Variety (September 1957)

26 PICTURES _ a VARIETY | Wednesday, September. 4, 1957: ‘Conibo is being packaged yal | ———_—_—_[=ee = Sy , ‘Artists. Basie story. idea of. Richard . Foreign Capsule Reviews Betnstein and Jack Milner Is good; Continued from )45¢ 6 ee the former’s screenplay, however, {often results in cliche wordage. Locale is a Pacific.isle where an} _,, so atomic research group composed of | ‘Shall I Be the Keeper of my, this shapes a likely language house Brother?”, . .... ,eptry, and could. be worth dualer While the inadequate direction | attention on its imaginative story. by Rolf Hansen is mostly to blame, | Technical credits are ‘excellent as Tod Andrews, Tina Carver and Jchn McNamara is headquartered. Jochen Huth, one of Germany’s|is most of the acting. Mosk. ablest writer, has provided ‘unreal——_____ They're there to care for ratives suffering from radiation, burns, bat itch. ( are e @ witch doctors # One istic dialog passages. Even a quali fied player such as O, E. Hasse {as lawyer-brother) does not come off .Americans for deaths. caused by the black plague. Meantime Gregg too well. Maximilian Schell as his brother is nearly miscast although Palmer, son of the deceased island chief, has been put to death by the power-seeking witch doctors an et . ] c cohorts because of Palmer’s friend-| the’ materigl furnished him is not ship with the Americans. Before|rewarding. Swedish actress Ulla ‘|Jacobsson as the girl Wanda, is: very sympathetic but -hardly more than that. he dies, however, he promises to Technically, film is very well return from the grave for revenge. “It” returns to stalk and kill and. made. Camerawork by Weihmayr even surpasses the German aver= even kidnap the pretty femme scientist before being toppled into age. Editing and other technical credits are good, Hans, "Film Reviews i. ; The Unholy Wife __ {balance of his” tell growth, and however, would have been better | Unless they can halt it he will. conhad it been released closer to Brit| tinue to soar upwards until he dies. ish actress’ smash publicity buildup} _Pie’s thrills come in the final net wv : 7 -jreels when he escapes from the. eet sen wed Bene eet % Sex isolated Army sanitarium where The John Farrow production is feats: find rhing might and oy a carefully developed narrative of tall, he makes his. way to Las Vegas an amoral wife who manages tO|where he causes pandemonium as escape punishment for a murder | he appears in the downtown section she commits but finally is convicted | 344 later on the luxury hotel Strip. for a death of which she’s inno-| yi, finally is killed’ on Boulder: cent. Rich Technicolor giveS| Dam, when it becomes clear he has splashy pictorial values to Dic,|}ecome so mentally deranged there lensed partially in the grape coun-| i. no chance of giving him the try of northern California, and! cyre. These sequences are played | offers fine mounting for femme} fo. fine effect. star’s dazzling personality. She dis-|" Gjenn Langan delivers persuaply S a definite drarmatic sense 1D | sively in title role as the man who ier interpretation of a difficult | pecomes a monstrosity, and Cathy role, and has a capable costar in| nowns as his fiancee, who. does her Rod Steiger as her husband, wholpect ‘to help him maintain -h’s | registers impressively in a seml-| conity, is likewise convincing. Wilcharacter role. Farrow’s direction | jiam Hudson and Larry Thor score of the Jonathan Latimer screen-/ 5. the doctors fighting fo find a play maintains good pace and he: cure, and James Seay is good as keeps proceedings on a moving: an Army officer in charge of the level. wa teh 4 1 eaSe. © . Miss Dors plays a B-firl with 4} “ ‘Technical departments are well shady past: who weds Steiger, |handied throughout, leading off, wealthy California ‘vineyard and apart from Gordon's special effects winery owner. She becomes clanwith Joe Biroe’s smooth photodestinely involved with a_ rodeo graphy. Ronald Sinclair's editing rider, Tom Tryon, and resolves tO} catches the mood and Aibert* kill her husband, sure she can get) Gjasser’s music score further away with the crime on her claim] enhances it Whit. ‘she mistook him for a prowler her oo ° mother-in-law, who lives with them, has frequently mentioned.|Parson and the Ontlaw Kabuliwala (INDIAN). Charuchitra production and release. Written and directed by Tagrin Sinha from story by Rabina a Camera and editing. Sibofh Ray: music, Ravi Shankar. _A Karlovy Vary Fest. Running time, $6 B 4 3 g _Film is handicapped by bad studio work which conflicts with the matching of exteriors plus obvious cheapie budgeting. But this has a simplicity and feeling that makes it entertaining despite these flaws.. Pie is limited for the American market except for possible special quicksand. by. a bullet. By that time the villains are also. dead, the natives and the Yanks are at peace and the two leads are pitching woo. Tina Carver, a looker with ‘thespic competence, stands out in the femme lead, while Ted An-drews and McNamara are..okay. Film “introduces” Linda Watkins, who performs satisfactorily as a white widow on the island. Gregg Palmer is good in a comparatively brief role. Miss Watkins, of course, is a vet thesp of both stage. and screen; she just hasn’t been in pix ‘for some years. . = Dan Milner’s direction of the Jack Milner production often leaves much to be desired. Above average technical contributions are Brydon Baker’s photography and j situations. ‘ . . It.concerns a farmer who goes to the city to make some money. He misses his daughter but fills the void with. the little girl of the town poet, When he gets into a fight with an avaricious landlord he is jailed and conies out 10 years later and tries to see the little girl, She is now grown and getting mare ried. Then he realizes that the same has happened to. his daughe er Pilm is swell acted, and qmane gives this some action moments. ages to avo mawakishness. MUSIC It is strictly for Hispano lingo |‘< @ fitting counterpart to the emo; spots but also has some nude epicredit are Belew wan VE se sodes and a rape scene for possible S are below par. OS. exploitation if it can be gotten through, Ei Truene Entre Las Holas (Thunder Among the Leaves) (ARGENTINE-PARAGUAYAN). Films AM production and release. Stars Armando Bo, Isabel Sarli; | features, Andres lLazlo, Felix Rivero. Written and directed by Bo. Camera, E. Baez; editor, J. France. At Karlovy Vary Fest. Running time, 165 MINS. e This is another Latino film about a revolt in a slave Jabor camp of: the South American wilds. This over-does its brutality but has a ‘direct candor which, at~ times, Hang Tuah_ (MALAYAN; COLOR). L ; #H . . Shaw’s Malay Film production. Stars P. Prowler actually is Tryon, who (COLOR) the special effects of James Armando Bo stars, directs and|Ramlee, Sa Adah” Anoe visits the wife when her husband Donnelly. _ Neal. {writes, but has not managed to Mahadi. Directed by Phani’ Hajumase ts away. For dyed -in the-woolly-west . combine all three . successfully. |B" Yaniaty, Kt hen ee Fest. Run: Conspiracy goes wrong whe} fans only. Bitter Vietory Isabel Sarli has a gratuitous nude | ning time, 13¢ MINS. wife mistakenly kiJJs her husband's (Amere Victoire). bathing scene and displays more best friend. She talks her husband |_ Columbia release of Charles (Buddy) < ; : Rogers production. Stars Anthony Dexter, into taking the blame, Steiger Sonny Tufts, Marie Windsor, Rogers; thinking he's certain of acquittal. | features. Jean Parker, Robert Lowery, He’s convicted, however. upon her | Madalyn Trahey, Mob Steel, Directed by . . a Oliver Drake. Screenplay, Drake, John faked testimony. Mother-in-law Mantley; camera Clecknicolar). Clark overhears the frame, suffers a Ramsey: | editor, Warren ‘Adams; mausis, paralytic stroke and later swallows | Joe Sodia. Previewe -¥.. Aug. 26, some powerful medicine which | 2% Bunning time, 71 MINS. |bare skin than thespic ability. Production credits are standard. Technical aspects are ordinary but acceptable for the first Paraguayan pic try. * Mosk. This Eastmancolored offering from Malaya is the story of a young merchant who does everything to Serve his sultan. After numerous fights, he wins over his opponents, A love story is woven in and. there are 4 number ef colorful rhythmic dances along the line. (U.S.—FRENCH) Venice, Aug. 29. Columbia release of Paul Gzaetz Transcontinental Films production. Stars Richard Burton, Curd Jurgens, Ruth Roman; features Raymond Pellegrin, Anthony /Bushell, Sean Kelly, Christopher Lee, Alfred Burke. Directed by Nicholas Ray.. ————— Jagte Rahe (Under Cover of Night) UNDIAN). Raj Kapoor production and release. ‘Stars Kapoor; features, ‘ ] a points to wife as her murderess. | Tio Stsae es tegen ates f pemepnelay, Raye Gavin Lambert, Rene | Rahib, Pradip Kumar, Sumitra Devi. Di | In many respects this is an inFemme star turns in an excellent | Tonya . ............e., Marie Windsor | Michel. Kelber; music, Maurice Le Roux. {rected and written by Shanbhu Mitre,|terésting presentation despite be 3 i jis | Rev. Jericho Jones Buddy Rogers | At Film Festival, Venice. Running time, | Amit Maitra. Camera, Radhu Karmakar; esp! ; account of herself, and Steiger is | Mev. yériche Jones --.. rree d uddy Rogers | At Film | + Run *leditor, Irani; music, Saill Chaudhuri. at |img overlong and occasionally too on a par. Tryon make his work | Colonel Morgan .....s,s. Robert Lowery | aycjor Brafd Curd Jurgens |Katlovy Vary Fest. Running time, 115 |Sentimental, Technically, pic offers count in a smaller role, Beulah | Ely McCloud ...-....... Madalyn Trahey | Gant. Leith... 2222/05. "Richard Burton | MINS. good cotor but a rather clumsy Bondi as Steiger’s mother delivers . — “Mrs, Brand ......s-e+.+-.. Ruth Roman 4 camera technique. However, a ree dramatically and Arthur Franz as} This one might have been taken Makrom ......-..... Rayniond Pellegrin] A poor man from the villages,|markable entry by a film nation avpriest, Steiger’s brother, scores!from the files of a Junior Lone —_ . looking for some water in a Bom-| nearly unknown to European audi as another key character. Joe De-| Ranger. An oldfashioned oater, (English Version) . bay, wanders into. an apartment | ences, Hans. Good press notices should pre-| house. He is chased by a police‘cede this psychological actioner{man, which awakens the outsize into most situations, with France | house occupants, and a wild chase offering the best market bet for|Starts after the .frightened little the expansive production. Other man. protest aad Aes Satire, I oy. 2 : a. ‘ ¢ acques : an by Ni een the’ sonerak ea on: uneven but interesting pic. Tsekouras; camera, Jerry Prey aerenn : This is limited to special situa-| $to%: Z¢rvos: At Karlovy Vary Fest, . pears good. Stateside chances de-|,. S . peck ‘Running time, 95 MINS pend on a top bally job and on cast | tions in the U.S., but it is unusual | , ° values in the Richard Burton and enough to be worth exploiting. Ruth Roman names—as well as the | Raj Kapoor at times overplays the newly “acquired” Curd Jurgens— little man whose humility still do for a better-than-average payoff; |20t interfere with an skin’ He though eventual recouping of |S¢US€ 01 saving t Ni s a ihe heavy costs remains problematical. house de all sis fi i te 1 Rene Hardy’s successful novel! vedit uring i & a echnica thas been translated for the screen oe ptabl vith. ay, ane ice qe for into a literary, hard-hitting screenSe Nia + ¥ “Tn short thi 7 on play which almost always manages |. fbeat as oe h n sfHor : ve i. ote to overcome-some of the incongrult tie; er which may rate Mosk. ties of the original story line. This | ‘°?'107* sets up a deadly struggle between two British Army officers .during the World War Ii African campaign. Conflict between Capt. Leith and Major Brand derives from fact Santis and Marfe Windsor lend|the Charles (Buddy) Rogers progood “support. duction might rate a nod in. unLucien Ballard’s color photo-|demanding sagebrush situations graphy leads off technical credits, | but otherwise rates only the brush. Eda Warren keens her editing} Story has Billy the Kid a peacesharp, Daniele Amfitheatrof’s music.| able man no longer toting his guns. score is dramatically sustaining | 20d trying to forget the past when and art direction by Albert S.|he was forced to -permanently D'Agostino and Frank Bachelin| Puncture 21 hombres. This was a matches up. Whit. |difficult period in Billy’s career; he found it hard to live with himself with the knowledge of all Amazing Colossal Man. those defunct bodies strewn across TL e west, t But even in the present, he can't, . ‘ {try_as he may, remain aloof from. phich imay be exp loited for | cuch forms of violence as killing. y . His old friend, the ‘parson, gets aw -himself plugged in ng on the American-Intectn rele ry town’s heavies. Billy steps in and Bert I. Gordon production. Stars Glenn | mows. them down but he, too, géts Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson,}qa Colt .45 clobbering. games| Seay, Larry Thor. pirected by! Some familiar names are incamera, Joe Biroc; editor, Ronala Sin-|Volved: Rogers as the parson, Anclair; music, Albert Glasser; special ef-|thony Dexter as Billy, Sonny Tufts, Sects, Gordon. Previewed Aug. 27, 757. Marie Windsor, Jean Parker and Running itme, 31 MINS. ‘ . Lt.Col. Glenn Manning....Glenn Langan’ others. They fail to put much wal Lageon ef Desire (GREEK). Anzervo production and release, Stars Georges Fountas, Jenny Karezi, Heleni Zafrioy; features Christoforos Nezer, Sonia Zoides. ‘Directed by Georges Zervos. Screenplay, Pic nixes a neo-realistic look at poor fishermen trying to form a cooperative against the big money ‘people and some raw sex shen« anigans, which do. not quite come off. It has some colorful locale: ‘work but characters are. naively drawn’ and nudie scenes overdone, This film shapes only as an exploitation subject for the U.S, mare ket if the frank footage can be retained. -Heleni Zafiriou is a buxUne te Guu At PE , DANISH om Tooker. General technical mate Dans 5 i & oa ction Flay) clease, with ter is par. Mosk. orby, ne omsen, % 7 Hannibal Tanur Ur & muth, Klaus Pagh, Written and directed | ap (HUNGARIAN). Hungarofim wee by Johannes Allen. Camera, Karl An-|/ dersson; editor, Anker: music, Arne Lam| Guction and release. With Erno Szabo, Imaginative science fictioner L on ’ vs Noemi Apor, Emmy Buttykai, Zoltan GreCarol F tole ecceeeeee Cathy Do lop in the old west; the outdoor} that Leith knows of Brand’s basic | berth. At Karlovy Vary Fest.. Running mi Apo! Dr. Paul Lindstrom veaees William ‘Hugson adventure is put together in only| cowardice in action, ahd also from Ume, 95 MINS. Fabri. sSereenplay, Istrap_Gyencs, Peter nel Hallock ...... sence Sea i ’ ’s wif i : . : ase, : Bina Cguiter sss ghareg Tet | Eoecial about the technical eredits.|whom Lelth has had am affair. Re-| q,TMS, Danish: pic treats” detin|satera, Farene.Soectoni itr, lay n, AM sovccsvees . 5 “rT ' “<. . ( d > 2 ° Set. "Taylor s-----rsveves-> L9nR Qsborn "Gene, | turning from a dangerous mission | THES, YOUN Problem ve ane ts | Karlovy Vary. Film Festival." Rurhing Coat! Officer... INN ‘william Hughes | Te ee lee tndinoctit traning bout be a sex lecture to talks on divorce, |". ™'"* Lt. in Briefing Room....... Jac osslyn ' . twi : ; eqs . . . Girl in Bath veces sweeee Jean Moorhead From Hell It Came | Leith’s death, once by leaving him parental responsibility , etc. | How Film concerns a Hungarian little Set. Reception Desk ....... Jimmy Cross , ever, it is to the-iims merit that}man, during the Adniiral Horthy Henry .......--..scence Hank Patterson behind to guard two wounded Gerthis rarely gets preachy. It shapes | facistic regime. th in the 1930’, Delivery Man ........065 __ Frank Jenks Amateurishily done, but stack-| mans, again by deliberately ietrimarily as , something. for U. S.|whe become e. victim ? e it cat Army Guard at Gate.... Harry Raybould| ed with horror appeal for the | ting a scorpion bite his rival. Leith |{anguage spots. Though it talks|o pression and expedi ney. Fil Capt. Thomas -svccccccssc, Myron Cook | Younus. finally dies and the “victorious” | frankly, this does not have sensaip Poriskiy: made but Omak s its Police Lt. Keller........ --Michael Harris . ° " 4. Aug. 27 major brings ps commanda force tional values. points over and over again e Peterson .....cccccneses is . Hollywood, Aug. . remnan ack to the po ni|. eee * 7: ee . . Hanson ....ceceseeeees: Dick Nels Allied : : ; > -_|. Two 16-year-olds manage to fall ltan De At Dermott vvceeceees Edmund Cobb pyiltied (Artists release of | ack, Milner cally earning a medal but losing his | iy jove despite broken homes, lack almatig meebo pabri depicts ot Rohert Allen ....+..s+++Judd Holdren | Carver; features Linda Watkins, John Me| Wife’s affection as'well as What was | of moral values, etc. U. S. film in-|bravura scenes and make a point Attendant .....-.+.+weet y e Jocelyn | Namara,_ Gregg Palmer, Robert Swan, | left of his soldiers’ respect. fluences are plainly manifested via|of mob and political madn h Te Kline v1.0. “TILLIT Stanley Lachman | Ba¥mes ‘Barron, Suzanne Ridgway, Mark | “Script is basically flawed by the |, Hone tof Jaze on testeow on madness that . © cece eeeeceees anley Lachman | sheeler, Lee Rhodes, Grace Matthews, Pp y its mentions of jazz, Marlon Bran-|can destroy even when it wants to Special effects Aeure importantly | Guerin: Directed by Dan Milner “Sereen pecial effects figure importantly | Guerin. y Dan ner. screenin the unfoldment of this Bert I.|Beristein and Jack Milner; cametar Bre Gordon production, which eshould don Raker: editor, Jack Milner; music, Jap up plenty of green stu rom | Darrell Calker. Previewed Aug. 16, °57. the exploitation trade. With an Running time, 71 MINS. unclearly delineated key character|}qdo and use of American slang. of the major—and Curd Jurgens’ Technical -credits are‘ okay, acting competent, straightforward” per-|fne but this lacks a moving point formance is less successful because | of yiew. It emerges an interesting of it. Otherwise it includes many | pic without the deeper facets needbasie truths about the horrors of ed for international chances. help. Film is expertly mounted atid acted and could make for a specialized U.S.:entry on its theme. It is also a fine lingo entry. ‘ Mosk. imaginative story premise and good Dr. yiltiam | Arnold. weet “Tod Andrews war, the relationships of man, the Mosk. .|_ be Finestra Sul Lunapark (Che Window , 1Ty ‘ arve : ee To Luna P * handling — except for over-footage | Mrs. Kilgore ..../225.2!1] Linda Watkins | disintegration of character under —_—__ peoduction: aStore Ot ie ee which can easily be tightened — Frof. Clark Sorseeeseees Sohn MeNamaxa the stresses of action, etc. It also| zte pare (Cursed Money) (YUGOSLA| Renzelli, Pierre Trabaud, Giancarlo Damifilm is one of the most unusual] Witch Doctor Tano....... Robert Swan {features such strong stuff as the | VIAN). hevcen Film production 20 C alin, | aeteen eee ey nig, Commencint, science-fiction yarns to come along | Chief, Maranka. ......... Baynes Barron {mercy shooting, by Burton, of a |Viso Perisic, Petar Vojoveie, Ljuba Tadic. | DrAmico; camera, Arionne Men cueck te in some months. (Pic is packaged! ei WO Suzanne Ridgway mortally wounded: German soldier | Directed by Velimir Stojanovic. Screen| Berlin Film Fest. Running time, 97 MINS, ith “Cat Girl.) SSID Tit and the aforementioned mortal dite |Play. Ratko Burovic;, camera, Hrvoje | wit irl. . NOFEU oo. eas ee sew ecceen ees es _Lee Rhodes ore 0 Saric; editor, Bojan Adamic. At Karlovy . ,Gotdon, who also directs from | Orchid .........+...-. Grace, Matthews | by the scorpion. Vary Fest, Running time, 116 MINS. One of the better films of the his and Mark Hanna's screenplay | wax 1772027722757" Chester. Hases | Fime thesping by Burton leads a = |artisti¢ type shown at the Berlin and executes the special effects|Dori ...... petaeeeetecs Lenmana Guerin|Series of top performances by| A cache of money, hidden by|fete. Well made and never dull, which lend high melodramatic potency to the suspense, haschosen| “It,” in this case, is -a living the ultra-modern atomic blasts|monster-stump which has risen near Las Vegas as basis for his|frem the graye for ‘revenge—more theme. When an Army colonel is|succinctly put, a tree man. Alfrightfully burned in a plutoniumjthough somewhat amiateurishly explosion and against all rules of|turned out, film doés have the medical science overnight re-jnecessary horror ingredients for grows healthy skin, he makes!which teenagers are storming the with the shock—he starts growing |b.o. just now and pic serves as a at the rate of 10 feet per day.i!good complement to “The DisemDoctors explain the blast upset the! Lodied” (see review in this issue). pic deals with poorpeople. Director Luigi Commencini has created hére a human and realistic film which packs emotional impact. — :. Taking into consideration, however, that this is actually the Italian film school of 1947, it’s a little disappointing for fastidious pa-. trons. But it’s still a_pic .considerably above average. Commercially, it has good export possibilities, ans. other members of large cast. Miss Roman is good in 4 limited role, while Raymond Pellegrin, as an Arab guide who joins the expedition, is relegated to a compara~ tively minor part, Nicholas Ray’s direction is in his forceful, visually very effective manner, as witnessed by the action seenes depicting the attack on the Bengasi post, the. various incidents (Continued on page 28) the government in flight _ during the early years of war, is found by a group of peagants. Film details the effect of the money ‘on the: farm people and efforts of a tria of opportunists.to get the coin. and flee the country. Their efforts lead. te two deaths, only -to find that the money is now worthless. Story is good, and at times, witty but the tempering of irony, satire and drama is too heavyhanded. As is,