— 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