"This woman was crying and sob-
bing and bemoaning her fate, and I
found myself saying, 'I'm not moved
by what she's doing, by her problems.'
And I said, 'Why am I not moved?'
Then I said, 'It's because she's com-
plaining too much. She's crying too
much. If she would do it less, then I
would be moved more.' And I just put
that in the hopper for my work."
What he liked about the Brazilian
actors in this film — specifically Pedro
Cardoso and Fernanda Torres with
whom he worked most closely — ih as
that he felt they were real actors.
"There was nothing grand about
them in any way. They were just
doing their work. And I think that's
one of the greatest things about the
movie. It's the kind of work you don't
see in the U.S.
"I feel that even the good work —
and I know this is a terrible blanket
criticism — is about selling. I see peo-
ple selling, selling, selling. I feel like
we've become a culture of salesmen:" .
But not Arkin, who admits he's happy
with his career, especially of late. "I'm
working more now and getting better
projects than I've had in decades."
In a couple of weeks, Arkin returns
to the stage to start rehearsals for
Power Plays, which premieres off-
Broadway at the Promenade Theater
in early April.
It's an evening of three one-act
plays, featuring one he wrote and one
written by Elaine May. He directs all
three and acts in two. "It's the first
time I've been on stage in 30 years,"
he says. "So, I'm kind of petrified
about that." The cast includes May's
daughter, Jeanne Berlin, and Arkin's
son, Anthony.
"God help me, I'm going to be in it
for six months," he says. "I thought
I'd signed on for three, but I signed on
for six. I'll be climbing the walls. Yeah,
we'll wait and see."
Then he begins to tell a story about
one of his sons who left a career as an
attorney to become an actor, when he
suddenly leaps out of his chair, shout-
ing in Polish dialect, "Mr. Budapest."
The man whose arms he rushes into is
none other than Robin Williams, who
is doing his own promo gig in the
same hotel for Good Will Hunting.
Arkin and Williams recently shot
Jakob the Liar in Budapest, in which
they played two World War II Jewish
ghetto residents.
Now, the surprise visit by his col-
league sends Arkin into comedy orbit,
where Williams is already firmly
ensconced.
The two hug and continue a sponta-
neous riff in full dialect. The Williams
visit has energized Arkin enormously.
He can't stop laughing. Unfortunately,
time's up. But who cares?
"Did that screw up the interview,"
he asks sincerely.
'Are you kidding?"
"No, seriously," he asks again even
though he'd rather do anything than
talk about himself.
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Critic's Corner
It has been a long time since Alan
Arkin was an exciting actor --- as a
film star he was virtually scuttled by
the flop of Catch 22 in 1970 — but
aging and even balding have made
Arkin a cogent, unfettered, intelli
gent presence in films, a mentsh with
no need of machismo.
As the kidnapped American diplo-
mat to Brazil in Four Days in
September, Arkin maintains ambas-
sadorial dignity, until fear closes in
and he loses bladder control. He then
sits on a toilet and cries, a scene that
many actors would have made so piti-
ful that audiences would laugh ner-
vously. Instead, Arkin makes us feel
the pure humanness of a proud man
humbled (and then, the comfort of
seeing him recover his dignity).
Bruno Barret°, drawing on former
radical Fernando Gabeira's book,
-
filmed in Brazil. The result is a trib-
ute to the late Ambassador Charles
B. Elbrick, but also the kidnappers
who held him hostage, to shake the
military dictatorship in 1969.
We savor Elbrick's honest, careful
personality (he doesn't agree with
Americanpolicy in Vietnam or the
support of military regimes). And we
slip behind the nervy facades of the
commandos.
The kidnap action was both suc-
cess and failure. In the long term (it
took the regime 20 years to fall), it
probably had small importance. But
lives turned on it, and this balanced,
observant film puts us in touch with
those lives. Rated R.
--- Reviewed by David Elliot
Copley News Service
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