Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY'
Tuesday, September 24, 1968
Pa e T w H E M C H G N A LT es a , e te b r 411 6
cinema
Simplicity in NY: Mixed feelings
theatre
Pinter, Osborne on UP schedule
By I. ALAN SMOKLERI
specal To The Daily
NEW YORK - Three films
shown at the New York Film Fest-
ival'last week illuminate the prob-
lem of cinematic simplicity, for ifC
a film seems too simple it is im-
mediately suspect. - Audiences
enamored with or at least aware
of the metaphysicians of the
cinema have come to expect from
"serious' films some "deep mean-
ing.' Failing to ; perceive such is
too often taken as a sign of per-
sonal failure rather than direc-
torial intent.
John Casavetes' Faces, one of
the two American entries in the
Festival, isea simple film. Its char-
acters are stereotyped, banal,
alienated, middle-class Southern
California types who for two hours
romp around, love every !moment,
hope they won't feel guilty, yet
know they inevitably will. There'
are no huge comments here on
bourgeois America, on the ennui
that afflicts many, or on the
meaningless of life (Antonioni-
style). In this 'way Faces is ter-
ribly simple, yet Casavetes has di-'
rected a delightful, if not at times
brilliant, piece of simplicity cou-
pled with a versatile and sophis-
ticated use of camera.
In Faces, the faces really do all
the work. Dialogue is unenlighten-
ing, script is virtually non-exis-
tent, yet insight is gained through
those millisecond expressions one
delights catching ftom the corner
of the eye. It is an intuitive in-
sight, strong yet shattered as soon
as the lights go up and our "ra-
tional" faculties begin to analyze
critically. The worn-out execu-
tives, hardened whores, and
washy-washy wives have said more,
by saying nothing.
In an otherwise mediocre cast,
John Marley and especially Sey-
mour Cassel turn in notable per-
formances.
La; Religieuse, based on the
anti-clerical work by Diederot,l
was banned in France several
years ago, whereupon a critical
storm erupted much as in V'af-
faire Langloise. 'hough the Min-
istry of the Interior became the.
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Here, one suspects that sim-
plicity masks- some kind of cre-
ative hiatus. Rivette's return to
some kind of Griffithian roots is
presumably either laden withl
meaningful overtones, or he just
wants to tell a shocking tale. Of
the former, then, such overtones
are obscure to the point of non-
sense; if the latter, then have a
cup of strong coffee beforehand
or pray that the released copy is
cut.
Shortened, the film could be a
succinct diatribe against the per-
versions which often grow from
religious ferocity. Shot well-even,
at times, beautifully-Rivette has
captured the spirit and terror of"
fanaticism gone awry, attenuated
by a strong sense of pictorial com-
position.
The French furor is puzzling,
however. The movie is rather mild
by Flaming Creatures standards
and one is forced to conclude, at
least trivially, that certain -ideas,
are more loathesome to the French+
than body exposure and sexual
perversion.
The Chronicle of Anna Bach is,
the simplest film of all. Two hours
contain roughly 50 shots, each
held several minutes; while the,
first "action" occurs 42 minutes;
into the film. This "minimal cine-;
ma" is designed to allow the au-,
dience to do the work while bask-
ing in the enjoyment of Bach's
music.
There is, however, no work toW
be done. Anna's narration of her
years with the composer are more3
quasi-documentary, the thread
carried by the music. The placid-
ity or excitement engendered by
the film is a response to sound,
not sight. Visual stimulation
heightens only as attenadance at
a concert is more appealing than
listening to one's stereo.-
W a r h o l notwithstanding, a
"minimalist" concept is intriguing,
for it allows concentration on ele-
ments otherwise neglected by
omitting those elements always
present. It is Bach, however, and
not director Jean-Marie Straub,
who carries the film. Although
there is no pretense to the con-
trary, it is probably here that
minimalism, will founder.
Two contemporary plays and
a modern idiom performance of
a classic mark this year's Uni-
versity Players' season.
The seven - play schedule,
tickets for which are currently
on sale at the speech depart-
ment ticket window in the
Frieze Bldg., begins Oct. 2 with
Euripides' Greek classic, "The
Bacchae." To be presented in
Trueblood Theatre Oct. 2-5, the
play will be "contemporized" by
the University Players.
On Oct. 30, Harold Pinter's
"The Homecoming"will mark
one of the UP's first ventures
into the modern theatre. Also in
Trueblood, "The Homecoming"
will run through Nov. 2.
Kuhn suspects
welfare plot
(Continued from Page 1)
children while mothers are at
work.
Kuhn asked that Sen. N. Lor-
raine Beebe R-Dearborn), chair-
'man' of the Senate Committee on
Health, Welfare and Social Serv-
ices, call an investigation into
demands for increased state aid
and special allotments for cloth-
ing purposes.
He did not elaborate on what he
termed a "possible conspiracy."
"The welfare case load in
Wayne County alone," Kuhn said,
"is almost doubled, from 5,800 to
over 10,000 within the last year,
with an additional 3,000 mothers
receiving (Aid to Dependent
Children) payments.
"Further," he told Mrs. Beebe,
"the state social services budget
was increased sotne $70 million
for the current fiscal year when
it jumped from $164 million to
$234 million."
Kuhn said he was most troubled
that "in spite of these affluent
times, a period of high employ-
ment and the need for people to
fill many unfilled jobs, welfare
assistance continues to grow at an
enormous rate.
"If we cannot reverse this stag-
gering welfare trend soon, it will
become possibly the demise of our
society."
Next on the schedule will be
the group's annual Shakespear-
ean production, this time "The
Tempest." Also in Trueblood, it
runs Nov. 20-23.
This year's student-written
original is Mack Owen's "Bang!
Bang! You're Dead!" Presented
in conjunction with the English
department, the play will be in
Trueblood Jan. 29-Feb. 1.
The next two plays will be
presented in Lydia Mendelssohn
Theatre, First, John Osborne's
modern chronicle of a British
dance-hall showman, "The En-
tertainer," running Feb. 18-22,
The Osborne play will be fol-
lowed by Chekhov's "The Cherry
Orchard," March 12-15.
The season's last production
will be Aristophanes' classic
farce, "Lysistrata," in True-
blood April 9-12.
City Council won't help you
with your damage deposits
DIAL 8-6416
"A SIZZLER FROM
FRANCE.
'Therese and Isabelle'
will be the most talked-
about movie around."
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aRADLE:Y PA .GER
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JOUR"'
(Continued from Page 1)
and cities usually don't get in-
volved in private contracts."
Hathaway's comment came in
reply to Councilman Ernest L.
Quenon's (D-2nd Ward) ques-
tion asking what the city could
do about landlord's confiscation
of damage deposits.
Hathaway said the most the city
could do without getting involved
in a "can of worms" was to urge
tenants to specifically negotiate
with their landlords over damage
deposits in the city's upcoming
pamphlet on tenant rights.
City Attorney Peter Forsythe
mentioned another recourse open
to tenants-the new small claims
court which will be set up the first
of January. Tenants making
claims against their landlords
would be able to file suit in a court
where attorneys might be barred.
This would eliminate the typically
prohibitive high costs of the civil
actions.
At the working session Council
also heard the City Controller's
informal financial projections for
the fiscal '68-69 period. The in-
come and expense projections es-
timated surplus revenue at $513,-
638 and expenditure increases at
over $700,000. The largest factors
contributing to the new expendi-
tures are storm sewer rebuilding
and increased police overtime pay.
Try Daily 'Classifieds
ecio kModrn oln
LAST 3 DAYS
Positively
Ends Thursday
scapegoat of the anti-censoring
forces, it seems to be no idle sus-
picion that the heavey hand of
the Church was felt. Or for those
who eschew such simple explana-
tions, consider de Gaulle's egg and
his reticence to allow presentation
of a theme which attacks forced
conformity and the squelching of
the individual.
Set in an 18th century convent,
La Religieuse picks -virtually
every anti-Church 'bone one could=
conceive, and then some. The
common chronicle of complaint-
"seduction of the innocent," free-
dom of thought, lesbianism, etc.-
is augmented by strange forms of
religious anguish and necrophilia.
The film is the life of a beautiful
girl (Anna Karina) forced into a
nunnery by the economic concerns
of her "family" which, though
compelling, seem rather quaint
today. Her torment is the film, the
audience's is boredm.
Director Jacque Rivette was one
of the founders of Cahiers du
Cinema, yet he has eliminated all
traces of nouvelle vague. The
film's conventionality is marred
only by two abrupt shifts after 90
and 120 minutes (it runs a total
of 140 minutes )
In eirscreen splendor...Themost magfieentfhwe m!
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TIMES: MON.-FRI.-7:10-9:10
~JU-( ITILGEORG CSCOTr
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Department
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A LEONARD FREEMAN PRDDUCIV Co &tarng
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'68 -'69
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(TOO BIG FOR ONE THEATRE)
OPENING FRIDAY AT BOTH THEATRES
If you passed her on the street you wouldn't
notice her...on the screen she is unforgettable.
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featuring
6 GREAT PLAYS
and
a PREMIERE' PRODUCTION
; . t.
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I
BOX OFFICE OPENS SEPT. 23-12:30-5:00
Euripides' 0
THE BACCHAE
L .
0
October 2-5
Trueblood Theatre
Harold Pinter's
THE HOMECOMING
SEATS NOW
(Sold Out Fri., Sat. and Sun.)
October 30-November 2
Trueblood Theatre
SEPTEMBER 17-29'
,,
I
William Shakespeare's
THE TEMPEST
November 20-23 Trueblood Theatre
In cooperation with the Department of English
BANG! BANG! YOU'RE DEAD!
A Premiere Production by Mack Owen
January 29-February 1 Trueblood Theatre
John Osborne's
THE ENTERTAINER
F.F
"DAZZLING!"
-Ann Arbor News
"BRILLIANT!'
-Toledo Blade
4
"A TRIUMPH!" ( "DELECTABLE WIT."
-Michigan Daily --Detroit Free Press
Ul na nnR WACo ndnA-WPMrPro'1
February 19-22
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
1
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- I U U A * i~I II -