Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1960)

Another Sky STRANGE, SUBTLE LOVE STORY; ADULT An Englishwoman falls in love with an Arab. That blunt outline of a plot may suggest “The Sheik,” but you can forget all about the old Valentino romance. The setting here is the real Morocco, and the events are odd yet believable. As a governess, Victoria Grayson has been living at secondhand, through the families she has worked for. She comes to Marrakech to be a companion to rich Catherine Lacey, whose foolish life offers absolutely nothing worth sharing. So Victoria is completely vulnerable to the mood of the foreign country, and she becomes infatuated with a handsome, indifferent boy in a singing-dancing troupe. Gavin Lambert directs his own script at a slow, thoughtful pace that gives us plenty of time to search out the implied meanings in this poetic movie that’s so full of the unexpected. HARRISON High Time AMIABLE CAMPUS MUSICAL; FAMILY Bing Crosby plays he’s a fifty ish freshman, a restaurant tycoon who wants to catch up on the fun (and education) he missed. Fabian’s one of his roommates; Tuesday Weld’s a kookie coed who loves a different boy each year; Nicole Maurey’s a pretty French prof — widowed, as Bing is. The movie’s at its liveliest in novelty musical connections between scenes; the more serious bits, with dialogue, look a bit sticky by contrast. On the surface it seems college comedies haven’t changed much since the days when Bing Crosby played the young professor, crooning “The Old Ox Road.’’ Come to think of it, there is one big change : These college students actually do some studying! 20th; cinemascope, de luxe color Ten Who Dared FORTHRIGHT TRUE ADVENTURE; FAMILY Like most Disney productions, this one’s aimed at the youngsters, but it has enough substance to satisfy an older moviegoer who’s in a relaxed mood. There’s lots of gorgeous scenery, in the Colorado River country, and a story based on historical fact. John Beal plays Major John Wesley Powell, one-armed r scientist who first mapped the river and its mighty Grand Canyon. The only crew running venture is a rough bunch, including a couple of drunks and two guys who are still fighting the Civil War. Character conflicts are simple and obvious, but they ring true, and the backgrounds tower over everything. BUENA VISTA, TECHNICOLOR It Happened in Broad Daylight FAIRLY INTERESTING SUSPENSE; ADULT Mostly German-made (but with dialogue in English I , this thriller keeps suggesting sinister twists — that never materialize. Instead, it goes along a familiar path with a Swiss detective who throws his career away to track down a psychopathic child-killer, after the police have written the case off their books. Heinz Ruhmann is quietly attractive as the patient sleuth, and Alpine villages at least supply a different locale. continental The Angel Wore Red WEAK WAR MELODRAMA; ADULT Even at this distance, Spain’s Civil War — curtain-raiser for World War II — is an explosive subject. But this story is as vague and indecisive as its hero. Dirk Bogarde is stuck with the part, a priest who leaves the church because he thinks it has lost touch with the people. Then he has a hard time figuring out which side he’s on. It’s no help at all when he falls in love with a bargirl ( Ava Gardner), who’s as noble as such fancy ladies always are — in fiction. Joseph Cotten has to play a slightly idiotic American newspaperman, and Vittorio de Sica (with somebody else’s dubbedin voice) is a cynical Loyalist general. M-G-M Key Witness INCREDIBLE CRIME YARN; ADULT Nobody connected with this picture had better park one inch too close to a fire plug or drive one mile over the speed limit. Considering how useless the Rex and Doris in “ Midnight Lace.,, here, they re probably just itching for revenge. Though Jeffrey Hunter, wife Pat Crowley and kids are such a model family that they could pose for a TV commercial, they’re in a peck of trouble after Jeff witnesses a teen-gang killing. Dennis Hopper and his j.d. pals are a preposterous group, too, including Susan Harrison, who’s at least pretty to look at, and Johnny Nash, who’s upstanding enough to be in a Boy Scout troop. M-G-M W here the Hot Wind Blows GRIMLY AMUSING SHOCKER; ADULT “Where” is a fishing village in Southern Italy — picturesque, all right, but no place to visit on a vacation. A smell of decay hangs over the town, and everybody’s a little odd, or worse. Gina Lollobrigida is asked to wear a skimpy dress (and that’s about all) while scheming to get out of an old tyrant’s household, marry a handsome and innocent engineer and evade the clutches of a most uncharming Yves Montand. People who are not easily shocked will find some sharp touches of humor in the peculiar goings-on. People who are just hunting for sensation will find plenty of that. too. M-C-M Midnight Lace EYE-SOOTHING, NERVE-FRAZZLING; FAMILY Now here’s a pretty kettle of fish! That is, it’s a mystery with gorgeous clothes, mellow backgrounds — and more red herrings than ever confused a film detective before. Question is, who is frightening poor Doris Day with bloodcurdling threats over the phone? If it weren’t for this menace, she’d be the girl with everything; a lovely wardrobe ( designed by Irene ) ; a luxurious London flat; a gallant British financier (Rex Harrison) for a husband; a nice American aunt ( Myrna Loy ) ; a goodlooking house-builder (John Gavin, with an uncertain English accent ) next door and ready to rescue her. But we can’t help noticing that John is often nervous. . . . Every man in sight has a quirk or a motive that makes him a suspect, so the story gets more and more baffling. Always a pretty girl, Doris really blooms as a beauty here. And her helplessheroine role is full of hysterics that give her a dandy chance for emoting. (No songs for Doris.) u-i, eastman color 8