Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1963)

THE TRIAL Astor; Director, Orson Welles; Producers, Alexandre and Michel Salkind, Yves Laplanche (Adult) who’s in it? Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Orson Welles. what’s it about? Told that he’s under arrest, an office worker can't discover the charge or his accusers’ identity. what’s the verdict? The foreword promises “a dream, a nightmare,” and that’s all that is delivered. Tony’s frantic wanderings through endless hallways and rooms do record the vague terrors that wake you up at three a.m. There’s not one hint of reality; any meanings suggested in Kafka’s novel have been lost. FOLLOW THE BOYS M-G-M; Panavision, Metrocolor; Director, Richard Thorpe; Producer, L. P. Bachmann (Family) who’s in it? Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, Janis Paige, Russ Tamblyn. what’s it about? U.S. Navy wives and sweethearts trail a ship from one Mediterranean port to the next. wimt’s the verdict? Evidently intended as a follow-up to the smash “Where the Boys Are,” this rambling love comedy hasn’t as much gusto. Its best points are Paula’s wry humor, the lovely Riviera locales and Connie’s songs. When Connie isn’t singing, she can’t recapture the ease of her first performance. But it’s fun. THE FOUR DAYS OF NAPLES M-G-M; Director, Nanni Loy; Producer, Goff redo Lombardo; Italian Dialogue, English Titles (Adult) who’s in it? Lea Massari, Jean Sorel, Raffaele Barbato, Domenico Formato. what’s it about? In 1943, war-sick Neapolitans rebel against Nazis who try to hold the city after Mussolini’s fall. what’s the verdict? Each moment in this stirring account of actual events is so convincing that you might think a news cameraman had shot it. Still, its spirit is proud patriotism, rather than the detachment of straight reporting. It pays tribute to the courage of individuals: soldier, housewife or reform-school kid. LOVE AND LARCENY Major; Director, Dino Risi; Producer, Mario Cecchi Gori; Italian Dialogue, English Titles (Adult) who’s in it? Vittorio Gassman, Anna Maria Ferrero, Dorian Gray. what’s it about? A flop onstage, an actor turns con-man and prospers, till a nice girl comes along. what’s the verdict? Good-looking Gassman suddenly blossoms out as Italy’s answer to England’s Guinness and Sellers, with a whole series of hilarious impersonations. The plot’s mostly a bunch of outrageous swindles, tied up neatly in a double-switcheroo finish. Anna Maria and Dorian supply generous female charm. THE ELUSIVE CORPORAL LTnion; Director, Jean Renoir; French Dialogue, English Titles (Adult) who’s in it? Jean-Pierre Cassel, Claude Brasseur, Claude Rich. what’s it about? As a P.O.W. in Germany, a casual-seeming Parisian becomes an escape artist, undaunted by failures. what’s the verdict? Ex-dancer Cassel, who was a light-hearted kook in “The Love Game,” again shows a deft touch with a comedy gag. But this time he also draws a serious portrait of a remarkable guy, brave, stubborn and resourceful. In the same manner, the movie is funny without ridiculing a tragic situation. MONKEY IN WINTER M-G-M; Director, Henri Verneuil; French Dialogue, English Titles (Adult) who’s in it? Jean Gabin, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Suzanne Flon. what’s it about? After years on the wagon, an old Normandy innkeeper joins a young drunk and chases dreams again. what’s the verdict? A high-powered acting team turns in a beautifully delicate job in another French film that’s both amusing and sad. White-haired now, Gabin still may be called France’s Spencer Tracy. Belmondo might be their Brando (but a more reliable actor than ours). The score has wit and imagination, too. 7