THE MICHIGAN DAILY Friday, October 24, 1975 Page Five cinema weekend Cro wey s 'Boys' changes gender By ANDREW ZERMAN around with limp wrists and ..f: 4 : +rrrf......f,.::.:"J.:.::.:W. ...l}.::::.._:"::::.. A funny thing happened to lisps is to create a very dif- The Boys in the Band on its ferent impression on an audi- i remnants of plot still intact way into the Arena Theatre ence than if women acted the! the entire complex mechanism this week: a sex change opera- same way. What's playingtiCie aW eedoThPaalxVwsem a frTh tion. Lawrence Devine, the If a woman reminisces about Although it will be December until the big commercial nouitec venture - a fact that theatre critic for the Detroit cutting out silver stars for prom films are released,\two new entries move into Ann Arbor nal sincerity that went into iaFree Press, directed an all-fe- decorations the audience will not this weekend. Sydney Pollack's Three ays of the Condor, conception malecast in scenes for Matt think twice. If a man says thez thisweeend.Sydey ollak ' Thee Dys f th Codor conepton.Crowley's comedy - drama as same lines, they are turned into which headlines Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway, and -James Valk aroe toedy (nrm s same lines, ey arenturedinto part of the Studio (new Stu-+ cannonballs, eloquently remind- Hearts of the West, a slapstick comedy with Jeff Bridges, dent Laboratory) Theatre se- ing the audience again andi prove the new ventures that may be worth checking out. Fritz the Cat ries. ! again how deviant these men, The entire weekend schedule looks like this: The ided may not immediate- are. Friday-Fritz the Cat, Nat. Sci. Aud., 7, 8:30, 10, Death Mediatrics, Nat. Sci. Aud, ly seem as impossible as it Whether we like it or not, 1 in Venice, MLB 3, 7, 9, California Split, Aud. A, 7, 9, Alex- - F ri., Sat., 7, 8:30, 10 actually is. Crowley's effecin- Crowley wrote about homosex- nder Nevsk Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05, Dial M for MurderCou-t Cat s perhaps an ate homosexuals are rather an- uals who are abnormal, neuroticz esYrhAdu important film because it at- drogynous characters, aren't and maladjusted. This will notf zens Cafeteria, 8, 10. tempts to creatively utilize one they? be communicated as vividly if Saturday-Fritz the Cat, California Split, The Decamer- of the least exploited cinematic Well, no. They aren't androgy- we see women on stage. The I on, Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05, The Parallax View, MLB 3, 7:30, media-cartoon animation. nous at all. They are, instead, lines strongly suggest effemi-! 9:30, Dial M for Murder. At times the film is visually examples of stereotypical gay nancy and for women to per-1 Sunday-Paper Moon, MLB 4, 7, 9, Nothing But a Man, dazzling, but director Ralph men. They may parody women form them is to bring the char- uday7 aeMoo ,Bakshi never fully realizes the in their gestures, speech and ; acters in the direction of nor- Aud. A,7,9,-LanlotasuLc, tArch (6ud626, ,9:05. s, cartoons potential. For the most movement and, God knows, they malcy. That is one place where All weekend-Fantasia, State (662-6264), Rhinoceros, part, Fritz's animation is crude haeeog 'f htaetaI h os nteBadsml p ,s cudehave enough of what are tradi-; The Boys in the Band simply. Campus (668-6416), 3 Days of the Condor, Michigan (665- and self-indulgent. Moreover, a tionally considered "female" in- cannot go. 6290), Lisztomania, Fifth Forum (761-9700), Slaughterhouse- plotline is virtually nonexistent. terests and sensibilities. But In a different play, in which Five, Matrix (994-0627), Tommy, A Woman Under the In- Personally, I find it odd that they are men. That's why the sexuality is not the central fac- fluence, Hearts of the West, Return of the Pink Panther, Bakshi would choose the crea- play has the impact it does. tor, one could conceivably play Briarwood, (769-8780). tion of Zap Comics "genius" For men to kiss each other with the gender of the charac- R. Crumb for the subject of and dance together and swish ters. (King Lear could be a such a breakthrough film (the - ~ - Pick of the Week: 1 Bill, knows a money-maker first X-rated cartoon). His sub-- Pick the -1- 1- - ;s --A .. .a: _seauent effort- the Semi-athn 4 tob:r - mother, maybe.) But just as white people couldn't perform A Raison in the Sun because race is central to the play, women can't perform The Boys! in the Band. It is a denial of all the play is. At the performance on Wed- nesday the Gay Activists Alli-' ance passed around a short- sighted, philistine leaflet grip- derstanding, compassionate and the classroom again and again, convincing and, of course, he and I hope to see more of it is. That is why it's a fine play in the Speech Department.) and why I suspect it is bene- This production of The Boys ficial to the gay liberation move- in the Band reminded .me of ment. Crowley tries to come to, what a sizzling piece of theatre terms with the swishy skele- the playf can be. Someone tons in the closet and out who around town should attempt just may be miserable for rea- something really daring and put sons that have nothing to do it on with men. with societal oppression. ing about all the guilty, self- The Studio Theatre is a per- Andrew'Zerma'n is The destructive homosexuals in the feet outlet for this and other .a", re ritiT. play. types of theatrical experimenta- Daily s theatre 'critic tion. Regardless of how well the Crowley as an artist, in under concept works, the experience INDEPENDENCE no obligation to be a PR man can usually shed new light on CARACAS (UPI) - Venezuela for gay liberation and write the play and the dynamics of celebrates its independence day about only those homosexuals theatre for both the audience one day after the United States the crusaders would like us to'ar b the i denTe does. know about. Given the kind of and the students volved. (The Venezuela's declaration of in play he is writing, he does have Residential College drama con- dependence was signed July 5, an obligation to be sensitive, un- centration has proven this in 1811. - - - ---- ----- when he sees it, and according ,l" , a1,' e -r UIl-IP g v Three Days of the to press releases, grabbed up graphical Heavy Traffic, was a the debut screenplay of new- far more worthwhile, meanfg- OT Or comer Rob Thompson upon first fun subject.ng Michigan reading. But Fritz indeed reached a k LS uni ng perform ance The spy genre is somewhat Thompson's story is thorough- massive audience, though per- out of vogue in cinema now. ly predictible - Frank Capra t haps only because of its nov- By RICHARD JAMES What with the devolopment of and Preston Sturges did all this' elty. It's full of a lot of tired superpower detente and restric- long ago - but thanks to spirit- cliches, overworked stereotypes, It isn't often that one sees even a partial standing ovation in tions on nuclear weapons, the ed performances by Jeff and revolting cynical humor. Rackham Auditorium for the Chamber Arts Series. Neither is an cold war films featuring Paul Bridges, Andy Griffith, and -Chris Kochmanski encore by a string quartet very common yet both were seen Newman and Julie Andrews Blythe Danner the film attains Wednesday evening at the conclusion of an utstanding per- leaping back and forth across a creditable level of personal Tonyz y formance by the Toyko String Quartet. the treacherous iron curtain to- charm. day seem a little foolish and -Chris Kochmanski The Movies, Briarwood The opening work, Anton Webern's "Five Pieces, Op. 5" was overblown. Ken Russell has always had a natural choice for an ensemble whose name has become so But the spy film hasn't com- The Parallax Je a flare for heavy-handed, often closely linked with twentieth-century chamber music. This work, pletely gone undercover, as overly-pretentious cinema, but like most of Webern's, is a very compact and dissonant state- Three "Days of the Condor amp-, Ann Arbor Teach-In, MLB 3 in Tommy, Russell has reached ment, making use of every special effect possible on string ly illustrates. There's something Sat. 7:30, 9:30 the nadir of his admittedly in- instruments. Many quartets, when confronted by pieces of such about this odd genre that re- In what proved to be one of consistent career. While Women unfamiliar and complex style, tend to revert to mere note mains attractive to screenwri- the most thoughfully conceived; in Love had Glenda Jackson and nnying machines. The Tokyo String Quartet, however, per- ters - probably its remarkable films of the last year, Alan The Music Lovers was at least formed the Webern "Pieces" as music, transcending the tech- ability to assimilate every form I Pakula's The Parallax View ul- well - scripted, Tommy shows of plot conflict, from man ver- timately falls short of its initial Russell's worst impulses run ical problems and achieving an effective, even dramatic per- sus man (Goldfinger) to man potential, surfacing as an un- ramnant. formance. versus society (Torn Curtain) 'fortunate casuality that ulti- The film stars Roger Daltry, It was encouraging to see that such emotional and expressive to man versus nature (Guns of mately succombs to a classic lead sinner of the Who, as Tom- artists were willing to hold back their tone, vibrato, and ru- Navarone). case of poor scripting. my, a blind, deaf, and dumb h to when confronted by a work in which excess has no place. Lorenzo Semple's screenplay The culprit, of course, is Lo- teenager whose skill is pinball The Tok o Strinn Omrtet's' rerformance of the Mozart "Quartet for Condor perfectly meshes into renzo Semple, Jr., who is parti- laving. Adnmiose it, the plot is in D Major, K .575", while not the stylistic equal of the Ester- the genre. The usual stock char- ally responsible for the gross rather thin but on the original h acters. appear in good turn: the inconclusiveness of the current 'Who album, .ls hazy String Quartet erformances showed considerable re- kind-hearted, nice guy spy who's 3 Days of the Condor. Opting thefocu eleaw n n the st ' finement and taste. Their sense of phrasing was so accurate that been marked to be rubbed out for melodramatics instead of line, but on the generally - the music always seemed to be going somewhere, and thus the (played by Robert Redford), purpose, Semple's screenplay cellent rock music. In the film.- minuet received a particularly delicate and enjoyable perform- the pretty but sinister woman reduces Pakula's tight direction ed version, however, the sound- ance. (Fy Dnwa) adth asyto little more than a contro' tdrackn iseeth on bureau Dhef Jh n house an) versial romp, creating a chal-' rr i finitely worse because The second half of the concert was devoted to the "Quartet Director Sydney Pollack keeps lenging premise without issuing fatrte siin ot in B-flat major, On. 67" of Johannes Brahms. This s truly a the effort moving at a sufficient- any degree of intellectual re- Who, but also the rest of the piece of many facets, providing endless fascination for the audi- lenetiiglelabide straint in the process. heret f h ly entertaining level, albeit de- esptes thi bascas. t cast, which includes such vocal ence and challenge to the performer. The ensemble's navigation void of cinematic originality. Despite this basic flaw, the I talents as Oliver Reed, Ann of the intricacies of this work was surely the most memorable Who knows? If you enjoy fic- film nevertheless makes a genu- Margaret, and Jack Nicholson. portion of the evening. The violist, Kazuhida Isomura, distin- tion by Alastair McLean, John ine effort to survive on its own I'm sorry to say that whoever ;n'ished himself above all in the third movement with some of the LeCarre, and E. Howard Hunt, cinematic merits. The dazzling was responsible for the casting finest viola playing I've ever heard." you might just think it's the locations Pakula scouted for the of the movie apparently neglect- best movie of the .year. film, which range from a burst- ed the fact that those stars al- As an encore, the group played the second movement of -David Blomquist ing wilderness dam to Seattle's sthough effective box office Ravel's String Quartet in F major, performed with all the pre- Space Needle, serve as gigantic drags, have absolutely no musi' cision, color and sensuality inherent in Ravel's music. As in the Hearts of the West visual complments that a c an al abilities whatsoever. rest of the evening's pieces, it showed the quartet to be tech- He vts awesome quality to theunder- Russell has directed the film nically astounding and extremely cohesive. They not only work The Moviet, Briarwood ' taking. And Pakula's brilliantly Ruslhadietdhefmiiclvstn Hearts of the West, a throw- realized sequence of the corpor- as a visual extravaganza in together but appear to think together as a single, highly refined back to the optimistic Depres-, ate interview, in which physio- I which everything but the kitch- musical entity. sion - ear comedies, depicts a logical reactions are measured en sink is thrown in for a num- Richard James writes regn- naive, would - be Zane Grey in response to external stimuli, ber of sequences. The movie LOWER BUDGET lari for The Daily. stumbling into Hollywood movie- is masterfully executed, with a makes use of an extraordinary CARACAS (UPI) - Oil-rich making in the '30s - its old- large part of the credit due tottat fashioned romance, adventure the excellent cinematography just don't come off. national budget that is 16 per and betrayal intact - but some- of Gordon Willis. Put simply, Tommy is the one cent lower than the current how escapes the banality of its It is, however, nothing less' movie this year that should be budget. own cliches. than an injustice that all this missed by anyone interested in The 1976 budget calls for ex-I Hearts owes a lot to The Sting. work ended up meaning so lit- films. pe-nditures of $7.7 billion com- That same film's producer, Tony tie. Aside from the superficial -Jeff Sorensen pared to $9.2 billion this year. I {4 I {4 THE% ANN ARBOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Edward Szabo music director Leonard Rose the renowned American cellist, guest soloist l t k« E i k f 1 t { SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 at 3:30 p.m., HILL.AUDITORIUM Beethoven: Egmont Overture Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 Main Floor $7.50-$10; First Balcony $7.00, $8.50; Sec- ond Balcony $2.50, $3.50 at Hadcock Music House, Liberty Music Shop, Arbor Music, or Hill Auditorium day of the concert. For information call 994-4801. Your support of this concert will enable The Symphony to continue its tradition of free concerts for this area. Just ho ARE A1D IUSSCLLf1LP\ STAPAIH ROGERQDALTPCT Proctor andBergman? Many people have been wondering, so we decided to give you an answer: Proctor and Bergmnan Are 1 of the Firesigrn Theatre If you're still wondering, the Firesign Theatre is the zaniest, craziest bunch of comedians to hit this country since the 5c joke. And half of them are coming on MO NDAY, Oct. 27-8 p.m. To The POWER CENTER And what's more ... Reserved Seats are only $5 SAPAKTSUffAfl PAUL H CrOLAS dnd M HA LtWls Itt P fl~i STAPP -P (t'\A "A H Iu r. h /\ !(Q /\ ''VV ^ r {/'\AY F A h F f)~TH~L ° I) J ( nr^A4H U /In \/I1 ItT ! 3(~I toiM \... i II I