Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

22 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 26, 1949 The Mox Current and Forihcoming Feature Product Reviewed from the Theatreman's Standpoint lice Slant The Ballad of Dolores (Spanish Dialog — English Titles) Lux Film Drama with Music 85 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Highly romantic plot and gay music, but nothing to take it out of the "Spanish language" category. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Better than average for Spanish-speaking audiences, with Imperio Argentina name helpful. Cast: Imperio Argentina, Enrique Diosdado, Amadeo Novoa. Ricardo Canales, Manolito Diaz. Credits: Produced by Lux Film in Argentina. Prndticer, Ricardo Nunez. Director, Benito Perojo. Scenario, Franjesco Madrid. From the play by Manuel Acevedo. Photography, Antonio Merayo. Musi:, Maestro Breton. English adaptation, Clare Catahno. Plot: A "good" girl is seduced by a cad, repulses him later when he will not consider marriage. He spitefully writes a calumnious ballad and, trying to blackmail her, is killed by a young theological student who loves her. The student goes to prison and she, to escape her shame, roams desolately until she marries a kindly old man. She remains faithful to him when the student unexpectedly returns. Comment: This product of the Argentine is a better-than-average entry for Spanishspeaking audiences, especially since the name of Actress Imperio Argentina carries some weight, but otherwise it can be termed a lesser Lux. In addition to a highly romantic and convoluted plot it offers a number of songs and dances, some of them by the leading lady in her gayer days. The photography is notable, as it has been in some previous Spanish-language films, and the English sub-titles are quite adequate. Disillusion (Italian Dialog— English Titles) C. & B. Film Dist. Drama 90 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Acting is good but leisurely; long plot is in need of cutting. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: A possibility for strictly foreign houses. Cast: Ruggero Ruggeri, Bella Starage Sainati, Enrico Clori, Germana Paoleri, Roberto Villa, Luisella Beghi, Maria Mercader, Nino Crisman. Giulio Donadio. Credits: Production director, Valentino Brosio. Director, Mario Bonnard. Scenario, Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bonnard, Akos Tolnay. Plot: A retired baggage master in Le Havre thinks his son in Paris is studying hard to become a lawyer. The old man is disillusioned when he learns of the wastrel's heavy indebtedness to a gambler. The proud father shields the son's reputation, assumes the debts (going back to his . heavy work) and sends the boy to sea. The gambler meanwhile gets his come-uppance and the son comes back from his voyage a better man. Comment: Though the acting is good there's little stimulating in a very leisurely plot unaccountably stretched out enough for two movies. The natural end to the story of disillusionment seems to fall with the father's noble assumption of the son's debts and the latter's retreat to sea. If it were not the son's weakness but the gambler's cadishness (he's National Reviewing Committees' Audience Classifications TRAPPED (EL) FAMILY — National Board of Review CLASS A-SEC. 1— National Legion of Decency CONSPIRATOR (MGM) FAMILY — National Board of Review CLASS A-SEC. 2 — National Legion of Decency SILENT DUST (Mono.) MATURE — ^National Board of Review CjjAaS B — i\ational Legion of Decency Objection: Tends to condone immoral actions called a cad in one subtitle) that chiefly concerned the scenarists, the disillusionment background should have been sketched in briefly, if at all, so that the emphasis might fall solely on the gambler, the boy and the women they knew and through whom the former met his death. If one will be satisfied with the disillusionment part, extensive cutting should solve the problem with little difficulty. The work as the father of Ruggero Riggeri, a leading Italian stage actor, supports the superior claim of this part. The other parts, though executed well enough by Roberto Villa (the son), Enrico Clori (the villain) and others, are mere caricatures. This first release of the C. & B. Film Distributing Co. is a possibility, depending upon what is done with it, for strictly foreign houses. Tough Assipment Lippert Prod'ns. Drama 64 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) The general audience should find this picture swiftly paced and actionful, its subject interesting. The fights are frequent and realistic. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: This is typical low-budget action fare, tailored for the second spot on a double bill. It is well up to standard in its category, and its subject, motorized cattle-rustling, offers good exploitation possibilities. Cast: iJon Barry, Marjorie Steele, Steve Brodie, Marc Lawrence, Ben Welden, Michael Whalen. Credits: Producer, Carl K. Hittleman. Director, WiUiam Beaudine. Photography. Benjamin Kline. Original story by Carl K. Hittleman. Screenplay by Milton Luban. Plot: Investigating the bootleg beef racket, a reporter finds that the mobsters are operating from a ranch, using an airplane and stock trucks in their wholesale business. The state troopers arrive at the ranch in time to save the reporter's life and capture the crooks. Comment: As typical low-budget action fare, slanted at the neighborhood houses and smaller communities, this film delivers very satisfactorily in its category. Good scripting and well-paced direction should make it suitable, also, for second spot billing in larger situations. The terrific shellackings taken and administered by Don Barry, as the reporter, are frequent and realistic enough to fulfill the requirements of the action houses. Marc Lawrence, Steve Brodie, and Ben Welden are sufficiently menacing in their tough guy roles. The story, which is well handled and believable throughout, offers good exploitation possibilities. The picture should give a good account of itself in the market for which it is tailored. Whklpool 20th-Fox Drama 97 mins, AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) With considerable suspense and a good women's angle, uneven direction kesp this from being as good as it might have been. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Advance selling angles should help it spin along satisfactorily with general audiences. Cast: Gene Tierney. Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Barbara O'Neil, Eduard Franz, Constance Collier, Fortunio Bonanova. Credits: Producer-Director, Otto Preminger. Screenplay, Ben Hecht and Andrew Solt. From a novel by Guy Endore. Photography, Arthur Miller. Music, Alfred Newman. Plot: The wife of a successful young psychiatrist has a secret kleptomania through which she is manipulated by an astrologisthypnotist into an incriminating position in a murder case while he provides for himself a nearly airtight alibi. Shortly before the killing he undergoes a serious operation. As finally revealed when he tries it again to cover up some evidence, he inured himself to the forbidding pain by self-hypnosis, left the hospital and committed the crime himself. Hemorrhage finishes him the second time out. Comment: With two such established screen stars as Gene Tierney and Richard Conte and the well-publicized appearance of stage luminary Jose Ferrer, this picture has a good head start. Its bizarre plot, moreover, can be cleverly exploited. While considerable suspense is created, however, the direction is uneven; there are cliches and abrupt developments which may irritate the discriminating patrons drawn by the Ferrer name. He, further, cannot be said to benefit by the script, though his peculiar villainous role is an exploitable one, nor can Conte, out of his usual tough guy category as the psychiatrist. Miss Tierney, on the other hand, is perfectly cast as the wife; she looks her part, which is to say exquisite, and delivers her lines convincingly. Her difficult and central position in the plot, which involves marital fidelity as well as kleptomania and murder, gives the film a good women's angle. Charles Bickford is solid as a police lieutenant. "Whirlpool," with the impetus of its advance selling points, its suspense and its women's angle, should spin along satisfactorily even though it's less than it might have been. (Color by Technicolor) Univ.-Int'l Adventure Drama 82 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) An average audience offering with lavish backgrounds, colorful costumes and Technicolor photography for the eye, and a musical background and songs for the ear. But there is « httle excitement or suspense in the story. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: The title and the f O'Hara and Price names, as well as the type ' of picture, lend themselves to exploitation '' that should insure better-than-average returns on initial openings. Cast: Maureen O'Hara, Paul Christian, Vincent Price, John Sutton, Jeff Corey, Frank Puglia, David Wolfe, Fritz Leiber, Otto Waldis, Leon Belasco, Ann i