s THE MICHIGAN DAILY A rts &E nte rt ainm e nt Thursday January I13, 1 977 Pae Five Screenings by CHRISTOPHER POTTER THOSE RECENTLY re-arrived in town will perhaps observe that Ann Arbor has been buried not only in snow but in a veritable deluge of new - but not too diverse - fea- ture (lms. It's all part of the annual cinematic extension of holiday hucksterism - a finite cultivating and nurturing of hoped-for "blockbuster" films deliberately withheld until the last possible second, then exploded on the public in the spirit of Christmas philanthropy (spelled B-U-Y), inspired by the hope of untold millions in revenue every good movie producer begs Santa to bestow upon him. - The most salient characteristic of The Holiday Film is solidity - in the form of a large (but not insane) budget, at least one big-name star, a slick, proven money-making director and a plot guaranteed to titilate - but certainly not transgress - the most provincially constricted viewer. Thus one is conditioned not to expect the sacrilege of in- novative cinema this time of year, but the current Holiday fare strikes me as being especially barren. The new King Kong and A Star is Born, however imperfect, at least dis- played the guts to risk remakes of two previous and beloved classics, and as such rate a more extensive examination here next week; but smooth trifles such as Silver Streak and The Pink Panther Strikes Again scarcely rate mention at all. The Seven Per Cent Solution is definitely a puzzlement, artistically speaking; while i readily confess a lack of ex- pertise on the varied exploits of Sherlock Holmes, I just can- not fathom the largely ecstatic critical response to this' sterile, bloodless "thriller" transposed by Nicholas Meyer to the screen from his equally lifeless novel. Only Alan Arkin breathes ani- mation into this stillborn venture with his fanciful re-creation of Sigmund Freud; otherwise, Nicol Williamson's galvanic tal- ?nts are as usual undertaxed in the role of Holmes, Laurence Olivier is wasted in a minuscule cameo as Prof. Moriarty, and Robert Duvall's flat, whining travesty of Dr. Watson encapsu- lates the meager efforts of the remainder of the cast. Some critics have commented that The Enforcer - num- ber three in the Dirty Harry series - contains considerably less overt bloodletting than do its two predecessors. True- enough, if one interprets such things strictly in terms of gore per frame; yet if anything the various assorted (albeit sani- tized) killings that pile up during the film take on an even more sterile, impersonalized malevolence with their normal biological results neatly deodorized. The Enforcer regurgitates the conceit-saturated theme of Bay Area detective Harry Calla- han (Clint Eastwood) standing alone against anarchy - the noble epitome of the plain, simple man befuddled and out- raged at the perfidies of an army of governmental toadies, incompetents and liberals who obviously would have left San Francisco in ruins long ago had not Harry virtuously and ran- corously blocked the way. It's an appealing fantasy motif for a shades-of-gray world, and despite its brutality The Enforcer gins along surprisingly well, thanks mostly to James Fargo's brisk, well-paced direc- tion. This time the urban crisis involves a group of supposed SLA-style terrorists with a predilection toward murder, kidnap- ping and general sabotage. While the city quakes in fear over possible armed insurrection, only Harry sees through the group's rhetoric and exposes it as an assortment of pimps and pushers cynically utilizing a revolutionary guise for various extortion schemes. We are thus spared any pseudo-soul-searching con- fessional dialogues between extremist and cop; in fact, direc- tor Fargo wisely foregoes any socio-personality evaluation of his phony radicals (and oh, what a blow that must have been to scenarist and professional schlock writer Stirling Silliphant); instead The Enforcer sticks to the simple activity of tracking the culprits down. In the process, Fargo lets Harry vent his apoplectic spleen a good dozen times against the assorted morons and fellow-travelers subverting his tortured path to justice, and rather unexpectedly guides his protagonist first through a comic, multi-leveled chase sequence, then through a hilarious interlude in a massage parlor that in no way fur- thers the plot but is still the best segment in the film. OH, YES - The Enforcer actually makes a bow to the chang- ing world (and to half the paying audience) with the injection of the ultimate terror to any right-thinking cop, especially Harry: a female partner. Predictably, Callahan raises his hackles sky-high at the rank intrusion into his most sacred macho Parnassus, then just as predictably starts to soften and crumble as his new running mate (Tyne Daly) bumbles her way to a sort of vaguely endearing competence. In fact,he melts so much that fr a while the distinct possi- bility of - yes, true believers - love finding Harry Callahan starts to rear its downy, sinister head. I could feel the fanatics around me in the audience fairly writhe with anguish over the doleful prospect of The Lone Wolf settling down with slippers, two kids and a copy of Saturday Review in hand. Fortunately, fate (and box office considerations) intervene, leaving Eastwood the emoty glory of singlehandedly liquidating the villains, singlehandedly resecuring the shanghaied mayor ofI San Francisco, singularly spurning the frazzled magistrate's bended-knee gratitude, then once again stalking into the sun- set - along, desolate, and richer than ever (The Enforcer is, currently o'tdrawing King Kong in Ann Arbor). Last and certainly least, we have in town a piece of lead- ened whimsy whose thematic intent is baldly posed in its title: How Funny Can Sex Re? Tn the hands of a master like Bunuel; or Wertmuller, very; in the slobbering fingers of a hack named Dino Rissi, not at all. Despite possessing the enormous asset of the great Giancarlo Giannini (Seven Beauties), Rissi's badly-dubbed slapdash of a film succeeds only in being simultaneously gross and naive, and not even remotely humorous. Guised in a series of fright wigs, Giannini leers and mugs his way through seven disconnected, unerotic episodes, including an embarrassingly blatant J e r r y Lewis imitation unworthy of his own genius. Director Rissi - h a sI made Giannini boring. And any-0 one who can manage that just e doesn't belong in films. CURTIN MATHE ON SCIENTIFIC, INC. A COULTER SUBSIDIARY COMPANY To keep pace with the fast growing sci- entific apparatus market, we're expand- ing our sales force in 1977. If you're a graduating senior majoring in the physi- r cal sciences, consider starting your E 'AFTERNOON DELIGHT' BEST SONG?? Blake: Yo disco Grammy in LOS ANGELES (AP) - A group of re- cording neophytes - Starland Vocal Band led a field of mostly well-known voices in nominations for the 19th annual Grammy Awards announced today. Starland was nominated for best new artist of the year and their sensuous love song, "Afternoon Delight," was nominated for record of the year and song of the year. ALSO NOMINATED for record of the year were Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs," Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" and George Benson's "This Masquerade." Stevie Wonder, who has become a per- manent fixture in this annual event, plays another prominent part in this year's nom- inations. His "Songs in the Key of Life" was nominated for album of the year, as were George Benson's "Breezin' " and "Chica- go X," Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" and Boz Scaggs' "Silk Degrees." The Grammies, the music industry's ver- sion of Oscar Awards, are presented each year by the National Academy of Record- ing Arts and Sciences. Nominations are sug- gested by academy members and record companies. Nominees are selected - usu- ally five in each of 49 categories - by. academy committees and the winners are chosen by voting members of the academy at large. This year's winners will be announced in a nationally televised presentation Feb. 19 at the Hollywood Palladium, hosted by sin- ger Andy Williams. Williams was to have announced the nominations today but was unable to) be here because he was attend- ing the manslaughter trial of his ex-wife, Claudine Longet, in Aspen, Colo. NATALIE COLE, daughter of the late Nat King Cole and last year's female artist of the year, presented the nominations along with Darryl Dragon and Toni Tenille, also known as The Captain and Tenille. Songwriters nominated for song of the year were Bill Danoff for "Afternoon De- light," Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield for "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Bruce Johnson for "I Write the Songs," Leon Rus- sell for "This Masquerade" and Gordon Lightfoot for "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitvgerald." Nominated with Starland for best new artist or group were Boston, the Brothers Johnson, Wild Cherry and Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. COLE WAS AGAIN in the running f'r the best female performer for her album, "Nata- lie Cole." Also nominated were Linda Ron- stadt for "Hasten Down the Wind," Emmy- 171 Harris for "Here, There and Every- where," Joni Mitchell for "The Hissing of S mmer Lawns" and Vicki Sue Robinson for "Turn the Beat Aroimd." Wonder also was nominated as best male performer in the pop field, as rhythm and blues song, along with "Love Hangover," "Lowdown,""''Misty Blue" and 'Shake Your Booty." By JIM STIMSON Blake got a laugh from the, crowd when he said, in a Geor- NORMAN BLAKE is a coun- gia twang, "I ain't Guy Loin- try-picked-extraordinaire. bardo. (laughter) And this ain't He plays guitar, flatpick-style, disco. .. Do you have disco 1 as well as anyone I've seen, here?" The crowd wasall: and handles fiddle and mando- moans. My faith in Ann Arbor lin on the side: was restored. Blake was accompanied by his wife Nancy, an imaginative BLAKE PROVED a very cap- cellist and fair rhythm guitar- able fiddle player indeed, and ist, at a benefit for the Ark the cello-fiddle duet was a Coffeehouse. Bluegrass and fid- pleasant interlude from the dle tunes were the evening blueg-bluegrass repertdire. To fare. my dismay he mentioned no The cello accompaniment was song titles, but later explain- something new for me. It gaveI ed that"... all fiddle tunes are the slow ballads a, mournful! one big tune," and what good serenity, as in "Lonesome Gin- ; is a name anyway? ny," for guitar and cello. At All through the evening I other times Nancy's cello kept heard rumblings for the song to a basic bluegrass rhythm. "Old Brown Case" from diehard BLAKE SEEMS to be able to fans, and sure enough Blake, fit a whole bluegrass tune into chose that song for the end of a flatpick-gitar arrangement. the show. He called it, "the one how he does it I can't say. Sev: to quit with," and he made a eral of his fast licks and runsgodcie.Tesn shwE drew spontaneous applause good choice. The song show- from an intimate and retaxed Ark crowd. XWith his scruffy beard and Need Hej casuai attire, Blake could have- walked out of the audience.:He's the Smokii not ashamed to admit he's a Georgia country boy, and ap- Come to the public m peals to "country values." One Smoking Withdrawal C song, "Church St. Blues," tells of his (and Nancy's)hmove from Thursday, Janu Nashville back to the country' in Georgia, away from rampant U-Health Ser commercialism. Sponsored by Michigan Lung Health Service cased Blake's considerable in- strumental ability, as well as a musical sense of humor. By George, I think I'll go out and get a Norman Blake album. if you see news happen call 76-DAILY p Kicking ng Habit? eeting of Ann Arbor Zlinic. ry 13th-,-7 p.m. vice Room 5 g Association and U of M -.r- -vor, Dirty Harry returns -again T THE COLLARBORATIVE Winter Art and Craft Classes c c c r Y +t r f By MICHAEL BROIDY Hickman and S.W. Schurr. The the edges toughness. This, off FIVE YEARS AGO, Warner two students bypassed the Hol- course, can almost solely be; Brothers released a filmlywood rule of only agents sub- attributed to Eastwood, who called Dirty Harry, the story! mitting scripts, by personally really created the characterI of an iconoclastic San Francis- delivering the script to the himself. Eastwood is proving! co cop who was tougher than maitre d' of 4 restaurant East- to be a primary force in mov-t not only his fellow policemen, wood owns. Screenwriting hea- ie-making today, not only as ant but even more scabrous than vyweights Stirling Silliphant and actor, but as a director as evi- the ruthless malefactors he Dean Riesner (again) did a denced by his excellent West- would apprehend or kill. Clint polishing job on the script and ern, The Outlaw Josey Wales.I Eastwood, who portrayed 'In- James Fargo, an assistant di- The rest of the performances spector Harry Callahan (nick- rector on two earlier Eastwood are fine - Harry Guardino re- named "Dirty Harry" because films was assigned to direct. creating his role of Lt. Al Bres-j he would always get the dirtiest sler is appropriately "harried" for the first two Dirty Harry films. The ultimate triumph of The Enforcer, albejt a small one, is that it is more faithful to the original conception of the title character. - - ---- fm N $24.00/8-2hr. Classes Register thru Jan. 24 CONTACT: U-M Artists & Craftsmen Guild 668-7884 2nd Floor-Michigan Union jobs) was undeniably perfect for the role, which in many ways can be considered an ex- tension of the Man With No Name role he created in the three Sergio Leone westerns. Dirty Harry proved to be so successful that Warner Brothers persuaded Eastwood to make a sequel, Magnum Force - which went on to make millions. Now we have the latest addi- IN THIS STORY, Harry Cal- as Eastwood's superior, as isl lahan goes after a group of ter- Bradford Dillman as the chiefI rorists laying siege to San Fran of police whose political ambi- cisco, planting bombs and kid- tions continually get in Har- naping the mayor, and demand- ry's way. The performances off-' ing millions for ransom. This, set Jerry Fielding's ridiculous however, is not all Harry has soft, jazzy score which totally to contend with. After his orig- lacks the pounding electronic inal partner is murdered by the music of Lalo Schiffrin's score terrorists (a fate common to many of Harry's partners), Har- . ry is saddled with a female POETRY R inspector, Kate Moore (nicely played by Tyne Daly). Harry, WI of course, initially displays a 1:MARTIN H cool antagonism toward her, R N YI but, predictably, comes to ac- RANDY cept Kate as she shows her READINGS FROM mettle in police combat, and even saves Harry's life a few THURS., JAN. times. The Enforcer, while lacking- GUILD H0USE the raw power of Siegel's Dir- , REFRESHMENTS ty Harry, is a vast improve- ment on Magnum Force. Direc- tor Fargo displays a sure hand~ with action especially during a scene"where Harry breaks up a liquor store robbery by driv- ing a car right through the front of the store. Fargo, Silli- pant, Riesner, et. al. also re- tain much of the form and struc- ture of the original film. The character H-arry Callahan, though, at first seems to be mellowing with age. The cold brutality of the character seems to . be slowly replaced by a warmer, if still rough around SAN FRANCISCO Whether you're looking for a summer job or a career posi- tion, find it in the--'JOB F I N D E R, the Bay Area's most complete employment newspaper. Send $10 for 13 weeks to: JOB FINDER The Hearst Building 9th Floor Son Francisco, CA 94103 I EADINGS TH UETER and 41 LGRON A THEIR WORKS 13-7:30 p.m. -802 Monroe (corner of Oakland) - - / IKU1% C~m9r6onceTs FOURTH PROGRAM BACHOFFEN Duo Concertante in F Major RUTH DEAN CLARK, harp JOHN MOHLER, clarinet Associate: CAROL LYON, cello con tinQ CHOPIN Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano JELINEK-GURT DuO FINNEY Second Sonata for Violin and Piano GUSTAVE ROSSEELS, violin WALLACE BERRY, pianq JELLY ROLL MORTON Eastwood tion in the series, The Enforcer. Eastwood was reportedly reluc- tant to do another Dirty Harry film, but the executives at War- ner'Brothers virtually begged him to do it. Eastwood also received a script he liked very much - an unsolicited script by two San Francisco State graduate students, Gail Morgan Jazz Compositions (1902-1929) JAMES DAPOGNY, Piano, with GRETA GARBO as 1933 QUEEN CHRISTINA 4 The fascinating but lonely queen of Sweden slips away from her isolation in a snow-covered castle to discover the world of her subjects. Dressed as a young huntsman, she meets the dashing, handsome John Gilbert and the com- plications begin. Vintage acting distinguishes this intoxicating melodrama. FRI: TOM JONES CINEMA GUILD 7ON&HT AT OLDARCs U.$1 . Associates: DARYL MONTILS, LEE ZIMMERMAN, STEVE GALANTE, PETER FERRAN (Guest), reeds; VAN ZIM- MERMAN, PETEI FARMER, TERRY SAWCHUK, trum- pets; ARTHUR GOTTSCHALK, trombone; JOHN LEN- NON, guitar; RANDY EYENDEN, bass and tuba, DENNY BROWN, dr-ums. A' 4.+tio o ,«Ys n R C, u'1 t 1"totww FREE -WORKSHOP SATURDAY - 2 P.M. I '; A.CINGT LIVE BANDS, I AT THE NO COVER CASUAL DRESS Sa aaI Woo -ALSO- JAZZ IN OUR 1st FLOOR PUB FRI. AND SAT. EVES. I-N. 7 NIGHTS A WEEK LADIES NIGHT TUESDAY & THURSDAY I Health and Healing Energy Friday evenings at Canterbury A WORKSHOP ON "IJWDRC A kI ATMHD DEMEDIEC I 0 i I i 1 i i'ZI