Evening star., 1951-08-30

not a morbid one. On the contrar
count of the physical and mental
which pays proper tribute to the
courage of sightleSs men and the
intelligence of the method by
which they are restored to the
normal world.
Above all. Bright Victory" is
q human document. It is the
story of a dramatic average guy,
brilliantly played by Arthur Ken
nedy, who finds his way back to
life, love, light and usefulness out
Of a permanent darkness. 1t is
human enough, indeed, to have an
occasional weakness yet none so
serious that it robs the screen
play Of the entertainment values
sought by Director Mark Robson.
Robson C"Home of the Brave"
and THE Champion") is one of
the keen young men of movie
making. He has an admirable
preference for letting fact speak
for itself instead of trying to
speak for it. He also has an ex-
pert taste in players, in this case
Kennedy, Peggy Dow, Will Greer.
James Edwards and others per-
Fectly adapted for the chores as
signed to them.
It is a single case history of
4 blinded veteran that Bright
Victory" concentrates upon. Never
theleSS, the case has been dra-
matically packed by original au-
thor, Baynard Kendrick, and his
screen writer's with a composite Of
experience that tells a sweeping |
story Of the blinded service man.
The principal setting Of this
Universal international production
is the Veterans Administration |
hospital for the blind at Valley |
Forge, Pa.
On this light and cheerful stage,
Kennedy acts out the anguish and
the triumph of Sightless ex-
soldier, aided incidentally by a
number of actually blind veterans
playing real life roles,
His role is an enormously busy
and exacting one. He is to show
not merely the infinitely patient
and practical aspects by which
the sightless are taught to "See"
with other senses, but also the
solution of emotional problems.
There is a strange fascination in
the details Of the retraining OF
Bright Victory's" hero and Rob- |
sons direction is keen enough to
make the dramatic most Of 1t on
the screen.
No handsome young man could
be more outraged than Kennedy
at the battle wound that costs him
his eyes. He is no Pollyanna to
accept it as something that aft1ictS
a lot of people. He does not want
to meet his parents, the f1ancee he
left behind in a small Florida
town, or does the firm but kindly
hospital staff that is ready toI
teach him how to see without eyes.
When this core of bitterness
eoftens enough to permit a few
first stepS-after he has attempted
suicide-he begins to show faint
curiosity about his darkened
world. It is no more than mel
ancholy game to reduce boredome,
well, it is that much. Also in favor
of playing it is normally healthy,
if blind, young mans curiosity
about how substitute senses may
be developed.
The matter-of- realism in
this area of the film carries over
effectively into the emotional pas
sageS. The highlight of these is
the hero's meeting with Miss Dow.
She is a young, pretty, intelligent
girl who works with the sightless
veterans of Valley Forge.
It is not one of the suspenSeful
elements of Bright Victory" that
Kennedy ultimately will choose
Miss Dow over the fiancee he left
back home, but it does serve to
illuminate a dramatic corner OF
the blind mans world. He can
not believe that a shred of at
tractiveness remains in a man sol
manned as he is and some Of !
Bright Victory's" best incidents
are built around the Shattering
of this melancholy delusion.
X X X X
There is never a dearth oil
material in the screenplay writ
ten by Robert Buckner. It is OBJ
vious that the very excess of it'll
required sharp editing on Rob-
sons part, although some may
doubt this is shown in a long
story thread dealing with the
race prejudice subject. Robson
has handled this particular theme
dramatically enough. yet not sol
effectively as to make it look as
If it fully belongs in his story.
Kennedy. one Of the ablest
younger actors on Broadway, hits
his peak as a screen performer