Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, January 23, 1970
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Friday, January 23, 1970
cinema
Truth Honesty & B& C & T & A
By NEAL GABLER
Hidden somewhere between
our parents' generation and
ours is a group of Americans
that truly qualify as the For-
gotten People. They grew up
during the Eisenhower years
'(which is a handicap difficult
to overcome); the'y screamed
their poor little lungs out for
Elvis Presley and later for John
Kennedy. They wore bobby sox
and saddle shoes, crew cuts and
pony tails. They were non ideo-
logues, people who went to col-
lege to get an education, pure
end simple, and then get a job.
Sadly, this hidden generation
straddled two moralities as well
as two eras of time - the Vic-
torian view our parents give lip
service to and our own liberated
moral code. They are unable to
find their niche in either. They
are too young to be fuddy-dud-
dies, but they had missed the
Liberation. So they go to dis-
cotheques, listen to Beatle rec-
ords and occasionally smoke
pot; they even let their hair
grow . . .goodbye, crewcut .
and wear mad, m o d clothes.
God! Aren't we f r e e spirits?
But they never quite make it.
And that's what Bob & Carol
& Ted & Alice now playing at
the Fox Village Theatre is all
about. Those two, typical, piti-
ful couples try to break down
the barriers, to free themselves
and to find Truth. Curiously,
their search goes on in the re-
pository of the un-Truthful, the
haven for the refugees f r o m
real life, Southern California.
Land of failures and fantasy.
Taco Bell. Sam Yorty. Freeways.
Ralph Williams. Smog. Ronald
Reagan. Esalen.
Bob and Carol (Bob Culp and
Natalie Wood) are forgotten
people. They have one of those
"meaningful" weekends at Esa-
len, and then set out to liberate
their best friends, Ted and Al-
ice (Elliot Gould and Dyan Can-
non) from middle-class moral-
ity. You know how it goes -
Communicate with us. Tell us
what you really feel. No more
games. O.K.? This junk, how-
ever, is even more phoney than
the games people play.
The subject is intriguing, and
the possibilities (if you really
do consider them) are exciting.
But I must admit that I have
serious reservations about this
film. It disturbed me. In many
ways I find it a smooth little
flick full of what I can only caill
blue situation-comedy material.
Instead of talking about Ricky's
problems at the fraternity or
Beaver doing something he
shouldn't oughta have done,.
B & C & T & A talk about sex
- constantly and exclusively.
As Alice herself puts it, "You're
all sick."
But B & C & T & A wants to
be more than another slick so-
phisticated comedy. It wants to
say something about the tragic
hyprocrisy of its beautiful peo-
ple. The problem is it can't have
its cake and eat it too. You eith-
er h a v e tc deliver a truthful
message and risk offending all
those people o u t in Southern
California and, for that matter,
in suburbs throughout the coun-
try, who are probably going to
see the film in droves, or you
have to say nothing, provide
just enough seriousness so that
the film passes for something
"honest" and delight them. I'm
not able to resolve just what
B&C&T&Adoes.
Facile is not a dirty word in
the cinema. I thought that The
Graduate was unbelievably fa-
cile, and yet it was pleasurable
and even significant; it appeal-
ed to both young and old
though, of course, for different
reasons. B & C & T & A is also
facile except, this time, I have
doubts that the audience is get-
ting any medicine with the su-
gar-coating. Enjoyable, it is.
Funny, in a spicy Doris D a y
kind of way, it is. But signifi-
cant?
Although the question of sig-
nificance is central in deciding
whether this is merely a good
comedy or whether it is a gen-
uinely good film, it shouldn't
bother those people w h o are
simply looking for something
more naughty -than My Three
Sons but whose funny-bone runs
in that direction. Elliot Gould
is fantastic, and his perform-
ance alone is worth the price of
admission. But...for me there
will always be those gnawing
doubts.{
GUILD HOUSE
802 MONROE
JANUARY 23rd
NOON L UNCHEON
25c
Topic--THE ORGANI C FOOD STORE:
ORIGIN AND AIMS
COMANDER CObY
and
Thee Lost Planet Airmxen
Frahday "Better than a bottle
Satiidayof cold Boone's Farm."
Anonymous at the
Hill concert
Country & Western '50's stomping
Band Music ........ ... ..$2.00
DOORS OPEN AT 8 P.M.
'I-
-Associated Press
Dancing in the streets
Members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness chant along Fifth Avenue in mid-
town Manhattan. Members pf the new western cult serving the ancient Hindu deity are found in
various cities across the country, singing praises of their Lord Krishna and seeking donations from
passersby.
__.-s____T_ _ . ~I ' -- ____,_
-
'Theatre West to perform
Theater West, a black the-
ater group from Dayton, Ohio,
will perform in Ann Arbor to-
night and tomorrow at Jones
School..
The performances, which will
be at 8 o'clock each evening, are
open to the public. A 75 cent
donation to defray the group's
expenses is requested.
- .}
Theater West will also tape
two half-hour television pro-
grams at th e U-M Television
Center. The programs will be
shown on the center's network
of television stations, which' in-
cludes 50 stations around the
country.
Theater West is composed of
31 black actors and actresses,
ranging in age from 15 to 32. It
was founded two years ago by
Clarence Young III, currently'
its director. Its purpose is to
project black philosophy in both
humorous and serious forms.
The group is also noted for its
exhibition of Afro - American
and American dance.
sr"
r
"McQueen acts as he hasn't before - An artful
wily bumpkin "Will Geer made me wish he'd been
my Grandfather, and I hope to see more of Miss
Farrell. They're all mighty good . . . and so is
PRESENTATIONS
IN RACKHAM AUDITORIUM
PM ED., JAN. 28, 8:3
IPROGRAM.
Quintet for Winds, Op. 43 .............................:.'.....eilsen
Introduction and Variations
for Flute and Piano, Op. 160...................... . . .Schubert
Quintet in E-flat for Piano
and Winds, K. 452 ........... ....... ........ .. ... Mozart
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT $5.00 AND $4.00 ONLY
and in HILL AUDITORIUM
JOAN SUTHERLAND, Soprano
with RICHARD BONYNGE, Pianist
O xford,
Couzens
to go eo-ed
(Continues1 from Page 1)
Quad's request to the Board. He
said that nearly 200 spaces in West
Quad could be converted without
causing a housing shortage for.
men.
John Feldkamp, Director of Uni-
versity Housing, expressed con-
cern that such a move "would re-
sult in empty women's spaces
while we turn men. away." He
cited the proposedrate increase
and the declining return rate his-
torically experienced when halls
are converted.
The proposal for Markley Hall
would add another 162 male
spaces, bringing.the male-female
ratio near 60/40,
After yesterday's meeting, Peter
Jensen, West Quad's representa-
tive on the University Housing"
Office committee which made the
original planning ,report said
"we'rejust furious. The housing
office keeps changing its figures
on us, making it impossible to
present an acceptable plan."
Jensen added that the West
Quad group would be working
this week to find other proposals
acceptable to the board.
A final decision on the planning
proposals is expected at next
't
a "
AGAIN
HELD
OVER
5TH WEEK
Shows
Todoy
1 .00
3:00
5:00
The Reivers'!" Look A
"Excellent _
CUE s .
~~-
STEVE McQUEEN plays Boon in
"THE REIVERS"
Willam Faulkner's Pulitzer Prize Winning
With WILL GEER
and co-starring SHARON FARRELL
{agazine
:1
,t
FRI, JAN. 30
at 8 :3
PROGRAM: Art songs and arias: French, German,,
English, Scottish, -by Martini, Pergolesi,
Handel, Arne, Boyce, Haydn, Delius, Grieg,
Massenet, Offenbach, Aubert; and arias by
Rossini and Donizetti.
'ill
Tickets: $7.00 Eout) -$6.50-$6.00-
$5.00=$3.50-$2.50
SCOMING
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY, BURTON TOWER, ANN ARBOR
Office Hours: Mon. through Fri., 9 to 4:30; Sat., 9 to 12 (Tel. 665-3717)
s
VERVE-
FOLK WAYS
RECORDING
ARTIST
Paul
Geremia
Foot Stomping
Country Blues
Dobro, Guitar
"VIVA
MAX"
With
PETER
USTI NOV
Novel
1
I
(Also at Auditorium box office 1 1/2 hours before performance time)
recent hit on the Johnny Carson Show on N.B.C.
*1
U
THE BEST SELLER THAT BURST INTO HEADLINES WITH ITS
EXPLOSIVE EXPOSE OF THE SPY SCANDAL THAT SHOOK THE WORLD!
4
I
I
I
Next Weekend:
Entertainment
Finance
Publicity
Art & Layout
Booklet
U. _ - _
Michael
Cooney
{*
j40rW II I . I
'.. . :, . .~ iu 7 . u . J.'. s. ' . .. ..''' f .. , . . n u.i .. : 1
U
I INIINHIIHIiI : .ll l , , . . .... ..... _ _ ....... .. .. , w« ~ , , ,,, . I f u" '1 111
,