Evening star., 1963-09-27

ton to Miss Taylor and Mr..
Burton, Margaret Rutherford,
Orson WelleS. Rod Taylor,
Maggie Smith, Louis Jordan,
Elsa Martinelli and Linda
Christian.
Producer Anatole de Grun-
wald, who filmed THE V.IP.s'
in London, has made it an at
tractive entertainment pack
age, gift-wrapped in Metro
color and Panavision.
1.-THE V.I.P.s" is one of those
Grand Hotel" stories with a
variety Of dramatic events
teeming beneath the surface.
played against and accented by
the commonplaces Of life. It's
setting is busy London Airport,
principally the V.I.P. Loun e
and the airport hotel.
Here the passengers, or
would-be passengers, assemble
one morning to board a jet for
New York. They are a motley
assortment Of people with
problems.
One is the stylishly and ex-
pensively turned-out Mrs. An
dros (Miss Taylor) whose mil
lionaire shipping nagnate hus-
band (Burton) has come down
to see her off. When he returns
home he will find her note ex-
planning that she has just ell
oped with q charming rogue Of
the jet set (Jourdan).
Another is a celebrated movie
director (Welles) who creates
quite a stir when he sails in
with his latest protegee (Miss
Martinelli) in his wake. He has
to get out Of Great Britain be-
fore midnight or be liable for a
staggering income tax payment.
Still another Is q business
man (Taylor) on his way to
somebody's board meeting in
New York to get aid in saving
his small tractor firm from q
large automotive octopus. He's
already written q sizable check
on no funds that he will have
to make good when his bank
opens the next morning.
One more Is the Duchess Of
Brighton miss Rutherford)
bound for some mad job. like
assistant social director or
something at q Miami hotel.
She needs the money to save
her beloved home, q mon
strous and ancient red brick
palace that the National Trust
decided 1t wouldn't be caught
dead with.
And delay, as you can see.
would be complete disaster for
most Of these travellers. And
that is precisely what happens
to them. The fog rolls in and
their planes departure is de-
layed, at first temporarily, then
for another hour, finally until
the next morning.
This gives the shipping mag
nate time to 60 home, find that
letter and return to battle for
his wife. 1t gives the business
man time to make several !
frantic but unproductive trans
Atlantic phone calls in the
hope Of getting that money be-
fore he meets the board Of di-
rectors.
Miss Rutherford, the woman
millions Of m moviegoers love
dearly. perpetrates another Of
her dastardly m ovie-stealing
schemes and Is easily the best
thing about Mr.. De Grunwald's
picture. She Is a complete de-
light every moment the camera
is on her. She searches through
a mammoth bag for her pass
port and vaccination certifi-
cate and can't seem to find
anything g but an old ration
card.
She fortifies herself against
her first plane trip with pep
pills, pills to make her relax
finally with a snifter Of brandy
She gets aboard the plane then
panics when told to fasten heI
seat belt. II didn't bring one.'
she cries in alarm. She stops
being hilarious long enough to
do a brief touching scene de-
filming her affection for that
horrendous red brick pile she
calls home. II you don't like
anything about THE VIP.s'
but Miss Rutherford, 1t still
won't be an evening wasted.
Orson Wells is another Of the
pictures genuine joys, ham,
ming 1t up cheerfully in his
caricature Of a mittel European
director whose major aim In
life is the avoidance of taxes.
The principal plot among the
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