Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST 81 to think that the fate of England as well as of Lloyds actually could ever depend upon his particular inspiration. The whole affair becomes a bit trifling and absurd, and then, after a while, a little dreary. And I don't think these period films become any more impressive when such personages as Nelson, the Prince of Wales, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Benjamin Franklin, and Dr. Johnson are worked into them with a rattle of big names." John Mosher H New Yorker pl30 D 5 '36 "[It] sometimes lags in the telling; it builds nevertheless to a stirring climax under the reliable direction of Henry King and is documented throughout with glimpses of contemporary notables. Lloyd's famous executive, John Julius Angerstein, is admirably portrayed by Sir Guy Standing, and C. Aubrey Smith gives an amusing interpretation of 'Old Q,' the Marquess of Queensberry." + News-Wk pl9 D 5 '36 "Anglomaniacs are going to find a great deal to cheer about in 'Lloyds of London.' . . The vast canvas is so thickly peopled as to give the audience little chance to know any of the characters very well. The early sequences have the tang of a Stevenson adventure tale. . . Photographically, this portion of the film is outstanding. . . The romance is sketchy, never touching, and I remained quite indifferent to the string of events that lead to the Battle of Trafalgar. . . As human beings the adult characters never quite come through. The entire film is as attractive as a Howard Chandler Christy magazine cover — and equally as moving. . . Tyrone Power has a long, arduous role. It's a taxing part, and while Mr. Power isn't as yet quite up to its demands, he shows all the earmarks of developing into a popular favorite." Herb Sterne H Script plO D 5 '36 "Famed for his knack of translating headlines into cinema, Zanuck sees history as a collection of front-page stories. Making insurance seem glamorous might sound like a super-human tour de force. 'Lloyds of London,' rich in the atmospheric detail of all good period pieces, warm with the honest adulation which English heroes alone seem capable of inspiring in Hollywood producers, is an insurance drummer's daydream. It makes the business as exciting as a bugle call, magnificently somber as the roll of muffled drums." + Time p24 D 7 '36 Trade Paper Revieivs "It is brilliant cinema, this 'Lloyds of London,' and, properly exploited, its performance at the world box office should be in kind with its artistic stature. Seldom has history been .so adroitly employed as a graphic background for a fine, human romance; vast the canvas may be, yet it is never permitted to dominate the story, compe.ling in theme and with a sustained hold upon your sympathies." + Film Daily pl7 N 27 '36 "The box office potentialities of 'Lloyds of London' are immeasurable. It will get rave reviews everywhere; will easily and surely draw all cultivated picturegoers and sweep downward from the key houses and road-showings to become a must-see from city to hamlet. Besides its two stars, Freddie Bartholomew and Madeleine Carroll, it has a brilliant new luminary in young Tyrone Power, interest in whom will gain swift momentum as his extraordinary performance is seen and talked about." + Hollywood Reporter p3 N 23 '36 + Motion Pict Daily pl2 N 24 '36 "Hollywood seems of late to have gone into the serious business of perpetuating Bi-itish history. . . But this time what emerges is an oversentimentalized and highly fictitious historical subterfuge. There is some splendid acting; there is fine feeling and background; there is even finesse and deftness. But there is no real warmth. How the picture will fare on a $2 basis isn't, of course, important; when it goes •out on its own and has to fight its way at the general wickets agajnst the field it will find frequently difficult going — especially in view of the fact that (although exceptionally well cast) it has no marquee lure. . . [The story is] a bit hard to sell to average audiences. Fact remains that the hero of the story is having a love affair with another man's wife. . . From a physical standpoint, picture is A-l; camera work is tops and backgrounds intelligently handled. Henry King's direction is fine. If the story could be accepted, his handling of the characters and scenes would be tops." H Variety pl8 D 2 '36 "Properly exploited this may prove to be the foremost dramatic picture of the year at the box office as well as in the critical nominations. Certainly on merit it will stand sturdily among the tops in a season of outstanding productions." + Variety (Hollywood) p3 N 23 '36 LONELY TRAIL. Republic 55min My 25 '36 Cast: John Wayne. Ann Rutherford. Cy Kendall Director: Joseph Kane A western melodrama of post Civil War days in Texas when the south was exploited by Carpet Baggers. Trade Paper Reviews "This Western depends more on dramatic and emotional elements to entertain rather than on the hard riding and spirited action usually [found] in stories of the plains. John Wayne essays straight acting with ease and understanding. Bernard McConville's story is interesting, particularly from the historical standpoint, and the direction and photographv . . . are thoroughly adequate." + Film Daily p6 N 3 '36 + Motion Pict Daily plO O 28 '36 "Estimate: good." + Phila Exhibitor p23 Je 1 '36 "Few Westerns can be remembered as furnishing audiences with acting. This hardly sets a precedent in the picture art but does furnish a lively celluloid accounting of the postCivil War days of ripsnorting Texas. Wayne is his usual good-looking, erect-riding self but never impresses as being convinced of his role. On strength of its story and action, film should carry its portion of split programs." -( Variety p!5 O 28 '36 LONGEST NIGHT. MGM 50min O 2 '36 Cast: Robert Young. Florence Rice. Ted Healy. Julie Haydon. Catherine Doucet Director: Errol Taggart Based on the novel The Whispering Window by Cortland Fitzsimmons. "Story tells of a band of thieves who sell their loot to a large department store. Buyer for the store heads the gang. When an employee discovers the racket, he is killed. Police lock all the customers in and start the investigation." (Box Office) Audience Suitability Ratings "The murder movie technique is reduced to near absurdity in this noisy account of sudden death in a department store. Some few attempts to build up suspense and keep a grim face on the production are undone by clownish antics which are often amusing but hardly conducive to an atmosphere of terror." T. J. Fitzmorris h America p48 O 17 '36 "A, T & C: poor." Christian Century p!478 N 4 '36 + + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -\ Fair; J Mediocre; — Poor; Exceptionally Poor