Friday, March 22, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
Friday, March 22, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
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Pick of the week:
Day for Night
Campus"
With Day for Night, Francois
Truffaut joins the lengthy list of
directors who have attempted
to produce The Definitive Movie
on the motion picture industry.
And while the result isn't really
very meaty, it is witty, enjoy-
able, and a winner - which
makes it look like a sure bet for
this year's best foreign f i1 m
Academy Award.
Truffaut himself portrays a di-
rector working on a typical Amer-
ican studio film entitled "Meet
Pamela". C a s t members Jac-
queline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Leaud,
and Jean-Pierre Aumont, among
others, perform superbly in this
combination satire on and tri-
bute to the world of commer-
cial film.
-DAVID BLOMQUIST
Lady Sings the Blues
Bursley Hall Enterprises
Bursley West Cafeteria
Sat., 9
Set in the late 1930s, Lady is
the story of Billie Holiday, one
of the great blues singers of all
time. It stars former Motown
Supreme Diana Ross.
On the outside, it seems like
this would be a great film. It
certainly has all the ingredients:
prostitution, drug addiction, a
true story, -etc. But truth is no
excuse for a mediocre to poor
screenplay; hopefully Lady is no:
the pinnacle of director Sidney
Lurie's work.
The movie is held together b:,
an excellent musical score beau-
tifully performed by Ross.
-LOUIS MELDMAN
Tall Blond Man With
One Black Shoe
Fifth Forum'
French director Yves Roberts'
picture is outrageously funny for
about a half-hour, but when the
one-joke plot starts to thin out, so
do the laughs.
In Tall Blond Man, a harmless
young fellow with nothing aga.nst
anybody is marked as an under-
world big-shot because s o m e
stupid police wiretapers h a v e
been set up. They trial him to no
end through a series of sight and
sound gags that alternately hit
and miss, dancing their way
toward the final scenes and a
surprise twist.
-MICHAEL WILSON
* * *
The Sting
State '
No doubt about it: the team of
Paul Newman, Robert Redford,
and George Roy Hill simply can-
not make a bad movie. If you
liked Butch Casidy and the Sun-
dance Kid, you'll squeal with de-
light at Sting.
Sting is a story of a big con
artist (Newman) who comes out
of a retirement to take on an
Romer.
classic
By TED STEIN
Celedonio Romeros and his
three sons, Celin, Pepe, and An-
gel, proved once more Wednes-
day night at Rackham Aud. that
the family that plays classical
guitar together stays together.
And Spanish music aficionados
here could not have been more
pleased.
The Romeros family displayed
fine form in a varied selection of
pieces from the classical gui-
tar's steadily increasing reper-
tory, from the boisterous dance
rhythms of flamenco, to the deli-
cate counterpoint of Bach.
In fourteen seasons of touring,
the Romeros family has helped
expand that repertoire consider-
ably. Like other masters of the
instrument, they have inspired
composers to write for the gui-
tar, or in their case, for four gui-
tars.
The result Wednesday night
was a rich, fun-filled classical
guitar experience and the oppor-
tunity to feel very much a part
U
apprentice (Redford) and make
one final "big con" - one final
"sting". The result is so per-
fect that I recommend buying
popcorn - if only to hold it ner-
vo:sly in both hands.
-LOUIS MELDMAN
Jules and Jim
Cinema II, Aud. A
Fri., 7, 9
Jules and Jim, Francois Truf-
faut's third film, is a tragi-comi-
ic study of love and morality.
Jules, a young German student,
and Jim, his best friend, live
and play happily in 1912 France.
Then they meet Kathe, an
amoral, passionate, and slightly
crazy girl - and both fall in love
with her.
Thecast is impeccable-Oskar
Werner as Jules, the trio's some-
what relieved survivor; Henri
Sere as Jim, torn between friend-
ship and love; and Jeanne Mor-
eau at Kathe, their flightly and
perverse love. Wittily directed,
the film is charming and incis-
ive.
-JAMES HYNES
Serpico
The Movies, Briarwood
Serfico is a fine example of
how a film can wrestle with a
controversial subject and come
out on top.
Al Pacino exquisitelii portrays
Serpico, a Greenwich V i IlI a g e
intellectual who decides to join
the New York City police force.
D3isgusted by rampant corrup-
tion among patrolmei, he com-
plains to his superiors, but each
time receives the same blunt an-
swer-an orderto keep his damn
mouth shut.
Easily Sidney Lum 's b e s t
movie, Serpico also haopens to
be Dino De Laurenti's first film
since moving his operalons from
Rome to New York.
-DAVID BLOMQUIST
The Night of
the Iguana
New World, Nat. Sci. Aud.
Sun., 7, 9
A film with as much stimuli
as this one deserves a lot more
attention than the critics chose
to give it. John Huston directed
Iguana (1964) from Tenine ;see
Williams's powerhouse Broadway
hit and lined up leading ladies
like Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr,
and Sue Lyon for impact.
The real star, however, is
Richard Burton, who portrays a
defrocked Episcopal minister in
charge of a cheap Mexican tour
bus but with more zeal and per-
fection than anything he's done
in years.
-MICHAEL WILSON
* * *
All Quiet on tim
Western Front
Cinema Guild, Arch. And.
Sun., 7, 9:05
Of all the anti-war fiL.s that
have resulted from the last 15
years, only a very few can
match the power and quality of
the original: Lewis Milestone's
All Quiet on the Western Front.
Filmed in 1930 from Erich Maria
Remarque's novel, Western
Front follows the lives of a group
of young German sold ers in
World War I.
All the characters are confus-
ed, scared - and real. This ring
of truth makes Western Front
one of the best anti-war films
ever made.
-JAMES HYNES
* * *
Start The Revolution
Without Me
Fifth Forum
Bud Yorkin (Divorce kmerican
Style) directed this 1970 film
blindfolded - or at least it
seems like it. Although ne set-
ting is on the eve of +he French
Revolution, there are automobiles
at Notre Dame and Orson Welles
as a narrator who care; about as
much for this picture as he does
diet pills.
Still, there are some very -fun-
ny scenes and an outrageous plot
that will leave you laughing lng
after the picture is over.
-MICHAEL WILSON
The Adventures of
Robinson Crusoe
Cinema Guild, Arch. And.
Sat., 7, 9:05
Robinson Crusoe has been film-
ed many times, but only thi-, Luis
Bunuel version (1952) is worth
watching. The Spanish writer-di-
rector has tackled Def 's liter-
ary classic with surrealistic grace
and charm, closely following the
novel to almostcomplete perfec-
tion.
Dan O'Herlihy plays the strand-
ed seaman effortlessly under the
superb direction; only a genius
like Bunuel would have his hero
find true happiness in the de-
cayed remnants of some femin-
ine clothing salvaged from t h e
shipwreck.
MICHAEL NILSON
The Exorcist
The Movies, Briarwood
Director William Friedkin
(French Connection) ,ia; s a i d
that this movie was intended to
scare people. It is the story of
how a little girl (Linda Blair)
becomes possessed by the Devil.
The little girl masturnates with
a crucifix, turns her head all
the way around, and swears a la
Jack Nicholson.
Exorcist may be '"what's hap-
pening", to be sure, buz don't
see it after dinner.
-LOUIS MELDMAN
Une Femme Douce
Cinema II, Aud. A
Sun., 7, 9
Robert Bresson, an imagina-
tive and unique French film-
maker, adapted this 1968 film
from Dostoevski's "The Gentle
Woman". It chronicles the life
and death of a young married
woman in abstgact, almost in-
comprehensible flashbacks.
The film is deeply personal, yet
conveys more emotion than six-
ty hours' worth of daytime tele-
vision.
In the opening scenes we see
the suicide of title player Domir-
ique Sanda. Her husband (Guy
Frangin) is a pawnbroker who
drove his life to stifled insanity-
it is through his eyes that we
come to understand and feel for
the doomed latter half of a pa-
thetically claustrophobic im a r-
riage.
-MICHAEL WILSON
China Is Near
Cinema II, Aud. ,
Sat., 7, 9
China* is Near has its prob-
lems - not the least of which
is an overabundance of film-
but is, nevertheless, an interest-
ing, almost fantasy look at the
unique world of Italian politics
from Italian director Merca Bel-
locchio.
Glauco Mauri portrays i poli-
tical science professor wh, be-
cause he's the only one rich
enough to finance a campaign,
gets nominated by the Socialists
to run for county council. For
some unknown reason, he hires
his secretary's boyfriend, a
young, Maoist student (Pierluigi
Apra), as a sort of H. R. Halde-
man and sets out to conquer the
country.
China is funny in spo*s, b u t
tends too much toward the slap-
stick vein.
-DAVID BLOMQUIST
Macbeth
Friends of Newsreel, MI B 3
Roman Polanski directed this
1971 version of Shakespeare's play
as the first theatrical production
of Hugh Hefner's Playboy Pro-
ductions. Polanski elected to
play up the violent aspects of the
script; that's fine, but the larger
scope of Shakespeare seens to
get lost in all of the artificial
gore.
-DAVID BLOMQUIST
Sounder
UAC-Mediatrics, Nat. Sci. And.
Fri., Sat., 7, 9:30
Sounder is a family motion pic
ture in the best sense of the
term. It is a film that b o t h
children and adults can under-
stand and enjoy.
The picture is the story of a
poor black family in the Deep
South during the Depression. The
father (played by Paul Winfield)
is sent off to a prison camp for
stealing some meat for hii fam-
ily, leaving his wife (Cice'y Ty-
son) to run things while he is
away. Kevin Hooks portrays their
oldest son, who is torn between
his obligation to help his fam-
ily and his desire for education.
Sounder is well-made and well-
acted, especially by Tyson, wno
brings much strength and dignity
to her role.\
-JAMES HYNES
* * *
The Last Detail
Michigan
One, of the most promising
young American filmmakers to
date is an obnoxious and over-
weight hippie named Hal Ashley.
His films (The Landlord, Harold
and Maude) are hilariously sim-
ple-minded and almo;t alwavF
worth at least three viewings.
Last Detail is no exception - it.
is certainly one of the test films
to come out this year.
Robert Towne's screar'play ca:-
cerns two Navy shore patrolmen
who are escorting an adolescent
thief to the brig and an eight-
year sentence. Along the way the
three become fast friends and
enjoy some high living to asa-
ington, New York, and Boston
with the help of what must be
well over 60 six-packs of beer.
-MICHAEL WILSON
i
SNEAK PREVIEW
TONIGHT-9 p.m.
of a New Jon Voight
Film!
various p e o p 1 e have been
screw~ing ,up mynaivme.It's a "
swell name. It belon ed to a
bartender, a minister, a clas-
sical scholar and a burilesque
queen. It's Conroy not Con-
rack but if you 'want to call
me that, go ahead. im begin
ning to like the sound of it
PG -
s a
ThebtePn
f
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4
REEVES HOUSE Presents:
T THE MOVIES
FRIDAY, MARCH 22
THE MARX BROTHERS-
DUCK SOUP
THE THREE STOOGES-
STOP, LOOK, & LAUGH
603 E. Liberty
DIAL 665-6290
Open 12:45. Shows at
1,3, 5,7, & 9 P.M.
3 Academy Award
Nominations incl.
BEST ACTOR
JACK' NICHOLSON
"THE LAST
DETAIL",
Markley Hall's Dining Room No. 1
7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Both Movies
$1.00
BEST PICTURE
OF THE YEAR'S
-National Board of Review
"ROMAN POLANSKI'S'MACBETH'
IS THE BEST FILM THAT HAS
EVER BEEN MADE OUT OFA
SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY! IT
IS TERRIFYINGLY REALISTIC!
A fascinating interpretation!"
-KEVIN SANDERS, ABC-TV
"ROMAN POLANSKI'S 'MACBETH'
I S AMUST! BROUGHT VIIDLY.
HANDSOMELY,
-A EXCITINGLY
UTO LIFE!"
-FRANCES HERRIDGE,
New York Post
3rd ...allittakes
HIT ...1 isalittek
Confidence.
PAUL NEWMAN &
ROBERT REDFORD in
"TH E
STING" (PG)
WINNER OF 10
ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATIONS!
OPEN AT 1 P.M.
"The Sting" at 1 :30, 4 p.m.,
6:30, and after special sneak
preview R
~i
Roman Polanskc'k
fimni
MACBETH
s..~,~ man poinirneh"Fnan
",.fo.- ,Miiam S5ukeggxar
r..wd.. Hug M W w iw&I..aAndrmw Bmuuberg
s. vn oa bnk
s offer an inspirational
al guitar performance
of a. longstanding family tradi-
tion.
The concert stepped off spright-
ly with a flawless solo perform-
ance by Pepe, whose flair for
flamenco was quickly apparent
in the ebullient, lively rhythms
of Suite Espanola, by Gaspar
Sanz, a 17th century composer.
He followed with a crisp rendi-
tion of Fernando Sor's popular
"Variations on a -Theme" from
Mozart's The Magic Flute.
Angel contributed during his
solo stint, Recuerdos de la Al-
hambra, by Francisco Tarrega,
which is a demanding tremolo
study. And Celin, who faltered
slightly in his performance,
came through with fine interpre-
tations of two jaunty pieces by
Alexander Tasnman.
But the best was saved for
last. The "old man" of the fam-
ily, Celedonio, delivered an im-
pressive Leyendoh, by Isaac Al-
beniz, with its characteristic,
steady drone of the tremolo. The
light, folk - rhythmic Serenata
Espanola, by Joaquin Malats,
gave the elder Romeros the
chance to demonstrate a wide
range of guitar effects - includ-
ing harmonics, and drumming on
both the strings and the guitar
face.
After the intermission, the
family returned together for an
entertaining tour of music for
four guitars. Their rendition of'
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto
No. 3 provided a lively, refresh-
ing interpretation of contrapun-
tal playing usually reserved for
violins and cellos. The plaintive
Estampas, by Frederico Torrobo,
dedicated to the Romeros family
last summer, was quiet but ef-
fective.
Unfortunately, it seems to me
that multiple guitar arrange-
ments work against the complex-
ity of the single guitar. The in-
terweaving of distinct bass, mel-
ody, and harmony parts as well
as the shading of the music,
which varies considerably, are
for the most part lost in the
flurry of four guitars.
In the two flamenco encores-
including Malaguena - the four
guitars worked extremely well.
The music was full and vibrant,
with the audience picking the en-
thusiasm and fire of the Ro-
meros family's playing. At the
end of the second encore, a fla-
menco improvisation, a breath-
taking crescendo of hard strum-
ming brought the music patrons,
wildly applauding for more, to
their feet.
If this concert is typical of
the whole tour the Romeros
Quartet as much as ever de-
serves its title as "Royal Fami-
ly of Spanish Guitar."
-PLUS-
The Night
of the Living Dead
Macbeth at 7:30
Living Dead at 10:00
Modern Languages Aud. 3
$1.25 single, $2 double feature
Friday-Saturday-Sunday
Friends of Newsreel
769-7353
I-
THE ANN ARBOR GAY LIBERATION FRONT
PRESENTS
ALLEN GINSBEK
THIS
8:30
WEEKEND
$2.50
and
BGAN
DAB
FRI.-SAT.
Joe
H ickerson
IN CONCERT
Friday, April 12th--8 P.M.
in HILL AUDITORIUM
$2.00 General Admission
. } rj Wq. yy
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