THE MICHIGAN DAILY
A rts & Enterta in m ent Thursday, September 23, 1976 Pa
ge Five
'KATHARINA BLUM' ENDS TODAY:
Cinema offerings
THE TENANT
(Michigan Theatre)
(1 ROTESQUE is the only
word to describe nearly
everything about Roman Polan-
ski's The Tenant. The film is
set in dark, shadowy places and
seems to have been cast with
refugees from a Fellini film -
from Polanski himself in the
lead role to the fat, whining
Shelley Winters. Even the love-
ly Isabelle Adjani is hidden be-
hind a huge pair of aviator
glasses which make her look
like a little girl dressing up in
Mommy's clothes.
The film is a paranoid night-
mare, made up of a series of
increasingly lurid and gro-
tesque incidents. The Tenant
tries to recall Polanski's first,
pre-American films, such as
Knife in the Water, but it is
more of a weird cross between
Rosemary's Baby and Fearless
Vampire Killers than anything
else.
The story is that of a timid,
wimpy little clerk, played by
Polanski. He rents an apart-
ment whose previous tenant, a
young woman, committed sui-
cide by jumping out of a win-
dow. The clerk becomes con-
vinced that the other tenants
in his building - and the entire
city - are conspiring against
him, trying to force him to
adopt the personality of the
dead woman and jump out of
the window. Bit by bit he al-
lows himself to go along with
it, finally throwing himself out
of his window not once but
twice, clothed in a dress, a wig,
high heels, nylons, and make-
up.
rl
-_ GIVEN the world Polanski's
clerk lives in, it's easy to see
why he might be persuaded to
kill himself. His co-workers are
loud, arrogant, and obnoxious;
his apartment building is a hot-
bed of back-stabbing and char-
acter assassination. Even Ad-
jani, who is the closest thing to
a normal person in the film, is
little more than a sex-starved
working girl.
It's hard to know how to take
the film, for it isn't clear how
Polanski intends it. The film
lapses a little too easily into
dark comedy, inciting laughter
instead of tension. The scenes
in which the clerk dresses up
like the dead woman resemble
nothing so much as a Monty
Python routine. Even the final;
scene, in which Polanski jumps
from his window before what
he believes to be a cheering
crowd, is more grotesque than
frightening. Here he adds to an
already overblown sequence by
having the injured man crawl
up the stairs after the first at-
tempt and jump again, rather
like one of those inflatable
clowns that bound up again
when they are punched.
The film is not a total dis-
aster. In a chilling scene in
which the clerk goes to the
bathroom from which the other
tenants watch him, the camera
pans slowly past the usual gra-
fitti to rest upon a wall cov-
ered with Egyptian hierogly-
phics.. And, in the most terrify-
ing scene in the film, the clerk
stabs at a hand that comes
slithering out from behind a
cabinet that he has placed in
front of his window. It is a pow-
erful, genuinely nightmarish
image, one which leads us to
expect more from the climax
than we get.
Perhaps it is unfortunately
true that Polanski needs a
strong producer to keep him in
check, as Robert Evans claims
he did with Chinatown.bWritten,
directed, and acted by him,
The Tenant is pure, self-indul-
gent Polanski, with all the
subtlety and finesse of a run-
away freight train.
-James Hynes
TIIE GREAT SCOUT
AND CATHOUSE THURSDAY
(State Theatre)
ANY CORRELATION
between The Great Scout
and Cathouse Thursday and
Cat Ballou is the repeated ap-
pearance of Lee Marvin.
The advertisement states
"The Great Scout and Cathouse
Thursday is a hilariously baw-
dy movie." The only trouble is
they could've left out the
hilarious part for the makers
have substituted wit with pro-
fanity. Not that profanity
wasn't needed in this film, but
it should've been used by the
viewing audience.
The story revolves around
Lee Marvin (The Scout) and
Oliver Reed (The Indian) try-
ing to get the money that Rob-
ert Culp (The Politician) stole
from them some 15 years ago.
In this simple plot the pro-
ducers seem to have inter-
woven a love story, a hunt for
a whore, and a case of the
Clap.
THE FILM itself was shot
well except for a few excep-
tions that seem to ruin the
whole picture. The musical
score is uninspiring as are the
conventionally predictable old,
ary in
old comedy routines.
The only redeeming quality
to the film is the presence of
Lee Marvin, who shows that he
can still act. Kay Lenz (the
whore) is also impressive as
this is her movie debut. Oliver
Reed as an Indian is somewhat
passing and Culp's acting is
swallowable too. It's just too
bad that they didn't have a bet-
ter director, script, and editor
to make the movie worth its
production.
-Loran Walker
THE LOST HONOR OF
KATHARINA BLUM
(Campus Theatre)
The Lost Honor of Katharina
Blum, the latest release from
New World Films, is an inter-
esting film with which to com-
pare European and American
cinema technique - but you'll
only have tonight to do it. Fri-
day it will be replaced by Mean
Streets and Hester Street.
A German production with
English subtitles, the movie
stars Angela Winkler in the
title role of Katharina, and is
adapted from a Heinrich Boll
novel. It is set in Cologne of
1975 and based on a true inci-
dent.
taste
KA T HAR IN A, a young
working girl, becomes involved
with a wanted bank robber and
anarchist, helps him to escape,
and is subsequently taken into
police custody for questioning.
From this point, the film con-
centrates on developing Katha-
rina's humiliation at the hands
of the police and the press, par-
ticularly a National Enquirer-
type publication called The
News. An unethical reporter
distorts the truth about Katha-
rina, her life and friends for a
sensational story. But she re-
venges her loss of honor after
her lover is caught and and she
is cleared, by killing the report-
er.
Creating empathy for a pro-
tagonist's unjust loss of dignity
is a Hollywood - tested for-
mula. In the case of this movie,
however, it is applied with a
bit more class. The violence is
not as visual as it is emotional.
As Katharina fires the gun into
her tormentor, the camera fo-
cuses on the terror in her eves
instead of (in the American
style) opting for sheer blood
and gore on the screen.
-Keith Tosolt
-I
Your Style
is important
to us
U-N Stylists
'Yiv (Tea . . .
Donna Liggitt Forbes as Anne Egerman looks on while Madame Armfeldt (Fran Stevens
gesticulates her way through a scene of Sond heim's A Little Night Music. The musica
comedy will be performed Friday through Sunday in the Power Center, launching the Uni
versity Professional Theatre Program's Best of Broadway Series.
IRECORDS IN REVIEW:
at the
UNION
IL '
.e
Rossini by 3ills, M
Excerpts and excel
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Ito shade the complexities of
the situation. Yet, he deems it
(Angel S-37237) appropriate to allow the stag-
P ing aspect of the performance
OPERA HIGHLIGHTS albums to overwhelm the vocal per-
are generally of the type formance. The music is some-
that record companies refer times lost but the sense is
breezily to as "loss-leaders"- gained.
meaning that they exist to lure This is an ironic complaint,
you into buying the full set. since the trend of grand opera
Most loss-leaders are collections or opera bouffe in the last cen-
of a sort, and in a way, so is tury has been that the music
an opera highlight record. was displayed at the expense
It is a collection of what the of the dramatic meaning. Here:
editor's opinion of the opera's at last, we find a recording
"best moments" are. With most t a t c
ozart:
INGMAR BERGMAN'S 1956
lenceSEVENTH SEAL
Like CITIZEN KANE, this film stands out.
ing in a disappointingly uiemo- From its metaphysical story line (about a me-
tional rendition. dieval knight returning from the crusaders who
GAIN IN THE third move- finds Europe ravaged by the plague and plays
A ment, Vered's concept a game of chess with death) to its incredible
should be questioned. The tem- i m a g es and photography. It's an absolute
po is correctly quick with good classic. With Max Von Sydow and Bibi Ander-
dynamics, but her playing is son in Swedish (with subtitles).
choppy with abrupt releases of
the keys. The orchestra is pre- FRI.: Jane Fonda in KLUTE
cise in this movement, especial-
il the technique and tone of
the bassoon. CINEMA GUILD TONIGHT AT OLD ARCH. AUD.
Vered's concept of No. 23 is 7:00 & 9:05 Adm. $1.25
much more likeable. Her ruba-
to, dynamics and technique are
more refined. The orchestra al- -
so blends with and supports the
soloist better. h
Vered's performance of the A N AUIUCIQ IfEE/**** (****
second and third movements """""""" "" """""
captures Mozart's blend of me' ORSON WELLES NIGHT
ancholy and serenity well. Her
playing is sensitive and sensu-} MACBETH (1948) 7 only
ous, and both orchestra and pi-
ano drift with the slight Chang- As usual. Orson welles, with no money, created a visual
I tmasterpiece. Discussing the MACBETH project, Welles said:
es of character well. "I'm doubtful about Shakespeare for the movies. For while
classroom instruction in
electronic music
the usic
studio
If you want to create electronic music, our
12-week course is meant for you. Learn how to
use a synthesizer, operate tape recorders and
m i x e r s professionally, choose equipment
appropriate to your needs, and much more.
Classes are small and individual attention is
assured. Call today for further information.
TONIGHT AT 7 & 9
OPEN 6:45
No one does it to you
like Roman Polanski
bramount Pictures Presents
A Roman Polonski Film
A Paramount Picture
In Coor
555 e. william
994-5404
operas, the highlights are the
only parts worth hearing. Yet
with a select few, the whole
piece is unending joy. Such is
the case with Rossini's Barber,
ofx Seville, of which there now
exists a highlights album, taken,
from the recent Beverly Sills-'
Nicolai Gedda-Sherrill Milnes
recording conducted by James
Levine.
This album opens with what
may be the best-known male
aria in all operatic literature,
Figaro's "Largo al Factotum."
It is an arresting piece, and
admirably performed. Milnes
takes liberties in all the proper
places, yet they seem to be
dramatic liberties rather than
volcal. This has two possible
effects - it can, on the one :
hand, recreate the stage busi-:
ness which led to its perpetra-
tion, or it can ruin the vocal'
continuity. This tampering
seems to do a little of both.
YET ROSINA (Sills) handles
the split between dramatic and
vocal demonstrativeness with
ease. her "Una voce poco fa"
is a lyrical, giggly charm. Her
voice is light and flexible,
reaching the high notes with
such an insouciant air that one
would think opera singing was
as simple as playing jacks.
but it goes overboard in the
laudable attempt.
Still and all, it is a fine rec-
ord, with sterling singing.
Which, after all, is opera. The
three-record complete set should
be even more worthwhile.
- Jeffrey Selbst
* ~* *
MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS
NO. 21 in C, K. 467 and
No. 23 in A, K. 488
(London SPC 21138)
IANIST ILANA VERED, ac-
companied here by the Lon-
don Philharmonic, has a unique'
concept of Mozart. Her interpre-
tations of the two piano concer-
tos are sometimes very sensi-'
ble and artistic, yet at other
times a little clumsy.
In Vered's performance of
Concerto No. 21, she playfully
quickens and slows the tempo
to match the character of the
themes in the first movement.
Her playing is often delicate,
but can also be too aggressive
and the orchestra cannot bal-'
ance with her. The tempo of
the movement is too slow and
Vered's staccato too abrupt,
which interrupts the musical
flow.
The second movement contains
'C
C3
t
0
,
The third movement of this
concerto is the most precise
on the recording. An energetic
tempo and smooth flow between
orchestra and soloist make for
enjoyable listening.
the movies do most everything better than the stage, they
don't do verse better. But MACBETH and its gloomy moors
might be grand. A perfect cross between WUTHERING
HEIGHTS and THE BIRDS OF FRANKENSTEIN." Welles'
camera twists frantically through nightmare seas of fog so
that in this film the supernatural truly frightens. The cast
includes Welles (as Macbeth), Dan 0'Herlihy, Roddy McDowell,
Jeanette Nolan.
Separate classes begin on September 25 and 29
- -
Why not join the DAILY?
THE DAILY IS A GREAT PLACE TO:
* meet other good people
" drink 5c Cokes
" write stories
" see your name in print
" earn a little money
Come on down to 420 Maynard anytime and
join the business, news, sports or photography
staffs!
CHABAD,
HOUSE{
THE NEW YEAR
invites the Jewish Students to
participate in Holiday Services
which are followed by a joyous,
festive meal (at no cost).
To obtain a calendar of events
write or call:
Lee Oliver
MARVIN * REED
Robert Elizabeth
CULP ASHLEY
Sylvia * Kay
MILES LENZ
0 AECA R SD
PG
nm AMERICAN INTERMATIOIAL PICTURIJ
TONIGHT AT 7 & 9
OPEN 6:45
-Karen Paul:
FALSTAFF (1966)
(CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT)
9 only
Horseback Riding
(NO GUIDES)
Hayrides--
Rec. Hall for rent
2 hr South on RT 23
To Samenoa
Exit on M 151-East 5 min.
DOUGLAS MEADOWS
RANCH
2755 M 151
Temperance, MI 48182
Ph. 313-856-3973
I
For this film, Welles compiled the Falstaff episodes from
Holinshed's CHRONICLES and Shakespeare's HENRY IV (both
parts), MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, HENRY V, and RICH-
ARD II. Welles who plays Falstaff, felt that "Falstaff is the
best role that Shakespeare ever wrote" and "that this will be
the film of my life in close up." The cast includes John
Ge"lgud (Henry IV), Margaret Rutherford (Mistress Quickley),
and Jeanne Moreau (Doll Tearsheat). Narration by Ralph
Richardson. As usual hampered by lack of money, Welles
nevertheless created, arguably, his best film and the the best
Shakespearean film. "The battle of Shrewsbury . . . ranks
with the best of Griffith, John Ford, Eisenstein, Kurosawa-
that is, with the best ever bone "-Pauline Kael.
AUD. A, ANGELL HALL
$1.25, DOUBLE FEATURE $2.00
ENDS TONIGHT
"The Last Honor of
Kotharina Blum" (R)
7:00 & 9:00
TOMORROW-
Takin' It To
The Streets !
mmmmmmmm,4
But in "A tin dottor della mia poignant melodies used in the
sorte," sung by Dr. Bartolo film, "Elvira Madigan." Ver-
(Renata Capacchi), one gets the ed's performance seems insensi-
full picture of this recording. tive to the beauty of these melo-
His interpretation is dramatic lies. There are few fluctuations
to the hilt, relying on his voice of tempo or dynamics, result-I
"Health and Healing Energy"
Weekly presentations at Canterbury
Friday, September 24th
HEALING WITH
b~igb boLtoo0y serzwices
ROSH HASHANAH
SEPT. 24 SEP'
PT. 25
SEPT. 26
n *^ M
Chabad House
715 Hill St.
ask for Rabbi
99-learn
or
163-6808
Goldstein
ORTHODOX (at Hillel) 7:00 P.M. 8:30A.M.83
CONSERVATIVE 7:30 P.M. 9:00 A.M. 9:00
(at Lydia Mendelssohn)
REFORM (at Hillel) 7:30 P.M. 9:00 A.M.
MEALS: Friday night dinner (5:30), Sunday night deli (7:00-8:30)
A.M.
A.M.
"BRILLIANT"
CAROL KANE in
Teger
wth
"POWERFUL"
YOM KIPPUR
OCT. 3 (Kol Nidrei )
6:30 P.M.
Mendelssohn 6:30 P.M.
ORTHODOX (at Hillel)
CONSERVATIVE at Lydia
OCT. 4
9:00 A.M.
9:00 A.M.
SERVICES FOR ROSH HASHANAH
(the New Year Holiday)
M CVr - %a. .. - -" " 7 1C 1"
I
I
I