New Year's Fare

`Passover Plot' Being Filme

By HERBERT G. LUFT

(C013 )ritht_ 1971 'TM Inc.)

"The Railway Children" at the
Bloomfield Theater is a New
Year treat for the entire family.
Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett
and Gary Warren (top to bot-
tom) are the title characters.
There will be a 10 p.m. show
New Year's Eve.

Dulzin Wants End
to Absorption Ministry

TEL AVIV (JTA)—Jewish Ag-
ency Treasurer Leon Dulzin
claimed that abolition of the mini-
stry of absorption could save the
government up to $5,000,000 a
year.
According to Dulzin, the ministry
is superfluous because it duplicates
activities of the Jewish Agency.
He told the Engineers Club here
Israel could absorb between 20
and 30,000 immigrants next year
though it would require some
"belt-tightening."

Classicism is health, romanticism
is sickness.
—Goethe.

HOLLYWOOD —"The Passover
Plot," a satirical book by Hugh
Schonfield advaneip_g the rather
sacrilegious notion Jesus of
Nazareth plotted his own' crucifix-
ion, is the latest religious, or per-
haps anti-religious project select-
ed for filmization these days, in
line with the kick for spiritual re-
awakening that produced "Jesus
Christ, Superstar" and "Godspeed"
—the latter now on the stage of
Los Angeles. "Jesus Christ, Super-
star" is being transposed into a
movie by producer-director Nor-
man Jewison, while Italian director
Gillo Pontecorvo is tackling "The
Passover Plot" to go before the
cameras in London and Tel Aviv
with Gene Wesson producing.
Pontecorvo first attracted atten-
tion with his 1961 epic, "Kapo," a
World War II German concentra-
tion camp story involving a Jew-
ish girl, portrayed by Susan Stras-
berg and filmed in Yugoslavia. We
met Pontecorvo during a press
reception for "Battle of Algiers,"
a thoroughly anti-French picture
filmed in Algeria in 1966-67.
When we told the young Italian
that "The Battle of Algiers," to
us, is a blueprint for guerrilla ac-
tivities in Israel in addition to its
propaganda values for the Arabs
throughout North Africa, he re-
marked that he would never want
to hurt the Jews since he is Jew-
ish. He pointed out that all his
films (he has since made one
Brando) deal with suffering, hu-
manity nailed to the cross. In
"Kapo" he took a stand for the
Jewish victims of Nazi aggression;
in "The Battle of Algiers" he rose
to the defense of the natives of
North Africa under the heels of
a colonial power.
S
* II
JAMES GOLDMAN, author of

MATINEES DAILY!
To Life!

THE MIMSCH PRODUCTION COMPANY

A NORMAN JEWISON FILM
"FIDDLER ON THE ROOF"

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NORMAN JEWISON
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JERRY BOCK

`61"(Sor71.-InarlICK

HAROLD PRINCE

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JEROME ROBBINS

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JOHN PRUJAMS

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

"Lion in Winter," is responsible
for the tightly-knit screenplay to
Samuel Spiegel's latest. "Nicholas
and Alexandria," the holiday en-
try from Columbia Pictures. Filmed
in Spain by Franklin J. Schaffner
from the novel by Robert K. Mas-
sie, "Nicholas and Alexandra"
stars a trio of unknowns, Michael
Jayston as Nicholas, Janet Suz-
man as Alexandra, and Tom Baker
as Rasputin, with Fiona Fullerton
portraying Anastasia, the enigmatic
princess.
*
PRODUCER LESTER GOLD-
SMITH and veteran director Mark
Robson have a box office hit with
Columbia's "Happy Birthday
Wanda June," from the off-Broad-
way play by Kurt Vonnegut Jrs.
author of "Slaughterhouse Five."
an allegoric account of World War
H filmed in Prague for Universal
Studios last year.

MARK ROBSON is part-
nered with Robert Wise and Ber-
nard Donnenfeld in another Film-
makers Group project. "Two Peo-
ple," to be produced and directed
by Wise from Richard DeRoy's or-
iginal story, with Peter Fonda por-
traying the male lead of an Ameri-
can in self-exile who has decided
to return from North Africa. Photo-
graphy commences in Marrakech,
Morocco early in February.
• *
LAWRENCE COHEN is writing
the screenplay of "Crusing," a
story of male prostitution, homo-
sexuality and murder on the streets
of New York. The story is based on
the book by Gerald Walker of the
N.Y. Times. Phil D'Antoni of "Bul-
lit" and "The French Connection"
switches from producing to direc-
tion, with Robert Weiner set to
produce on actual locations in the
lower depth of Manhattan's East
Side.
* *
JACK L. WARNER, currently
preparing the screen version of the
Broadway musical "1776" at Co-
lumbia Studios, will be honored by
his alma mater, Warner Bros. on
'the occasion of the company's
1,500th motion picture already re-
leased. The first film made by
brothers Harry, Albert, Sam and
Jack Warner in 1912 was the flick-
er, "Peril of the Plain," photo-
graphed on a shoestring in St.
Louis.
The world took notice of Warner
Bros. when the company had the
guts to produce "My Four Years
in Germany," from the book by
Ambassador James W. Gerard,
castigating the German emperor
before America entered World
War I.
Warners again made headlines
across the globe when they dared
to make the first talking picture
in 1927, "The Jazz Singer," star-
ring the late AI Jolson.

Tel-Ex Cinemas Brings Automation to Theaters

Tel-Ex Cinemas, Detroit's first
fully automated four-theater mo-
tion picture center opened last
weekend on Telegraph Rd. at Ten
Mile Rd., within the new Tel-Ex
Shopping Center.
Harvey Farber, general partner
of the Tel-Ex Cinemas Co., said
the new "quad" will feature the
latest in motion picture theater
equipment. Highlights are a con-
tinuous four-hour show without a
reel change and an automated
ticket dispensing system that will
allow one or two attendants to
handle all four auditoriums.
Farber said "No patron will
have to be exposed to the elements
while buying tickets or waiting for
someone since entrance to the
theater is from an enclosed corri-
dor of the Tel-Ex mall. The com-
pletely covered shopping center is
air-conditioned in the summer and
heated in the winter.
Opening attractions are "Some-

times a Great Notion" in both the

Tel-Ex 1 and 2 theaters; "Medea,"
with Maria Callas and "Summer
of '42."
Being newcomers to the field,
Tel-Ex Cinemas is relying heavily
on the advice of veteran exhibitors
Wisper & Wetsman Inc., who will
handle bookings.
The $500,000 theater complex will
seat 1,036. The architecture was by
Detroiters Don Alles and Abe
Warnoff. Weinstein, Weinstein and
Grodan, developers of the Tel-Ex
Shopping Center, are the builders
and landlords.

Investors to See Work
of Israel Corporation

NEW YORK—More than 100 di-
rectors and guests of AMPAL
American Israel Corp. and repre-
sentatives from New York finan-
cial world will spend 10 days in
Israel , viewing the work of
AMPAL.

SpsciaL
91i w. Veahl

NORTHWOOD INN'S

Bountiful Buffet Dinners

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other menu entrees also available

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Friday, December 31, 1971-19

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Dec. 25—Christmas Day through Dec. 30 at 1:15. S:00 & 5:30 P.M. I
December 31—New Year's he at 1:15. 5:08. & 12 Ilidaigkt.

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