Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-10-24

to report that Daryl F. Zanuck /;
ne a wonderful job in trans
Firing Kathleen Winsors' sensa-
tional best-seller to the screen.
Here, in all its full-bodied
richness, is the warm and de-
lightfully human story Of a.
country girl who schemed all her
life to get the money and title.
she thought would win her the
one man she really loved. And
for its setting, Producer William
Perlberg has captured all of the
lavish splendor of King Charles
IFS court and the modes and
manners that made IN erie
England exactly that.
Linda DarnelI Perfect Amber
Linda Darnell's characterize
ION of Amber in a cameo of
perfection. She is Amber in
every mood and movement. Her
bonde hair "a shade she adopted
for this film) and her natural
beauty help create an Amber
even more alluring than the
descriptions of her charm that
came from Miss Winsor's pen.
She, of course, is the dominant
character in the story, and al
though the number of her sweet
hearts have been cut from
twenty to six, there is still
plenty of romance on hand for
even the most avid movie fan.
Cornell Wilde, as Bruce Carl
ton, is the No. / man in Amber's
life, and he gives a splendid per-
formance filled with fire and
SESSION. He is the perfect devil
Gy-care cavalier in a portrayal
that is a JOY to behold. The
talente e d Wilde is at ease
throughout, whether he's duel
ing for his life, persuading the
king to back his expedition or,
as you'd anticipate, making with
the romance department.
Richard Greene does a terrific
job as Lord Almsbury, Bruce's
good friend. He comes through
with a performance that makes
him all the more welcome back
to the screen after a six-year
war absence. John Russell, as
Black Jack Mallard, the high
wayman; Richard Haydn as the
Earl of r d lift e, the man
Amber marries for his money
and title; and George Sanders
as the lusty and witty Charles
ID m p etc the sextette of
Amber's sweethearts. He looks
as though he has stepped right
out of the frame of Sir Peter
Lely's famous painting of the
monarch, and his d e m a n o n
would have made even Samuel
Pepys blush.
Other players in the all-star
cast who deserve special mention
for their excellent performances
are Anne Revere, the rascally
Mother Red Cap; Jessica Tandy
as Amber's faithful maid; and
Robert Coote.
Great Scope, Spectacle Captured
Director Otto Preminger and
Producer Perlberg have done a
great scope of the novel into the
sEperb job of encompassing the
I is of screen presentation.
W. screen play by Philip Dunno
and Ring Lardner, Jr., written
from Jerome Cady's adaptation,
has enhanced all of the dramatic
power and spectacle of the story
the great London fire of 1866,
the agonizing Black Plague, and
many other unforgettable scenes
and events-as we'll as the SUBJ
tlenuances VIII i ch m k d
Amber's rise from a humble
home in Marygreen Village to a
position of power in the court
of Charles II.
In the fabulous sweep of ifs
story and spectacle, Forever
Amber" provides a memorable
picture of great contrasts. Scenes
of London's cluttered streets in
the seventeenth century, and
dark, dank Newgate PrisonI
make the splendor of the lavish
p&ties and balls given at White
hall Palace and the brilliance Of
the Theatre Royal seen all the
more magnificent. The squalor
of the thieves and mendicants in
their rags and tatters give added
emphasis to the cleaning satins
and gold brocades worn by the
lords and ladies of King Charles
court. Ant it is against this rich
and ever-changing tapestry that
Amber moves in her fight for
the love and happiness that was
to elude her.
Forever Amber" as a picture
is even more provocative than
the novel. 1t will long be re-
membered for its high romantic
interest, the dramatic power of
its story, the sheer beauty and
laYishnesS of its production, and