Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1952)

MOVIE MAKERS 339 flower festival, the big annual affair in glad-minded Momence; and the festival in turn is followed by a seemingly endless parade in tribute to these bounteous blossoms. Bulbs and Beauty, accompanied agreeably by magnetic sound on film, appears to have been made for informative and record purposes. It fulfills these functions in a lively and competent manner. Give Us This Day Going back to The Lord's Prayer for the title of his picture, A. T. Bartlett has produced a handsome, heart-warming and technically able documentary on the theme "Our Daily Bread." In it one follows the staff of life from the vast and golden wheat fields of Australia, through the harvesting and milling of the grain, into the baker's hands and onto my lady's table. Give Us This Day is intelligently planned, smoothly developed and suavely executed. A simple but satisfying narrative continually relates the subject — as it should be — directly to human needs, and a pleasant musical score rounds out the presentation. Especially to be commended is the minimum of footage used by Mr. Bartlett in reporting on this age-old activity of mankrnd. Muntre Streker M untie Streker, which (we are informed) means "Funny Lines" in a literal translation from the Norwegian, is a wholly delightful tid-bit of animated cartooning. In it, fat colored crayons — one dressed as a boy, the other as a girl — act out a simple story which is as gay in its good humor as the animation is flawless in its technique. Scarcely 100 feet in length, Muntre Streker is a bright and sparkling gem of film fantasy. Olvido Featuring a philandering wife, an illicit lover and a trusting husband, Olvido (Oblivion) proves once again, in the course of its sharply paced sequences, that the wages of sin is death. In it, the taut situations (which will lead at the last to murder and suicide) are so expertly directed and suavely acted that they develop always within the bounds of credibility. This achievement is especially noteworthy in an amateur photoplay of this melodramatic type. For others, attempting work in the same medium, have lapsed all too often into either the ridiculous or the farcical. Producers Oscar J. Bonello and Roberto Robertie, both officers of the Cine Club Argentino, in Buenos Aires, have used black and white film wisely, since its stark contrasts under low-key lighting are more effective than would be those of color. The Spanish sound track, employed sparingly and with dramatic force, is in keeping with the high standards of the rest of the picture. Outsmarted Smarties Long a chef du cinema of pleasant family films concocted with a comedy flavor, George Valentine, has once again stirred up his favorite recipe. Outsmarted Smarties is a lively tale of a couple of mischievous husbands being outwitted by their wives. In his film, Mr. Valentine has combined clear plot structure, good cutting and sparkling lighting (especially in the interior scenes) , to tie up a neat package with a punch ending. The acting is consistent with the demands of the story, and the attractive titles are intelligently inserted only where they are needed. Poet and Peasant At the outset of amateur movies' newest medium, magnetic sound on film, Robert G. Williams has accomplished a tour de force with his uncannily perfect synchrony of music to pictures in Poet and Peasant. As Kathryn Williams plays the familiar overture on the Hammond organ, the sound accompaniment matches the hand movements on screen without faltering and without once resorting to tricks or short cuts. Countless closeups of the organist's hands as they play give evidence of Mr. Williams's confidence and ability in the new field. But Mr. Williams also has made a lively and interesting picture from a subject usually so dull and static that, more often than not, it has stumped most professionals. Pacing his film with precision, he has used an amazing variety of camera angles, even shooting from above and behind the organ. Mrs. Williams's playing is competent and assured; but it is Mr. Williams's unusually good filming and recording techniques which bring her abilities vividly to life on screen. The Man With The Box A teen-aged girl — whose imagination has been excited by murder headlines in the local paper — and a mysterious new boarder in her mother's home are the ingredients of The Man With The Box, a superlative melodrama by James L. Watson. For here is as hairraising a thriller as you could want to see. Mr. Watson tells his story through the interplay of image and counterimage, without benefit of dialog, and he tells it simply and well. Taut and well paced, the film should hold any audience in suspense-filled excitement from its quiet and clearly stated beginning right up to the shock of its logical and terrifying conclusion. The small cast has been cunningly chosen and wisely directed. The players, Cathy Moss as the inquisitive GOERZ LENSES MOVIES and TELEVISION HYPAR W-l-D-E ANGLE ANASTIGMAT F:2.7 Focal length: 15 mm and longer APOGOR ANASTIGMAT F:2.3 Focal length: 35 mm, 50 mm, 75 mm These fine lenses are made by skilled technicians with many years of optical training. Designed for use in 16 and 35 mm film cameras, they are corrected for all aberrations at full opening and give highest definition in black-and-white and color. For illustrated catalog and complete details write Dept. MM-1, Quality Lens for over half a century C. P. GOERZ AMERICAN OPTICAL COMPANY I | Office and Factory ^> 317 EAST 34th STREET NEW YORK 16, N Y.