The Michigan Daily-Friday, October 19, 1979--Page 7 PA CINO'S LA TEST: ...AndApathy For All r CINEMA I:I ON G N PRSENT °~ t ~THE INNOCENT y By ALISON DONAHUE For the past several months, Hollywood has been trying to scare the life out of us: Alien, When a Stranger Calls, and Prophecy have successfully removed us from the horrible experien- ces of real life by substituting make believe terror of tqe richest order. Alas, the fear entertainingly instilled by these movies lasts only as long as the flick itself. ... And Justice For All grabs a real life Monster by the tail. Directed by Norman Jewison and starring Al Pacino, the film bucks this recent Hollywood trend by presenting a satirical yet realistic view of the U.S. legal system with all its absurdly funny and powerfully frightening con- ditions. JUSTICE exposes injustices and suggests methods of dealing with them, but unfortunately, Jewison seems to think that "normal" people are in- capable of working effectively to im- prove the system. In this presentation, only those with strength bordering on super-human can meet this task's demands: By creating hero Arthur Kirkland (Pacino), this film effectively absolves us of our personal respon- sibility to affect change. The film makes every effort to shoot down traditional belief in a legal system where judges and lawyers treat each other with mutual respect and criminals get due process. The mental stability of the judges ranges from wackily eccentric (Judge Rayford (Jack Warden), blows off his gun in the courtroom to regain order), to dangerously pathological (Judge Fleming, whose hobby is raping young women) Lawyers rough each other up in the hallways, and are such frustrated individuals that they're contiiilly on the verge of flipping out. Some do. Those accused of crimes are undeser- ving of their punishments: A man whose only offense is a broken tail light languishes in jail because of a Rich Kids ('onf inued rom N9e G with a terse (and more satisfying) "I love you, but your braces hurt. " THlE KIDS (and sometimes the adults' are occasionally given overly- bright lines that come too clearly from the writer's head, but the overall effect is remarkably convincing. Rich or not, these are riwl kids. Ralph Bode's warm, muted cinematography keeps things scaled down to the right level of intimate comedy, but it also takes full advantage of the camera possibilities in the film's only fanciful setting, Ralph's wild bachelor flat: Alvarado and Levy are, like the children, disarmingly close to perfec- tion. There's no slick flavor of acting in their performances; they manage at once to be both natural and professional. The adults are an immensely likeable lot, and David Selby, as Madeline's lover Stephen, is a good deal more than that. He turns up unexpectedly here as the one relaxed adult among a crowd of nervous parent types, and although it's officially a supporting role, the actor's raffish charm nearly dominates the movie. By making the maturity that Franny and Jamie anxiously face seem affable and healthy (the other adults are cheerful neurotics by comparison), Selby gives the film a core of reassuring emotional stability. His per- formance is one of the sweetest sur- prises in a film that is full of small triumphs. Rich Kids' executive producer is Robert Altman, the director of M*A*S*H and Nashville, whose recent films have included such intriguing financial flops as Quintet and A Perfect Couple. At A time when his own projects seem to be hedging increasingly away Ghr Mfit han is preserved on The Michigan Daily 420 Maynard Street AND Graduate Library atA s/$$$$'absK (LUCHINO VISCONTI, 1978) movie, Giancarlo (SEVEN BEAUTIES) STEADY THERE, GUYS, IT'S JUST A MOVIE. Al Pacino and Jack Warden restrain the shaved Jeffrey Tambor in "... . And Justice For All," a Colum- bia release. Tambor has gone berserk. YOU find out why. bureaucratic mix-up; another, who could be on probation, gets a three year prison sentence because a substitute lawyer didn't bother to read his briefs. While pointing out important flaws in our Judicial system, this outrageous setting primarily provides a backdrop for Kirkland's valiant fight against it. He is a public defender whose un- flagging committment to the spirit of justice goes against the grain of the system he's worked in for 12 years. The sacrificial barrister is a great idol for vicarious idealists, with his still unfurnished apartment, empty refrigerator, disheveled appearance, and absentee family. He's not afraid to punch out a judge or mouth off to a judicial ethics committee, and this maverick candor attracts pretty but conventional lawyer Gail Packer (Christine Lahti). She can resist neither his sexy spunk nor her tem- ptation to throw the book at his idealistic notions. This is definitely Pacioio's film, and he goes into character with all the gusto he can muster. We've seen Pacino as the idealistic loner before, most notably in Serpico. In that film, he played a dedicated cop who was reduced to a 'hits mark from the general audience, it is somehow comforting to find Altman backing a film as easily appealing as' Rich Kids. Funny and offbeat in its approach to relatively routine subject matter, Rich Kids is, in its modest way, an almost flawless film. It's a rare kind of movie, so likeable that it crosses all borders of specialized appeal and should more than satisfy anyone willing to plunk down'the money far a ticket. morosely embittered figure by the corrupt system he fought against. Though possibly less realistic, Kirkland is a lot more fun. He has a cocky charm that appeals to adversaries as well as friends, and, unlike his more fallible colleagues, he has incredible stamina. One can't help being moved to root for him because he says and does all the right things for us. The script en- courages such vicarious involvement on the part of the sudience with its heavy emphasis on dramatic impact: We aren't given the chance to reflect on what the .film is saying because we're never distanced from the action. In- stead we surren'der to the film's manipulative roller coaster of emotional highs and lows. For example, while Kirkland and his girlfriend are giggling and messing around in bed, their fun is interrupted by Kirkland's partner, who stumbles drunkenly into the apartment. The man is terribly distraught because a guilty client he helped set free on bail on a technicality has just murdered two children. The melodramatic intensity of this scene is soon left behind, however, when comedy takes over, as we are taken for a thrilling helicopter rife with Kirkland. The pilot is daringly suicidal Judge Rayford, who never knows if he has enough gas to make it home without crashing. This play with our feelings is enter- taining, and we eagerly flow with the story to its climatic ending., By then, Kirkland has lost all support systems and must make a major ethical, decision alone. The film is saved from complete dramatic overkill by some unexpec- tedly clever passages of dialogue, and a few subtle "slice of life" scenes. These elements create a level of depth that cinematic theatricality cannot ap- proach. There are a few nice visual jux- tapositions in the film. Victor Kemper's camera gives an etheral quality to the opening shots of the courthouse's stately alabaster halls. This feeling is quickly contrasted with shots of tacklily down to earth signs hanging about the. courtrooms. They warn "No gum chewing or personal reading." Apart from these somewhat thought- ful endeavors, Kemper's technical capabilities range from acceptability to embarrassingly inadequate. He seems to love'the effect of shallow depth of field, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, Kemper composes many shots so poorly that our attention is often directed to areas of the screen which are totally out of focus. ... And Justice For All is an enter- taining story of a hero's victorious struggle. It is not a movie designed to create a climate for social change. Af- ter arousing our outrage over injustices in the U.S. legal system, the film leaves us with two solutions: Either become an idealistic lawyer like Kirkland, or make sure you hire him if you get arrested. Bettertto offer us no solutions than such limited courses of action, sin- ce no movie is obligated to solve the problems it presents. Pacino's Kirkland doesn't even work as a merely inspirational figure to those trying to fight any injustice, because he's not flawed enough to be a truly human character we can relate to. Long ago Hollywood picked up on an American myth that only lone heroes can effectively challenge our system\ Influenced by this notion, we sit and wait for "great men" to .rectify our country's ills. SECON1D CHANCE 994-5350 In Visconti's final Giannini stars as Tomorrow: JAMES BOND NIGHT . "vv va "vv the husband of the exquisitely beautiful Laura Antonelli. Forsaking his marriage bed, he conducts a long standing affair with Jennifer O'Neill. Viewing himself as the complete modern husband, Gianntini is stunned into a blind rage when he finds that his wife has been having an affair of her own. The film moves effortlessly from a beginning of high social comedy to a dramatic finale. (115 min.) ANGELL HALL $1.50 7:00 & 4:00 I - - - - ___.-' Why get caught up in the pack, 1 I << i + -r GRAPHIC ARTS DI Fliers Logo' Business Cards * P Camera Work " Heat1 Custom printed T- when we at the PAPER CHASE CAN meet your copying of graphic needs all under one roof? Centrally located on the basement floor of the Michigan Union makes It easy for obtaining the quickest service possible. With services like these why go anywhere else? VISION DUPLICATING DIVISION s Student and Faculty Discounts- osters Quality Reproduction- Transfers Both Offset and Photocopying shirts Dissertations * Course Packs Free Collating " Resumes PAPER C-ASE 530 S.State-Ann ArborVii'48109 ' 313-665-8065 Join The Daily! I ADVANCE TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW AT 1:00 P.M. FOR FRI-SAT-SUN-MON EVE SHOWS The Michigan Theatre Presents 1 RICK NELSON TUESpAY, OCTOBER 23 8:00 p.m. Tickets $8.50 at the door or at these locations: WhereHouse Records-Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti Huckleberry Party Store-Ypsilanti Falsetta's-Ann Arbor Aura Sounde-Ann Arbor proceeds to support the Michigan Theatre The Ann Arbor Film Coo rative Presents at MLB: FrldayOctober19 NEW WAVE CINEMA (1977.79) 7 & 10:20-MLB 3 DEVO, the spuds from Akron, OhighO, are back in five shorts by Chuck Statler, including two new ones: The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise and Rollout the Barrel. Also see ELVIS COSTELLO do Peace, Love and Understand- ing and Oliver's Army and Graham Parker do Local Girls and Protection. Plus: PUNKING OUT (1978). This documentary shot in New York's famous punk/new wave club "C.B.G.B." was a favorite at the recent Ann Arbor 16mm. It features RICHARD HELL, the Dead Boys and THIS RAMONES-both on-and offstage. NATIONAL LAMPOON DISCO BEAVER FROM OUTER SPACE (Joshua White, 1979 8:40 only-MLB 3 Brought to you from the folks at NATIONAL LAMPOON. In a Groove Tube- type format, this film tells the story of Disco Beaver who comes to this lanet looking for love and friendship, only to find that prince of darkness, Draqula. Don't miss a chance to laugh your ass off. Plus shorts: HARDWARE WARS--a hilarious Star Wars spoof; RITZ NEW- SIOLA: 107% (John Nelson)-Ann Arbor's own 2001 short. (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1977) 19007 only-MLB 4 An epic film of massive scope ana power. Acuording to THE VILLAGE VOICE, Once in awhile someone fights back. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 7-9:40 Sat, Sun, Wed. 12:00- 2:20-4:35-7:00-9:40 AL PACING in STARTS FRIDAY, OCT. 19th A NORMAN JEWISON Film' AL PACINO "... AND JUSTICE FOR ALL' JACK WARDEN - JOHN FORSYTHE and LEE STRASBERG Music by DAVE GRUSIN Lyrics by ALAN & MARILYN BERGMAN WrittenbyVALERIE CURTIN & BARRY LEVINSON Executive ProducerJOE WIZAN Produced by NORMAN JEWISON & PATRICK PALMER Directed by NORMAN JEWISON RESTRICTED PARENT R ADUOT GUARDIAN A Columbia Pictures Release Read The Ballantine Paperback c 1979C01.UMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES.INC. Pcturs ....,.... .................... ............. . ..., .................. ..r... ., .... .. ......,............, ...............,.. .... ... y It's five miles wide...it's coming a and there's no place on Ear STARTING FRIDAY OCT."19th at 30,000 m.p.h.... rth to hide! SAT. SUN. WED. 2:30 4:45 7:15 9:50 ADVANCE TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW AT 1:00 PM FOR FRI-SAT-SUN MN. EVE. SHOWS MON. TUES. THURS. V.