Evening star., 1949-09-25
TheFuctsofLifeMQke
Poirof ofSuPerbFi|nos
Devil in the Flesh, The Quiet One
Hit Local Screens in Week
By joy Cormody

top productions turned Wash
within the last few days and thing they is that
life stuff the best films made OF.
need not be gmalthough what life not these days
happen the of Devil in the Flesh and
Quiet of these the x-ray
of human existence and despite the
tuny offered exploration Of these
corners something striking
is anodd commentary the practice of classifying movies
cataogued pictures spite
fact they deal far nevey with life than standard
productions.
Tactfuly Handled.
aspect existence Flesh" is
that which nescapaby implied the title refers to the
biological urge in its sapes the
delicate handled this French production
with bluntness modified by admirable taste.
Whatever of exceptional drama to be found the
play is the novelty of its viewpoint
tanment makers by no means merely in HOLLYWOOD to
treat love kind joke Devil in the
Flesh takes the opposite view that the experience is equally
redoent of tragedy.
brilliantly French lad
falls love with beautiful somewhat older equally lonely girl
whose husband This love which the
tons do not and its tragedy
1t only slightly mitgated torment For whatever feeng
bssfu sefdeeption brings them the boy and
with hours of hurt humiliation and finally the ater death
and the lads remorse
Intentions Frustrated.
abundantly clear that its prnci
pals average intelligence place intention
that their relationship should become ugly and sodd 1t
equally quite beyond their divert
this ge-old experience from its customary channel.
The adolescent hero is the dominant character Devil in
brilliantly searching performance that
PHILIPPE the role The romantic impulse which he
purues him emotional adventures than he
bargains for his first fascination for the girl he meets through
the exigencies of
He changes unraed love lead to in such
fixed relations those with his aeconae
family that the qualification of the nfct mortal
wounds dignity and pride and the OF duty and ever
other resulting from misstep basic
Mchelne Pese in the girls role gives equally touching
and Illuminating performance in Devil in the Flesh"
Both of these and the subordinate played by superlav
French possible by senivey written script d
reed with arne that the best of productions seldom
achieves
Equivalent pognance achieved in the subject matter and
its treatment in "The Quiet One"
This is strkgy humble picture which found its before
general audiences only by the mere chance study of the effect
of loveness 10yearold boy THE Quiet One made
educational purposes those child welfare
Its producers merely hoped achieve modesty expert composite
history and when their picture began achieve international
acclaim they surprised only educators get
Apart from its dramatic impact the most amazing feature OF
e Quiet One the key performance by amateur Negro
child actor Donald Thompson With previous training indeed
particular what the whole undertaking
dramatic performances movie
audiences permitted to see. ...-
The deduction to be made seeing his performance that
the oastng job Of the that he
is an inroverted, torrnented child.
Asonsngly according the producers he nothing of the
kind He intelligent easily amused and natural leader in
life the opposite the tragic speeches little
figure he plays in "The Quiet One"
his responsiveness to direction that accounts for his
heartbreakng performance of the scripts small boy also named
Donald and knowing this adds dramatic dimension to THE
Quiet One"
1t has other dimensions that it, also is
the seasons "musts"