Page lwo THE MICHIGAN DAILY Si I April 16, 1972 Page to THEMICHIAN DALY Sunay, Aril 1, 197 cinema= Weeds in the garden of Finzi-Continis BILLIARDS TABLE TENNIS BOWLING FOOSBALL UNION RACKHAM STUDENT GOVERNMENT TUESDAY-FRIDAY, APRIL 18-21 Rackham Lobby By PETER MUNSING There axe two principle cri- teria I use in judging a film - does it successfully fulfill i t s own aims and is it good on general film aesthetics - does it say anything, give any in- sight into its characters or peo- ple in general.' The problem with The Garden of the Finzi-Continis is twofold- there are three, possible themes and it's directed by Vittorio de Sica. It is difficult to decide what the film is trying to do, though this says something in itself. Finzi-Continis is directed by de Siva de die Schlockmeistersing- er. While it's themes could have come from the de Sica of Two Women, Bicycle Thief, and Shoe- shine, they are instead present- ed in the manner of Sunflower without any of the humor of Marriage, Italian Style, Bocaccio '70 or even After the Fox. Be- cause he was once a great direc- tor, there is a temptation to look for the old de Sica, even if he isn't there, so that you can say "This is the film where he starts climbing back to the top;" a cinematic first game after the minors. No such luck; it looks more like de Sica's trying to find the bottom first so he can tell which way to go. The central plot is about Giorgio, a middle-class Jewish kid, and his love for Micol, beau- tiful daughter of the Finzi-Con- tinis, Ferara's richest Jews. At the beginning of the film we are told that the story takes place from 1938-43, when "The facist government of II Duce, Benito Mussolini, is applying the so- called racial laws." So we have three themes: love, decay of an oligarchic class structure, a n d Jews and the holocaust or the evils of repression in general. Now the old de Sica would have spun his tale of repression in a deeply humane, sympathetic, powerful story focusing on the people involved. Giorgie boy has known Micol since childhood, but she w a s always inaccessible, separated by her wealth in the symbolic garden. With increasing anti- semitism the Finzi-Continis throw open their garden to Giorgio and other young folk. Enter Malna.te, a prototypically handsome third corner of an eternal triangle, who likes his women "beautiful, stupid, and sufficiently whorish." Micol re- mains too enigmatic to tell whe- ther she is either of the latter two, though she does get it on with Malnate. Which is not in itself a bad plot; up to the break between Giorgio and Micol, it's well ex- ecuted. However, the new de Sica gives us little insight into Giorgio and not much into Micol. Giorgio becomes an unexplained schlemielbcharacter with whom it is hard to sympathize, while Micol becomes so enigmatic as to be inaccessible. When she tries to tell him it's all over without hurting him he ineptly attempts rape; for her part Mi- col makes various predictions and generally goes around with an air of foreboding and im- pending doom. In the tradition of wealth- brings perversion-of-personal-re- lationships - and perversion-in- general (a.k.a. the rich are fags), her menapausal brother Alberto has a close relationship with her until he dies beca use of his frail nature. Pointless as image . 0 this is, it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't bludgeoned into us. "It was a nice day;" - "But it was nicer when we were alone." Where did she get the wedding ring? Alberto. When he croaks she can't love Giorgio because "It would be like loving a broth- er." He may have died for lack of Giorgio's ,love, but that doesn't add to heterosexuality. The film begins in Fall with your out of focus shot of leaves accompanied by tinkle piano mu- sic in the Elvira Madigan tradi- tion. It ends in Winter with a dynamite Kaddish and shots of an overgrown Finzi-Contini es- tate. And let's not forget those other symbols - along with the change of seasons,Micol's dress changes from white to black; a "monster" of a dog guards the estate "but with four teeth, who can he bite?" blossoms fall off a rose, movie theatres and carnivals become places of fear, etc.... A symbol should be subliminal, integrated with the plot - these are thrown in awkwardly as if de Sica was checking off the re- quirements of a certain type of film on a clipboard. But the most indicative sign of de Sica's decline is the lack of any gut-level emotional im- pact. When the family is sep- i i I FE I CINEMA II' aud. a; angell hal arated into different classrooms filled with people ready for the ovens, I felt no emotion what- ever. This may partly be due to a lack of a sense of Jewishness - Giorgio leaves the Passover Seder at the drop of a phone call, the facts that they are Jews is rarely mentioned - but most of all de Sica has not giv- en us any empathy with the characters. It's not a question of liking them, it's a question of caring about them; at least a vague interest in what happens to them. jThe only -character I felt sorry for was Giorgio's fath- er, whose only involvement in the film is because of his son. At least there isn't any synthetic realism like the Elvira Madigap puke scene. presents TONIGHT ONLY Charles Laughton IN WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION Dir. Billy Wilder, 1957 with MARLEN E DIETRICH and ELSA LANCASTER A sensational L o n d o n murder trial filled with t e n s i o n and suspense. Laughton stands out with his richly succulent and amusing portrait of an aging barrister. 1:15 3:45 yf . 8:45 romnan Polanakis filmdi MACBETH BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR! -National Board of Review FEATURE TODAY AT 3 6:15 I Architecture Auditorium DIAL 668-6416 F i CORRECTION I Ip t1 II ' OPEN 12:45 SHOWS AT 1 p.m., 4:30, 8 p.m. Mon.-Sat. $1.50 %intil 4:30 Mon.-Thurs. eve. $2.00 Fri. and Sat. eve. $2.50 All Day Sunday $2.50 603 E. Liberty DIAL 665-6290 Black Film Society presents SHADOWS--7:30 MURDER ON LENOX AVENUE Monday, April 17-$1.0( 0 B&W 70 CA The World's Finest Speakers IT TAKES TWO AT $660 EACH emusic center, inc. ' E-9:00 * -Daily-Robert wargo | U Correction: In Peter Munsing's recent Cinema Weekend review of The Last Picture Show, the Mag- nificient Ambersons were incorrect- ly printed 'as the Andersons. SUMMER SUBLET " 2 Bdrm. Furnished 0 Church Street near Hill " Air Conditioned 0 $130 Available May 15 * 763-6039 Evenings EUROPE $165 ROUND TRIP NYC/Luxembourg/NYC Youth fare to age. 30 National Bank of Ypsilanti Travel Bureau 611 W. Cross St., Ypsi 483-8556 3 rI MCAT- DAT-GRE LSAT-ATGS B NAT'L. BDS. *Preparation for test required for admission to graduate and professional schools_ *Small groups *Voluminous material for home study prepared by ex- perts in each field Summer Sessions Special Compact Courses Weekends-I ntersessions STANLEY H. KAPLAN EDUCATIONAL CENTER LOCAL C L S E f ;(3 1 3 ) 3 5 4 -0 0 8 5 .i - The tutoring school with the Nationwide Reputation For The Student Body: LEVI'S Denim Bells X8.50 Shows at 7 & 9:00 P.M. Tickets on sale at 6-75c THIS WEEKEND: THE APU TRILOGY Dir. by Satyapt Ray, Indian "APU, whose conscious- ness develops from the village life of 'Panther Panchali' and the univer- sity life of 'APARAJ ITO,' m a r r i e s the exquisite Sharmilla T a g o r e in 'WORLD OF APU' and grows bey6nd self-con- sciousness. Rich and con- templative; and a great, convincing affirmation." -GINA ERDREICH, Cinema Retrospective FRI.--PANTHER PANCHALI (1954) SAT.- APARAJITO (1957) SUN.-THE WORLD OF APU (1959) I T 'I THE STUDENT COUNCIL OF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Presents The Young Presidents Organization (YPO is an organization of businessmen who became president of a firm with a net worth of at least one million dollars before they were forty years old.) THE PANEL CONSISTS OF: RONALD SARGENT-Thetford Corporation DONALD FISHER-Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service PHILIP POWER-Observer Newspaper, Inc. HERBERT GRAEBNER-Tempco Business Service FRANKLIN GREGORY-Advance Packaging Corporation RICHARD ROMANOFF-Romanoff Electric Motor Service, Inc. MONDAY, APRIL 17-7:30 p.m. Business Administration Building, Room 131 I 308 South Phone 665-8607 or 8 State Street ANN ARBOR, MICH. 4 i . LOWVESTJE ET FARES TO EUROPE Whatever your age, SAVE money on Icelandic Airlines' jets from New York to Lux- embourg in the heart of Eu- rope. Our fares are lowest of any scheduled airline. UNDER 21?-Our round-trip Youth Fares are $180 (win- ter), $205 (spring, fall), and $270 (summer), ages 12 thru 21. Also, exclusivesone- way Youth Fares. OVER 21?--Stay ;overseas 46 days up to a year and you'll SAVE $274 this sum- mer, $247 this spring and fall against lowest compara- ble fares of other scheduled airlines. Great for teachers and grad students. See your travel agent for valid dates, reservations. 7a: Icelandic Airlines S630 Fifth Avenue, N..Y.10020 (212) Pi.7-8585I Send folder CN on Lowest Jet Fares to Europe. Name_ IStreet__________ I State Zip My travel agent is- - - All fares subject to change. ICEIANOIC p. - - - I I CHECKMATE StateStree at Lbert ARCHITECTURE AUDITORIUM #i all films in Bengali; with music by Ravi Shankar I 7 and 9 P.M. 75c f --I 1 1 SGT. PEPPER SPRING SKIING! 1028 E. University 662-0202 " BANFF, ALBERTA 0 MT. HOOD " SNOWBIRD " GARABALDI'S WHISTLER MT. MAY 2-14 Ski 10 days ... Pay $245-265 for ALL Info., meeting: April 19, 3516 SAB, 7:00 P.M. call Cathy 769-0813, Josie 769-3712, Brad 449-2668 By Appointment Only: SPECIALIZING IN: Haircutting, Frosting SALVATORE will be at the Ladies' Beauty Shop Mondays 10:30-on 1106 S. University 663-4784 --GO<--O C<-- ()!"< -f(<--. "<--OC ')" C):^(COC - ) <- OPEN 7 DAYS DELICATESSEN NOW OPEN HOT CORNED BEEF SANDWICHES OR BY THE POUND PASTRAMI, ROAST BEEF IMPORTED CHEESES AND OLIVES SALADS BEER, DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED WINES FULL LINE MEAT COUNTER AT STUDENT PRICES --special rates in bulk FARM PRIDE LARGE EGGS 35c -WEEKEND SPECIAL- COKE, FRESCA, TAB, 6-PACK--79c WE CARRY DANNON YOGURT IMPORTANT INFORMATION MEETING U of M-Sarah Lawrence Summer program in PARIS July 1-August 11, 1972 Everyone Invited-Grads and Undergrads place: East Conference Room, Rackham date: Tuesday, April 18th time: 8 p.m. *I I1 U OF M STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF: COSTA DEL SOL, SPAIN-$199 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS MAY 2-MAY 10 NGT8 AS WAIKIKI, HAWAII-$219 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS MAY 4-MAY 12 FRENCH RIVIERA, FRANCE-$239 GOING ABROAD? Outbreaks of smallpox have, been reported in Yugoslavia, the Middle East and, to a lesser extent, in Germany. If you are plan- ning to travel in or near any of these regions, a smallpox vac- cination is strongly advised. The innoculation is good for three years, and if it has been longer. than that since your last one, another is in order before you depart. The Health Service Im- munization Clinic provides smallpox vaccinations and is open each weekday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Just come into the Health Service, pick up your record and go up to the clinic, which is on the second floor. Questions or Complaints? CALL 763-4384 UAC-DAYSTAR Presents the final concert of semester on day classes end April 21 Fri. 1.50-3.00-4.50 reserved seats on sale now Mon.-Fri. 12-6 p.m. Michigan Union. Also at Salvation Rec- ords on Maynard St... . * You know you'll want toi this concert, so get a make killer 0 seat early.