ANOTHER YEAR

The author of Journey's End should have his dramatic values more surely in hand the author of Chedworth (1944) seemed to have a better sense of rounding out a story; now in Another Year, he has told a sentimental, unreal tale marred by an other-worldly point of view about a clergyman's mission of redemption- and by a completely phony picture of Hollywood. Matthews was sixty and afraid the comforts of his rural parish would lull to sleep the conscience that urged him to fulfill his role as rector of a London slum parish. Taking over one, he found everything even worse than he expected; a handful formed the congregation among thousands who were godless. And outside, he tried to pierce the indifference of his district. Out of this, came the chance of Hollywood for his daughter, beautiful and dumb- too dumb even for Hollywood. She failed, but her father made a hit, but eventually he rejects Hollywood to accept his role of minister to his flock. At the end, he is left with only his good will intact. Not even a good book on the side of the angels as it ignores the needs of the parishioners he criticizes.