THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday, February Z, 1971
THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, February 2, 1971
!rian Bedford: Actors are
By LAURIE HARRIS
n actor always seems remov-
from the viewer. He is set up
a mammoth screen as a sym-
of man or he is under bright
its on a stage behind a mask
make-up and a plethora of
tume. Brian Bedford. present-
the lead in the Phoenix Pro-
tion's School for Wives, is one
h actor. He has been seen on
adway in leads in The Misan-
ape, Private Lives or The
ack and has been featured in
eral movies.
Vhen I went to speak to him
e last week, I wasn't sure he
s human. I wasn't sure any
or I had ever seen really ex-
d behind the false vision of
atre. But there he was, six
t of English warmth and hu-
director. The director takes
pieces and scenes, cuts and
screens them until his desired
effect is the end result. On stage,
the feelings aroused are totally
in the hands of the actors as they
respond directly to the audi-
ence and are responsible for what
that audience sees.
And though movies may take
you to various parts of the world
filming on location, Bedford
finds them often demoralizing. In
Restoration Comedy roles he has
Prix, for instance, he worked
only about four months. The other
time was spent adjusting cam-
eras, retakes and waiting around
until the director gets to your
next scene. In the theatre Bed-
ford is constantly present during
the preliminaries to an opening.
He often suggests directing,
lighting and costuming, "pushing
my nose into it when it's not re-
quired." In the last few years he
has worked with director Stephen
Porter, costumer Nancy Potts
and designer Jomes Tilton (all of
whom have worked on School for
Wives). The four of them, Bed-
ford says, work well together and
"are not too conscious of the
barriers to their actual area of
distribution, each imposing a
little in the other's field."
But acting isn't Bedford's whole
1
iuman
life. He likes to retire to his
country home in upper New York
State, a house built by the Dutch
in 1720. It was the inspiration of
this home that first interested
him in the early American Primi-
tive artists and furniture. His art
collection has expanded to in-
clude such contemporary artists
as Milton Avery and Franz Kline
and he is a devotee of Sir Ken-
neth Clark, the English Art his-
torian. His four acres have a
small vegetable garden and an
orchard and a "tractor which I
love to fool around on." The
country environment is vastly
different than his childhood in
Yorkshire-a town of "woolen
mills and dark, grubby buildings"
and it also allows him to func-
tion in New York.
Bedford finds the city both "a
great place to return to and a
See BEDFORD, Page 8
Does her anger at a
domineering husband
justify a wife's taking
a lover? %
The Michigan Daily, edited and man-
aged by students at the University of
Michigan. News phone: 764-0552. Second
Class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor,
Michigan 48104. Published daily Tues-
day through Sunday morning Univer-
sity year. Subscription rates: $10 by
carrier, $10 by mail.
Summer Session published Tuesday
through Saturday morning. Subscrip-
tion rates: $5 by carrier, $5 by mail.
-
Wednesday & Thursday, February 2nd & 3rd
in co-operation with the Department of English
THE DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH
STUDENT LABORATORY THEATRE
presents two original one-acts
TRIAD MAIL ORDER MISTRESS
by Michael Hooker by Melvin Foster
ARENA THEATRE, Frieze Building
Promptly at 4:10 P.M. or earlier
if theatre is filled
-ADMISSION FREE-
WHO'S
HUGHES?
1i.
-I-
ENDS TONIGHT
Poromount Pictures Presents
An AW jdFbk Prcduction
ALASKA
m e BAJAL
Technicoor' AParomnoxjruPctu.re - COLOR
Compared to the flamboyant
he eight-month filming of Grand
een noted for around Ann Arbor
e was dressed quietly in a blue
ery straight suit, a sort of furry
lack coat pulled up onto his
houlders and he sunk back deep-
y into its pile. A heavily knit
carf wrapped itself around his
hroat and creeped up into his
ace. But two very bright eyes
onstantly shining, and always
boughful smiled hello at me. He
vas real!
He told me he first played
[amlet when he was only twenty
ne and still lived in England
3e played' the role again tW(c
,t
,Q
CINEMA GUILD
TUES., FEB. 2
American Film Studies
SUNRISE
dir. F. W. Murnaw (1927)
Unique moving camera and
stark block and white imagery
in this great film from a fine
director who died young.
I
I
summers ago in Stratford, Con- and profe&
necticut. The fourteen year inter- type of au
play has allowed him to "de- ing and ap
velop feeling and understanding" of drama
for the role. Younger actors, often in N
Bedford feels, haven't always de- plays just
s veloped the technique of com- tending th
munication but with experience, It is for
an actor acquires better voice ence that
control and most importantly the tend to p
courage to act which arrives con- himself a
currently with security on the modern pl
o stage. It isn't t3
To act well, Bedford enjoys himself a
being in a small theatre "be- but that1
cause nothing is so awful as contempor
having to belt it out". Lydia for shock
Mendelssohn allows the develop- an audien
ment of a delicate, light and an artistic
conversational tone. The actor Work in
becomes intimate with the audi- different3
ence, something which is not than that
often allowed in larger theatres. of a cam
But Bedford likes opening a trovert" b
show in Ann Arbor, for more than an actort
just the theatre. He finds very action on
few distractions in this city cony- formed in
pared with the constant bother of too drama
New York. "When you're open- lous, say
ing a play," Bedford says, "you tone down
must work about fourteen hours extreme f
a day-starting with learning But a m
your lines in the morning, re- of the a
hearsing through the afternoon
and presenting the play in the
evening. You have no time for
the domestic." Bedford also likes
the intellectual atmosphere in
an Ann Arbor audience created
by the combination of students
owl Is I F
ssors. He believes this
dience has a real feel-
ppreciation for the type
being produced. Very
ew York people attend
for the purpose of at-
em.
this New York audi-
Bedford doesn't in-
pander. He can't see
cting in any of the
ays that require nudity.
that he can't picture
cting in the alltogether,
he believes nudity in
rary works is created
value and attracting
ce. It is not applied on
c level.
the movies requires a
kind of concentration
of the stage. "In front
era you must be an in-
but the theatre requires
to be flamboyant. And
the stage, when trans-
nto a movie, becomes
atic and almost ridicu-
s Bedford, you must
the physical action and
acial expression.
novie also requires less
ctor and more of the
7& 9:05
662-8871
ARCH.
AUDa.
i
I
~sterile cuckoo"-7:1 5
"'columbus"-9 :00
DOWNTOWN ANN ^PORUO
UWICM^WOAtN 96-700
Starts Tomorrow
One Week Only
4:30, 7:00, 9:00
HELD OVER
BY POPULAR
DEMAND !
"' C AT -22'
IS THE MOST
MO VING THE MOST
INTELLIGENT, THE MOST
HUMANE -OHTO HELL
WITH IT! - IT'S THE
BEST AMERICAN FILM
I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR!"
-VINCENT CANBY, N.Y. TIMES
RA M1E 16I.SIL
TONIGHT'S SHOWS:
7 and 9
I
75C
-
"S..,.
.~ ~
I
;'
''>
''
.,
''' :
,
The University of Michigan Bands
Presents a
~POS"CONCERT,
featuring
PETER NERO
AND HIS TRIO
with
The University of Michigan Symphony Band
Sunday, Feb. 14 3:030 P.M.s
HILL AUDITORIUM
TICKETS: $2.00 $2.50 $3.00
MAIL ORDERS: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BANDS
1024 Administration Bldg.
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Mail orders will be accepted from 2/1-2 /
ALL SEATS RESERVED--
Fw
Photos by
enny Gainer
At State & Liberty Sts.
)IAL
62-4
Ofl ,.
NI
ubscribe to
of a mad
housewife
-NEXT- ,
'"LOVE STORY"
STARTS FEB. 12
Come to the
CINEMA GUILD
CLAUDE CHABROL
FESTIVAL
The Michigan Daily
m" I I K
p
I
COa *OMA PIC I eS * MSPo. ,IM
JACK NICHOLSON
"YEAR'S BEST"
-N.Y. Film Critics
OPEN I P.k.
SHOWS: 1:20, 3:10. 5 P.M.,
7 P.M., 9 P.M.
J . - -E'. 4
"Chabrol was there at the very
beginning of the New Wave,
first as a critic for Cashiers du
Cinema and then as the direc-
tor of perhaps the first New
Wave film.
His Le Beau Serge (1958) pre-
ceded Truffaut's The 400 Blows
by a few months, and when
Godard's Breathless appeared,
the original triumverate of New
Wave directors was established."
-ROGER EBERT,
Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 24
KOOPER IS KOMINGI
AL KOOPER and the EASY DOES IT BAND
will be at HILL AUDITORIUM
on FEBRUARY 6 with our own
r~
I
FLOATING OPERA
$
/
CLAUDE CHABROL FILM FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY 1-7
4 films from the man who learned suspense from Hitchcock.
Creator with Godard and Truffaut of the NEW WAVE Chabrol
exposes the swell of passion with sudden violence.
Heroic gastronomy and the subtle grace of the 7 Capitl
Sins.
"Chilling and beautiful"
the Cinema of Cruely and Compassion"
II
Jacqueline Sassard and Stephane Audran in LES BICHES{
A MURDER IN EVERY MOVIE:
Thu., Feb. 4-LEDA (WEB OF PASSION) 1959. Jean-Paul Bel- j
TICKETS ON SALE TODAY
in the Michigan Union lobby
$2.50 $3.00 $3.50
CHEEP!
CHEEP!
CHEEP!
I
Sponsored by the inter-cooperative council
L
Mol
FINAL WEEK ! TONIGHT at 8:00!
SPECIAL STUDENT DISCOUNT!
I
C.
SPECIAL
Young Men's Long
Sleeve
Knit Shirts
4x.50
Great buy! Great shirts! Soft orlon acrylics or interlock
cottons with long collar, three-button placket styling.. .
now at extraordinary savings. Stock up on novelty and solid
colors and enjoy their comfort and ease of core. Sizes S,M,L.