Hero's Island (United Artists) (1962)

Of New Movie ‘Hero's Island’ Have Share In Profits Stull TL-39 Mat 2A A swashbuckling James Mason stars in “Hero’s Island,” opening sdacesnaee at the ............ Theatre, through United Artists. In Panavision and Technicolor, the drama also stars Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn. Stevens Says He Has Answer To French And ftalian Movies Hollywood, which nurtured picture-making from infancy to the giant it has become today, has begun to answer France’s “new-wave” and Italy’s “‘neo-realism.” Leslie Stevens is one man with that answer. “In plain English,” he says, “it is the idea-picture, and ‘Hero’s Island’ is my first big one.” (He wrote and directed one of the most controversial American pictures of our time, “Private Property,” a few years ago, but it was not a “Big one.”) Starring James Mason, Ne ville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn, “Hero’s Island” opens in Technicolor and Panavision on Ee at the ........ Theatre, through United Artists release. At thirty-eight, Stevens has long been convinced that what foreign films have been doing so well, American movies can do_ better. The vitality, youthful spirit of excitement, creative freedom and ingenuity which are bringing tremendous acceptance from U.S. audiences were once strictly domestic commodities, and Stevens (who has nothing at all against big and bright movies—he produced “Marriage-Go-Round,” which he adapted from his own stage hit) is putting them back on the market. He Still TL-60 Mat 1B Rip Torn co-stars with James Mason, Neville Brand and Kate Manx in the Technicolor-Panavision drama, ‘‘Hero’s Island,” opening ............ iL | SV oMepenome mere Theatre, through United Artists release. PAGE 6 has other definitions of motion picture “bigness” than the physical scope and panoply which appear on the screen. To Stevens, there is nothing bigger than the mind of man, than human aspiration... national purpose. “Hero’s Island” is that kind of big, mounted on wide screen for sweep and shown in Technicolor for grandeur. Movie’s Cameraman Becomes Middleman A knee-length hood called a “violence camera” was developed and used for the first time in “Hero’s Island,” opening atatheuse. Theatre, through United Artists. Made of aluminum ribs laminated with two-inch thick layers of fiberglass, the hood permitted cameramen to photograph James Mason’s climactic cutlass duel with co-star Neville Brand from between the men. Portholes for the 35mm hand camera, mounted on an_ interior swivel, are of unbreakable ground glass and the interior of the hood, which is worn hung from the operator’s shoulders, is padded with foam rubber. Effect of this close, mobile photography is one of virtual audience participation in the dueling scenes. Kate Hunts Bear! Blond and willowy Kate Manx, co-starring with James Mason in “Hero’s Island,” opening in Technicolor on........ at the ........ Theatre, through United Artists release, looks as though her most strenuous activity would be hostessing a tea party. She is an avid big-game hunter, however. During vacations, Kate journeys to Alaska where she has brought down grizzly bears and caribou! (Advance Production Feature) In this era of preposterous prices a young man named Leslie Stevens has just turned back the clock a quarter century by making a motion picture in Technicolor and wide screen Panavision, starring James Mason, and bringing it in for only $289,000! Co-starring Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn, “Hero’s Island” opens ........ at the Theatre, through United Artists release. Stevens, who came to Hollywood from Broadway, where he authored the smash footlight productions of “Marriage-Go-Round” and “Champagne Complex,” long believed that America could come up with the film answer to France’s “new wave” and Italy’s “neo-realist” productions, and give U. S. audiences es a lot of movie for a little money.” As producer, director and author of “Hero’s Island,” Stevens went about doing just this, with ease and artistry. In order to lure James Mason—who commands one of the biggest salaries of any star —he offered him a handsome percentage of the picture’s profits, as he did with his other stars. To avoid heavy studio overhead and sound-stage rentals he took cast and crew to Catalina Island, twenty miles from Hollywood, for location filming. For his back-of-thecamera crew, on whom a producer is utterly dependent for meeting a production schedule, he signed the top men in their fields and added to their incentive by giving department heads a portion of the profits in addition to above-scale salaries. Result of this extra spending: a skin-tight shooting schedule of eighteen days was completed in sixteen. In the film, Catalina represents Bull Island, a landrise off the coast of the Carolinas, where the story is set. In 1718 a family of servants, newly-freed of indenture, struggled to maintain that freedom, aided by a notorious pirate, played with bravura style by a bearded Mason. Catalina, save for its famous bay and the city of Avalon, is a wilderness; its rugged 76 square miles are not open to the public. Two location sites were used: a cactus garden, planted many years ago by William Wrigley, Jr., who purchased the island soon after the turn of the century—and a spread of tiny, rock-bound harbors on the primitive western shore. All the vast equipment needed for filming (trucks, mobile dressing rooms, generators, lights, cameras, reflectors and properties) was barged to the island from the mainland and the cast lodged at St. Catherine Hotel in Avalon. Up at five in the morning, every morning, they were all turned in by eleven at night, too tired to use the company’s amphibian planes, available for shuttling to Hollywood. Heroes & Tourists “Hero’s Island’? opening in Technicolor on at the 2. 8 Theatre through United Artists release, is really Catalina Island, twenty miles off the coast of Southern California. The island is a world-famous summer playground, but tourist activities are confined to the city and bay of Avalon. Producer-director-writer Leslie Stevens took cast and crew to the primitive wilderness areas of the island, never open to the public, and there they filmed the exciting story, in Panavision. James Mason, Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn star. Stars and Staff Stevens Writes, Produces And Directs ‘Heros Island Epic At thirty-eight, Leslie Stevens has become a top talent in the world of entertainment, adding “Hero’s Island” to his many exciting accomplishments. Starring James Mason, Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn, the Technicolor drama opens Stevens wrote, directed and produced “Hero’s Island” with the same tireless energy and enthusiasm he has used for every project in his turbulent career. He also wrote “Marriage-Go-Round” for the Broadway stage and after two seasons brought it to Hollywood, wrote the screenplay and produced the movie. He also wrote and directed one of the most controversial American pictures of our time, “Private Property,” which caused a sensation here and in Europe. Europe also honored “The Left Handed Gun,” which at the time went unnoticed in the U. S. although his screenplay was directed by Arthur Penn, produced by Fred Coe and starred Paul Newman! The Union de Critiques in Belgium awarded it the Grand Prix while American audiences considered it an offbeat western. This was in 1960. Seven years before that Leslie, then a _playwriting student, showed a manu TL-65 Mat 1C Blond and willowy Kate Manx co-stars with James Mason in “Hero’s Island,” opening in Technicolor and Panavision on asi eva at the ............ Theatre, through United Artists. at Mees Theatre, through United Artists release. script to Joseph Anthony, also unknown and hungry, and together they managed to get “Bullfight” staged Off-Broadway. It was a hit and so were they. Since then Stevens has written “The Lovers,” which starred Joanne Woodward, “Champagne Complex” with Polly Bergen and the Claudette Colbert—Charles Boyer comedy hit “Marriage-Go-Round.” His TV successes include shows for the famed “Playhouse 90” and many spectaculars. “Hero’s Island” marks the first film of his own Daystar Corporation’s “idea-picture-pact” with United Artists, a project designed to combine entertainment with thought provoking subjects. The son of a U. S. Navy Vice Admiral, Leslie’s love of the sea and of liberty is evident in the screenplay he penned for this thrilling story of early America. MASON MOVIE (General Advance) “Hero’s Island,” Technicolor adventure epic starring James Mason, Opense re BUmLNe eeeeae: Theatre, through United Artists release. In wide-screen Panavision, the drama also stars Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn. Leslie Stevens, who wrote and _ produced “Marriage-Go-Round,” wrote, produced and directed “Hero’s Island,” which is the impassioned account of an early American family freed of indenture and deeded a landrise off the Carolina coast. Their deep love of the land is central to this violent and tender story recounting the struggle against tyranny. Their basic nature later became the national character of free citizens in the United States. Warren Oates and Brendan Dillon are featured in the film, which is a Daystar-Portland production. TL-12 Kate Manx and Rip Torn face the enemy in “Hero’s Island,” opening ............ atithesAs..427.%.: Mat 2B Theatre, through United Artists. They co-star with James Mason and Neville Brand in the Technicolor-Panavision drama. The boy behind that old flint-lock is Darby Hinton. Bad Man Brand Plays Villain Once More In ‘Hero's Island Neville Brand, Villain, has made a career out of being wrong. Nearly all of his screen roles cast him on the wrong side of the law, and in “Hero’s Island,” opening ........ at the Theatre, through United Artists release, he again plays the heavy: an evil, cruel, vicious steward of a slave port. Brand was delighted with the part. Bad man roles are the meatiest, claims Bad Man Brand, and the most fun for an actor. In “Hero’s Island,” which is in Technicolor and Panavision, he co-stars with James Mason, Kate Manx and Rip Torn. Brand’s big break was the prison break picture “Riot in Cell Block 11.” His first film was “D.O.A.” with Edmond O’Brien, followed by “The Halls of Montezuma.” Then for four years he shuttled between the New York stage and Hollywood, appearing in many action pictures—usually as the heavy, until he married Ramona Arujo and settled in California. They have two daughters. Mason is Builder Of Acting Career On Two Continents TL-EX-67 James Mason Mat 1D When is a Mason not a builder? When he is a hero. James Mason, currently starring with Neville Brand, Kate Manx and Rip Torn in “Hero’s Island,” opening atthe ssc Theatre, through United Artists, originally prepared for a career in architecture. Born in Huddersfield, England, he was educated at Marlborough College and then at Cambridge University, receiving both Bachelor and Masters degrees in that subject. However, when he managed to convince the manager of a touring melodrama called “The Rascal” that he was suitable for a role in the play, despite his colossal lack of experience, he forever abandonéd any thought of building anything except a stairway to stardom. Several seasons with repertory, including Noel Cowards Company, preceeded a season with the Old Vic, and in 1935 Mason made his screen debut. It was a modest movie called “Late Extra,” but it was followed with three more that same year. Among Mason’s most memorable British films are “Hatter’s Castle,” “Seventh Veil” and “Odd Man Out.” In 1948 Mason came to Hollywood and “Madame Bovary” marked the beginning of his U.S. career. Among the many movies which followed are “Prince Valiant,” “Five Fingers,” “The Desert Fox,” “A Star is Born,” “Julius Ceasar,” “North by Northwest,” “Journey To The Center of the Earth,” “Marriage-Go-Round,” and “Lolita.” Three By Thirty Leslie Stevens, who wrote, produced and directed “Hero’s Island,” opening in Technicolor on. ........ at bee. Theatre, through United Artists, authored two Broadway stage smashes before he was thirty. First was “Champagne Complex,” followed by “Marriage-Go-Round,” which he adapted for the screen and also produced. Even earlier, Stevens wrote “Bullfight,” which was presented Off-Broadway. TL-30 Mat 1A Neville Brand co-stars with James Mason in “Hero’s Island,” opening at the nel Theatre, through United Artists. Drama is in Technicolor and Panavision.