Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, November 1, T968
}ag To.TE.ICIGAIDIL
Fridayv. N vemerr . Iy19r
.1
cinema
Tom's other bastard brother Benjamin
By HENRY GRIX
Benjamin, now showing at the
Fifth Forum, makes you long
for the days when "love was
like the unicorn, when beautiful
women cried if you lied and
told them they were ugly, when
there were two pairs of legs in
every basket and two bodies in
every bed.
Sound like Tom Jones? It is.
But not so good because Benja-
min does not really mean it.
The film is a satire on the sat-
ire and finally ends up unsure
of and .not believing in itself.
A movie .that fails to trust the
obvious merits of sumptuous
colors, bare breasts and Cath-
erine Deneuve cannot be all
good. And, of course, it can't
be all bad.
Benjamin is hilariously bawdy'
during its first half. Although
it lacks the remarkable camera
which inspired the.English land-
scapes of Tony Richardson's
film, Michel Deville's chateau
country is revealed as a sort of
pastoral paradise, an unreal
world of picnics on the grass
and orgies in the barn.
If you were raised in this at-
mosphere, you might become "a
French Tom Jones." But Ben-
jamin (Pierre Clementi), "an
early orphan,l' has spent his 17
years alone, with his mentor,
- ±
U.S. war deserters
find Sweden livable
and it is not until he visits his
aging, but ravishing, aunt (Mi-
chele Morgan) that he realizes
his tutor taught him nothing.
Thus he is Jones' antithesis, and
his story is "the diary of an in-
nocent young boy."
Benjamin is the perfect pawn
for satire on satire. What he
doesn't know mocks the lewd.
satirical suggestions of Tom
Jones. "What is desire?" he e.
wonders. "I a will teach you to
desire passion like an apple,"
the buxom servant pants, and
her downcast eyes suggests she
means two apples.
"How can one 'make' a senti-
ment?'' Benjamin asks the Ma-
dame de Chartres. She stares at
the adolescent, dumbfounded.
Since the opportunity is too
perfectly available for Benja-
min to learn how to "make" a
Isentiment, he never manages to
share his bed until the end of
the film. This is appropriately
ironic, and it provides the di-
rector with a chance to have
some fun.
Indoctrinating Benjamin in
the way of the libertine, the
boy's uncle (I'm not your un-
cle,: I'm your aunt's lover) be-
comes his pedagogue. A Tom
Jones, twenty years later, the
rogueish "uncle" (Michel Pic-
coli) reflects the brooding bore-
dom of a man who "always eats
before I'm hungry" and hun-
gers after women he does not
love because they are the spice
of life.
(while Benjamin is struggling
to lose his innocence, in the
straw). "Uncle" acquires a ter-
rible passion for Anne, who re-
sponds. The countess cries and
cuts her hand on a goblet (It
was only a scrotch).
'You don't mind my not
loving you," Miss Deneuve sighs
as she sleeps with Benjamin to
spite the adoring rake. "I wasn't
thinking of it," Benjamin an-
swers.
All this would be the most
pungent satire, if it were not
played for phychological real-
ism. The cast do not mimic
themselves, or deadpan; they
actually "feel" their parts. Such
bitterness is out of place in a
pagan garden of pleasures. The
beginning was better.
CINEMA II
"THE LOVED ONE".
JONATHAN WI NTERS
ROD STE IGER
"Va Va Voom"-Wanda
NOVEMBER 1-2
Fri-Sat.-7-9 CINEMA II Aud A Angell 75c
Jon-heDalySprtSa--~-
Join The Daily Sports Staff
H ILLEL
DELI HOUSE
1429 H il l Street
SUNDAY at 6:00 P.M.
"JEWISH ISSUES
IN 1968 ELECTIONS"
$1 Members; $1 .25 Non-Members
3020 Washtenaw, Ph. 434-1782
Between Ypsilanti ond.Ann Arbor
This is a
Remarkable Motion Picture
Based on fact
THE
BOST'ON
STRANGLER
(Continued from Page 1)
And so they became readers, not
just the former college students--
who by no means are the domin-
ant group-but "even those who
probably hadn't read more than
one whole book in their entire
lives."
But reading certainly isn't all.
They have, as well, lives to live,
and much has to be done. Few
think very much about the distant
future, expecting to live in Sweden
for some time, but all expecting
to return to the United States
eventually. But the necessities of
life in Sweden don't give them,
that much time to think of it..
Despite receiving benefits from
the government-eighteen dollars
Despite receiving benefits from
the government - eighteen dollars
a month plus a housing allowance
-it 7s little more than a sub-
sistence allowance and work has
to be done.
The governments of France and
Sweden are the only two which are
open about granting asylum to re-
serters and, resistors - they have
about 40 and 150 deserters, re-
spectively. Other European coun-
tries (Belgiun, Netherlands and
Italy) are known to have some de-
serters, but they allow them only
on the condition that they refrain
from publicizing their presence.
Sweden, oit the other hand, despite
cordial relations. with the, United'
States, is at least decent to the
deserters, if not actually encour-
aging.
Recipients of "humanitarian
asylum," the status deserters re-
ceive, have complete political free-
dom in Sweden, but not in France
where they are barred from any
political. activity.
Besides having few common
denominators personally, their
sources are diverse. There were
deserters from all the services, but
the Marines seemed to be rep-
resented out of proportion to their
numbers.
Blacks also seem to be repre-
sented well, roughly in proportion
to their numbers in the services-
about 20 per cent. Sax says they
did not seem to have any special
difficulties.
Life is not easy in either coun-
try. Jobs are hard to find both in
Paris and Stockholm, and many
of the jobs available are menial.
Language is a problem in both
countries, one which the Swedish
government is working actively to
overcome. It is willing to pay stu-
(dents a stipend, larger than the
benefits they would ordinarily re-
ceive, for learning the language.
"They're encouraging the resisters
to become 'productive citizens'",
Sax says.
And they are admittedly lonely.
"They were really glad to talk to
us,'" Sax says, "They really wanted
to know that someone in the
States cared about them."
Despite the problems, perhaps
or because of them, the .deserters
and resisters seem to be, psycho-
logically at least, on solid ground.
"I had expected them to be in
a kind of stupor," Sax admits, "but
there is about them, as a whole,
quite a feeling of vitality. They
have satisfied themselves, after
much thought, that they have
done the right thing. It gives them
a certain sense of personal secur-
ity. That's' what they have in com-
mon."
I
SATURDAY, NOV. 9 7:00 and 9:30
Hill Auditorium
LAST DAY OF BLOCK SALES
Hill Auditorium Box Office
I.
The film's funniest moments
follow Piccoli and Clementi on Open 8:00-6:00 Mon-Sat
a one day romp through the
countryside. Benjamin learns MAIL ORDERS STILL ACCEPTED
how to insult the lovely, lyingSa
orphan, Anne (Miss Deneuve), Send checks and Self-addressed envelope to:
seduce the nymph-like Madame Michigan Men's Glee Club
de la Tour, invade the orphan's
bedroom, and then ask "What'll 6044 Administration Bldg Ann Arbor
we do next?" Please Specify 7:00 or 9:30 Performance
What we do next plagues the
director. Deville shifts gears, $2.50 $2.00 $1 .50
changing his film from a bawdy
satire to a more subtle and life- INDIVIDUAL SALES START MONDAY, NOV. 4
less comedy of manners. Tragic
things happen. The barn burns --_--
COMMANDER CODY
And His
LOST PLANET AIRMEN
000000'000G I E
COUNTRY and WESTERN
SWING
etc.
at
6}IERBU Y") OUSE
TON ITE and Sat. $1.00 doors open at 8 p.m
NOW ! DIAL 5-6290
NOW! _______3
_____________ Shows at 1, 3, 5,7,9 P.M.
This is the story of the self-
confhssed Boston Stran aler ..
SrIarkahle motion picture based on fac!
This is the madness. The panic. The search for answers. Why this man? Why
did 13 women open their doors willingly to him? The result is a film that is
not what you expected.
c5MarqcArqx
Gieceart is a'Londy'Hunte
JA;Z , SAC OX C0V~li-I*IMPU W"I SONDRA LOCKE
os~egageer~~s~l aurrwgtuStw1ttMS C + ga usan aMm sr wo.grt aUxft Ew ,~e foML~ 01 M~gMS~m +
INDIA STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION, ANN ARBOR.
INVITES YOU TO ITS ANNUAL FUNCTION
Deepawali Celebration
THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS.
Enjoy Indian Music, Dances, and Sweets
Everybody Welcome. Bring Your Friends, Too.
Admission: 50c per head
7:00 P.M. SUNDAY, NOV. 10
at FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH of Ann Arbor,
1432 Washtenaw Ave.
1 :oE- :00-A:0
7:10-9:30
BIG
erd WEEK
NO 2-6264
TATE
Ilj
I I
i
Unlike other classics
West Side Story
grows younger! 4
PICTURE!"
tyiner of
tC Academy
Awards! _ -, w
2 EXCITING NEW PLAYS!
A powerful and prophetic An imaginative and
platy by the dainzigyoung provocative new play by
hliberaleader.the author of
1Blackboard Jungle.
THE WORLD PREMIERE:OF
00
byb
IVAN KLIMA b
Adaptedby RUTH WILLARD EVAN HUNTER
TUES., DEC. 3 -SUIN., DEC. 8' MON., FEB. 3 -SAT., FEB. 8
M*&M SU O,''WEST SIDE STORY"
ROBERT WISE 'o.,cso.
AS5,.4NATALIE WOOD
NATIONAL GENERAL CORPORTO
FOX EASTERN THEATRESm
FOHVILLe6E
375 No. MAPLE RD. 769.1300
MON.-FRI. 8:00
SUN. 1:00-3:45-6:30-9:15
SAT. 3:45-6:30-9:15
FRIDAY-NOV. 1-ONE SHOWING 11:00 P.M..
A Realistic Film that Could Happen
Julie jOskar
ChristieJ Werner
first role since her & winner of the
20hCer-Faxpreent
I WAr
Directed by
I l
I
I