Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST 111 having had to speak the lines they say in 'Private Number.' " J. T. M. 1 N Y Times pl9 Je 12 '36 "I felt a sorrow for the handsome mastiff named Prince, who plays the part of the pet dog-, Hamlet, and even managed to extend a similar sympathy to other victims, such as Loretta Young, Robert Taylor, and Basil Rathbone. I fear the piece should be considered one of the frauds of June." John Mosher — New Yorker p67 Je 20 '36 "In spite of its mystifying title and occasional turgidity, 'Private Number' is more than a cliche in modern dress. Its interest does not lie in the love affair but in its exposition of the complicated backstairs politics of a big household." Time p57 Je 15 '36 R RAGGEN, DET AER JAG DET. My 21 '36 Europa Players: Isa Quensel. Nils Wahlbom. Anna Ohlin. Karl G. Wingard Director: S. Bauman A dialogue film in Swedish without English sub-titles. Based on the novel of the same title by Gunnar Widegren. Also known as Raggen, That's Me. "Isa Quensel, [portrays] the sprightly eldest of a family of five girls who makes a flying trip to Paris to seek distraction from home and office troubles. . . She and a girl friend encounter Consul Westerlund, an American, in a cabaret." (N Y Times) Trade Paper Reviews "Introducing the initial teaming of a new pair of screen lovers, Robert Taylor and Loretta Young, this will score solidly as far-above-par romantic audience fare with resultant satisfactory turnstile grosses." + Box Office p33 Je 6 '36 "Just another picture that isn't going to do much of anything anywhere. Hamlet, a great Dane dog, is a swell comedian providing the only highlight of the picture." — Film Curb plO My 23 '36 "[It has a] good marquee cast but [the] hodge-podge story makes this amusing popular fare for the not too critical. . . Miss Young and Taylor register despite the drawbacks of their roles. Rathbone, who is even more handicapped with heavily written melodrama lines, exerts manful effort." H Film Daily pl3 Je 12 '3 6 "A love story that hits romantic high for the year, bringing together as a modern Cinderella and her prince, Loretta Young and Robert Taylor. . . The combination spells box office returns in the smash category. Its appeal is especially to women, who will give it unlimited word-of-mouth boosting, but it is candy entertainment for any man with a spark of romance in his make-up." + Hollywood Reporter p3 My 16 '36 "This is typical Hollywood fare. . . Miss Young is as appealing as ever. Taylor is less boyish than usual and offers a more finished performance." Motion Pict Daily pll My 18 '36 "Showmanship calls for proper explanation of entertainment value. The tools are at hand in story content and personalities presented, with Taylor whose popularity is increasing by leaps and bounds, Loretta Young, Rathbone and Patsy Kelly. It can be sold either as a tense drama or a heart-touching romance, especially for adults." Motion Pict Herald p36 My 30 '36 "Estimate: good." + Phila Exhibitor p26 Je 1 '36 "This effort to turn a literary lemon into a cinematic peach appears to have been more than slightly successful. For, despite its several shortcomings, a few of which are downright terrible, 'Private Number' has a couple of things in its favor, and these are likelv to carry it through at the box office. . . All in all, the picture is a good example of the art of making something out of practically nothing." H Variety p23 Je 17 '36 "This picture should draw good grosses. Yarn . . . has been given several new sock twists in story and direction which make for solid entertainment for the masses." + Variety (Hollywood) p3 My 16 '36 Audience Suitability Ratings 'Family." Nat Bd of R M Je '36 "Family." Wkly Guide My 30 '36 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "The cast does excellent work, the scenes in Sweden and Paris are well done and the picture is interesting for persons familiar with its language." H. T. S. + NY Times pl9 My 22 '36 "[It is] a sprightly piece of semislapstick that our Swedish population ought to go for. . . The plot creaks like a dog-cart, but the individual performances give it a lift that is wholesome, honest and entertaining." Douglas Gilbert + NY World-Telegram p29 My 22 '36 Trade Paper Reviews "[It is a] fair comedy." -1 Film Daily p9 My 25 '36 "This [is] a lively comedy, which should be sold with no difficulty by the exhibitor whose patronage numbers people understanding the language. Chiefly by reason of the lack of subtitles, there is little in the film which should register an appeal with the average American audience, since the story presents nothing outstanding, and the performances, although definitely satisfactory, offer nothing which is unusual." Motion Pict Daily pl6 My 26 '36 "As the film is not equipped with English titles or other interpretative devices, the American appeal of this Swedish production is exclusively to audiences linguistically qualified to appreciate it. . . The story is told principally in dialogue, although several incidents involve considerable action of unmistakable import. Not all of these are above reproach in the matter of taste." Motion Pict Herald p40 My 30 '36 " 'Raggen, That's Me' contains some animated performances, fairish looking Swedish girls and reams of dialog. . . Picture's glaring weakness is a slipshod story, and inability of the director to focus attention on any one of two sets of characters until the last few reels." 1 Variety pl5 My 27 '36 IL RE BUR LONE. Mr 27 '36 95min Capitani Players: Armando Falconi. Luisa Ferida. Mario Pisu Director: Enrico Guazoni Dialogue film in Italian with English subtitles. It is also called The Jester King. 'The period with which it deals is the middle Eighteen Forties at the time of one of the several revolts of the people of Naples against + + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -\ Fail + Mediocre; Poor; Exceptionally Poor