VIRILE FRENCHMAN IN SPY STORY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 310, 25 September 1943, Page 9

VIRILE FRENCHMAN IN SPY STORY

“Assignment In Brittany'’ Is His Film

Edward Hogan, story editor Lor Metro-Goldwyu-Mayer, gave me an insight recently into how stories are chosen tor the screen. For instance, Helen Muclnness timely thriller, ■‘Assignment in Brittany, was bought before the author had finished it. But Mr. Hogan, who has bought literary “properties’* for his company all over Europe and America, knew that he couldn’t miss with this story, and the finished film, now at the Majestic, has certainly proved him right. The treatment is serious and the plot is interpreted by an interesting new cast. Pride of place goes to the Frenchman. Pierre Aumont, who plays Captain Metard, the Fighting French spy who is sent to Brittany to discover the whereabouts of a troublesome Nazi submarine base. He has a freshness and a virility that is unusual. He looks no more like the popular conception of a Frenchman than Bud Abbott looks like Paul Robeson. It is one of the misfortunes of war that, after so ably portraying a Fighting Frenchman bn the screen. Aumont has now gone to join the de Gaullists. But there will certainly be a favoured corner for him in Hollywood when the battle is over.

The picture hands him a tough assignment —to cross the Channel and impersonate a wastrel Breton, the better to gain valuable information of the enemy submarine base. He rhust deceive the Breton’s mother and his fiancee. But he doesn’t know that there will also be a mistress who has, meantime, thrown in her lot with the Nazis, and a number of villagers who had scant regard for the original man’s pre-war behaviour. A difficult job is made trebly so when he must partially confide his mission and trust to the good faith of people who had shown him a cold reception. When success is at hand he is betrayed and thrown into prison to die, as one thinks, a hero. But the villagers rally and he is smuggled out to lead the commando raid on the base — a flaming, crashing climax that looked as authentic as a newsreel—aud finally sail for Britain with the girl he has had time to meet and fall in love with.

Susan Peters is the heroine, but the face that stayed in my mind belonged to Signe Hasso, a New York star of great talent. She played the part of the faithless mistress, a performance strongly reminiscent of Vivien Leigh’s showing in “Waterloo Bridge.” There are other sound and reliable players in the cast, too —Miles Mander, Reginald Owen, newcomer Richard Whorf, Margaret Wycherly. But “Assignment in Brittany” belongs to Pierre Aumont, lock, stock and barrel.

“THREE HEARTS FOR JULIA”

The girl who romped cheerfully through a series of “Maisie” films and who later took over the exacting role of “Panama Hattie” In the film versiou of the New York musical comedy, evidently found “Three Hearts for Julia” (De Luxe) right up her street. There’s no doubt of Ann Sothern’s comedy ability. She’s a girl who has had more than her share of tough luck in Hollywood. At one stage no one wanted her, but she didn’t pack up and go home to mother. Instead, she changed her name and started again right from the beginning. Today she is firmly established. With her in the excellent cast Is Melvyn Douglas, who can now claim to have played opposite every worthwhile star from Greta Garbo to Ann Sothern. Felix Bressart, who is a tower of strength in any film—remember his touching performance in “Blossoms in the Dust”?—is yet another member. Reginald Owen, who is also here this week in “Assignment in Brittany,” is on the list, too. In her latest picture, Ann Sothern is cast ns a girl in a huge all-woman or. chestra. A hew conductor arrives and when lie finds that he is to wield the baton over several dozen women players he throws it down in dikgust and promises to be very troublesome. However, other people flit on and off the scene, love runs a rugged course till within a few feet of the finish when everything smooths itself out like a Roosevelt-Churchill conference.

Two men with nitro-glycerine on their hands and the same girl on their minds cause most of tI|C excitement in “High Explosive,” the second film. It has all the qualities of a block-buster, emotionally and physically: Chester Morris, Jean Parker and xßarry Sullivan are the stars and they are certainly given no rest between scenes. This is a film that might have been specially designed for the excite-ment-seeking audiences who pay the De Luxe a regular weekly visit. There Is another chapter of “Perils of Nyoka,” too. “THE TALK OF THE TOWN”

(Third Week).—Talking of Jeanie with the light brown hair, that favourite, Jean Arthur, is still, in her own blithe way, “the talk of the town” in. the film ol the same name at the King's. This picture has quite a few reasons for its success: along with Jean Arthur are Cary Grant, Ronald Colman, Glenda Farrell as a susceptible manicurist, and Rex Ingram, an old-timer of whom little is seen these days. The film would make excellent propaganda for almost any party. Au escaped jail-bird is sheltered by a girl wh'o has some sort of notion that he is innocent. In her house he rung into a holidaying jurist who has no idea (or hides it if he has) that this Leopold DUg is wanted by the police. The story works out to the satisfaction of everyone and the audience feels that it has spent an evening well.

“THE NAVY COMES THROUGH”

After the outstanding success of “Stand by for Action” and “In Which We Serve” (soon to be released in New Zealand), Hollywood, with superstitious fingers crossed, has produced another naval drama with a four-word title. This time it is “The Navy Comes Through” (State). There is a freshness about a- sea picture that lends it adventure Tind colour, specially for New Zealanders who will never quite get the sea out of their blood. The stars of “The Navy Conies Through,” Pat O’Brien and George Murphy, lire called upon to do plenty of acting and they come through with honours. Murphy is a naval lieutenant, pre-Pearl Harbour, who is court-martialled when a member of his gun-crew is killed. Pat O’Brien is a petty-oflicer and it was on his evidence that Murphy was dishonourably discharged. Unfortunately, and to complicate the issue, O’Brien’s sister is in love with the ex-otlieer. 1 Then —as always—comes December 7, 1941. Murphy volunteers as an ordinary rating and is, as you may have- guessed, posted to the same ship as Pat O’Brien. Neither man is very happy about this arrangement aud another war, quite outside the Japanese affair, develops. The girl also finds her way aboard as a nurse. In time, and somewhere in the Atlantic,' the ship conies to clinches with a pack of Nazi submarines. Strategy is needed —the Irish, Murphy-O’Brien kind—and the two men decide to fight the Germans instead of each other. The upshot is that Hitler is poorer bj’ several submarines, George Murphy Is re-instated to his former rank, lie wins the girl and Pat O’Brien smiles benignly on a scene that is all serenity.. Jane Wyatt is the girl and the cast includes Jackie Cooper, Carl Esmond and ex-prize tighter Max Baer.

“THE DAY WILL DAWN”

■Second Week).—ln “The Day WliDawn” (Plaza), Hugh Williams is cast as a former racing reporter who is pitchforked into tile foreign correspondent game. At first lie is not Knickerbocker, for lie misses some good scoops in Norway but lie makes some of his own. such ns being sunk by a German submarine aud then returning to Britain to tell the story and to write some articles ou Norway aud its people. But ills day comes. The British Admiralty lias information of a secret submarine base in a Norwegian fiord. Roland Culver (of “French Without Tears”) decides that Williams is the man to locate the plague-spot. He is dropped by parachute, signals to the R.A.F., and Is caught and is about to die when a providential commando raid returns him to civilization and the girl he loves. Deborah Kerr and Ralph Richardson are also in the cast.

“JUNIOR ARMY”

A fast-moving storv ot American schoolboys dealing with fifth columnists is "Juuior Armv” heading the current programme at tile Tudor Theatre. Freddie Bartholomew, Billy Halep, Hunts, Hail and Bobby Jordan head the cast. The associate feature is “No Place for a Lady,” starring William Giirgnn and Margaret Lindsay.

“THE PRIME MINISTER”

It was smart publicity to screen al. the present time a film with the title. 1 lie Prime Minister,” which is now showing at the Opera House. . ■ n i« George Arliss brought Benjamin Disraeli to the screen, but John Gielgud s Disraeli seems a better performance. ine trouble witli Arliss was that, no mattei how polished bis acting or whether lie was playing Rothschild. Richelieu or Disraeli. one always saw Arliss. Gielgud s interpretation of the famous British I rime Minister is quite different— strong, sensitive and convincing. . When Disraeli stepped into the I rime Ministership be took command of a turbulent England. The country had growin„ pains: in the air was the cry lor reform, demonstrated by the riots of tlio C iar.lsts. (There is a brief glimpse of Will I‘jn.t--as a soapbox orator.) The film dpes not pretend to deal profoundly with Disraelis career, but it does give the highlights the tenets of Ids foreign policy and hew he expounded them, some of Ins notehie speeches in the House ot Commons, ms relations witli the Queen, with other members of his Cabinet, and with his wife There are curious parallels, too: wnen lie is expounding his foreign policy he might have been talking to the “appeasers" of live years ago. Gielgud is a grandson of Ellen leriy and he lias inherited much of the JeTiJ genius. Fay Compton, who was Queen Victoria on the Opera House stage in 1938. is now Queen Victoria on the same theatre’s screen. Diana Wynyard Disraeli’s wife, and Owen Nares, who died the other week, is cast as Lord Grey. This is a British picture of which we can be proud.

“CAT PEOPLE”

I read the other day in an American paper of an A Grade publicity idea which I urn happy to pass on to any theatre manager who is interested. While the audience waited in the queue for the doors to open for tlie “most thrilling, most terrifying film ever made,” attendants emerged from the stalls with stretchers bearing the tainting forms of patrons who just couldn t take it! I have seldom believed that patrons really did faint or grow hysterical at what they saw on the screen, but I have known of five people collapsing during the screening of a Bela Lugosi film—and three of them were men. 9 The little idea above is passed on. This probably will not occur at the Paramount, where “Cut People” is the current attraction. It is to be hoped sin* cerely that these things can’t' happen to human beings (heaven knows, were strange enough creatures now!), but the heroine was a girl of considerable beauty who was cursed with the dread of changing into a clawing, biting killer. Hence the title, “Cat People.” The heroine is a girl who proved herself something of a little spitfire in real life — Simone Simon. It is a long while since we have seen this French star on the screen. Maybe you’ll remember that Hollywood brought her from Paris to play’the lead in “Girls’ Dormitory,” but she hadn’t learned that temperament is out-of-date aud no longer tolerated in the strictly practical film centre. But she lias looks and she can act. It’s a pleasure to welcome her back on the screen. With her is Tom Conway, also that good and faithful player, Jack Holt, who has never let down any picture he has played in.

“THE PALM BEACH STORY”

(Second week). —How would you like to find Claudette Colbert under a shower? (And the answer is not: “What—dead or alive?”) Because that’s where she was found by a bountiful sausage manufacturer who cheerfully handed over hundreds of dollars to 'pay the arrears in rent and leave enough over to buy her a handsome new gown. And If that is not improbable enough her husband is a planner of airports that no one wants to build. Rudy Vallee is another millionaire who likes to travel uncomfortably because “it’s so much more American” —but why continue? “The Palm Beach Story!’ (St. James) is Preston Sturges most delightful piece ot direction; it doesn’t make an atom of sense from start to finish, but it Is hugely enjoyable. Claudette falls foul of the Ale and Quail Club, an admirable institution, Joel McCrea, as her husband, goes about wanting to punch everyone on the nose, Mary Astor is as much a menace (but ot a different kind), as she was in “The Great He,” Rudy Vallee proves he is a much better actor than he is a crooner, and the audience leaves the theatre refreshed and ready to face the stern old world. Good shots; every member of the Ale and Quail Club.

“MY GAL SAL”

A colourful musical In tccbnicolour is Theodore Dreiser’s “My Gal Sal.” now at the State Theatre, Petone. Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, John Sutton and Carole Landis head the cast.

SUBURBAN THEATRES

Kincnia (Kilbirnie).—“The G'reat Lie” and “When Johnny Cornea Marching Home.”

Regal (Karori). —“They All Kissed the Bride” and “Charlie McCarthy, Detective.” Matinee today. Do Luxe (Lower Hutt).—“Tanks A Million” and “Phantom Killer.” Matinee today. King George (Lower Hutt). —“Holiday Inn.” Matinee today. Vogue (Brooklyn).—“Cairo” and “Lone Star Ranger.” Matinee today; Capitol (Miramar). —“Between Us Girls” and "The Wagons Roll By Night.” Matinee today. Prince Edward (Woburn). — “Honky Tonk” <ui<3 "Henry Aldrich, Editor.” Matinee today. Ascot (Newtown).--“Pimpernel Smith’ and “Bachelor Daddy.” Matinee today. Rivoli (Newtown). —“Second Chorus” and “Arabian Nights.” Matinee today. . Empire (Island Bay).—“Grand Central Murder” and “Flight Lieutenant.” Matinee today. Seaside (Lyall Bay).—“A Yank in the R.A.F. and “A Gentleman at Heart.” Matinee today.