HALF A YEAR ONWARD

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 550, 6 January 1950, Page 8

HALF A YEAR ONWARD

UT of a total of 64 films reviewed during the past half-year five’ were graded as fine, i.e., first-class. By a coincidence one was British, one French, one Italian, and two American. This proves little, however, except that better-class foreign films-"art" films if you like-do manage to reach this country, and that Hollywood, for all its symbiotic commercialism, occasionally turns out something really good. During the first six months of 1949 only two films were graded as fine-The Stone Flower, a Russian film, and Les Enfants du Paradis. We don’t want to be hag-ridden by the "ten best films" idea, but as most of us are still inclined to count on our fingers, anyone looking for a round figure for the year might be inclined to add The Search, an American film which came close: to being first-class, and two British films (released in New Zealand but not yet shown in Wellington) which, judging by their word-of-mouth reputations, may conceivably also approach the highest category. They are Quartet and Passport to Pimlico, To return to the past six months, only eight films were graded fair to fine, i.e. films which were above average, though falling short of excellence. Of the remainder, average and below average productions, the great bulk came from America. At least two of them, June Bride and A Letter to Three Wives, (both comedies) should perhaps have been graded higher than they were. The reason they weren’t was probably due less to their lack of intrinsic quality than to the fact that their peculiarly American brand of satire did not. quite ring the bell with a New Zealand reviewer. The following list of Listener gradings covers the period from June 10 (when the last list appeared) to January 6. Dates shown are those on which the reviews appeared. Fine The Fallen Idol (Korda-London Films), Aug. 26; Monsieur Vincent (Robert Kapferer Productions), Sept. 16; To Live in Peace (Lux Film), Oct. 21; Home of the Brave (Screen Plays-United Moi 25; The Set-Up (RKO-Radio), Dec. 16. Fair to Fine a Scott of the Antarctic (Rank-Ealing), July 8; The Snake Pit (20th Century-Fox), July 15; The Window Se seeteerss gy YN 7; Johnny Belinda (Warner Oct. 7; Command Decision (M.G.M.), Oct. 14; Rope (Warner Bros.), Oct. 28; The Passionate Friends (Rank; Eagle-Lion); Dec. 23; Mourning Becomes Electra, (RKO-Radio). Fair ; June Bride (Warner Bros.), ie 17; Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (20th Century-Fox), June "24; Rogues dp (Universal-Inter-national), June 24; Bl on the Moon (RKORadio), July 1; Black Diamond (Exclusive Films), July 1; The Time of Your Life (United Artists), July 15; sn org in Park Lane (London Films), July The Blue Lagoon (Rank-Individual), Sut 40, A Letter to Three. Wives (20th Century-Fox), July 29; The Unatraid (Universal-International), Aug. 5; The Loves of Carmen (Columbia), Aug. 12; London Belongs to Me (Rank-Individual), Aug. 19; Down to the "ing" = Ships (20th Century-Fox), Sept. 2; The Three Musketeers (M.G.M.), Sept. 9; The Pig (Pilgrim F.), Sept. 23; oo Strangers (20th Century-Fox), Sept. 2 Come to the Stable (20th Century-Fox), 30; Sorrowful Jones (Paramount), Sept. 30; Women (M.G.M.), Oct. 28; The Adventures of Don Juan (Warner Bros. ), Nov. 4; Top o’ the Morning (Paramount), Nov. 11; The Beautiful Blond from Bashful Bend (20th Century-

Fox), Nov. 18; Edward My Son (M.G.M.), Nov. 18; Canon City (Eagle-Lion), Dec. 2; My Brother Jonathan (B.E.F.-Associated British), Dec. 9; Good Time Girl (Rank; EagleLion), Dec. 9, Mainly Fair Fiévres (Exclusive Films), June 17; My Hero (M.G.M.), June 24; The Sorcerer (Dis-cina-Exclusive Films), July 22; Act of Violence *(M.G.M.), Aug. 26; Sorry, Wrong Number (Paramount), Sept. 9; Station West (RKORadio), Sept. 16; City Across the River (Uni-versal-International), Oct. 21; The Barkleys of Broadway (M.G.M.), Nov. 4; I Was a Male War Bride (20th Century-Fox), Nov. 11; The Gallant Blade (Columbia), Dec. 2; Take One False Step (Universal-International), Dec. 30. Overcast Miss Tatlock’s Millions (Paramount), July 22; Sleeping Car to Trieste (Rank-Two Cities), Aug. 5; The Fan (20th Century-Fox), Aug. 12; Miranda (Rank-Gainsborough), Aug. 19; Words and Music (M.G.M.), Sept. 2; Elizabeth of Ladymead (London Films), Sept. 23; A Song is Born (RKO-Radio), Oct. 14; Three Godfathers (Argosy-M.G.M.), Nov. 25; One Sunday Afternoon (Warner Bros.), Dec, 2; Caught (M.G.M.-Enterprise), Dec. 30. Dull The Bribe (M.G.M.), Oct. 21; eros (Rank-Sydney Box); Nov. 18; The Bad Lord Byron (Rank-Sydney Box), Dec. 16; The Great Gatsby (Paramount), Dec, 23.