Evening star., 1952-07-03


other of those nature studies
called Water Birds"
The combination of the sort of
thing that not only can demolish
the competitive effect of television
but should be able to reduce the
political conventions to the cali
ber of mere sideShows.
At their highest pitch, and this
:an be pretty high, the conventions
will be hard put to exceed the en-
thuSiasm Of yesterdays first audi
ence, an overflow group which
seethed with enjoyment.
\ X \ y
An all-English cast in an actual
Nottingham-S Sherwood Forest set
ting puts up a stout battle to keep
its Robin Hood" from becoming
the Disney packages secondary
feature against the pelicans, terms,
famingos. and other actors in
Water Birds"
It plays the classic slice of
derring-do with spirit and rich
sense of comedy and it leaves not
a moments doubt in the mind of
the smallest customer that free
men are fine fellows and wicked
princes are demons.
Richard Todd is Disney's Robin
and there is no doubt that he
lacks none of the qualifications
for this exalted duty. He not only
is Nottingham's champion bow
man but he also is a leader of
men who does not take himself
too seriously, and one who knows
just the right tricks for tanning
fiery Maid Marian.
While he has skimped in no
way in the lavishness of the set
ting and costuming of Robin
Hood" the accent in Disney's pro-
duction seems to be on the story's
lighthearted side. Prince John,
his Sheriff of Nottingham and the
latter's deputies are the old cruel
lot, but they occupy less screen
time than Robin and his merry
men.
One of the chief inspirations
for taking the focus off the viii
lians and their deeds is building
up the role of Allan-A-Dale in
the person of England's current
leading troubador, Elton Hayes.
Hayes is never far out of the
cameras range and always ready
with a song of praise for Robin
and contempt for the over-lordS
of Nottingham.
Ken Annakin has directed
Disney's English picture and he
has found one of those immacu-
late English casts to act his fast
paced screenplay.
He has found absolute majesty
in Martha Hunt in the role of
Queen Eleanor; just the proper
quality of fiery charm Maid Mar
ian requires in Joan Rice: a roll
lickly robust Little John in James
Robertson Justice, and a corpu-
lently comic Friar Tuck played
by James Hayter.
On the Williams team, Hubert
Gregg is a handsomely evil Prince
John and Michael Hordern is a
matching Scathelock.
\ X X \
water Birds" the nature pic
ture on the Keith's program. offers
a doughty challenge to Robin
Hood" as the highlight of the
Disney package. In many respects
it seems the superior of such
earlier and delightful nature
studies as Beaver Valley" and
Olympic Elk"
The whole area of mans fas-
cination with life that flies is
covered in Water Birds" Un-
counted forms of bird life con-
tribute to the drama. grace,
majesty and hilarious comedy that
have been captured in this en-
chanting half-hour of film.
The narration which goes with
the film is simple and exciting and
the musical score is perfectly in
tegrated with the bird movements
to bring the picture to one of the
most dramatic climaxes Disney has
ever achieved. What he has &C
complished here is a kind of
Fantasia" with real life substi-
tuted for the animated figures of
his previous film under that title.
Scores of unforgettably drama
tic shots are incorporated in Wa
ter Birds" Among these are many
which show the miraculous design
for wild fowl for survival in a
world that puts high price upon
survival. Diving birds that 60 far
below the surface of the ocean for
their food, dancing birds which
conduct natures most animated
courtship, and cumbersomely comic
ones are among the scores Of
characters in Water Birds"
Few human actors can equal
them in dramatic appeal.
X X X \
'The Little House" is the most
conventional item in the Disney
combination at Keith's. It is an
animated satire on engineering
progress, a little story whose moral
is that, no matter how tall build
ings may become, it is better to
live in a little house on a nice,
lonely little piece of land.
1t supplies a pleasant small in
terval between the two much more
dramatic Disney pieces at Keith'S
NAHU