1960-01-02 — Page 11

THIS is the Gin

CARY GRANT North

By Northwest”

DAVID NIVEN---"Around

LANA TURNER.

The World In 80 Days"

"Imitation Of Life"

TONY CURTIS-"The

Vidngs"

CHRISTOPHER LEE-The Horror Of Dracula"

KIRK DOUGLAS~~"Lost Train From Gunhil”

LIN DAI-"Kingdam & The Beauty"

YOU MADE THESE FILMS

HONGKONG'S TOP TEN

YOU, the Hongkong dollar-paying customer at the cinema box-office, say that the following films were the ten best of the year 1959.

Criticism, reviewing, artistic appreciation, and all the other business of assessing a film are trumped by you. Your "ace in the hole" is money. And according to how and where you spent it, the following table is formed.

Looking at the top two films, few surprises y. found. Hongkong hus fol lowed the pattern set by the film audiences where.

every-

NORTH-

NORTH BY WEST with Cary Grant, J:umes Mason, and Eva Marie Saint, had suficient star value to carry it any- where. But its real triumph is the triumph of old master Hitch- cock. The film world was saying he had lost his ancient touch. He came up with the old box of tricks, and a few new ones, As a result MGM cashed in very nicely.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 20 DAYS with David Niven

The vicar and a girl My

called Alice.....

by RICHARD LISTER

THE HUMBLER CREATION. By Pamela Honsford Johnson.

Macmillan, 161.

THE

HE vicar of a church in Earl's Court may, on the face of it, seem an odd choice for the chief character in a modern novel. The parish is no longer, in London especially, the social force it once was; and we have got into the habit of treating parsons in fiction as comic types.

Sacrifice

-by

de Gaulle

1. NORTH BY NORTHWEST

By

Anthony Fuller

2. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

3. THE KINGDOM & THE BEAUTY

4. IMITATION OF LIFE (repeated)

5. RIO BRAVO

6. THE VIKINGS

7. THE BIG COUNTRY

8. HORROR OF DRACULA

9. LAST TRAIN FROM Gunhill ́10. FLESH'AND BLOOD

leading an all-star enst Showman's triumphs. An

was a

im

ansely entertaining alm, with the into Mike Todd as the big- gest ballyhoo merchant in the eme. 18 Alm released through United Artists was n master- piece of showmanship.

TUE

THE KINGDOM BEAUTY breaks up the world pattern followed by Hongkang. Actually, this im is top box- office in Hongkong, but as I am showing figures for first run,, and as this film had to be taken off the Hoover and the Gala to nake way for contract book- ing. I include only the figures thowing box-office at those two etnemas.

MGM UA

SHAWS'

Gross Takings

$485,903.00

431,588.00

403,179.00

UI

339,914,00.

WB

295.324.00

UA

248,361,00

UA

246,135.00

UI

241,386.00

PARA

217,655.00

PATHE

214,106.00

the more so in my opinion for picked up nicely on second and their artistic integrity. But why third runs, put RIO

BRAVO above the The coming year will see yet? wonderful THE NUN'S STORY? another huge improvement in Only you know that.

But Bims. Some real masterpieces world box-office says you are are on the way beginning with dead wrong.

ON THE BEACH, now showing in Hongkong,

United Artist: come in again with THE VIKINGS and THE BIG COUNTRY respectively. 1 have nothing to say here. They were both huge pieces of enter- fainment of a totally different

kind.

eighth place, a British fin creeps into Hongkong's Roll of Honour for the first time. It is the horrifie HORRORS OF DRACULA Although the film was made for Universal Inter- national, it was produced by that efficient ghoul factory, the Hammer Film Productions of Britain, and

al- carried an

sald Just British cast. I have

re- cently that the States have sur- rendered the title of World Shocker to Hammers'.

THE KINGDOM & THE BEAUTY had an unbroken run, for without losing day, i carried on at other cinemas, Up to the moment, hovering on the inillion doilar mark.

it

is

There is every cause for con- gratulations around here. It is a beautiful Alm, a flm which Arst award at the 0th won Asian Festival. Miss Lin Dai

Paramount come in ninth with THE LAST, TRAIN TO GUN-

Other HILL

would years have seen this nearer the top. is the star. l'admired this film The fact that no outdoor

so much that I told Mr Tur Run SHANE type of lm figures in Shaw, the Producer, that THE the top four is significant, The KINGDOM & THE BEAUTY public is Liring of seeing the should be sent to Europe and changes rung on the wide lonely MEMOIRS Of America as an example of Asian streets and the fost draw. GENERAL DE GAULLE.flms at their best.

IMITATION OF LIFE, Uni-

WAR

and very early at, like all persons, he is, in his THIS inflated,

absorbing novel.

The least aid about number ten the botter. To get a show. Unity, 1942-44. Weiden- versal International's senti- ing. FLESH AND BLOOD, made feld and Nicolson, 30s. mental drama makes fourth by Pathe, had to take the place place. That is in pattern of the of second feature to support the tense world audiences. With Lana main film la most parts of the Turner and John Gavin lending, world. Even the tolerent Bri- the am scored not so much on tish film trode described it as a star quality, but rather with the film without merit or taste. I assume Hongkong is had Hongkong in tears.

sex-starved. Now we in Hongkong go off At any rate, placing it tenth good pattern, for by saying it with will give the Alm boys a dollars, you placed Warner Bros laugh.

to

Miss Lansford Johnson very Underpaid and overworked i easily, persuades us to treat her parson publie lite, the prisoner of parish

and brilliant narra- with the respect a serious person polities and parishi publle tive has to overcome the deserves, in her new, very able, opinion, and in his private life average British reader's supporting characters. This Dim cox dalver

writters and very the prisoner of his family-of

his wife, Libby, and of her antipathy to rhetoric, viling mother and her sister Kate, with her two sons. especially when yoked

These public

and private with mysticism. pressures ceme together when Maurice Fisher, vicar at St he begin to associate too closely By sheer eloquence and Lawrence's, inspires respect by with one of his parishioners, conviction, it succeeds in doing his downrightness. He is neither Alice Imber. The association so, De Gaulle is the martyr who enough, and Ived to write the story of his saintly nor priggish or hearty. begins innocently

He is a plain

man doing an it is his wife who is largely own sacrifice. exacting job as well as he can responsible.

After the Collapse, somebody

A plain man

and if he is to be called upon Miss Hansford Johnson has had to be France. De Gaulle, before the end to rise: to the never been more acute thary in with an exalted light in his eye stature of a grand remuelction, her delineation of this handsome, and a giunt-sized" chip on his It is the circumstances rather frigid woman, who claims love shoulder, had no doubt that he than any strength of scruple without refuming it and who was the man. that forces it on him

exacts praise for the hard work she never in fact does.

The circumstances of his life, admirably realised by the author, are highly circumscribe ing.

has

His allles looked on him with a baffled irritation.

Reluctant

| RIO BRAVO in fifth place. John Now, all that remains in

Wayne and Dean Martin led tell you who might be worrying this nim.

that the Ogures given above are only first run, and that the dis- 1ributors and exhibitors also

Warner Bros make their aims well. They doserve to be up top,

• BY. THE . WAY.

by Beachcomber

aim, are most alluring,

E

CCOUNTS of Stinkorama,, adorn the ring as of yore, at A the American device for this festive season? Or has More and more Maurice comes He was touchy, inconvenient, loosing tinned smells during baser if more elevated condition to depend on the sympathy of a nuisance with no obvious

of life corrupted you to a cas Allce; but in a parish, 11 nuisance value,

unconventical mode of riding vatching eyes and gossiping

than was your wont?" Once longues, it is no defence to plead

and for all," replial the that nothing

actually

chatelaine, "I tell you all, I have done with the circus." "Our loss, dear lady," sald Kekewich, bowing himself out, No umbrellas in the House Faces Bacon *MINISTER

AT A GLANCE happened,

But wore the allies free from

This affair, If anything so tenuous can be called an affair, LAROUSSE ENCYCLO- consists only of a few odd half- blame? PAEDIA OF MYTHOLOGY. hours, snatched from his Batchworth Prea 550円 Andrabbly busy life.' excellent translation of the com- Youth clubs, fetes and parish prehensive French guide to meetings, parishioners in trouble world mythology--not only the and quarrolling vestry-men- Lamiliar. Greek and Romen anything and anyone has a lien legends, but nearly all primitive on a vicar's time, and Kate, his religious beliefs. A wonderfully sister-in law, too, has a complie "LOTURI referenc work with eating affair. Javish illustrations. It will cest' 0s. after 1959,

The lives...

line.

Storm," says the head- We may soon read, in a report of proceedings in the House:--

When the Minister rose to speak, a Danish rashier from the

One reporter says that there were 112 rinelis in 88 minutes, including the smell of a trapped tiger. This is a step towards Aromavision. Every room con- taining a television set will be impregnated with the reek of Why were the Americans so the various commodities boosted. reluctant to let French troops It will be auch fun when, by'an free Parls, the capital of their error, Depplewhite's Toothjoy country?

Dental Detergent gives off the And what was the origin of aneu of Fobbleworth's Froze Roosevelt's persistent antagon- Walnut Pies, or Liverwick's im to de Gaulle?

Detachable Hat Linings. Was it simply that the Enter the ringmaster Frenchman WAS

his country ringmaster, Augustine Opposition benches caught Jelen have the future of his country Kekwich, had a very a glancing blow on cheek. settled in Washington?

alr. He was superior

UD- The ricochet woke a sleeping With a remarkable sureness of "Do

know," naked nounced 43 Mr Kekewich; and merriber, and soon the air was touch and exactress of obser Anthony Eden when de Gaulle the unsuspecting Colonel asked: full YOUTH AT THE

øj · English and Danish vation Ursula Bloom. Hutchison, 16 conducts us through both the have caused us more difficulties with my younger brother?" agile members caught and re-,

Miss Hansford Johnson was Ipaving London, that you "Surely, you were at Harrow bacon, some of which the more A good wallow in memories of outer and the inner lives of her than all our young womanhood during the characters, the tedious never allies put together?"

other European "We played in that township turned amarily, Thero scre 1914-18 war.

last year" said the ringmaster, eries of "Well held, Sir."' and ending day-to-dayness of the "France is a great power," "What name was your brother when a Sociallet was hit the outer, and the intensity and replied, de Gaulle with a smite.. using? Was he the chap who knee, slirieka of "How's that?”

● THE YEARS OF CHALion of the inner and brings This is the books of one who raked the andy" Mrs Wretch and 4.B.BP prompted the

us with complete, daturance to never doubted the greatness of the Entered, LENGE, Don Taylor, Hale, 25 the point where the meshworic his country and did more than hand tongue-tiet.

to find hor, speaker to call the House A palstalci story of the of dusty, musty reality le top my other man to tim

"A; order, Khuda deep is rushers' a bin Imperial scene from 1945 to strong for the dream and romantic, vislopinto glittering "I trust you. Have not forgotten oration.

said the ringkastar, bore continued his fathe 3904, the drapid transformation Kaurion tuust shut the door on reality,INGYEN (ino rapid, ne some think) of the the hope that lay behind those

"your" "belmane", ecumerkan skill, domin Arlieb Empire Into the Com snatched, tal-boun

GMT. Leg before bacon

Kekky / pewysik izpon: Ton® kan kobova London) begrens: Servies."

monwealth

GATE.

-fLondon, Exprver: Zervtor),

you

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