced. Seen at home office projection room. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — Red Kann. Release date, not set. Running time, 96 min. PCA No. 12286. General audience classification. Karen Duncan Barbara StanwyckAnthony Stanton David Niven Paul Clermont Richard Conte Maria Palmer, Joan Lorring, Richard Hale, Lenore Aubert, Edward Ashley, Gilbert Roland, Ann Codee, Natalie Schafer San Demetrio, London 20th Century-Fox— British War Picture This is a British-made pictorial recounting of the remarkable voyage of the ship named in the title, and historically interesting as such, but the lack of player names known in this country and the fact that it is a war picture in the full sense of that term drastically limit its usefulness to the American exhibitor. The period of the picture is early in the war, prior to America's entry, when Britain was obtaining oil and other materials from this country, and the film recounts a voyage of the San Demetrio from an American port, with a cargo of gasoline, to England. Attacked by a German raider, the ship is abandoned in flames by its crew. One lifeboat full of survivors floats for days in the open sea, and finally is blown back to the ship, which is still burning but still afloat. Boarding her, the men extinguish the flames, rig up makeshift means of maintaining headway, and manage, despite hardships, privations and complications of many kinds, to bring her into a British port. It is a tale of heroism, realistically told, and interesting in the way that a documentary is interesting. Michael Balcori produced the picture for Ealing Studios, with Charles Frend directing from a screen play by himself and Robert Hamer, who also was associate producer. Previewed at studio. Reviewer 's Rating : Fair. — William R. Weaver. Release date, not set. Running time, 76 min. PCA No. 10656. General audience classification. Chief Engineer Pollard Walter Fitzgerald Captain Waite Arthur Young Ralph Michael, Neville Mapn, Barry Letts, Michael Allen, Frederick Piper, Herbert Cameron, John Owers, Gordon Jackson, Robert Beatty The Two Mrs. Carrol Is Warners — Different for Bogart ' With Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck and Alexis Smith as top names to draw with, this Mark Hellinger production of the stage play of the same name by Martin Vale figures to sell itself sight unseen. Whether it will satisfy as readily as it sells depends somewhat upon the public's reaction to the change of style imposed upon Mr. Bogart, who is seen first in the extraordinary act of sketching a lady fair against a woodland background (rather a stretch for Bogey) and ultimately as a demented intellectual addicted to poisoning his wives. It's quite a change for an actor who's always done his killing straight out and by manly means, but the picture's got considerable suspense to offset the possible objections. Thomas Job's screenplay opens with artist Bogart making love to Miss Stanwyck, who is surprised to learn that he has a wife, and withdraws herself at that point. So he poisons his wife, who is never shown on the screen, and persuades Miss Stanwyck to marry him thereafter, the script skipping lightly over this in terval. After a session of reasonably happy marriage, Miss Stanwyck is overtaken by a not very clearly diagnosed illness which the audience is allowed to know is caused by her husband's policy, practiced previously on his first wife, of giving her warm milk tinctured with poison. The chemist who supplies him with the stuff gets obstreperous, and he bumps him off in a manner more befitting the Bogart the screen knows, but this is merely incidental to the business of killing the second wife in order to marry a third, played by Miss Smith. The second wife learns what's going on, however, in time to save her life and witness the arrest of her husband, who, it turns out, thinks he has to kill his wives in order to renew periodically his artistic inspiration. Woopsl There's a good deal of killing and plotting to kill in the picture, and only a dash now and than of sprightly dialogue, so it's hardly appropriate material for the young and impressionable. Peter Gordfrey directed. Previetved at the Academy Awards theatre, Los Angeles. Reviewer's Rating : Average. — W. R. W. Release date, not set. Running time, 100 minutes. PCA No. 11786. Adult audience classification. Geoffrey Carroll Humphrey Bogart Sally Barbara Stanwyck Cecily Latham Alexis Smith Nigel Bruce, Isobel Elsom, Pat O'Moore. Ann Carter, Anita Bolster, Barney Bernard, Colin Campbell, Creighton Hale The Ghost Goes Wild Republic — Ghost Story With James Ellison, Anne Gwynne and Edward Everett Horton in the leading roles, "The Ghcst Goes Wild" is an attempt at comedy which never quite makes the grade. It is top-heavy with an implausible plot, trite dialogue and situations which over-reach for sprightliness. The story concerns a commercial artist who ridicules a dowager with a caricature of her on a magazine cover. She brings suit His troubles are further multiplied when a pretty wife forces her attentions on the artist and her gun-toting husband finds out about the situation. The artist pretends he's dead and returns as a ghost to frighten off the trouble-makers. He also enlists the aid of a "real" ghost, who is finally instrumental in solving all problems. Armand Schaefer was the associate producer. George Blair directed. Randall Faye wrote the screenplay from an original story by Faye and Taylor Caven. Reviewed in the Republic projection room in New York. Reviewer's Rating: Average. — George H. Spires. Release date, March 8, 1947. Running time. 66 min. PCA No. 11582. General audience classification. Monty Crandall James Ellison Phyllis Beecher Anne Gwynne Eric Edward Everett Horton Ruth Donnelly, Stephanie Bachelor. Grant Withers, Lloyd Corrigan, Emil Rameau, Jonathan Hale. Charles Halton, Holmes Herbert. Edward Gargan, Gene Carrick, Michael Hughes, William Austin MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 5, 1947 356 f