Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

422 n t s f r o m H y woo d O ERIOUS study of any art form requires close scrutiny of the mechanical devices employed. Not infrequently it is the lesser work — in which these mechanics are but thinly disguised — that offers the student, i.e. the amateur, the clearer instruction. It is with this in mind that we offer, side by side, the master works and the mishmash from the film factories. — D.C. HAPPY BREED Saints and Sinners: Among the finer offerings of the current screen season is this completely delightful importation of England's London Films production featuring the celebrated talents of Dublin's Abbey Players. No less marvelous than the acting is the velvet-smooth direction (which, however, never becomes slick) and the objectivity of the camera work, which has no need of artiness to achieve thoroughly convincing drama. Unreservedly recommended as among the best in current screen entertainment, the film is a rewarding example of imagination at work on a familiar scene. DEEP SOUTH Pinky: Darryl F. Zanuck, scrutinizing the American scene and its problems in Gentlemen's Agreement and Snake Pit, this year turns his attention to still another phase of our national life, the Negro problem. In this Twentieth Century-Fox release is apparent the same close attention to detail evident in his earlier films, the same excellent casting, effective use of natural settings and noble purpose. That it does not entirely fulfill its high expectations is due primarily to the fact that two other recent releases dealing with the same subject, Lost Boundaries and Home of the Brave, achieved more positive results with less effort. Pinky becomes self-conscious at times, filled with its own subject importance and noble purpose, whereas the two films just mentioned attained greatness on a simpler level. Produced in black and white, the film uses dramatic 20th Centurv-Fox ELIA KAZAN, who also directed 20th Century's Gentlemen's Agreement, discusses a scene from Pinky with Ethel Barrymore. low key lighting to emphasize the air of impending disaster that hangs over the setting. High key lighting, in turn, is used to intensify the tensions of the courtroom scene in which the Old South airs its problems for the world to see. Movement and changing camera position within the long individual sequences alleviate the danger of static and monotonous concentration on the same scene, a hint for amateurs working within the home. TARANTULA Beyond the Forest: In this Warner Brothers production of the Stuart Engstrand novel, we are confronted with the spectacle of Bette Davis indulging in adultery, desertion and murder. That she finally gets her own just deserts in one of the most untidy suicides exhibited on the screen cannot exonerate the film as a monument to bad taste and worse acting. It cannot by any stretch of tolerance be recommended as entertainment. Nevertheless, its technical handling is worth study. Here again, effective use is made of natural settings, particularly notable in the introductory sequence; action is telescoped to emphasize the dramatic high point of each story incident ; a fast tempo is created as onrushing events build steadily to a climax, while individual sequences are skilfully bridged by well constructed transitional devices. THE WILLOWS AND SLEEPY HOLLOW The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: For those amateurs interested in animation we recommend this United Artists release of another Disney full length feature. Actually, the film is composed of two shorter items, the one based on the English Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, the other on the American classic of Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Basil Rathbone is the narrator for the former, while Bing Crosby's breezy style lends an added charm to the recital of the latter. The two are done with Disney's customary good taste and proficiency. While Mr. Toad's doings provide the more fanciful fare, the merry absurdities of Ichabod seem the more delightful through their familiarity. PISTOL PACKIN' MAMA Deadly is the Female : A case in point to illustrate our opening remarks above is this United Artists release having to do with the twisted love story of a she-devil and a young man hell bent on his own destruction. The girl (Peggy Cummins) is a mediocre version of Annie Oakley. The boy (John Dall) has a psychopathic passion for gun toting and target practice. Basically, the rest of the film is a cops-and-robbers chase that has been done much better in a hundred other films, ending in the unlamented demise of the lovers. The real interest in the film, for amateurs, lies in the smoothly constructed transitional shots bridging the sequences, the efficient cross-cutting for swift pacing and the objective camera work amidst natural settings. Amateurs who have not as yet grasped the significance of the dictum that motion pictures must move may learn a good deal from some of the devices used here.