Friday, February 16, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
r Friday, February 16, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
As
ThiS KOrK
$2.00 b50
FRI.-SAT.-SUN.
ELEKTRA Record's
Paul Siebel
L'Atalante
Cinema Guild
Fri.
In L'Atalante, director Jean
Vigo deals with dramatic fic-
tion as if it were documentary,
projecting an ironic and detached
attitude in the calm and reflec-
tive style of the French essay.
L'Atalante is the name of a
barge on which a newly married
couple spend their honeymoon.
Vigo's sympathetic and highly
sensitive understanding of the
romantic mentality ,are at 'work
here in his portrayal of the
couple's problems, all against the
background of a beautiful mesh-
ing of symbols.,
Although complex, L'Atalante
never becomes abstract. In his
book on Vigo, reviewer John
Smith insists that "the cinema
has nothing to offer that is super-
ior in feeling to L'Atalante."
-STAFF
Loves of a Blonde
Cinema Guild
Sat. & Sun.
Loves of a Blonde is one of.
thoserare films that is both
small and relaltively unambi-
tious, yet complex, warm, hu-
man and very funny. Milos For-
man's Czech movie is very much
a situation comedy, revolving
around two simple predicaments.
We are first treated to a dance
arranged so that, some small
town female factory workers will
have a chance to meet some
men (and therefore, hopefully,
reach a higher output - in more
ways than one). The blonde of
the title falls for a musician,
and, mistaking his romantic pat-
ter for sincere emotion, follows
him to his home in a larger city,
thereby creating the second hu-
singer-songwriter
IyZ! Hill STREET
76F1951
"
morous situation of the film. Mi-
los Forman seems to excell at a
minor, ironic, delicate sort of
comedy, of which this film is a
fine example.
-STAFF
Morocco
Cinema II
Fri
Morocco (1930) was directed by
Josef Von Sternberg and is the
vehicle he used to introduce Mar-
lene Dietrich to American audi-
ences. Unfortunately, he seems to
have relied more on Dietrich's
beauty than on her acting abili-
ties, as she is required to do
little more than gaze intently in-
to Gary Cooper's eyes, smile,
and/or look exotic. Still, who
could resist those beguiling
charms-in this movie neither
Cooper nor Adolphe Menjou, evi-
dently.
Dietrich portrays Amy Jolly, a
high-priced apple vendor (?) at
the local bistro. Menjou is in
love with her and offers all sorts
of diamonds and emeralds as
inducements to marry him, but
she will have none of it, for she;
you see, loves a Pvt. Tom Brown
of the French Foreign Legion
(Cooper). In order to arouse his
interest, she offers to sell him
one of her apples at 20 francs
each. He gives her the money,
and she gives him the apple and
her room key saying, "Here's
your change." (No wonder the
franc was devalued.)
At any rate, Cooper succombs
quickly and tells her that he'll
desert the Foreign Legion if she'll
follow him to Europe. She agrees,
but then he changes his mind,
leaving her to forget her infatua-
tion by promising to marry Men-
jou. Apparently that prospect
pales, however, and she decides
it would be better to follow her
true love wherever he may go-
in this case that involves crossing
the burning desert in her bare
feet. And so, manless and shoe-
less, but with hope in her heart
and apples in her basket, she
plods off into the Saharan sun-
set.
-WILLIAM MITCHELL
A Day at the Races
Cinema II
Sat. & Sun.
For those few who seriously
attempt to distinguish between
one Marx Brothers movie and
another, A Day at the Races is
the one about horse doctor
Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho) and
his bumbling attempts to come
to the rescue of Maureen O'Sul-
livan and save her sanitarium.
While whether you have or
haven't seen a Marx Brothers
film ordinarily has little to dd
with whether you should go to
see one, the issue might grow in
cinema
w n
wa~saiMeeken.
Subscribe to
The Daily
I' I
importance this weekend as fren-
zied masses will have to decide
whether to spend their dollars on
this or Bananas, or, if one is
feeling tremendously anti-mate-
rialistic, whether to blow it all
on a big weekend double bill.
-STAFF
Bananas
Modern Language Bldg.
Fri., Sat.
The plot of Bananas, just like
A Day at the Races, is irrele-
vant. It is just a conventional
vehicle for unpredictable antics,
caccio's bawdy tales to
solini, by the way, ist
ist, atheistic directorv
ed us to such things as
pel According to St.
Teorema, and Medea.
Catch-22
UAC Mediatri
For those of you who
read the book, Catch
story of one man's a
cope with a military
that runs on its own
usually in the form of visual or
v e r b a 1 insanities. This isn't
Woody Allen's funniest film, yet
he is still the best comedian
since the Marx Brothers.
Woody is as funny looking a
human being as any of the Marx
trio. Resembling, somewhat, an.
advertisement for starving Biafra
with freckles, this self-acknowl-
edged sex symbol is most amus-
ing playing a total failure. Woody
successfully revives the "neb-
bish" who couldn't rob a candy
store in Take the Money and
Run. In Bananas he is a tester,
(employed to test new products),
who leaves for South America to
lead a revolution.
Many comedy bits in Bananas
are reminiscent of the Marx
Brothers, especially the court-
room scene where Woody as law-
yer cross-examines Woody the
witness'. Also noteworthy is the
screen debut of America's sport-
casting superstar, Howard Co-
sell. Allen has a field day with
Howard, television, revolution
and any institution of the '60s
and '70s he considers material
worthy of his insanity.
-JEFF EPSTEIN
Decameron
Modern Language Building
Fri. & Sat.
What can you say about the
first commercial film here to
feature a man with an erec-
tion? We don't know - primar-
ily because no one on our staff
has experienced Pier Paolo Pa-
solini's attempt to translate Boc-
logic, and then, whe
lizes the futility of his
escape from that m
pleading insanity. But1
wanting to get out of
is a perfectly sanec
anyone who wants to;
sane, and thereforec
discharged. Yossarian
lings through this mil
rinth provide the pre
which both the booka
are based.
Directed by Mike N
starring Alan Arkina
ian, Catch 22 (1970)i
accurate translation of
at least in spirit. The
comes in trying to c
many of the book's biz
acters into a two hou
the actors aren't giv
time to flesh out their
izations, so that at best
formances come off a
at worst as caricatu
this leads to an overa
situation in which a kn
the book is almost e
be able to understand
ing what to whom.
But for all this confu
are a couple scenes wx
to bring the whole ins
tomy sharply back in
In one, Yossarian is
help his comrade, Sn
-ing wounded at his s
your leg still hurt?"
inquiring, trying to t
leg while the body ro
ses, and dies; and fi
lizing it's the body t
tally wounded, not b
to do a goddam thing a
And then there is th
image shot at long
planes coming down a
ering runway and lifti
gently into the air. Up
lessly. Like slow mot
flies or moths dancin
water. Green, death
planes become airyi
heavier than down.
-WILLIAM M
Innocent Bysta
State
The James Bond fi
innovative in establish
genre in adventure f
at the same time, re
genre obsolete. The Bo
parody of the tongue-i
proaches to murder an
made the spy film
that cannot be succe
out making fun of itse
Innocent Bystanders
not a Bond movie,
spy vs. spy cliches,
down to the appeara
leading man, StanleyE
is a pockmarked, Wel
Connery.
film. Pa- This is not to say that the
the Marx- makers of Bystanders did not
who treat- break their backs looking for
The Gos- new twists. Not only is Baker
Matthew, mysteriously pitted against his
own secret service outfit, but he
-STAFF is supposedly impotent due to
electrical torture. At least until
Geraldine Chaplin comes along.
-B. SHLAIN
cs
o have not Sounder
22 is the Michigan
attempt to I think it only fair to warn
r machine
perverse potential audiences for Sounder
that the title is also the name
of the film's leading hound. This
** should provide a gut understand-
ing, based upon past canine-
genre cinema, of what you can
expect to see. There are some
differences, of course. Although
Sounder is as wise and loyal as,
say, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin or Old
Yeller, he has had the gross mis-
fortune of being born into mid-
Depression racist Louisiana, ser-
vant and companion to a strug-
gling sharecropping Black family
whose bearably hard times (as
the movie opens) have suddenly
become unbearable.
What we assume has been sev-
n he rea- everal days (weeks?) without
efforts, to meat for the children has taken
achine by its toll. The father, Paul Winfield,
the atmy is driven to theft. The family gets
army its protein dinner and Winfield
desire, so gets a year in the work farm.
get out is With Winfield temporarily out of
cannot be the picture, all pretenses of this
i's stumb- being something other than a
itary laby- 1970's conception of a Black-
mise upon Walt Disney-boy-dog adventure
and movie flick are forever laid to rest.
The boy of the boy-dog duo
ichols and is Robert Hooks, a promising
as Yossar- young actor cast in the role of
is a fairly a down-home Tommy Rettig. He
the novel, appears in every scene. The
difficulty mother is Cicely Tyson, ten times
ram too as beautiful and talented as June
arre char- Lockhart.
ur film - Every so often, for no apparent
en enough reason, Taj Mahal . (who re-
character- ceives credit for the soundtrack),
t their per- walks onto the screen and de-
s cameos, livers a zesty tune; a mesage for
res. Sadly, one of the principals; or in one
all chaotic case a clever one-liner, which
owledge of simultaneously provides excel-
ssential to lent comic relief and the high
who is do- point of the movie.
He has no business being in
sion, there the movie and seems to let us
hich seem know that his role represents a
ane dicho- director's concession by sneak-
to focus. ing on and off the screen. This
trying to shallow reality is also evidenced
owden, ly- in the accent of the school teach-
ide. "Does er Hooks and Sounder happen
he keeps upon in their adventures. Some-
reat the one forgot to tell her that the
ts, convul- action is Post-Reconstruction
nally, rea- Deep South. She sounds as if
hat's mor- she were giving directions to the
being able Brooklyn Botannical Gardens.
bout it-... This is not to dismiss Sounder
e beautiful entirely. It does have its moments
range of and its message. Louisiana gives
heat-wav- a nice account of itself on the
ng ever so big screen (similar to The Reiv-
p so effort- ers in texture) and the guitar and
ion butter- banjo picking is bouncy. Most im-
ng on still portantly however, the simplistic
h - shitting nature of the plot renders the
insects no film a wonderfully palatable ve-
hicle for offering children an
ITCHELL understanding of Southern rela-
tionships and culture devoid of
anders textbook type. It is not a dis-
paraging remark to say that this
lms, while is an excellent film for children.
ling a new It is.
ilms, have Consequently, if you feel that
ndered the your child's memorization of the
ondish self- South's leading exports is beside
n-cheek ap- the point, you may discover that
d sex have Sounder' contains the point. If
something you aren't a child or you don't
ssful with- have any, better to pocket your
if. admissions' money and skim the
, although T.V. Guide for Lassie reruns.
smacks of -MARTY MARMOR
Reed reads
Standing before a group of avid listeners in the UGLI Multipurpose
room yesterday afternoon, J. D. Reed reads his poetry.
Daily Photo by ROLFE TESSEM
The Emigrants
Campus
The Emigrants lacks charac-
ter complexity as well as any
semblance of dramatic climax.
But, despite how far removed we.
might be from the disorienting,
brutal, and yet exhilarating ex-
perience of emigration, the rich
detail of this film photographed
and directed by Jan Troell is so
emotionally evocative that it
moves one to trace his family
tree back out of the United
States. The film is Swedish, but
curiously enough, it seems to
speak more directly to Ameri-
cans than to Europeans; perhaps
Americans feel the modern im-
possibility of the "pioneer ex-
perience" more intensely.
The aforementioned "lack" of
character complexity is more
than made up for by the per-
formances of Liv Ullman and
Max Von Sydow, as Kristina and
Karl-Oscar. The two of them play
the Swedish farming couple who
live a monotonous existence on
a remote a farm-land that has as
many rocks as blades of grass.
From the beginning, Troell
makes us aware of the all-per-
vasive, near - maddening soli-
tude of the close-to-the soil life,
where only the sounds of labor
punctuate the stillness.
The burnt-out crops, a flash
fire that destroys their barn, the
endless proliferation of chil-
drens' mouths to feed - the ex-
treme vulnerability of these pea-
sants is excruciating. As an es-
cape, Karl - Oscar and Kristina
pack up their brood and head for
America, banding together with
an eccentric group of religious
zealots.
The turbulent and claustro-
phobic boat ride, with its hordes
of lice and walls that run with
slime, are somehow' survived by
the emigrants. Almost like chil-
dren, they dream of America as
an Eden, magnificent and mys-
terious.
Disembarking at the port of
New York, they are confronted
by the masses of sullen, squat-
ting blacks, ragged and in
chains. The disillusionment of
the emigrants is compounded by
their inability to communicate.
But eventually Karl - Oscar finds
his lush farmland. Carving his
claim onto a tree, he is a soli-
tary and insignificant figure,
content in a silent and immense
paradise..
-B. SHLAIN
And Yet Another ;
Week Of..
Deliverance-Fox Village-Are
they kidding? Best Picture? It's
okay adventure, but nothing
more.
The Valachi Papers-Fifth For-
um-Illustrated History. Eh.
603' lbery
PLEASE
Theatre Phone 66S.6290 NOTE!
SNEAK PREVIEW
TONIGHT at 9 o'clock
OUR REGULAR SHOW "SOUNDER" WILL
BE SHOWN AT 7 O'CLOCK AND AFTER THE
PREVIEW.
THE PREVIEW IS A COMEDY
to,
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MONDAY-SATURDAY 9:30-9:00
336 SOUTH STATE 769-4980
MIDNIGHT SHOW - FRIDAY and SATURDAY
.Aadnitz /MATTEL Productions
Reses
"SOUNDER"
A Robert B. Radnitz/Martin Ritt Film
PANAVISION®COLOR BY OE LUXE ®
with CICELY TYSON
right on
nce of the
Baker, who
sh, pseudo-
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... I t {:
ARTS
Poets-
The Michigan
Daily Arts
Page is now
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publication.
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* WABX Presents ;
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THE-
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'GEES
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WITH 30 MEMBERS OF |
DETROIT SYMPHONY ;
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* GLYNDWR W. HALE '
* Special Guest Star
i From England f
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TUES., MARCH 20;
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SC EINA
C UL tURiE. ALA
MUSIC-Aspects of Electronic Sound, 8 p.m. at Hill, presented
by the Music School. String Department Studeit Recital,
SM Recital Hall, 8.
DRAMA-The U Players present their production of Rabe's
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel at Trueblood at 8.
The South Quad Players present The Apple Tree at S.Q.
Dining Room 4 at 7:30 and 10:00.
DANCE-An International Folk Dance tonight at the Barbour
Gym, 8-11. (Teaching 8-9).
WEEKEND BARS AND MUSIC-Ark, Paul Siebel (Fri., Sat.,
Sun.) admission; Blind Pig, Brooklyn Bluesbusters (Fri.,
Sat.) cover, String Trio (Sun.) no cover; Del Rio, Jazz
(Sun.) no cover; Golden Falcon, Fifth Revelation (Fri.,
Sat.) cover; Mackinac Jack's, Lightin' (Fri., Sat., Sun.)
cover; Mr. Flood's Party, Garfield Blues Band (Fri., Sat.)
cover, Diesel Smoke and Dangerous Curves (Sun. at 3
p.m.) cover; Bimbo's on the Hill, Full Force (Fri., Sat.)
cover; Odyssey, Stone Front (Fri., Sat.) cover, Okra,
(Sun.) cover.
O NOW PRESENTS
(1 "VTIrUmkrfC -EED _AAADrLI jla '
tonight
6:00 2 4 7 News
9 Courtship of Eddie's Father
50 Flintstones
56 Operation second Chance
6:30 2 CBS News
4 NBC News
7 ABC News
9 I Dream of Jeannie
50 Gilligan's Island
56Bridge with Jean Cox
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 News
7 To Tell the Truth
9 Beverly Hillbillies
50 I Love Lucy
56 World Press
7:30 What's My line?
4 Hollywood Squares
7 Wait Till Your Father
Gets Home
9 Lassie
56 Wall Street Week
50 Hogan's Heroes
8:00 2 Mission: Impossible
4 Sanford and Son
7 Jacques Cousteau
9 Woods and Wheels
56 Washington Week in Review
50 Dragnet
8:30 4 Little People
9 Pig and Whistle
50 Merv Griffin
56 Off the Record
9:00.2 Movie
"Alexander the Great" (56)
4 Circle of Fear
7 Room 222
9 News
56 San Francisco Mix
9:30 7 Odd Couple
9 Sports Scene
56 Walter Kerr on Theatre
10:00 4 Bobby Darin
7 Love, American Style
9 Tommy Hunter
50 Perry Mason
56 High School Basketball
11:00 4 7 News
9 CBC News
50 One Step Beyond
11:15 2 News
11:20 9 News
11:30 4 Johnny Carson
7 In Concert
50 Movie
"Twelve O'Clock High" (49)
11:45 2 Movie
12:00 9 Movie
1:00 4 Midnight Special
7 Movie
"Shadow of Evil" (French,
1964)
1:45 2 Movie
"Mambo" (Italian, 1954)
2:30 4 News
3:00 7 News
3:15 2 It's Your Bet
3:45 2 News
plus: Chapter 3 of our continuing
"FLASH GORDON"
PIER PAOLO PASOLINI'S film of GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO'S
___ .nu ..r ter, _