THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
THIIHGNDAL aeFv
filmfestival
Opening night features mix
of unusual, innovative films
By JIM HYNES
Despite some confusion over tickets, the
Twelfth Ann Arbor Film Festival got off to
a good start Tuesday night, as people filled
the Architecture Auditorium for three dif-
ferent showings of independent films. 17
films, varying in length from four to 83
~....~ .minutes, were shown from 7 until 12:45.
In keeping with the Festival goal of en-
' couraging "the work of the independent di-
rector" and promoting "the concept of the
film as art," all the films were unusual and
X innovative.
Several were very good ; a few were mo-
notorous and unintelligible; all were am-
bitious.
The 7 and 9 o'clock showings both opened
with Patasourus, a clever mix of film and
theater. The highlights of the 7 o'clock
showing were Pilgrims, a funny film by Pet-
er Hoffman about a conversation at a truck
stop; Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You
Think, a humorous documentary about a
senior citizens' picnic in Chicago by Tom
Palazzolo, Bernie Caputo, and Jeff Kreines;
and Moon's Pool by Gunvor Nelson and
Heavy Light by Adam Beckett, two dazzling.
Daily Photo by PAULINE LUBENS studies in visual effects.
Another documentary was shown later in
-enuhi on violin the evening: The Vanguard Story, a hilar-
Yehudi Menuhin performs on violin last night in a concert sponsored by the Musical Society at Hill ious account of America's first attempt to
Auditorium. Menuhin appeared with his sister, Hephzibah Menuhin (not pictured), who played piano. put a satellite in orbit.
Pied Piper pipes in Pim burg
Three animated shorts were shown:
Steve Lisburger and Eric Ladd's Cosmic
Cartoon, a visually interesting work; Eva-
sion Expresse, a French cartoon that
amounted to a sick joke: and S. Alex Kon-
dak's philosophical Hubris.
The ne feature-length film shown Tues-
day was Snapshots, the ultimate in direc-
tetorial self-indulgence. The film was about
the making of the film and the effect of
the making of the film on the director, cast,
and crew,
It is difficult to say that it is a good film,
for it lacks any semblance of continuity or
polish. Indeed, the producer of the film
says at one point: "Afternseeing the rushes,
I began to wonder what the fuck this film
was about."
Yet Snapshots is one of the most dis-
turbing and thought-provoking films that
this reviewer has ever seen.
The film is continually fascinating, like a
snake that is eating itself. It raises some
disturbing questions about the nature of
cinema, questions concerning objectivity
and subjectivity in film.
To what degree is it possible for a film
to be completely truthful in recording a
situation?
Snapshots is a very difficult film to ana-
lyze. I'm still not sure if it's the worst film
I've ever seen or one of the best.
I I
on Mr. Tony's delicious i
12"or 14" PIZZA!
I Offer good until March 20, 1974
Offer good for pickup, dine-in. or
IFAST"!FREE IDELIVE RY!'
1 663-0511 1
Offer good at 1327 S. University
location only.
-Kvmnmm"
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I
603 E. Liberty
DIAL 665-6290
Open 12:45. Shows at
1, 3, 5, 7, & 9 P.M.
3 Academy Award
Nominations inc.
BEST ACTOR
JACK NICHOLSON
"T'HE LAST
DETA IL"
By JODY JOSEPH
El Retablo del Flautista is a
musical comedy with a strong
dose of Brechtian epic theatre.
Like Brecht, the playwright Jor-
di Teixidor borrows his plot from
an old fable, this time, the Pied
Piper of Hamlin.
Teixidor somehow manages to
take from this parable what-
ever suits his political purposes
and places these elements in the
service of a special cause.
In the Spanish department's
production of Flautista, present-
ed in the Trueblood Theatre on
Tuesday and Wednesday eve-
nings, the lovely city of Pim-
burg, Germany, is victimized by
a terible plague of "ratas" (non-
Spanish speakers, just take a
guess at what that means).
The action of the play then
describes the intolerable condi-
tions, the townsfolks' collective
indignation and the inaction of
the proper authorities.
Finally, when these "ratas" be-
gin to infest the very homes of
the privileged, a military-govern-
mental-commercial-ecclesiastical
complex finally bands together,
as usual, to arive at a plan of
minimal effectiveness and maxi-
mal exploitation.
Following in the tradition of
Brecht, this is a political play
is, the production is filled with
without social realism. That
theatrical affectations in costum-
ing, farcical song and dance
numbers, and set designs.
Of course, the traditional con-
tinuities of time, space and ac-
tion are flaunted irreverently --
this is not the "slice of life'
,approach of earlier theater. Th2
final aim is to reveal truth by
making reality appear strange.
El RetabloFlautista was ori-
ginally performed in Barcelona.
Spain, to a highly appreciative
audience. Many of tile staging
techniques incorporated into the
play at this time were developed
by Teixidor's own company,
Grupo de Teatro Popular.
This company was organized
as a kind populist movement in
theater and many of Teixidor's
plays have toured the rural areas
of Spain as well as poor sec-
tions of the cities.
The acting and directing of
the Ann Arbor production a p -
proached professionalism.
Although a few missed cues be-
trayed the actors as students in
an amateur production, t h e s e
weren't enough to detract from
the overall performance. Not
only was the production educ-
tional - it was also wildly enter-
taining. '
The costumes and the set de-
Big rock concerts are going to
be hit hard by the energy short-
age. Shelly Finkel, the promoter
of the Watkins Glen Festival re-
ports that the fuel crisis will be
a major factor in any festival he
sponsors next year.
Finkel says that gasless Sun-
days are going to cause severe
troubles for all concert promot-
ers, and they will either confine
their festivals to Saturdays, or
extend them to three-day events,
concluding on Mondays.
Attention
Advertisers
for total campus
saturation over
air call
763-3501
-650 AM -
The Rock of Ann Arbor
sign helped to create an atmos-
phere of farcial unreality, but
it's this farcicial presentation
which points up the final evils of
political oppression - which is
what the play is really all about.
If you're an aspiring revolu-
tionary, then, and know some
Spanish, Flautista speaks direct-
ly to you.
In an interview with Britain's
Melody Maker Magazine, J o h n
Lennon was asked about a pos-
sible Beatle reunion. John re-
plied, "I think we're closer now
than we've been for a long time.
As far as I can gather from
talking to the group, nobody
would mind doing some work to-
gether again." Lennon adaed
that there are no specific plans
for a reuniting of the Beatles
TONIGHT !
PAUL NEWMAN
& ROBERT REDFORD in
"THE
STING" (PG)
WINNER OF 10
ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATIONS!
OPEN DAILY 1 P.M.
Shows at 1 :30, 4, 6, 6:30
u 9sP.M.
-It
I
El~ I ~ rUM ~ lgaM1li@E MMN
WED. OPEN 12:45
Shows at 1,3,5,7 & 9P.M.
Thurs. at 7 & 9 only
1214 s.. university'
CAM PS
Rediordia
ase mia
A SYDNEY P L
Theman
became a legend. '
Peking goes softer
on bourgeois' music
By Reuter
PEKING - A leading Chinese
newspaper today warned that
Western Classical music could
exert a harmful influence on
China's cultural development.
But at the same time the in-
tellectual Guangming Daily ex-
pressed qualified approval for
the works of Beethoven.
The paper however took a
more moderate line than pre-
vious attacks on Western classi-
cal music in the Chinese press,
which included a claim that
Mozart was inferior to modern
Chinese ballet music.
While today's article maintain-
ed the ideological viewpoint of
previous criticism that Western
music generally reflects the
"bourgeois" nature of its com-
posers, observers believe it could
indicate a desire to correct the
impression that anti-foreign feel-
ings were emerging here.
The paper praised Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony as "A reflec-
tion of the spirit of resistance of
the newly emerging bourgeoisie
seeking liberation from feudal-
ism."
It added: "We always give
sufficient approval to Beethoven
and to the progressive signifi-
cance of his musical creations in
history."
Bach was cited as proof that
all music reflects the social con-
ditions of a given time through
the minds of composer from a
certain class.
It said the prominence of re-
ligious themes in Bach's work
reflected his own religious out-
look and the importance of re-
ligion in "backyard and feudal
18th century Germany."
~ w w~ - - ~~
-, ~
University Players present
Obie Award Winners
HAPPY ENDING and
DAY OF ABSENCE
by Douglas Turner Ward
8 P.M.-Mendelssohn
Theatre
U Players Ticket Office open
10 A.M.-1 P.M., 2 P.M.-5 P.M.
764-6300. Mendelssohn The-
atre Sox Office open 6 PM.
763-1085.
t, NW S I . t 30 ii * ,PM
vhc
FRIDAY: "M*A*S*H"
The film
destined to be a classic!
People! Music! Food!
BACH CLUB
Julia DECKER, soprano
Laura SHETLER, flute
Beth GILBERT, piano
VIVALDI: Motetto
BACH: Arias for flute
& soprano
MOZART: Exsultate,
Jubilate!
- DAYSTAR PRESENTS
GLADYS KNIGHT
And THE PIPS
C THE PERSUASIONS
THE SOULFUL SOULMATES
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1974
CRISLER ARENA-8 P.M.
$5.50-$4.50-$3.50-$2.50
I1