Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST 119 Trade Paper Reviews "All those fans who enjoy this sort of film fare will have nothing to complain about in this one." + Film Curb p7 My 30 '36 "Following pretty much in the familiar grooves of its type of outdoor melodrama, this is a moderately entertaining secondary attraction." 1 Film Daily pl5 Je 3 '36 "Action fare set in the Northwest and concerning the activities of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, this picture should be satisfactory entertainment on a dual program or on the week-end bill when action is the requirement." + • Motion Pict Daily pl2 My 22 '36 "Estimate: fair Mountie stuff." -\ Phila Exhibitor p22 Je 1 '36 SEVEN BRAVE MEN. Je 14 '36 Amkino Players: N. Bogolybov. T. Makarova. I. No voseltzev Director: S. Gerasimov Russian dialogue film made in U.S.S.R. with English sub-titles. "The story describes the adventures of seven men and a woman doctor who pass the winter at the Bay of Happiness in the Arctic, where 275 days of the year are cold and snowy. A geologist, a metallurgist, a radio operator, an air pilot and inventor of an airsled are in the group besides the physician and a boy stowaway, who is put to work as cook." (N Y Herald Tribune) Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "[It is] a fair-to-middling Soviet picture. . . The photography of the Arctic and the virility of the production are noteworthy, but the plot is rather weak, and, compared to Russian expedition films based on fact, this one seems a trifle sirupy. Yet it is not boring, and during its climax late in the story the suspense is handled well." Marguerite Tazelaar H NY Herald Tribune plO Je 15 '36 "The photography, taken under difficult, outdoor conditions, has a rugged distinction, but if you dislike propaganda, even when sugar-coated and in a dialectically good cause, 'Seven Brave Men' is not the picture for you." B. R. C. N Y Times p24 Je 15 '36 "Expert characterizations, finished performance by a cast of excellent actors and some rugged outdoor photography . . . save that melodrama of the hardships of polar exploration from being second rate. A halting and muddled story of bravery under trying conditions in the Arctic wastes, it loiters vaguely through a long hour, promising frequently to stir itself out of the doldrums. However, it never quite succeeds in doing so." William Boehnel -| NY World-Telegram p21 Je 16 '36 Trade Paper Reviews "It is lifted somewhat out of the average plane of most of the importations from the Soviet state-controlled industry, in that it is characterized by some excellent photography and occasional drama. . . It has rather less of propaganda for Russia than most of the importations from that country." Motion Pict Daily p21 Je 16 '36 SHOWBOAT. My 1 '36 115min Universal Players: Irene Dunne. Helen Morgan. Paul Robeson. Allan Jones. Charles Winninger. Donald Cook Director: James Whale Based on the novel and musical comedy of the same title by Edna Ferber and the musical comedy by Oscar Hammerstein, II. Romantic story of a showboat player who makes her way up the ladder of success, after her husband deserts her, her child is taken away and she finds herself in dire poverty. Audience Suitability Ratings "Don't miss the second film made from Edna Ferber's one-time best-seller because you fear the two pictures may be alike. They are not. The second 'Show Boat' is far superior to the first." + + Bks & Films Je '36 "A and Y: excellent; C: very good." Christian Century p783 Je 3 '36 "Excellent. [It is a] smash-hit photo production. Mature — family." DAR "The river sequences are far the best, so that there is a little sense of 'let down' when the play goes into the more familiar scenes of city life, back stage, and the triumphs of show life. Family." Mrs T. G. Winter Fox W Coast Bui My 16 '36 "Notable in the expert direction is the care given the smallest detail and the use made of every dramatic possibility. Outstanding in quality and in entertainment value. Family." E Coast Preview Committee + + Fox W Coast Bui My 23 '36 "A picture we should not miss. Family." + + Gen Fed of Women's Clubs (W Coast) My 9 '36 "It is a pretentiously mounted series of episodes, each One of which is a complete dramatic unit, highlighted with excellent music. . . The most consistent characterization is that of Charles Winninger as Cap'n Andy Hawks of the 'Show Boat.' He brings us the true spirit of the peripatetic original." + Motion Pict & Family p6 My 15 '36 "The whole is a skillful blending of drama and music, of excitement nicely balanced with sentiment. Adolescents, 12-16: yes; children, 8-12: yes." + Motion Pict R My '36 "Family-outstanding." + -f Nat Bd of R M Je '36 "Superbly acted, beautifully photographed and magnificently directed 'Showboat' again makes its appearance on the screen with three new songs added and the plot somewhat changed. Family." -f Nat Council of Jewish Women My 13 '36 "Adults." Nat Legion of Decency My 21 '36 "Outstanding — familv. " + + Sel Motion Pict Je 1 '36 "Family. Outstanding." + + Wkly Guide My 9 '36 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "This memorable story of the Mississippi River and of early Chicago days gives promise of being a stand-out picture." + Canadian M p61 My '36 "Paul Robeson's singing of 'Ole Man River' alone would make the picture memorable." E. C. S. Christian Science Monitor pl4 My 23 '36 "[It] incorporates all of the melodious spirit of musical gaiety and charm that Miss Ferber's novel inspired in the predecessors on stage, screen and radio, recreating the glamour of one of America's best-known earlier institutions: the river showboat. . . Intelligent direction molds all forces, and settings and locales are highly interesting." J. P. Cunningham + Commonweal p48 My 8 '36 + + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -\ Fair; \ Mediocre; — Poor; Exceptionally Poor