Variety (March 1955)

FILM REVIEWS Wednesday, March 2, 1955 Untamed (COLOR—C’SCOPE) African adventure yarn with tome flashy action footage shot in Zululand. An exploitation natural. Twentieth Century-Fox r*Je»M of a Bert E. Friedlob-Willism A. Bacher pro- duction. Star* Tyrone Power. 8u«an Hay- ward. Richard Egan; feature* Agne* Moorehead. Rita Moreno. Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O’Neill. Directed by Ilenrv King. Screenplay. Talbot Jennings. Frank Fenton and Michael Blankfort. Adaptation bv Jenninr* and Bacher from the Helga Moray novel: camera (Color by Dc Luxe). Leo Tover; editor. Barbaia McLean; music. Frani Waxman; special effects. Ray Kellogg, Previewed in N.Y. Feb. 25. '55. Running time, lit MINS. Paul Van Riebeck Tyrone Power *;“« "« •JIK.S'SS! “SB*' K, “* r * .V.-.-.V: * Aciic. J Moor«h?aS Tulia ** Rita Moreno Maria De Groot .J’ntxTer /■’ L r } ton Bl iin xiei Souire O’Neill ......... • Henry O’Neill Tschaka Paul Thompson jan Alexander D. llavemann Joubert Jh ou if"’*'* j »‘ k Macv Mme Joubert Trude Wyler H , n i' Lnula oPUimon Brown Maria's Children Brian Corcoran-I.inda Lowell. Tina Thompson. Gary and Bobby Diamond SBrtSSfcJ, ■' ■cJ8S?<ES2L J„u„, Joubnt ::;: ;;;: c,,rl ' R , i?S r ?*Sri« Capt. Richard Eaton ....John Dodsworth Driver—Bree Street ... Alberto Morin 0r,y . .vWcJKB Lady Vernon Eleanor Audlej (Aspect ratio: 2:55 to 1) when this temperamental turnabout continues through the entire film. Power is properly rugged and in parts curiously wooden in a rou- tine role. Like the rest, he’s hin- dered by some of the incredible lines he’s asked to speak. Richard Egan as Miss Hayward’s suitor who about with a hackle-raising class room fight in' which Ford and Poitier find themselves when the teacher subdues a knife-wielding Morrow. The story uses the shocker tech eventually turns bully and outlaw n iq Ue c f profanity, racial slur, at- carries a good punch and cuts a promising new screen figure. Agnes Moorehead as Miss Hay- ward’s nurse is barely in the pic- ture. Rita Moreno puts a lot of fire into the role of the passionate waif, Egan’s girl. Best and most exciting scenes in the picture are the ones shot in South Africa, with thousands of dancing and shouting Zulus, drummed into a frenzy, attacking the Boer wagon train. Leo Tover’s lensing is done with the big Cin- emascope screen in mind. Director King also threw in some extras, such as a big dust storm which topples a huge tree which in turn pins down a man whose leg has to be amputated in a somewhat grue- some scene complete with agonized yelling, etc., and a whip-duel be- tween Power anti Egan. “Untamed” is said to have cost $3,750,000, a rather considerable investment, not all of which shows up on the screen. This isn’t exactly a critics’ picture, but the African adventure tag plus ex- ploitation values should contribute to a lively b.o. showing. De Luxe tints come out just fine. Hift. Blackboard Jungle If one proceeds on the assump- tion that CinemaScope “bigness,” coupled with unusual backgrounds, still w'orks its spell on the audi- ence, “Untamed.” with all of these elements, shapes up as a healthy b.o. contender. It’s a romance- laden action western with fiery Zulus supplanting the Redmen, and Boers taking the place of the west- ern pioneers. Unfortunately, despite some truly grandiose and eye-filling scenery and battle action staged with sock effect in the early part of the film, this Bert E. Friedlob-William A. Bacher production just isn’t a very good picture. It’s overlong (there are at least three different poten- tial endings); it’s more intimate scenes lack conviction, and the scripting at times borders on the amateurish, quite an accomplish- ment considering that it took three me n—Talbot Jennings. Frank Fen- ton and Michael Blankfort to whip together the screenplay. This may easily go down as one of the greatest see-saw romances in screen history, with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward as the alternately eager and reluctant couple. Lack of good judgment in not editing out unnecessary se- quences makes the film drag in many spots and appear repetitious. Also, there are some bits that are acted in a manner to invite hilarity when none was intended. These could easily be trimmed without the slightest harm being done to the production. On the contrary, it’d be improved. Based on the Helga Moray novel, “Untamed” in many parts is an ideal CinemaScope action vehicle and director Henry King, who spent several months in South Africa to get his backgrounds, has come up with some gusty footage. The rugged scenery, with the Boer wagons strung out in a vast, slow- moving line; the Zulu attack, with moments of real horror and great tension; the moment the Boers reach their goal—all these give the picture an occasional exciting qual- ity and should provide the meaty action that fans savor. Story, in the main, is concerned with the great Boer trek, when they fought and died to establish the Dutch Free State. Woven into this is the personal and turbulent love story about one of the Dutch Controversial block buster dealing with underpaid teach- ers versus juvenile hoodlums. Pro and con factors promise explosive exploitation b.o. Hollywood, Feb. 28. Metro release of Pandro S. Berman production* Stars Glenn Ford. Anne Fran- cis. Louis Calhern: feature* Margaret Hayes. John HoyL Richard Kiley. Emile Meyer. Basil Ruvsdael, Warner Anderson, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow. Dan Terra- nova. Rafael Campos. Paul Ma/.ursky. Direction and screenplay by Richard Brooks. Based on the novel by Evan Hunter; camera, Russell Harlan: editor. Ferris W'ebster; •musical adaptation. Charles W'olcott. Previewed Feb. 23, ’55. Running time, 100 MINS. Richard Dadier Glenn Ford Anne Dadier Anne Francis Jim Murdock Louis Calhern Lois Hammond Margaret Haves Mr. Warneke John Hoyt J. Y. Edwards Richard Kiley Mr. Halloran .. Emile Meyer Dr. Bradley Warner Anderson | Prof. Kraal Basil Ruvsdael Gregory W. Miller Sidney Poitier Artie W’est . Vic Morrow Relazi Dan Terranova Pete V. Morales Rafeal Campos Emmanuel Stoker Paul Ma/.ursky Detective Horace McMahon Santini Jameel Farah De Lica Danny Dennis (Aspect ratio: 1.75-1) ing, indignant and frightened be- j and w ith a *°^ * n * 01 lhe fore the conclusion is brought {wandering Douglas. Title of the picture, ably scripted by. Borden Chase and D. D. Beau- champ from a novel by Dee Lin- i ford, comes from the thought that everyone has a star to keep them steadfast and those without a pur- pose are doomed to wander for- ever. Such a man is Douglas, a saddle tramp who hates fences and who is kept moving further west as more and more range is crossed by barbed wire. Douglas and Campbell, a range novice who has attached himselt to the colorful saddle tramp, find work on the big spread operated by Miss Crain, a gal who decides Douglas Is just the man to ramrod her ranch and handle house duties at night, provided he will continue to fight the small ranchers who want to save grass for winter feed- ing bv fencing. The plot is basic western in this setup of open versus fenced land, but writing variations keep it fresh and the action high as things move towards the climax when Douglas switches sides, helps the small ranchers and then rides off in search of new, unfenced land. King Vidor’s vigorous direction of the action and the sweeping staging of the big outdoor scenes is a top asset to the entertainment values. The humor has a crude, masculine flavor just right for the raw west and the characters peo- pling it. A laugh gag good for con- siderable footage is the cowpoke speculation over the installation and use pf an inside bathroom at Miss Crain’s big ranch. Along w ith the bold humor are fights, stam- pedes and chases just as bold with action, and Russell Metty’s camera work shows them off importantly. Abetting the good work of the four principals Is Richard Boone, a badman from Texas who moves in on the Crain spread when Douglas switches allegiance; Jay C. Flippen, the honest foreman replaced by Douglas;- Myrna Hansen, daughter of small rancher Eddy Waller who ropes young Campbell; Mara Cor- day. one of Miss Trevor’s girls; Sheb Wooley, Roy Barcroft, Bill Phillips and others. Douglas takes banjo in hand to plink and sing “And the Moon Grew Brighter and Brighter” by Jimmy Kennedy and Lou Singer during a saloon sequence. Behind the main title, Frankie Laine’s voice is heard singing the title tune, cleffed by Arnold Hughes Frederick Herbert. It’s a range ballad of the “Mule Train”-“Wild Goose”-etc., school. Brog. tempted rape and similar socially unacceptable motivations for em- phasis but these all belong with such a gutty topic. Also, it uses much that is obvious in character and situation, but this, because it is familiar, only lends emphasis to the dramatic points. It seems cer- tain that controversy will develop over two teachers, beaten down from a day in class, getting drunk in a corner saloon and then falling prey to a cruel beating by their hoodlum students; over the sexual and spiritual lonesomeness of Mar- garet Hayes, a frightened teacher in the school and the forthright way in which . her problem is stated; over the fact a teacher wit- nesses a crime by some of his pupils and fails to I’eport it. and, less possibly, 'over the frank ap- proach to marital relations be- tween Ford and his pregnant wife, Anne Francis. However, all of this can be boxoffice fuel. Pandro S- Berman’s production supervision hacks the Brooks ap- proach to the picture without res- ervation, resulting in a film with a melodramatic impact that hits hard at a contemporary problem. The casting, too, is exceptionally good. Miss Francis is fine and he- lieveable as the w'ife. Louis Cal- hern reads all of the forlorn bit- terness of a life-beaten man into his cvnical teacher character, and Miss Hayes is simply great as the sexpot teacher. John Hoyt, school principal; Richard Kiley, Emile Meyer, and hoods Dan Terranova, Rafeal Campos. Paul Mazursky and others wallop over their parts. On the technical side, the pic- ture has a fine lineup of talents, including Russell Harlan’s stark photography, the realistic settings, the editing and the musical adap- tation. Used to pinpoint drama are three recordings, with Rock Around the Clock,” played by Bill Haley and His Comets themi T .g the jazz beat that expresses the sub- ject. Others heard are “Invention For Guitar and Trumpet, played by Stan Kenton and his orchestra, and “The Jazz Me B.ues,’ played bv Bix Beiderbecke and His Gang. J Brog. back to life. Actually, he returna in a few minutes, but the oath having been taken she is deter- mined to walk out of his life and the rest of the film is a battle be- tween her conscience and her love. Van Johnson becomes little more than an anguished onlooker. Sitting on the sidelines most of the time is Peter Cushing as Miss Kerr’s husband, a civil servant who is bewildered by his wife’s mysterious coming and goings, hut cannot quite bring himself to hire an inquiry agent. So Van Johnson does it for him and the scenes in which John Mills does the trailing are among the best in the picture. But their inquiry leads them to the home of a Hyde Park soap-box agnostic, whose visiting cards are distributed to the audience he harangues. With the emphasis on fhe re- ligious debate, the film takes on a static appearance and there is hardly any action throughout the footage. Instead, there’s an over- abundance of closeups and two shots, when barely a bright line of dialog or a smile from one of the principal characters brightens the*, scene. Despite this gloomy backcloth. Miss Kerr radiates warmth and beauty. Van Johnson’s perform- ance. on the other hand, is kept to a single key, inducing an air of monotonv. Only Mills, best served bv the script, is able to emerge as a'believeable character. Cushings study of the husband is also kept to one plane, but there are neat contrasting cameos by Stephen Murray, as the priest wrho preaches faith and by Michael GoodlifTc. as the agnostic wrho advocates reason. Edward Dmytryk’s direction is clanrl? restricted by the demands of the script. Wilkie Cooper’s lensing attains a high quality and Benjamin Frankel’s score is effec- tively unobtrusive. Other technical credits are okay, but the pic could be helped by additional scissoring. JWj/ro. Juvenile hoodlums get a stark working over in “Blackboard Jun- gle,” a controversial blockbuster that should ride to an explosive exploitation boxoffice before the pro and con ashes have time to settle. Its ticket-selling potential lies in the fact that the viewer will feel, and intensely, tiie melodra- matic content, no matter whether in agreement with what is said, or how it is said. This feeling, prop- erly stimulated by ballyhoo, can pay off at the b.o. Director - seripter Richard Brooks, working from novel by Evan Hunter, has fashioned an angry picture that flares out in moral and physical rage at mental slovenliness, be it juvenile, mature, or in the pattern of society ac- ceptance of things as they are be- cause no one troubles to devise a better way. No particular plea is made for racial-tolerance. It’s baldly stated and left up to the individual to accept or reject. The same treat- ment is accorded tlie school sys- l tom and the shabbily-paid teach- ers. both those dedicated and those ! unable to face a more competitive ! world. Man Without a Slar (COLOR—SONG) Good western drama, high- lighting action with sex and humor; profitable possibilities. Hollywood, March 1. Universal release of Aaron Rosenberg production. Stars Kirk Douglas. J **™ l j* Crain, Claire Trevor; co-stars William Campbell; features Richard Boone. Mai a Corday. Jay C. Flippen, Myrna Hansen. Directed by King Vidor. Screenplay, Boi- den Chase. D. D. Beauchamp; based on a novel by Dee Linford: camera <I>echni- color). Russell Metty; editor. Virgil Nogel, music supervision, Joseph Gersnensoii. songs: "Man Without a Star" by Arnold Hughes, Frederick Herbert, sung by Frankie Laine; "And the Moon Grew Brighter and Brighter.” bv Jimmy Ken- nedy and Lou Singer. Previewed Feb. 22, '55. Running time, I* MINS. Dempsey Rae Kirk Douglas Reed Bowman Jeanne Crain Idonee Claire Trevor Jeff Jimson William Campbell Steve Miles Richard Boone Strap Davis JaY C. Flippen Tess Cassidy Myrna Hansen Moccasin Mary Mara Corday Tom Cassidy Eddy C. Waller Latigo Sheb Wooley Tom Carter George Wallace Little Waco Frank l.hase Mark Toliver Paul Birch Sheriff Olson Rov Barcroft Cookie Wm. "Bill” Phillips (Aspect ratio: 2-1) The Kml of Hie Affair (BRITISH) Deborah Kerr and Van John- son In Graham Greene drama with strong religious over- tones; valuable star appeal but questionable b.o. hopes. Other social problems are eov- JUVC- aiuiy <iuuui uuc i/i tne uumi i .„..i j „|,f | v leaders and an Irish girl who loved i • ‘ : . : lhp juvenile bum I him on two continents. Power ™ in ‘schooh^ and 1 weed meets Miss Hayward in Ireland. | t „ ° hcr ' scnoouoon* anu a six Later she marries and induces her ~ ’’ carrj husband to go to South Africa to start a new life. He is killed and the romancing between Power and Miss Hayward continues to the point where she bears him a child (of which he knows nothing, hav- ing gone off to fight) in one of the most sequences of the picture, Miss Hay- ward reveals to Power the origin of the child, and he slips a ring on her finger. Miss Hayward struggles some- what grimly with a part that would defy any actress. However, she’s easy on the eye. wears some attrac- tive period dresses and is emo- tional when the occasion demands. There are some scenes, such as the one when she has to sow a field and another when she gets a lengthy back massage from Power, that are obviously beyond her ca- pacity. Also, the script’s demands, that she blaze with anger one min- ute and melt amorously in the next, are tough on any actress To say all this, the plot intro- duces Glenn Ford, young Navy veteran, taking his first teaching job. His classroom is in a big city trade school, and the pupils are a cross-section of all races. As in Humor and sex highlight the ac- tion in “Man Without a Star,” a good western feature with profit- able boxoffice prospects. Kirk Douglas, in the title role, takes easily to the saddle as a tumble- eed cowpoke w'ho has a way with sixgun or the ladies, helping to y off the seemingly authentic range flavor that is one qf the better aspects of the presentation. This air is furthered by the story treatment and some outstanding color photography or the outdoor settings. These factors all add up London, March 1. Columbia release of David E. Rose pro- duction. Stars Deborah Kerr. Van John- son. John Mills; features Stephen Murray, Nora Swinburne, Charles Goldncr, Peter Cushing. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Screenplay, Lenore Coffee from novel by Graham Greene; camera, Wilkie Cooper; editor. Alan Osbiston; music. Benjamin Frankel. At Empire Theatre. London, Fab. 23, '55. Running time, 107 MINS. Sarah Miles Deborah Kerr Maurice Bendrix Van Johnson lbert Parkis John Mills Henry Miles Peter Cushing Father Crompton Stephen Murray Mr*. Bertram Nora Swinburne Savage Charles Goldner Smyth* • Michael Goodliffe Miss Palmer Joyce Carey Dr. Collingwood Frederick Leister Landlady Elsie Wagltaff Lancelot Parkis Christopher Warbey SI ranger on Horsehaek (COLOR) • Okay Joel McCrea western for the general outdoor action market. Hollywood, March- 1. United Artists release of Robert Gold- stein production. Stars ^**1 ,5°" stars Miroslava; features Kevin McCarthy, John Mclntire. Emil* Meyer. Nancy Gates. John Carradin*. Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Screenplay, Herb Meadow, Don Martin; story by Louis L’Amour; camera (Ansco Color by Path*). Ray Rennahan; editor. William Murphy; music. Paul Dunlap. Previewed Feb. 23, ’55. Running time, *5 MINS. Rick Thorne Joel McCrea Amy Lee Bannerman ........ Mirosava Tom Bannerman Kevin McCarthy Josiah Bannerman John Mclntire Caroline Webb • Nancy Gate* Colonel Streeter John Carradin* Sheriff Nat Bell ••• Emil* Meyer Arnold Hammer Robert Cornthwait* Vince Webb Walter Baldwin Paula Morlson Jaclynne Greene (Aspect ratio: 1.85-1) . In the end I “&• * 0 iio"?thcTo»dw sheTp.’ and j »« ‘in* thTrerolir P 00 j.lv .! Ford’s job is lo sort out the lead- ! i. r «?. d . y ieccp,10n ln the regular ers. win them over, if possible, so that learning, not defiance of au- thority, will take its rightful place again. These are no mischievous youths Ford deals with, but hoodlums, market. Two femmes. Jeanne Crain and Claire Trevor, hold down the dis- taff star spots in the Aaron Rosen- berg production, and William Campbell scores in a co-star slot some of whom are already well as the young greenhorn who learns along the road to crime. The strong among the evil element, here represented by Vic Morrow', is already beyond any reform. The good, represented by Sidney Poit- ier, has had no stimulus to awaken his leadership abilities because he is a Negro. Ford, Morrow and Poitier are so real in their per- formances under the probing di- rection by Brooks that the picture allernalingly has the viewer plead- his cowhoying from Douglas and about the wrong kind of women from Miss Crain. The latter is technically skilled in her delinea- tion of a ruthless owner of a big ranch, not above using sex in her determination to keep the range unfenced, but is not quite believ- able as a sexpot. Miss Trevor is hack in a character she docs well, playing what is, by implication, the town madam with a heart of gold, Graham Greene’s obsession for religious themes, which has dom- inated most of his recent plays and jiovels, almost gets out of hand in this filmization of his novel. And what might have been a poignant romantic drama develops into a bewildering discussion of faith versus reason. Not a particularly promising subject from a boxoffice point of view, “The End of the Affair” will need cautious selling. The marquee values of the stars will, of course, be a big help, espe- cially, in the U.S. There is nothing subtle about the author’s introduction of the re- ligioso aspect or in the way his own strong views are allowed to grip the subject. Jle strikes boldly and with obvious conviction; his characters are -engulfed by his be- lief and echo the views he so sin- cerely holds. That hardly makes for scintillating dialog, but does contribute to the very static na- ture of this over-wordy British film. To go along with Greene, it is necessary to accept that Deborah Kerr’s prayer was answered when Van Johnson, with whom she had been having an illicit love affair, was struck in a wartime air raid. She believes him to be dead but on her bended knees promises to give him up if he can be brought Joel McCrea brings law and order to the range in “Stranger On Horseback” and the stalwart, un- flinching manner with which he tackles the chore makes for good viewing for the outdoor action fan. In that market this western should fare okay. United Artists is releasing the outdoor actioner, location-lensed in Mexico by Robert Goldstein for Leonard Goldstein Productions, and a number of factors combine to make it acceptable filmlare for the intended market. McCrea al- ways brings an air of credibility to his western characterizations, and his work here goes a long way to- wards shaping the film for general acceptance. Other performances, some flamboyant, also assist the entertainment aims, as does Jac- ques Tourneur’s good direction of the Louis L’Amour story, scripted by Herb Meadow and Don Martin. McCrea portrays a circuit judge, who conies to a small western town in the course of making his rounds. There he finds the town and surrounding area under the feudal thumb of an oldline family headed by John Mclntire. Despite wholehearted opposition and ob- stacles, McCrea fingers Mclntire* spoiled son, Kevin McCarthy, for murder, smokes out the necessary frightened witnesses and defies the w hole clan by seeing that justice is done. In doing so he even wins the grudging respect of the old cattle baron, gains the love of the lat- ter’s strong-willed niece, Miro- slava, and awakens sheriff Emile Meyer to a new sense of duty. The Mexican locations provide the story action with attractive set- tings, and the lensing in Ansco Color by Ray Rennahan does them justice. Trouping is generally good. McCarthy plays his role with the proper arrogance and Miroslava is good as the fiery heroine who turns against family to aid the judge. Mclntire shows up excellently as the head of the feudal domain and