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Show Frosty thriller found in 'Zebra' By Darrell Leo Martin Ransohoffs "Ice Station Zebra" is exactly what its advertising promises, "a suspenseful adventure-drama set on an ice cap in the North Pole." Now playing at the Villa Theatre, Zebra, while definitely not an artistic accomplishment in creative film making, does make an entertaining flick for the whole family. A story of espionage and power plays by national forces Zebra utilizes the talents of Patrick McGoohan as a British secret agent and the writing talent of Alistair MacLean who wrote the novel from which the film was adapted. Doesn't Keep Cool Patrick McGoohan, while not assuming a very different role from his television part in "Secret Agent," does not keep his cool both as an actor and as an intelligence agent. Possibly the best method McGoohan uses is the one liner which he fills with sarcasm without moving a face muscle. "Comrade," he called Ernest Borgnine, a Russian born double counter agent, wrapped up enough meaning to cover the gamut of hatred, distrust and disillusionment which McGoohan was to feel. MacLean's novel adapted well as a thrilling movie. Perhaps it loses some of its topical value from the best-seller, but the basic plot makes the film entertaining. Casting Errors Two casting errors, though, were derived from director John Sturges placement of Rock Hudson as Commander James Ferraday and Ernest Borgnine as Boris Vaslov. As the commander of the USS Tigerfish, Hudson lacks the I toughness that a man in charge of operating a nuclear submarine should have. Perhaps he was just too much the Doris Day lover to be cast in such a role. His performance seemed a little too superficial, yet it will most likely send many female hearts twittering when he appears. Despite the fact that Hudson is just much too suave for a commander, he handled the role as best he could, glossing over the segments which he knew would not come over. Casting Ernest Borgnine as the ;, jovial, but deceptive Vaslov, presented some problems in the way of credibility. Borgnine seemed too much a fisherman and not enough the genius playing a fisherman. He seemed to let his sub-characterization get the best of the entire role. Also appearing in cameo roles were Lloyd Nolan, Jim Brown, former football star, and Murray Rose, former gold medal winner for swimming. Perhaps the most notable part of the movie was the photography. Filmed in color using cinerama, Zebra presents some dazzling scenes taken from the submarine USS Ronquil under the North Pole. Though photographer Daniel L. Fapp did not seem to use all the possibilities available to him under special photographic effects, Zebra was basically sound in that respect. Though not quite meeting the standards of a large scale adventure epic, Zebra does provide a movie in which its viewers can get involved in. Though not the most artistic or creative of films, its worth taking the family to see. |