Motion Picture Reviews (1933)

Eight Motion Picture Reviews PHANTOM BROADCAST » » Ralph Forbes, Vivienne Osborne, Paul Page. Direction by Phil Rossen. Monogram Pictures. A drama centering about the life and work of a hunchback who makes a great radio star out of a worthless rounder by doing his singing for him. The film emphasizes the futility of the hunchback’s life and attempts to bring out its beauty. It is depressing and not very well done. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No ■v PILGRIMAGE » » Henrietta Crossman, Marion Nixon, Norman Foster. Direction by John Ford. From the story by I. A. R. Wylie. Fox. Every once in a while even the big film companies just can’t help putting out a good old-fashioned sob story, painted back-drops and all. This one uses white-haired “goldstar” mothers to lure the public, but the plot is a very old one and the war is only incidental in this story of an unnaturally jealous, widowed mother who comes between her son and his sweetheart. The mother is not a sympathetic character, and her part is neither well enough acted nor cleverly enough written to be an interesting character study. Ramifications of the plot only augment its obvious sentimentality. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Unsuitable No REVENGE AT MONTE CARLO » » June Colyer, Jose Crespio. Direction by Bresig Eason. Golden Arrow Picture. This is a complex and highly involved theme of political intrigue in Europe, dungeons and torture chambers of the middle ages. The vacillations of the beautiful heroine between love and betrayal add to its unreality and make it poor fare for any mental appetite. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No A SHRIEK IN THE NICHT » » Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Purnell Pratt, Harvey Clark. Direction by Albert Ray. Allied Pictures. Another mystery story concerning an involved series of murders traceable to a gang grudge and solved by a girl reporter and her sister. It is somewhat overdone and unwholesome. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No SILK EXPRESS » » Neil Hamilton, Sheila Terry, Arthur Byron, Guy Kybee. Direction by Ray Enright. First National-Warner Bros. An exceptionally good detective story, original, full of action, interest and suspense. It tells the story of the struggle to get a special train loaded with raw silk across the continent on a record schedule in spite of the efforts of unscrupulous business rivals to prevent it. The characters are very human, photography and direction excellent, and the climax logical and thrilling. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good if not too Excellent mature •v THE SILVER CORD » » Irene Dunn, Joel McCrea, Laura Hope Crews, Eric Linden, Frances Dee. From the story by Sidney Howard. Direction by John Cromwell. RKO. This is an absorbing story of a mother who loved her two sons romantically as well as maternally. Torn by jealousy, she cannot endure the thought of sharing them with other women. Beautifully acted, with Laura Hope Crews giving a superb characterization, and skillfully directed, with just the right emphasis on each situation, the picture must nevertheless be viewed as a psycho-analytical study of perverted human emotions rather than a pleasant evening’s entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Unsuitable No ■w SOLDIERS OF THE STORM » » Regis Toomey, Anita Page, Robert Ellis. Direction by D. Ross Lederman. Columbia. Somewhat disguised by the introduction of the military air force of the United States border patrol, this picture turns out to be nothing but another gangster melodrama featuring a ring of narcotic smugglers in Mexico. It offers nothing particularly interesting or worth while. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Not recommended SONG OF THE EAGLE Charles Bickford, Richard Arlen, Jean Hersholt, Mary Brian, Louise Dresser, Andy Devine. Direction by Ralph Murphy. Paramount. This picture stresses beer as the major interest in life. It picks out the highlights of fourteen years of prohibition from the Children, 8 to 1 2 No »