Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

26 MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST DOWN UNDER THE SEA — Continued Reviewed by John Mosher New Yorker p48 Ag 15 '36 Trade Paper Reviews "Excellent under-water photography, and an insight into the Florida sponge-fishing industry make this an educational film as well as a good feature. Family." + Box Office p23 Jl 11 '36 "Interesting and unusual film that will please audiences liking robust action. . . With its outstanding underwater photography, it is a subject that should have wide audience appeal as a first rate program number. In the houses that use action pictures it should fit in especially well, for it has plenty of that quality." + Film Daily pl4 Je 30 '36 "The Greek sponge fishers of Tarpon Springs, Florida, supply authentic material for this excellent melodrama, which worthily interweaves interesting information with strong emotional appeal. The novel subject is intelligently and engrossingly presented and the picture, despite modest name draw, will yield a creditable showing on any double bill and make a good build-up on word-of-mouth. . . Armand Shaefer, in charge of the production, earns high credit for a distinctive task well done." + Hollywood Reporter p3 Je 27 '36 "Against the fresh and interesting background of sponge fishing, this picture tells a dramatic, romantic love story. Geared to a thrill action plot in which the quality of suspense has been deftly applied, the film is both educational and entertaining." Motion Pict Daily pll Jl 1 '36 "Estimate: good melodrama for neighborhoods, more with selling." + Phila Exhibitor p27 Jl 15 '36 "A romance of the sponge-gathering industry doesn't suggest much and it isn't much in 'Down Under the Sea,' a 'B' picture of dubious box office draught and appeal. . . A crew went down to Florida to get actual scenes of sponge fishermen. . . This authenticity, however, is of only passing interest since the story itself, its drama, romance and melodrama are hardly what the average audience orders." — Variety pl9 Ag 12 '36 " 'Down to the Sea' is . . . moderately entertaining in drama and interesting for novelty of background, which should please the family trade and may, because of its fresh atmosphere, hit somewhat higher in the duals occasionally. Much of the crucial action is filmed under water on the actual sponge beds, offering exploitation possibilities beyond the average B picture. While more careful development of story and more adept casting of some of the important roles would have exploited possibilities of the subject more absorbingly, competent playing by majority . . . sustain audience appeal." H Variety (Hollywood) p3 Je 27 '36 DRAEGERMAN COURAGE. Warner-First national 60min O 24 '36 Players: Jean Muir. Barton MacLane. Henry O'Neill. Robert Barrat. Addison Richards Director: Louis King "Barton MacLane [is cast] as the heroic, driving draegerman who is fired from his mine job because he has the guts to protest unsafe conditions in the shaft, but comes back to head the rescue squad when his former employer, Robert Barrat; the superintendent, Addison Richards; and the village doctor, Henry O'Neill, are caught in a second cave-in of a deserted mine." Variety (Hollywood) Audience Suitability Ratings "[It] provides a most interesting picture for the family. (Too exciting for children.)" Am Legion Auxiliary "This film makes a rather obvious appeal to our sympathies, but the subject matter is unusual and interesting and the production has impressive technical excellence. Mature." Calif Fed of Business & Professional Women's Clubs "Mediocre. Harrowing. Adults." DAR "This is a tense social drama with the vivid realism of a good news reel. . . A creditable production which will interest adults." Nat Soc of New England Women "A very enlightening picture through capable action, direction, and realistic sound effects. Family." S Calif Council of Fed Church Women Fox W Coast Bui S 5 '36 "A well chosen cast do very satisfactory work, especially Barton MacLane and Henry O'Neill. Adults & young people." + Gen Fed of Women's Clubs (W Coast) Ag 25 '36 "This realistic, stark, gripping and welldeveloped story is convincingly acted and directed with intelligence integrating tense situations into compact drama. Family." + Nat Council of Jewish Women Ag 26 '36 "A slight love scene brings relief to the plot. Realistic photography provides thrills. General patronage." Nat Legion of Decency S 17 '36 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews " 'Draegerman Courage' is good entertainment, much better than that provided by the majority of pictures costing many times as much. Any audience in any house would find it engrossing. It derives its strength from the fact that it is primarily a physical story which the camera relates." + Hollywood Spec p6 Ag 29 '36 Trade Paper Reviews "This picture version of the recent Nova Scotia mine disaster is packed full of dynamiteaction and crowds enough thrills into 60 minutes of film to last the average fan a week. Timeliness of plot makes it a sure box office picture. Family." + Box Office p25 Ag 29 '36 "This picture . . . makes exciting entertainment. True, the outcome is never in doubt, but the suspense is so well sustained that it will keep most audiences gripping their chairarms. It ranks above the average of the Warner B product and will be profitable on that level." -f Hollywood Reporter p3 Ag 22 '36 "Jean Muir has little to do as the sweetheart of MacLane, who gives his expected hearty performance. . . The prominence of caveins in recent headlines is about the only exploitation angle." Motion Pict Daily pl2 Ag 24 '36 "Taking a front page incident of a mine rescue, Warners have produced a programmer which is short on name strength, but which has exploitable angles to help. . . Estimate: program, depends on handling." Phila Exhibitor p40 S 1 '36 "Draegermen are the rescue squads in mine disasters. 'Draegerman Courage' is the dramatic screen echo of a comparatively recent, much-headlined incident of resurrection of several men buried for days in a Nova Scotia cave-in. So vividly pictured and convincing is the film, so carefully directed, well played and authentically detailed that audiences will feel present at an actual record of a herculean task of rescue with the emotional elements intensified by excellently-contrived screen play." + Variety (Hollywood) p3 Ag 22 '36 -f + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -j Fair; j Mediocre; —Poor; Exceptionally Poor