Pope Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, April 21, 1972
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Friday, April 21, 1972
:
Cabaret
Fox Village
You've seen it in The Damned
and The Conformist, and now
the combination of Fascism
and perversion makes a return
engagement in Cabaret. How-
ever, unlike the other two, the
real Nazi's - at .least the ones
in brown shirts - are disgusted
spectators, rnuch like their Com-
munist counterparts would be;
decadence is a milieu instead.of
a cause. Occasionally director
Robert Fosse can't resist a cut
between a transvestite dance
and Nazis defacing a Jew's
house, but for the most part pol-
itics and perversion are separat-
ed.
Likewise the music is confined
to the stage of the Kit Kat Club,
which overcomes some of the ri-
slight boredom; not too many
pictures can make you feel this
way about genocide.-DegSica ac-
complishes this dubious feat by
giving us little insight into the
three nebbish characters that
make up the film's eternal tri-
angle, and the other characters
remain so peripheral that we
can't get worked up about the
prospect of their imminent ex-
termination.
Part of the problem is that
the film's style is that of Elvira
Madigan and Love Story rather
than Bicycle Thief, lots bf soft,
out-of-focus shots of leaves and
gentle piano music, a setting in
which it is difficult to feel the
great repressive force. The char-
acters don't care, why should
w ke?I
Now take Ivan Denisovich -
American dreams, which Mi-
chael had belonged to. On this
level, The Godfather becomes a
film about the very nature of
the quest for power.
-Bruce Shlain
* * *
Mr. Snith Goes
to Washington
Cinema Guild
In the thirties and the early
forties; Frank Capra was con-
sidered one of the two or three
best American directors. He won
three Oscars for best direction,
two for best film, and It Hap-
pened One Night is, to this day,
the only film to garner all four
major Oscars. The fifties and
sixties saw the decline of Cap-
ra's' career, and only recently
has there been a renewal of in-
tionally ethical. Disgusted by
the immorality around him,
Smith, with the help of a world-
ly, cynical Washington secre-
tary (Jean Arthur), does noth-
ing less than take on the entire
unethical system.
In making Mr. Smith, Frank
Capra found himself in as much
trouble as his film's hero. The
Senators were at first delighted
to hear of Capra's plans to make
a movie about Washington; they
even invited the director to have
the premiere for Mr. Smith in
the capital city. Capra accepted
the invitation. Yet approximate-
ly one third of that premiere
audience are reported to have
walked out on the film, infuria-
ed with what they saw. In the
face of overwhelming critical
porters fumed and swore they
Medium Cool
Cinema II
Haskell Wexler is a fine cine-
matographer (In the Heat of
the Night, Who's Afraid of Vir-
ginia Woolf), and in Medium
Cool he shows promise as a di-
rector. The film autobiographic-
ally follows the career of a T.V.
cameraman in and around Chi-
cago during the '68 convection.
In the process, many McLuhan-
esque themes are touched upon,
but themes, like characters, are
rarely developed. No matter;
Medium Cool is so stimulating,
innovative, and exciting, flawed
though it be, that I would rank
it as one of the more interesting
American films of the last three
years. (Friday and Saturday).
-Richard Glatzer
0
QQ Q 1
0
New York Erotic
Film Festival
"A series of new, highly-,ac-
claimed and controversial films
which have been praised for
their insight - and damned for
their directness."
KITE FLIGHT
The first kites appeared in the
Orient some 2,500 years ago, prob-
ably inspired by birds, leaves, and
winged seeds.
So reads a poster about the
New York Erotic Film Festival.
Further information was un-
available at press time. (Satur-
day, Sunday, Monday and also
April 28 and 29).
See CINEMA, Page 8
Got a message that's important.
to the public interest? Send the
information to the associate man-
aging editor at The Daily. We
might be able to put it in a filler
like this.
Come Hear
SALMAGUNDI
Couzens Hall
9 P.M. Sat.r
April 22
75c
presents
TONIGHT ONLY
LES
DIABOLIQUES
Dir. Henry-Georges Clots-
zot, 1955. (Director of
Wages of Fear). THE
GREATEST CHILLER OF
THEM ALL. (Scarier
than Hitchcock).
No one can beat, the
French when it comes to
murder !
PLUS A SHORT
Edgar Allen Poe's
THE
TELLTALE
HEART
ARCH ITECTURE
AUDITORIUM
7and 9p.m. 75c
diculous aspects of the musical-
as-drama where somebody belts
out a tune in some of the most
incongruous s it ua t i ons. The
film's weak points tend to con-
gregate around the type of in-
sipid subplot musicals liked for
their simplicity - the love of
a German gigolo for a Jewish
heiress, an unwanted pregnancy
-that only contribute a few
good lines,
The main plot concerns Sally
Bowles (Liza Minelli), star sing-
er at the Kit Kat Club, and her
falling in and out of love with
English grad student Brian Rob-
erts (Michael York). Along the
way they both have an affair
with a German millionaire,
which remains unclear in terms
of character because of a lack
of exposition, due perhaps to the
search for a "GP" rating. How-
ever this is well enough inte-
grated with the overall tone of
sexual ambiguity set by Joel
Gray, as the nightclub MC, and
the uncertainty of the protagon-
onists.
As a result of Gray's perform-
ance, the night club scenes take
on .greater importance than a
showcase for Liza Garland. With
one exception, they add to the
film rather than becoming
pauses as do most musical num-
bers. Liza Minelli's T-group per-
sonality works out well, though
I wouldn't have put her on the
covers of Time and Newsweek
for it. While it's not'the great-
est film, it's the best musical
as film I've seen;. at least they
didn't use Elott Mould and Bar.-
bra Streisand.
-Peter Munsing
The Garden of the
Finzi.Continis
Fifth Forum
If I <have one regret about
graduating, it's that I shall
never be able to see One Day
in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Every week since Friends, !ve
been hearing about this coming
attraction that "will make You
feel better - better about your
own life."
No such luck. I'll never get to
find out why "Prayers are like
letters sent to the office - they
either don't get delivered or
come back marked 'return'." The
Garden of the Finzi-Continis is
being held over," after which will
come The Helstrom Chronicle
and On Any Sunday,
The Garden of Finzi-Continis
didn't make me feel better about
my own life, in fact it didn't
make me feel anything except
please! Here's a film where the
actors starved themselves to get
the proper perspective; the worst
deprivation we see in Finzi-Con-
tinis is that a family has to do
without a maid. And how many
people remember the coming at-
tractions trailer from Finzi-Con-
tinis, eh?
sPeter Munsing
* ,* *
Macbeth
Campus
Without outlandishly chang-
ing the setting, costuming, or
lush Shakespearean language,
Roman Polanski has created a
"modern version" of Macbeth.
While injecting a generous dose
of spilt blood, overt sexuality,
and the muddy squalor of Medi-
eval times, Polanski has still en-
deavored to avoid relagating
that fellow Shakespeare to a
meagre billing below the direc-
tor, cinematographer, a n d
make-up man.
Inka casting coup, the Mac-
beth couple is played by young
people, including a fair-haired
and attractive Lady Macbeth
(clearing up that age-old mys-
tery over why he ever listened to
her anyway). The sexual imag-
ery is carried all the way
through - even the witches are
seen naked in their steaming,
evil lair.
Whether it is "the way Shake-
speare would have wanted it" is
dubious. but if the Old Bard
like a picturesque earthiness, he
wouldtprobably see this one
more than once..
-Bruce Shlain
The Godfather
-- Michigan
Director Francis'Coppola has,
magically transformed- Mario
Puzo's The-Godfather into more
than a three-hour gangster
movie. Without diluting the vio-
lent aspects of the hoodlums.
some great acting by Marlon
Brandon and Al Pacino makes it
obvious that. although they are
heartless with respect to their
"business," they are much more
than killers. As an old man we
see Brando, playing the God-
father, romping in. the garden
with his grandson. Somehow In
the context of the movie the im-
age of the ruthless Mafia chief-
tain and the doting grandfather
are reconciled.
When Michael, the Godfath-
er's youngest son, slowly turns
from smooth - faced war hero
to ice - water - veined Mafioso,
links are established between
the underworld and the land of
OPEN 12:45
terest in the man's work, inter-
est he greatly deserves.
Capra's films express all the
ambiguities and dualities impli-
cit in America's transition from
a Consciousness One individual-
ism to socialism, humanism, and
the New Deal. In addition, his
best movies are incomparably
funny and moving.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washing-
ton is the movie Capra feels is
his best. The plot begins when
an old Senator dies and politi-
cal bosses must find a short
term Senator to take his place.
The job's sole pre-requisite: the
new Senator must be too naive
and ignorant to notice or inter-
fere with the corruption, graft,
and biased reporting so common
in the government. The state
bosses finally select Jefferson
Smith (James Stewart), the
leader of a scout group and a
pet shop owner, for the job.
The bosses prove to be right in
one respect; Smith is innocent
and naive. But he is also up-
righteous, honest, and excep-
acclaim, congressmen and re-
would get back at Hollywood.
Senator Barkley, then majority
leader, said, "It showed the
Senate made up of crooks, led
by crooks, listening to a crook.
It was so vicious an idea it was
a source of disgust and hilarity
to every member of the Con-
gress who saw it." Joseph Ken-
nedy, then ambassador to Lon-
don, asked distributors to re-
move the film from circulation,
while others offered Columbia
$2 million if they destroyed their
movie.
All of which says more in fa-
vor of the film than any review
could. Capra is now in retire-
ment. But where is the director
of the 70's to make Ms. Abzug
Goes to Washington and ITT,
You Can't Take It With You?
(Saturday and Sunday).
-Richard Glatzer
Diabolique
Cinema Guild
Diabolique is a tightly made,
well-directed thriller; many
consider it a suspense classic (I
don't). Christina Delasalle (Vera
Clouzot), a sickly, nervous heir-
ess, and her husband Michel
(Paul Meurisse), an incredibly
cruel man, run a small, private
boys school. Nicole Horner (Si-
mone Signoret), a colleague of
the Delasalles, has an affair
with Michel, then comes to real-
ize what a bastard her lover
is. Together, the two angry la-
dies decide to do away with the
man they have shared in the
past. Henri Clouzot's film de-
rives its suspense primarily from
our inadequate knowledge of the
characters, and while several
horrifying effects are achieved,
the film never rises above the
level of its genre. (Friday).
-Richard Glatzer
4
s
r
..
SELL YOUR
BOOKS
ATTHE
University Cellar
Mon., April 24
through
Tues., May 2
DAILY 9 to 6:30
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Subscript on
Today
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I
JERRY CAVANAUGH
former Mayor of Detroit
will speak at the
Law School
Lawyers Club Lounge
FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1972 -
4:15 p.m.
FJ 1 . :1 X ,t F f tr y y ry : h.- ' { d- }- - - '
-H-R.-----~---'~ - - - - - - ~- - **>*-* ""*
S
Folletts bookstore does so
much more for me".
ALL-CAMPUS DANCE PRE-MUD-BOWL
at MARKLEY
in the SNACK BAR
on FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1972
AT 8:30 P.M.
featuring: MARCUS
a black and white band playing black and white music
NON-RESIDENT ADMISSION: $1.00
ADDED SPECIAL: W. C. FIELDS SHORTS between sets
4y
*,..
-------
SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW ON SALE!
10%-25% DISCOUNTS!
HELD OVER AGAIN-3RD BIG WEEK
ACADEMY
AWARD
WINNER
"BEST
FOREIGN
FILM"
a
231 S. State Street
DIAL 662-6264
FEATURE 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 p.m.
ADDED ATTRACTION-"CRUNCH BIRD"
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star
School for Wives, Zorba, cmay
ThE LAST PEIURE |SOW
is "One Of TheYear's
-VINCENT CANBY
Te or imes
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LsAgles Times
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"THE
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If you see but one
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orful and brilliantly
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--Alvin A. Kushner
Ann Arbor News
"DeSica returns "M
to greatness" lov
-William Wolf of
Cue Magazine
S
dkrected bri OngTER (Narveyi
Shiow 011, Privt
jC
tbe announced
tddler, Follies, Cabaret.
1
Schaal fC1oI r Sad
th .Hojstage, i1
t'ISnt o
wtf m LiU e R ~
1. E Cp I
4
10
--KEVIN KELLY
Boston Globe
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WCBS*TV
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Sch~ otrScna
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5, so, i
4 A3 1
-BERNARD DREW
Gnnett News Service
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Chicago Sun.Times
Plus 17 other leading U.S. film critics.
ay well be the
eliest film
the year."
- '^"lis ler
"Reaches artistic
and human heights of
'Bicycle Thief.'"
---^cherWi"st"
- 1
I11'i
. 1 .
1
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_ adAd the SUC.
Pt
7:..E -/'Official
11 4%
--rnvim rmper[ r rc t Cr rriri5[c r
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