Fridoy, NoY( mber 2-2, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Foge Fire
Friday, November 22, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY rage Five
cinema
weekend
U
Pick of the Week:
The Savage is Loose
The Movies, Briarwood
resa has a major role. The
Trial of Billy Jack presents a
strong argument against nepo-
tism in the cinema.
At most, this film provides a
modestly insightful look into the
psyche of the racing-car driver.
Otherwise, it simply drones off,
i
Nothing seems to bring the -icnaezBidy into monotonous montage of
masses into movie theaters like zooming cars, faceless crowds
a little bit of controversy (re- Taking of Pelham and gritting teeth which makes
member The Exorcist?). Per- an Andy Granatelli STP corn-
haps that's why GeorgeC . State mercial thrilling by compari-
Scott decided to carry his fight As a change of pace from the son.
to get Savage is Loose re-rated i now ever-present physical dis- -George Lobsenz
from 'R -to PG into the public aster films, we are offered a *
arena. It certainly couldn't dose of social disaster. Appar- Owl and Pussycat
have been because he thought ently running out of novel loca- O w and u B
Savage was a classic movie. tionsrto stage these turmoils, Fri., 7, 9
They maintain a major d p g fIt's the old prostitute-meets-E
theme of the movie is incest," his cast and crew into the New the-intellectual trick, and the
states Scott in a one-page hand- York subway system, resulting biggest disappointment is that.
out distributed by Briarwood E with the mediocre yarn that Streisand never gets to sing.
ushers after each showing of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 is. The pussycat is Doris Wav-
the film. "We contend that Working from the premise of erly (Barbra Streisand), a stu-{
there is no incest in the picture, a subway car being hijacked pid if genuine New York pro-
that it is. about survival and by a foursome who subsequent- stitute and the owl is Felix
celebrates the triumph of love ly hold the 17 passengers as (George Segal), a wan Double-
And life over despair, hatred hostages for one million dollars, day clerk. Their union has quiteE
and death." the movie never really gets out a potential for humor, but un-
Well, technically speaking, from under the ground. The fortunately Owl and the Pussy-
that's true. There isn't one claustrophobic action consider- cat is never quite a funny film.
frame of actual incest in ably hampers any talent Walter It depends too much upon
Savage. But the implications of Matthau may attempt to surface sarcasm and insult and on
Max Ehrlich and Frank De- and forces him to expound the Doris's stupidity. It's louder and
Felitta's screenplay are pretty meat of his dialogue into a brasher than it need have been,
clear, I think. S microphone throughout t h e and doesn't give Streisand the
Scott plays a circa 1910 na- film. chance to put out the kind of
tural science professor travel- Robert Shaw turns in a credi- warmth of which she is capa-
ling with his wife (portrayed ble presence as the sinister ble.
by Trish Van Devere) and leader of the subway saboteurs, Her acting emits the same
young son by boat across the, but the frigid adaptation of John kind of explosive energy, but
Pacific Ocean. En route, a Godey's novel reduces the char- she can't seem to solidify it
storm grounds the boat on an1 acters to little more than card- without song, and can't become
uninhabited island, forcing Scott board caricatures along for the a whole character.
and family to fend for them- ride. In the end it's a film with
selves in a totally unfamiliar The film does diverge from some nice moments, but it lacks
setting. the usual formula that is so dignity. Perhaps director Her-!
Well, one day the young boy, often applied to this type of bert Ross didn't .intend such
David (played at this point by fare. Screenwriter Peter Stone esoteric things to slip into an
Lee Montgomery), discovers mercifully spares us from the otherwise harmless but flimsy
two turtles in the sand-and you usual portfolio of personalities effort.
know what turtles do in the that inhabit the jeopardized con- .-David Weinberg
sand. Having made this brilliant finement, opting rather to sim-* * *
scientific conclusion, David de- iFaces
c6des to watch his parents, after ply allow everyone their indi- Fcs
hi vidual state of frenzy in the fi- CinemaII, Aud.A
bedtime one evening-and you nale. Unfortunately, we can on- i., 7,9:15-
know what parents do after bed- ly thank director Sargent for Using cinema verte to its
time. what he didn't do, and thus theoretical hilt, John Cassa-
From this we dissolve to an lies the fault of the entire af- vetes' Faces returns as a stun-
18-year-old David who obviously fair. -
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fulfillment. It is only with eachI
other that the three husbands"
experience love, intimacy, and
fun, although there is no homo-
sexuality.
Husbands has been highly ac-
claimed as a film which depicts
the urgent need for husband and
wife to get to know and love
each other as people, apart from
their roles. As the threesome,
John Cassavettes, Ben Gazzara,
and Peter Falk are excellent.
Despite these strong- points,
however, the movie is limited in
its appeal, as. unwed viewersC
may find, it difficult to identify
with the predicament of these
married men.
-Linda Fidel
* * *
If
Couzens Film Co-op
Couzens Cafeteria j
Fri., Sat., 8, 10
The metaphor of a revolution
taking place in an archaic En-
glish boarding schools is what
Linsay Anderson develops in the
film If.
The film traces the lives of
a number of students as they
become subjected to the anti-
quated hierarchy of order that
persists in College House. Lead'
by Traver (Malcolm McDowell),
a group of students and a local
barmaid (Christine Noopan),
plan an armed insurrection.
Interspersed with flashbacks
and black and white segments,
it sometimes becomes difficult
to tell whether events take place
or exist in the minds of the stu-
dents. Occasionally powerful,
the filM never becomes emotion-
al since it never takes sides.
Anderson's second film, If has
been around for awhile and is
well worth seeing.
-Ray Bergelin
Seventh Sepd
Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud.
Fri., 8:45, 10:30
There is probably no other
film director who is able to tell
a story as powerfully and asa
bea'itif'illv as Inamar Bergman,
and The Seventh Seal is prob-
ably the finest testimonial to his
aH1ity.
an effective poetic quality. Out- of Leonard Bernstein which con-,
standing are the shots of the notes the most passionate, as
setting up of the little circus in well as the more somber over-
the rain, close-ups of faces, an- tones of the movie.
gle views of disheveled women, The combination of the effec-
and twilight silhouettes. tive cast, setting, and photogra-
All in all, it is a fine film, phy of On the Waterfront pro-
relating its principal themes duces an overwhelming impact
through an effective film tech- and will undoubtedly leave a
nique and the use of pantomime. lasting impression.
-Cinthia Fox -Debby Bienstock
* * * *
Four Nights of The Groove Tube
a Dreamer The Movies, Briarwood
Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud. The Groove Tube is much like
Sun., 7, 9 Where's Poppa? It contains
Four Nights of a Dreamer is something to offend nearly ev-
the fourth'Robert Bresson film erybody, no matter who you
to be released in the U. S. and are. But it's also wildly funny
it confirms the growing recogni- in spaces and is a beautifutI
tion accorded this French mas- roasting of the bland dreadful
ter. Although this is not his best pap which comprises commer-
effort to date by any estima- ^ial television.
tion, it does achieve an atmos- The short film is set in a
nhere and flow that is absent number. of short skits, many of
in the greater portion of today's which parody familiar televi-
cinema. s i o n formats. Predictably,
Bresson has adapted Dostoy- there's a Sex Olympics skit,
evsky's novel, changing it only with, of course, commentary by
in respect to the setting. The a former participant describing'
story moves from St. Peters- the action. The French Chef etj
burg in the 1840's to Paris in alia is blasted by The Kramp
the 1970's. Easy Lube Kitchens.
The plot of the movie con- Still, if you're not offended by
cerns a youne dreamer, who, National Lampoon humor you're
one lonely night encounters a bound to find a great deal of
suicidally upset girl on the it funny.
banks of the Seine. For the next -Stephen Selbst
three nights, they meet at the
same snot as he tells her about
hi-self ,and to hear her story
TONIGHT! Friday, Nov. 22nd only!
MARLON BRANDO in ELIA KAZAN'S
ON THE WATERFRONT
Winner of EIGHT Academy Awards
with Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
The story of a priest who sets out to smash mob control,
over the New York waterfront and of an inarticulate lancq-
shoreman who slowly becomes aware of what he could
amount to in the world.
MODERN LANGUAGES AUDITORIUM 3-7 & 9 p.m. $1.25
BOTH FILMS at 7 p.m. for $2.00!
MODERN LANGUAGES AUDITORIUM 4-7 & 9 p.m. $1.25
BARBRA STREISAND and GEORGE SEGAL in
The Owl and The Pussycat
directed by HERBERT ROSS
A comedy about an inhiibted bookstore clerk, hired to be
a writer and a part-time prostitute.
"Clowinq comedy"-Time Maazine
"Bravo for Barbra Streisand and Georqie Secial who
play off each other benutifully."-Cue Magazine
. n *6 I * I l'
Coming TUESDAY-Marx Brothers Double Bill:
HORSEFEATHERS and MONKEY BUSINESS
Complete at 7, 8:10 & 9:30 p.m.-$1.25
AUDITORIUM "A" ANGELL HAIL
December:
December!
December
December
December"
3 & 4-THE WAY WE WERE
5-MIDNIGHT COWBOY
10 & 1II-FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
12-FELLINI'S 81/%
17 & 18-THE KING OF HEARTS
of "nrerniitpd love.
On the final night, the girl
rmtri-e- h-r lost loier, ahan-
rl'ni'n the drear r, who is now
dr-Pmhv in love with her, to his
hnnoles arloration. The '"ncorn-
nlirated f"' cus of this film is
love, its beauty, its passinns,
and maybe above all, its illu-
Tt is Ifi-;tlv a m'o-i hfr the
rommnti'- the whole air' of the
m o ip is t it of a fnntasv. Per-
li-ns this is the main anneal of
this mo-ie: it disdains the
sledmhaemmer annroach of so
nr'-h of or modern cinema,
ontina' instaad for a aoiet nrob-
ing Wuhich is both forcef-l and
to""ing,
-Georg-e Lobsenz
* IC *
On tho Wortprfront
Ann Arbor Film Co-op
MTR, And. 3
i Fri., 7, 9
On the Waterfront, directed
by Elia Kagan, is a powerfil
t
PS.
shows the effects of having
learned about s-e-x several
years earlier and living on a
deserted island with just . his
mother and father. (Or, as his
mother succinctly puts it,
"We've got a lusting male on
our hands.")
Not satisfied with a pseudo-
female substitute he constructs
from cocoanut shells, David de-
cides to go 'after the only true
female on the island: his
mother. And ifdthat's not im-
plied incest, I don't know what
is.
Scott's direction of this sexed-
up Swiss Family Robinson tale
is adequate, if definitely influ-
enced by the J. Lee Thompson
school of directing: "When in
doubt, move the camera." Vanj
Devere and company turn in
fair performances, if hampered
by the inadequacies of Ehrlich
and De Felitta's script.
But in the end, I felt cheated
by Savage. I' got too much
jungle and too little of the
"microcosm of society" film I
had been promised. I'm afraid
the best film about sex and the
tropics is still Lord of the Flies.
-David Blomquist
* *4 *
Trial of Billy Jack
Fifth Forum
Four years ago, an unheralded
low-budget film called Billy
Jack was released to American
theaters. Originally ignored by
critics, Billy Jack went. on to
become one of the most enor-
mous "sleeper" successes of
cinema history.
Now, Tom Laughlin, who
wrote, produced, directed, and'
starred in Billy Jack, returns in
the sequel, The Trial of Billy'
Jack. Unfortunately, the modi-
cum of simplistic charm and
strength which was evident inI
the original is now lacking in!
the sequel.
At just under three hours,
The Trial of Billy Jack is justI
one long, simple - minded, pre-
tentious ego trip staged by
Laughlin. The pace is excruciat-,
ingly slow and only picks up;
when Billy Jack practices his
karate on the local baddies.
Laughlin and his wife, De-
lores Taylor, who returns in her
role as the leader of the Free-
dom School, once again are re-
sponsible for an amateurish
screenplay which lacks any plot
devejopment and structure.
References to Kent State and
My Lai only add to the ridicu-!
lousness of the film's message
of non-violence.
The Laughlins' son Frank di-
rected, and their daughter The-!
-Jim Valk
Acapdco Gold
Campus
ning exppliation ei ne me-
dium. Where Shadows set his
artistic pace, Faces elaborates
both technique and aesthetics.
At times crude in presentation
and appearances, Faces is nev-
If interminable shots of ma- erthels a disturbing intru- sinte talents some o
Usine thes tadistsrbins intru
juana fields could entertain you, sion into the semblance of frus- his stock favorites like Max von
you might like Acapulco Gold, a tration. Svdow and Gunnar Biornstrand,
documentary about the cultiva- Cassavetes' film concerns one lereman has part together a film
tion and smuggling of that weed. night spent by a middle-aged which will remain a classic nor-
R e e f e r Madness exploit- couple after an argument. Each traval of the human condition
ed the current interest in mari- take their own road:ehe with for quite a while.
juana but was legitimate as a an expensive prostitute, she The story takes nlace in 14th
film meant purely for enter- ivth a stud picked up at a bar. century medieval Europe where
tainment. Acapulco Gold doesn't The next morning the husband the Plague is striking every-
seem to have any point besides nretus ho nd the bleak: where. A knight and his sauire.
making money and making fools mutual existence of the two is. recently returned from csad-
of those who go to see it. again predicated. sng, Journey through the strick-
The only entertaining mom- The real thrust of the film en countryside on their way
ents in the film are during a lies in the combination in which' home.
cartoon of a car on a street all the elements of the film neone who are reacting to what
made of bricks of Acapulco mesh. Starting out with a rela- they feel is the upcoming Judg-
Gold, and even that is an at- tively slow pace, the film, ment Day. Death is everywhere.
tempt to capitalize on the suc- once loose, runs rampant. John and in one of the finest series of
cess of the cartoons in Yellow Marley and Lynn Carlin accept sc'enes in cinema. Death person-s
Submarine, Between Time and Cassavetes' style in chain- ified nlavs a game of chess
Timbuktu, Fantasia, and other pion form, displaying a deli- with the knight for his life.
films. cate balance of eliced resnonses Bergman wrote the screenplay
There is one scene in which and emotional improvisation. for this movie and expresses
one man considers buying mari- Cassavettes' unique direc- some of his own feelings and
juana from another that seems itorial style allows for, what doubts about mhan and God in
rehearsed. If it was rehearsed, may only be termed "control- this film.
the film isn't really a documen- I led spontaneity", resulting in a This is not a movie that should
tary. film of gritty realism. Yes, '-be passed un, but if you can't
If you smoked all the mai- channel.4, this is the real "Slice I get to see the film it will be
juana from all the fields in this 0' Life". nlaving on your TV screen the
film while watching it, you still' -Jim Valk same night for a much better
would probably be bored..* * price.
-Joan Ruhela - -Mark DeBoisky
* * * VT 1 1* * *
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a-d moving drama of stark re-
alism, vividly depicting man's
inhumanity to man in the New.
York docks of 1954. The very
effective photogranhy of the
Hoboken dock area keenly pene-
t
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trates the shocking labor condi-
tions and the racketeering in the
New York dock areas.
Marlon Brando characterizes
a confused, illiterate citizen who
is a victim of the terrifying
lower depths of this social struc-
ture. He learns to accept mur-
der and mayhem as the code
of ethics that is rigidly main-
tained in this merciless world.
Violenceand ultimate death are
extolled as a response to re-
bellion and defiance of the au-
thority of the union.
A relief from the glaring bar-
barity of the interactions of the
characters is provided by the
tender love scenes between Mar-
lon 'Brando and Eva Marie
Saint.
The moods of the drama are
further enhanced by the score
Le Mans
Mediatrics, Nat. Sci. Aud.
Fri., Sat., 7:30, 9:30
Does the thought of shiny,
glinting chrome give you tingly
little sensations all up and
down your spine? Does the
throaty growl of a monstrous
turbo - engine revving up give
you goosepirmples? Do scads of
screeching wheels tickle your
fancy? If you answered yes
to all the above, the movie of
your wildest dreams has ar-
rived - Le Mans.
This is a sort of semi-docu-
mentary on that famous race
that occurs annually in that
small French village. Most of
the strength of this picture lies
in its vivid photography which
intermittently puts you right in
the driver's seat, a somewhat
disconcerting experience at
times.
Steve McQueen is about the
only familiar face in the cast
as he stars as an obsessed rac-
ing-car driver. The facsimile
of a plot revolves around him
and despite a reasonable per-
formance, McQueen just can't
coax this flimsy story into the
winner's circle.
I usifmqcrs
Cinema I, Aud. A {
Sat., 7, 9:15
"Except for sex, and my
wife's very good at sex, I like
you guys better," says Harry,
one of the trio of men in John;
Cassavetes' Husbands. His state-
ment epitomizes the message of
this meaningful film - the rap-
port between men borne out of
a lack of rapport with their
wives.
Upon the death of their close
friend, the three men, Harry,
Gus and Archie go on a rowdy
drunken binge. But there is an
underlying tension revealing
their fear that they, too, will
die without complete emotional
Naked Night
Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud.
Sat., 7, 9
The Naked Night, another
Swedish film (English subtitles)
written and directed by Ingmar
Bergman, is representative of
his other intriguing art films.x
This particular work concerns
a smal circus owner who is
constantly tormented by an un-
faithful, youthful bareback rid-
er, played by Harriet Anderson.
The circus owner, Albert, is
humiliated by the girl's seducer,
an act unparalleled by the aged
clown and his woman.
The photography, the distin-
guishing trait of Bergman, has
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/ .. _.
Everything you wonted to know about ...
Mon., Tues., Thurs. at
7:30 & 9,p.m.
Friday at 7:30, 9 & 11 p.m.
Sat. at 1-2:30-4-5:30-7:30 & 9 p.m.
Sun. at 1-2:30-4-5:30-
7:30 & 9 p.m.
r P 4 Wed. at 1-2:30-4-5:30-
7:30 & 9 p.n.
ACAPULCO GOLD-The ulti-
mate documentary on Harvest-
inq, cultivation and SmuqqIinq
of mariiuona on the North
American Continent. Filmed in
color in the Kow Valley of
Kansas, the Ozark Mountains
of Missouri, t h e Blueqrass
Fields of Kentucky, Southern
Mexico, and California. Music
by Santana, Leo Kottke, The
Flying Burrito Brothers, Heads,
Hands and Feet, The Rainy
Doze, Tonto's Expanding Head-
band, and Billy Baker.
THE
603 E. LIBERTY 0 DIAL 665-6290
Shows Tonight at 7 & 9 p.m. only; Open at 6:45
IT'S THE SAME GUY..
BUT A WHOLE NEW
BALL GAME!
"THE LONGEST YARD" is a
movie that cracks a lot of
iokes. And a lot of bones. Burt
Reynolds stars-tough, sassy-
and always that fire.
ii
METCO with the suppart of ART WORLDS and
the MICHIGAN COUNCIL for the ARTS
PRESENTS
THEATRE
AND
DANCE
Reynolds is at his most virile
The wrath of a woman scorned {}'
starts his trouble. However,
he's got some wrath of his own.
And the last 45 minutes of the
film is unlike anything You . :4
have ever seen. It will have you
howling and cheering like no
movie ever has.
"THE LONGEST YARD" is a
fierce, funny movie. For men
for women, for everyone.
"RANKS WITH THE BEST . .
A GEM OF A PICTURE."
Detroit News
THIS IS THE ONE
YOUR FRIENDS ARE
Couzens Film Co-op
PRESENTS
LINDSAY ANDERSON'S{
every Friday & Saturday evening at 9:00
AT
ART WORLDS'
213 1/ S. Main-Ann Arbor
Tel: 668-6244 or 668-6222
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