Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

50 MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST GARDEN OF ALLAH — Continued onstrates conclusively that the spectrum has a valid place in the scheme of the cinema. . . The screen drama is singularly fortunate in its stars. Not only is technicolor flattering to their features but they bring an acting intensity to the big moments of the romance that does much to sustain the fragile spell of the piece. Miss Dietrich is hauntingly lovely." Howard Barnes + NY Herald Tribune p23 N 20 '36 "Richard Boleslawski has directed it solemnly, taking special care to offend no one. This caution has also weakened the drama. Charles Boyer never appears in his monk's garb, nor is the exposition sufficiently long to make a modern American audience realize the whole tragedy. The film has a certain rather drowsy charm, thanks to the very color which, although it distracts the interest from any drama, does offer some startingly lovely glimpses of the desert. This is the best color the screen has yet captured. . . To be quite honest, the picture might have been more exciting if it had been frankly a technicolor scenic." Eileen Creelman -| NY Sun p30 N 20 '36 "[It] is a distinguished motion picture, rich in pictorial splendor yet unobtrusive, though accurate, in its color, however tempting a background of old Algiers may have been to the producers. Richard Boleslawski' s direction places commendable accent on the familiar story, and it is engrossingly enacted by a noteworthy cast. . . Marlene Dietrich has been rescued from her dramatic lethargy of late seasons, clothed fairly sensibly and given something to think about. Charles Boyer, an important player abroad and one who has been rather badly treated here by casting departments, has a role in keeping with his talents." J. T. M. + + N Y Times p27 N 20 '36 "Although it contains moments of breathtaking beauty in its Technicolor photography — there are also some that are not so breathtaking— and a love story that will probably have the girls crying. . . 'The Garden of Allah' is a pretty dull entertainment, ponderous in movement, pedestrian in speech and unexciting in narrative. . . I'm bound to confess that I, for one, found it rather hollow and unconvincing. Although it has the makings of a genuinely touching tragedy, not all the materials are used to their best advantage either in leading up to the climax or in the climax itself, which seems singularly botched." William Boehnel H N Y World-Telegram p31 N 20 '36 "I should say that the color is the most successful so far. Perhaps that Sahara setting, with its African blues and yellows and scarlets, is adapted to this lurid picture-postcard chemistry, just as the plot is suited to those old-fashioned Technicolor speeches about eternal love, and possibly, too, the effect is assisted by the ease with which the Dietrich face stands color. In a big, splashy way, the whole affair seems handsome. . . The film allows Miss Dietrich to suffer without interruption. Charles Boyer is the young man cast to suffer with her, and he's expert at it." John Mosher -f New Yorker p99 N 21 '36 "The story ... is hardly one that can be streamlined for modern consumption. "W. P. Lipscomb and Lynn Riggs didn't try to. Their screen version treats the delicate theme with dignity and sincerity; Miss Dietrich and Boyer, achieving the finest performances of their careers, lend it credibility. And the Technicolor camera reaches the high mark of its achievement." + News-Wk p20 N 21 '36 "This really proves, we think, that the black and white that stood by us so honorably will give way wholly to Technicolor within a few years. . . Miss Dietrich, while still not our idea of a nun of strong faith, is exotic and lovely against a desert sky. A great deal of power is projected into the story by Charles Boyer,* whose monk is a truly convincing creature of conflict. . . We had the feeling that a lovely poem had been read to us. We knew how it was to end, but we did not know how beautifully. We suppose the significant thing here is that 'The Garden of Allah' would have been a good film in black and white; but at last color is of intrinsic value. People will ask you about it." + Stage pl6 D '36 "[It is] the best answer to the problem [of color] that Hollywood has made in 1936. . . Sad, serene and somewhat silly, 'The Garden of Allah' belongs to that dignified class of pictures which reviewers customarily praise for the music and photography. Unfortunately for Hollywood, cinemaddicts go to the theatre not to see the latest wonders of cinematography but to be entertained. That in this case both music and color photography . . . are genuinely superb, will doubtless not suffice to interest 1936 in two young lovers who, with money to burn, can apparently find nothing better to do than brood about the life hereafter. If 'The Garden of Allah,' best example of color photography the cinema has so far contrived, is a box-office hit, it will be because of its stars. . . If 'The Garden of Allah's' weak point is its story, its strong point is its female star." Time p39 N 30 '36 Trade Paper Reviews "Producer David O. Selznick elevates the motion picture to new heights of artistry in this film. . . convincingly adapted by W. P. Lipscomb and Lynn Riggs, and directed with Richard Boleslawski's usual masterful touch. This, combined with a star-studded cast and color photography, outstandingly the most beautiful to date, assures the feature's box office success. Family." + Box Office p51 N 14 '36 Canadian Moving Pict Digest pl8 N 14 '36 "This is the finest example of Technicolor to date. . . Many of the scenes are breath-taking in their beauty, especially some with the desert as the background. Charles Boyer gives a strong performance. . . Marlene Dietrich is excellent as the girl." + Film Daily p6 N 3 '36 + Motion Pict Daily p4 N 2 '36 "Aided by beautiful Technicolor, a musical score that must be ranked with the season's best, backed by two strong names, good feature players, 'The Garden of Allah' should please best in class houses. Tinged with that appeal, but with a strong women's angle that ought to pull, the show is creditably produced. . . Well made, with some inspired scenes, strong on what the women want, the show is saleable from many viewpoints." + Phila Exhibitor p53 N 15 '36 "Since life and art are progressive, some day, soon, a story sturdy enough to hold up in black and white will, when coupled with the Technicolor, combine into socko box office. It resolves itself down all over again, in color cinematurgy or in the normal screen hues, [to the fact] that it's the story first. . . Accordingly 'Garden of Allah,' so sumptuously and impressively mounted by David O. Selznick, impresses as the last word in color production, but a pretty dull affair. It'll come out all right chiefly on the ballyhoo and the marquee values of the stellar pair, Dietrich and Boyer. Especially so for the matinee trade. . . Miss Dietrich and Charles Boyer are more than adequately competent in" the leads although sometimes slurring their lines. But in the main they impress in the difficult emotional roles." H Variety pl4 N 25 '36 "Superb in its production qualities and emotionally arresting, with the drama enhanced by the most discriminating use of Technicolor thus far, 'The Garden of Allah' comes to the screen as entertainment of highest appeal for + + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -\ Fair; \ Mediocre; — Poor; Exceptionally Poor