THE NEW FILMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25030, 21 October 1944, Page 4

THE NEW FILMS

SUCCESS OF "LIFEBOAT" NOTABLE TARAWA PICTURE BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT In this column the Herald begins a new feature—a series of critical film re- . views—to be published every Saturday. Notices will not be published of every new release, but no important picture will be overlooked. On account of the number of pictures offering, it will not always be possible to publish reviews immediately after release. "Lifeboat" (Plaza Theatre).—An Atlantic liner is torpedoed and shelled by a German submarine. As the ship sink's the camera swings slowly over the sea, showing wreckage, Red Cross supplies, newspapers, a pack of cards, and finally the onlv lifeboat to escape destruction from the U-boat's shells. In the lifeboat are gathered eventually eight people—four passengers and four sailors—and, ■while they debate what to do, another pair of hands clutch at the gunwale. They belong to a German sailor from the U-boat, which had been hit by the liner's guns. This is the setting for "Lifeboat," an absorbing, provocative and polished motion picture, ambitious in theme and successful in execution. "Lifeboat" was made by England's Alfred Hitchcock, one of the very best of modern film directors, from a story by John Steinbeck. For an hour and a-half the screen is crowded with drama and excitement as the occupants of the boat meet the clangers and problems of their situation. Hitchcock, who made "The Thirty-nine Steps," "Rebecca" and "Shadow of a Doubt," has always dealt with good stories and, with few exceptions has told them well. He has epecialised* too, in sardonic humour, mounting suspense and, above all, in masterly handling of his cameras. In "Lifeboat" all these characteristics are evident. , Good Acting

The picture is well cast and acted. (Walter Slezak, as the German sailor, Tallulah Bankhead. as a woman journalist, William Bendix, as an injured Bailor, and Henry Hull, as a million- , aire, have the major roles. In a wider sense "Lifeboat" touches cn one of the great problems of our day. The Nazi sailor, who was nearly thrown overboard as soon as he proved to be German, shows himself easily the most resourceful of all the survivors, but he is later revealed as a liar and murderer. "What are we to do with this ersatz superman ?" asks someone on the boat. In a sudden frenzy the survivors throw him overboard. But the essential problem, what are civilised people to do with Germans, is again being debated •when the survivors pick up another Nazi sailor at the end of the picture. It is a question that the world has vet to answer. "Lifeboat" is not suitable for children. "With the Marines on Tarawa" (Km--bassy Theatre). —The battle for Tarawa provided photographers with some ot the best news pictures of the Pacific •war, and this official Marine Corps film, taken before the landing and during the battle for the island, is in the best tradition of documentary films. The picture is photographed in colour, which seems at times too gaudy, but which does add 1 a further touch of realism. The producers have adopted the British practice of adding a terse, laconic commentary that has all the effectiveness of understatement. The film runs for about 20 minutes and is a splendid piece of reporting. "The North Star" (Century Theatre). 'A Hollywood conception of the impact of war upon a Russian village is presented in "The North Star." It is a typical Goldwyn production, ambitiously conceived, expensively produced and splendidly photographed. Lillian Hellman, who wrote the screen play, is one <?f America's leading playwrights, and Lewis Milestone, who directed, has many successes to his credit

Guerillas in Action "The North Star" takes its name from a Russian village in the rich Ukraine. There, in the early days of June, 1941, the inhabitants are living an idyllic existence. The school children are breaking-up for their summer holiday, the collective farmers are harvesting bounteous crops, all is right with their world. On the morning of June 22, the bombers come. The able-bodied men retire to the forests to become guerilla fighters and the village is occupied by a German garrison. A ■woman is tortured and children die when the Germans take their blood for plasma with a brutal disregard for the consequences. Then, in an exciting finale, the guerillas raid the village, exterminate the garrison and ride off with their families to continue the fight to the last. Some of the acting is good. The veteran members of the cast, Ann Harding, Walter Huston, Walter Brennan and Erich yon Stroheim play their parts with ability and insight. The picture itself is well-meaning and at times both trenchant and eloquent, but it is not always convincing. Hollywood has generally been successful with stories of the Wild West and it is the picture's failing that some of the major sequences, particularly the guerilla raid on North Star village, are inconfruously reminiscent of cowboys and ndians. But for its depiction of the heroic determination of the Russian people to defend their native soil anc) for the artistic unity achieved by representing a vast struggle in the terms of a single village, "The North Star" deserves praise. " The North Star" is not suitable for children.

Humour and Gusto "Gentleman Jim" (Civic Theatre) begins in San Francisco in the 'eighties, ■when bare-knuckle prize-fighting was illegal, a champion was a public idol and John L. Sullivan was boasting he could "lick anyone in the world." The picture tells with humour and gusto the story of James J. Corbett, the boxer with dancing feet and the first world champion to bring a touch of refinement to the prize-ring. Police raids on illegal fights and the spirited behaviour of the Corbetts, an incredible family of fighting Irishmen, provide some deliriously funny touches. The boxing scenes are well presented. Boxers may detect flaws in the technique, but the average filmgoer will be excited and impressed. Errol Flynn does very well as James -J. Corbett and Ward Bond is excellent as John L. Sullivan. "Gentleman .Jim" is good family entertainment "His Butler's Sister" (Embassy Theatre) presents Deanna Durbin in the type of picture in which she has always excelled. The story is saccharine and, although adroit, is not worthy of Miss Durbin's talents. She sings several songs, of which "When You're Awa.v" (Victor Herbert) and an aria from "Turandot" (Puccini) are particularly pleasant. Pat O'Brien is miscast as a dim-witted butler, a sort of unscrupulous Jeeves with an ill-fated propensity for betting on losers, but A kirn Turniroff and Alan Mowbray, who head a sort of ffomic chorus of butler-;, are very funny. Those who like Deanna Durbin will enjoy this picture. It is, of course, quite suitable for children, although it would probably make small boys squirm.