Thursdav. March 29, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAI'LY
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I
TON IGHT ONLY
LITI'LE 36MAN
WAS EITHER THE MOST
NEGILECTED HERO IN HISTORY
OR A LIAR OF INSANE
PROPORTION!
1
teI
S
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
56 Classroom Meetings
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 News
7 To Tell The Truth
9 Beverly Hillbillies
50 I Love Lucy
56 Course of our Times
7:30 2 What's My Line?
4 Circus!
7 Michigan Outdoors
9 Movie
"Tarzan's Revenge" (1938)
50 Hogani's Heroes
56 Behind the Lines
8:00 2 The Waltons
4 Flip Wilson
7 Mod Squad
56 Advocates
50 Dragnet
8:30 50 Merv Griffin
9:00 2 Movie
10:30 9 Countrytime
11:00 2 4 7 News
9 CBC News
50 One Step Beyond
11:20 9 News
11:30 2 Movie
"The Bad Seed" (1956)
4 Johnny Carson
7 A Little Bit Like Murder
50 Movie
"That Certain Woman." (1937)
12:00( 9 Movie
"Mirage." (1965)'
1:00 4 7 News
2:00 2 Movie
"The Green Glove" (1952)
3:30 2 TV High School
4:00 2 TV News
wcbn
89.5 fm
9 :00 Moning After Show
12:00 Progressive Rock
4:00 Folk
7:00 Talk Back
7:10 Leslie Stevens, "Communication
and Media: Toward a One
World Mind."
8:00 Jazz
11:00 Progressive Rock
3:00 Signoff
cable tv
channel 3
3:30 Pixanne
4:00 Today'sWoman (local percus-
sionist Lorenzo Brown)
4:30 Something Else
5:00 Stratosphere Playhouse
5 :30 Local News/Town Crier
6:00 Love and the Law (Estate
Planning)
6:30 NCAA Super Sports
7:00 Community Dialogue
(Frank Mogdis, Jim Stephen-
son and Benita Kaimowitz,
candidates for mayor)
8:00 Yesterday's School Board
By DAVID GRUBER
Ingmar Bergman is a master
at creating atmosphere, at calling
up just the right colors or shades
of black and white to lend a
unique feeling to his settings. He
knows that even the basic physi-
cal appearance of a film plays
a vital role in conveying emotions
and meanings to an audience.
This knowledgetis at work in
Cries and Whispers and is respon-
sible for much of its appeal.
To be sure, Cries and Whispers
is an impressive movie for other
reasons as well. It is convincingly
acted and gracefully edited, and
it has power. But here begin its
problems. It draws us in by the
power of its craftsmanship more
than any emotional or intellectual
profundity which Bergman is cap-
able of reaching. Indeed, the
psychological depths explored in
this film were already reached
and in some cases exceeded in
The Silence and Persona, two
films with themes Bergman once
said he would try to develop fur-
ther in this new film. What we
have as a result is aseries of
vignettes-some old ones slightly
altered and some new ones beau-
tifully executed-which pass by
in an almost dreamlike way, not
'Cries and Whispers':
adeeper shade of red
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DUSTN
HOFFMAN
LITTI.E
BIG N"
Panavisione@Technicolora
7:15 & 9:30 P.M.
Modern Languages Bldg., Aud. 3
(E. Washington at Thayer,
Ann Arbor)
$1.25 New World Film Co-op
4
9
56
9:30 9
10:00 4
9
50
56
"tick . . . tick . . tick"
(1970)
Ironside
ABC Theatre
News
An American Family
Happy Though Married
Dean Martin
Adieu Alouette
Perry Mason
Masterpiece Theatre
fully connected to anything real.
"Ever since my childhood,"
Bergman wrote recently, "I have
pictured the inside of the soul as
a moist membrane in shades of
red." And so we have it: a Berg-
man vision. Set in a manor house
around the turn of the century,
Cries and Whispers is saturated
in red: red walls, red curtains,
red carpets, red chairs, fade-outs
into a completely red screen. The
four women of the film-three
sisters and a servant gathered
together because one of the sis-
ters is dying-are at times ab-
sorbed into or emerge out of their
red backgrounds. It is a new
feeling for a Bergman film, one
that is somber, plush, and deeply
evocative.
Within this environment, the
women exist as If in a portrait
gallery. Their faces and bodies
are stood up or stretched out
against the red backdrops, and
the camera follows them relent-
lessly so we might pick up every
agony, every exasperation. It is
Bergman's manner of giving his
films their weight-the closeups,
the stares, the deeply troubled
expressions, and of course, the
enigmatic language, which, in
Cries, often gets out of hand.
But this close look reveals that
inside the mansion-soul the wom-
en are not allowed full personal-
ities; they are frozen into one-
dimensional emotional attitudes,
resembling the statuettes at the
film's beginning. As Pauline Kael
noted in her review, they repre-
sent "facets of woman" rather
than individuals in their own
right. Because of the decided
lack of character exploration, the
tensions created by their in-
ability to communicate with each
other are played in very narrow
terms, and while they at first
have a definite impact there is
nothing within the characters to
broaden their dimensions and the
impact is lost.
This sisterly conflict harkens
back to The Silence, where In-
grid Thulin again played a re-
pressed but at least more com-
passionate woman. As Karin in
the current film, she is a woman
with cyanide in her veins, a
figure of absolute negativity, al-
most always dressed in black. She
is contrasted with Maria (Liv
Ullman), the selfish, childish
adultress, by Agnes, the com-
passionate one in white who
paints white roses, and by the
servant Anna (Kari Sylwan), the
earth mother, who, despite her
physical size, is essentially as
airy and as much of an.apparition
as any of the others. One cannot
say that Bergman did not handle
their roles well, or that he failed
to put over his intentions of pre-
senting a single personality bro-
ken into four components. One
can argue, however, that this
should not have been allowed to
interfere with a story about what
could have been four very human
characters. While there is the
double-entendre of having the
disparate parts of a personality
fight to come together as four
human beings try to get along,
the two ideas are incompatible in
the long run. I could not feel
much sympathy for anyone but
Agnes, whose -death is the most
excrutiating I have ever seen
on the screen. The other char-
acters were much more rigid.
When Bergman did try to hu-
manize things, the result was
rather "hokey." There is no more
SAIL THROUGH AFRICA
with
KATHARINE HEPBURN and HUMPHREY BOGART
in
Te Arican Queen
A great one directed by k.
JOHN HUSTON. Screenplay by-JAMES AGEE
TONIG HT and TOMORROW
MARCH 29 & 30f
This Weekend: BEFORE THE REVOLUTION
7 & 9 Architecture Auditorium $1.00
t
..
I
Local
Poets-
The Michigan
Daily Arts
Page is now
accepting
poetry for
publication.
Submit work
to Arts Editor
Co The Daily.
I
beautiful or haunting scene than
that of Agnes' death in which the
sisters straighten her body, cover
her and cross her arms over her
chest. -And there is no more hope-
ful scene than when the three
survivors, in mourning clothes,
kneel before her bed with their
heads bowed as a pastor, quite
moved himself, reads a prayer.
Do they just for a moment feel
a sense of common loss? Do they
share a compassion for Agnes
now that her agonies are over?
It would have been nice had this
scene lingered for a little while.
But no, the pastor, a doubting
Tomas like the pastor in Winter
Light, starts questioning God's
existence, starts talking about
cruel and empty skys, and prays
for meaning in life. Who asked
for this? Right now I couldn't
care less about God, skys or
meaning because Agnes has just
gone through hell and it seems
that her experience might move
the other women toward some
reconciliation. Why couldn't the
pastor have kept his faith? He is
a positive letdown, to the audi-
ence and especially to Agnes, who
needed and looked for faith in
her sisters and could seldom find
it. More disappointing is the fact
that when Agnes comes back to
life, unable to "sleep" because
her sisters are warring with each
other, the scene is unconvicing
and contrived. As much as it was
meant to startle or disturb, it is
nothing but an ineffective old-
time movie cliche.
Anna is the only member of
this ensemble who is shown to be
in any way devout. She prays for
her own dead daughter and at-
tends Agnes almost out of in-
stinct. For Agnes specifically she
is a surrogate mother (her be-
havior is more appropriate to the
infantile Maria) a replacement
for the now deceased real mother
(there are a lot of dead spirits
at work in this mansion) whom
Agnes found to be a mystifying
fiure. It may well be the mother's
soul we are peering into all along;
it is her mansion, her daughters,
her servant. She, at least, is al-
lowed two sides to her character;
Agnes recounts that at times she
was warm, serene, and sym-
pathetic, at other times temper-
mental or distant. We first see
her as a vision in Agnes' mem-
ory, walking over the green
lawns of the grounds surround-
ing the house, in the bright sum-
mery atmosphere in which Agnes
experienced her happiest moment
of life, a moment shared with her
sisters.
The outdoors seems to support
times of fellowship and unity
among the women. It expresses a
Bergman ideal, one which is rare-
ly attained in any of his films
as far back as they go. When
presentedhere though it is, once
again, too direct a contrast; and
again, the tensions built up in
the film lose their hold.
Bergman's films are usually
made of tensions, suggestions,
possibilities of hope and despair,
all of which attract and repel
each other with no definite resolu-
tion at the end. Cries and Whis-
Page Three
pers is lacking many of the re-
percussions that these things
have given Bergman's past films.
The setting moves a step forward
while other parts of the film are
stuck in ideas which have now
grown stale. And, in a few in-
stances the production is just
plain careless.
But it is not a pretentious
movie, as some have claimed,
first because it is acted with
such conviction, and second, be-
cause I think Bergman is showing
something of himself that he tries
at other times to conceal.
While his view of women in this
movie may be somewhat limiting,
it might still be the view he
begins with when creating char-
acters with more flesh and blood,
such as Eva in Shame, Marta in.
Winter Light, Desiree or Petra
in Smiles of a Summer Night,
Alma in Persona. These are some
of Bergman's best characters,
because we can feel closer to
them, and respond to them more
fully.
More than
just art'
at galleries
By SARA RIMER
Does the idea of an "art gal-
lery" conjure up an image of a
plushly carpeted, intimidating en-
vironment where everyone treads
on tiptoe and speaks in hushed
tones? It is just such an image
that two local art galleries hope
to dispel by creating a total en-
vironment for the arts.
Attempting to make the Pyra-
mid Gallery more than just a
visual art place, director/owner
Marty Nyrl kanen collaborated
with poet and University English
professor Robert Hayden in
choosing poets from the Univer-
sity faculty to participate in a
series of six poetry readings that
began on March 15. Poets in-
cluded in the series are John
Kolars, Josephine Gauagher, Wal-
ter Clark, Don Hall, Robert Hay-
den, and Larry Goldstein. The
casual, relaxed, atmosphere has
produced a favorable reaction
from audiences, and Nyrkkanen
hopes to eventually also sponsor
music and dance programs.
All of the readings are free and
begin at 7:30. Tonight's poet is
Walter Clark.
Union Gallery director Sherryl
Shaw is interested in "bringing
people together in a stimulating,
contemporary atmosphere that
will encourage participation in
the arts." As part of this attempt
to create a center for the arts, a
benefit performance of Edward
Albee's The American Dream
will open in the gallery tonight at
8 and run through Saturday.
Marilyn Heberling is directing
the students who are mainly un-
dergraduates in the Speech De-
partment. Since the gallery is in
need of funds, any contributions
will be appreciated.
In the past, the gallery has
featured musical concerts and
now hopes to continue presenting
plays and perhaps' even a mime
troupe.
Shaw feels strongly that the
gallery should serve as a profes-
sional outlet for young artists.
She wants to "make the Univer-
sity community aware of the tre-
mendous amount of talent in Ann
Arbor."
I
L
.. . J.' 1 .:.t.1..'V. ' I
' ~ u wll.. !".i.t a'a}'r
Architect' takes mad, amoral,
anarchistic look at everything
By ALVIN CHARLES KATZ
Devotees of absurdist theatre
will enjoy the current Univer-
sity Players Showcase produc-
tion, The Architect and the Em-
perior of Assyria, which runs
through Saturday at the Arena
Theatre in the Frieze Bldg. The
play is a mad, anarchistic, am-
oral, antisexual look at almost
everything, an often refreshing
and always unusual theatre ex-
perience.
Written by- the Spanish au-
thor Fernando Arrabal, The Ar-
chitect and the Emperor of As-
syria is classical in form,
while absurdist in outlook. The
plot, if you choose to call it that,
finds a lone individual called the
Architect living on a remote is-
I
land which the survivor of an
airplane accident, who calls him-
self the Emperor of Assyria,
finds his way to. The ensuing
two and three-quarters hours are
spent portraying the variety of
relationships and interactions
between this unlikely pair.
Arrabal has clearly designed
the two characters as opposites;
the Architectis absolutely pa-
gan, while the Emperior seems
to represent all that is Euro-
pean culture. The two explore
many of the classic opposite rela-
tionships - male and female,
mother and child, master and
slave, and others. Out of this
emerges Arrabal's comment on
God, sex, power, friendship,
death, religion, and much more.
The play ranges. from intense
seriousness to gross hilarity,
changing its tone with no notice
at no particular time. Three
themes run through the show,
providing what little sense of
unity exists. One is religion,
which is practiced and insulted
periodically. A second is the
Emperor's maternal fixation,
and a third is the use and mis-
use of friendship. These themes
weave in and out, like threads
Sat., Sun., & Wed. at
1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Mon., Tues., Thur., Fri. at
7 p.m. & 9 p.m. Only
INGMAR BERGMAN''S
aRIESAND
WvvHSPc-)EFSn~
in a loom, and in the end com-
bine to form a garbled but defi-
nite collection of sensibilities.
The University Players' pro-
duction is an attractive one,
Steven Kleinman and Edward
Weiss composed and perform a
musical score, largely electron-
ic, which underscores the 're-
peating themes and greatly en-
hances the mood of the play.
Director Bruce Levitt has added
a chorus of seven expressionless
urchins dressed like Red Riding-
hood, who accentuate the action
on stage through the use of mo-
tions provided them by Choreo-
grapher Jennifer Martin. The
set, designed by Gary Hotvedt,
looks disturbingly like large
Christmas presents wrapped in
tin foil, but functions nicely and
has been well integrated in to the
blocking.
As the Architect, Christopher
Connell performed nicely, suc-
cinctly conveying a sense of
naivete mixed with innate intel-
ligence. Herbert Ellis, in the role
of the Emperor, gave an ex-
cellent performance, display-
ing astonishing vocal dexterity
and control, as well as complete
mastery of his voluminous role.
The two actors played off each
other extremely well, pacing
their dialogue in a comfortable,
rhythmic way.
The production had some fine
individual scenes; most notable
was one which began with the
Emperor describing a pinball
game he played to determine the
existence of God, nicely high-
lighted by the chorus, and ended
with Ellis, dressed in drag, giv-
ing birth and playing the role
of both mother and attendant. I
also particularly enjoyed Con-
nell's remarkable individual
scene in which he plays two
roles,rattemptingstotlure the
Emperor out of his hut.
While sometimes tedious and
often intellectually confusing,
The Architect and the Emper-
or of Assyria is an intelligent
production. It represents an un-
usual and refreshing departure
from the rational theatre, and
that in itself makes it worth-
while, even as a curiosity.
I.
UAC-DAYSTAR Presents:
tim buckley
and
randy newman
BEST
Picture Director
Screenplay o
Actress (Liv Ullman)
---N.Y. Film Critics Awards
HEART
written by NEIL SIMON
directed by ELAINE MAY
-NEXT-
Barbra Streisand
in "UP THE SANDBOX"
CULTURE-CALENDAR
FILM-The AA Film Co-op presents Penn's Bonnie and
Clyde in Aud. A, Angell at 7, 9; Asian Studies Film
shows The Year of the Pig at 7, 9:30 in 1025 Angell;
Cinema Guild presents Huston's African Queen in Arch
Aud. at 7, 9:05; South Quad Films features Bonnie and
Clyde at 7, 9 in Din. Rm. Two; New World Film Co-op
presents Little Big Man in Aud. 3, MLB at 7:15, 9:30.
MUSIC-The Music School presents an Opera workshop in
Rackham Aud. at 8; Trotter House Jazz Series features
Linda Carter, bass and quartet at 8 in 1443 Washtenaw.
DRAMA-U Players present Arrabal's The Architect and the
Emperor of Assyria at 8 in Rieze Arena; Union Gallery
gives a benefit play, Albee's The American Dream in
Union Gallery at 8; Ann Arbor Civic Theatre presents
Prime of Miss Jean Brody at 8.
POETRY-Gary Gildner reads at 4:10 in Aud. 4, MLB; Wal-
ter Clark reads his poetry at 7:30 in the Pyramid Gal-
lery.
LECTURE-Labelle Prussin, prof., arch., gives an illustrated
lecture, "Existence, Space and Time in Traditional Afri-
can Architecture" at 4 in Aud. A, Angell.
featured in
this month's
Playboy.
See it while
you can.:.
o
0:
"z/{tp
I
WARREN BEATTY-FAYE DUNAWAY-GENE HACKMAN
and MICHAEL J. POLLARD in ARTHUR PENN'S
BONNIE AND CLYDE
WINNER OF 2 ACADEMY AWARDS: Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) ;
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Burnett Guffey) and
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PICTURE, BEST ACTOR,
BEST ACTRESS, AND BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR.
TONIGHT!-MARCH 29th-ONLY!
M-7 &,9 p.m.
I - &~,a* >7~~
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