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May 24, 1985 - Image 53

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1985-05-24

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.


53

Friday, May 24, 1685

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

♦ _

MORT AT THE MOVIES

NOW OPEN
7 DAYS A WEEK!

MORT ZIEVE

Sun. Thru Thurs. 5 to 10
Fri. & Sat. 5 to 11

Private Function' Taps
Post-War England

The town elite are hiding an
pig!" It's to be the
Inain
main course at a dinner celebrat-
ng the marriage of Princess
rilizabeth to Philip.
The butcher, a key member of
',his coterie, hides other black
narket meat in the bed of his in-
valid father-in-law.
The genteelly impoverished
piano teacher takes her dotty
nother on imaginary rides in a
' s tationary car in the garage. They

i

There's aglance, a
muttered word, an
lunexpected reaction
almost every frame
that makes you smile.

aren't important enough to get
gas coupons.
I Sound slightly off-center? It is.
;It's A Private Function (rated "R,"
showing only at the Maple Thea-
ter), an off-beat British satire that
snuck into town and has been pro-
viding quiet amusement along
with a few big laughs to those
who've found it.
The time is 1947; the place,
Yorkshire.
England is in the depths of au-
sterity. There's no petrol, no pork,
no partying. Everyone in town
scrounges for food. The richer folk
ply the black market, while the
rest queue up at the butcher's.
There are only two stars in the
film who are familiar to American
;audiences — Maggie Smith and
,Denholm Elliott. And both are
very funny. Smith gives us yet
another of her individualistic,
sharply-etched performances. She
plays the wife of the town
chiropodist. She gives piano les-
sons, but apparently has only one
;student, an obnoxious little brat.
:She pines for the "good old days"
when her father, owner of dry
cleaning stores, took her and
Mum to the "better places for tea."
She goads her husband to be more
of a man. She nurse-maids her to-
tally balmy 74-year-old mother,
'Lwho in turn eats everything in

Elliott plays the successful
town doctor, a smarmy snob and
anti-Semite. He is so obvious, so
inflated, so awful that you have to
laugh at him from his first line to
this last.
A Private Function is about
prejudice, pomposity and preten-
sions. And it punctures all three
with gentle, yet deadly accurate
barbs.
The provincials who people the
picture are perfectly potty —
very one of them. I don't think
I've ever seen a film before where
every character was an eccentric,
from the major roles to the extras
who are seen in the quickest
.
flicker.
Even Fellini gives us one
character who's "normal."
You have to watch this picture.
The laughs aren't laid on with a
Hollywooden hand. There's a
I glance, a muttered word, an un-

e

expected reaction in almost every
frame that makes you smile.
This isn't a block-buster but it is
truly amusing. And I found my-
self laughing two days later, re-
calling some of the film's zanier
moments.
The author is Alan Bennett,
formerly of the Beyond The
Fringe Troupe. If you enjoyed that
kind of original humor, you'll
enjoy A Private Function.
I can't for the life of me under-
stand why it's rated "R". Maybe
the distributors thought the im-
plication of sex would help bring
in an audience. And the only vio-
lence in the film is directed
against the pig, which does indeed
turn out to be dinner.
Amidst the rash of mindless,
youth-oriented, car-bashing,
muscle-questing pictures we've
been inundated with of late, A
Private Function stands out with
wit, intelligence, subtlety and
style.

MARIA'

Restaurant

SERVING YOU FOR 7 YEARS IN THE SAME WALNUT LAKE RD. LOCATION

West Bloomfield
2080 Walnut Lake Rd. at Inkster
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK — SUN. THRU THURS. 5 to 10, FRI. & SAT. 5 to 11

Su_perb Milk Fed Veal • Fresh Seafood Daily

Served in an authentic traditional New York Italian-style atmosphere
Reservations Suggested For Your Convenience
Your Host:
Your Hostess:

851-2500

e

a

after 3 p.m.

Call The Jewish News
Today

THE CLASSIFIEDS

BE A WINNER, PLAY

Al Valente

Ruthe Wagner

354-6060

COUPON OFFER GOOD FOR UPTO 4 PEOPLE!

Tavern

AT IRONWOOD

DINNER for 2

If you haven't tried us ...you don't
know what you're missing! The place
for all ... in a rustic country setting.

SPECIALIZING

TWO-13 oz. New York Strip Steak Dinners

in Gourmet Hamburgers,

Includes: Salad, Baked Potato, Fresh
Vegetable and Rolls
with Apple Butter

Golf Benefit
Slated June 3

The third annual Wayne State
University Calvin Peete/
Augustus J. Calloway Golf Tour-
nament will be held June 3 at
Wabeek Country Club in Bloom-
field Hills. The tournament will
benefit the Calloway Scholarship
program at WSU.
Professional golfer and native
Detroiter Calvin Peete will be on
hand to participate in the event
and present a scholarship check
during the victory dinner.
Golfers interested in playing in
the tournament can obtain entry
forms by calling Mrs. Olga Delano
at the WSU College of Education,
577-1620. There is a fee.

Numismatists
Meet Tuesday

The Israel Numismatic Society
of Michigan will meet 8 p.m.
Tuesday at the Jimmy Prentis
Morris Branch of the Jewish
Community Center. Topics to be
discussed include the recent
numismatic study tour of Israel
and philatelic items featuring
Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky.
The public is invited to this free
meeting and refreshments will be
served.

Musical Comedy

In Southfield

The musical comedy, El Grande
de Coca-Cola, is showing on Fri-
days and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.
and Sundays at 6:30 p.m. at the
Actors Alliance Theatre Com-
pany in Southfield through June
16.
Ticket information and reser-
vations are available by calling
the box office, 642-1326.

Coupon good for up to 4 only.
Coupon good Sunday thru
Thursday. Expires 6-15-85.



Tavern

Filet and Sirloin Steaks.
Selection of fish, plus a
fine assortment of
other foods and
full course meals.

195

II for 2

Only

PONTIAC TRAIL

N

3100 W. Maple,

WEST MAPLE

/4 Mile West of Haggerty
Open 7 Days a Week

1

Phone 624-1000
1111 PICK UP MORE COUPONS AT TAVERN

14M ILE

AT IRONWOOD

' 27
-44)
/
)

I=
11111

IIII

LARGE 1111
SCREEN EN
TV
BANQUET
FACILITIES a
AVAILABLE

Announcing The
Opening Of
-

tiira&L.444N

25861 Lbhserat 10 1/2 Mile (Next to Majestic Market) • Southfield • 354-3640

WE SPECIALIZE IN CARRY-OUTS

Come and visit Dimitri's Shish-Kebob, our new carry-out concept for lunch and dinner.
When it comes to quality Greek food, Dimitri's Shish-Kebob has got id
Come and try our delivious shish-kebobs, Greek dishes and salads.

At Dimitri's Shish-Kebob you will find excellent taste, superb quality, and fast and friendly service.
We are open SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 1 0:30 o.m.-1 1 p.m.

Small $215 ... Large $3.25
GREEK SALAD
$3.50
SHISH-KEBOB
$2.25
MINI SOUVLAKI
$3.25
GYROS
PLATE
$2.25
...
GYROS SANDWICH
- $3.50
CHICKEN-KEBOB
$1.95 ... Deluxe $2.35
GREEK HAMBURGER
$2.25 ... Deluxe $2.65
With Cheese
$2.50... Deluxe $2.90
With Cheese & Bacon
$3.50
MOUSSAKA
$3.50
PASTITSIO
$3.50
SPINACH CHEESE PIE
$5.25
COMBO SOUVLAKI (Spinach Cheese Pie, Moussaka, Pastitsio)
$5.25
COMBO GYROS (Spinach Cheese Pie, Moussaka, Pastitsio)

• SIDE DISHES • SOUPS
• DESSERTS • BEVERAGES

'CALL AHEAD & CARRY-OUT ORDERS WILL BE WAITING

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