THE MICHIGAN DAILY 'Arts & Entertainm ent Thursday, October 30, 1975 Page Five Thompson: Hollywood 'Cinderella' story Join The Daily Staff POETRY READING with ELLEN ZWIEG Reading from Her Works at GUILD HOUSE, 802 Monroe THURSDAY, OCT. 30-7;30 p.m. ~ By CHRIS KOCHMANSKI to the Preston Sturges-Frank 1Capra-Howard Hawks screwball Less than three years ago, a comedies that lifted the spirits Seattle - based writer named'ofDersinraA rc. Rob Thompson pute ni of Depression-era America. touches on his first screenwrit-' Jeff Bridges stars as a naive screenplay in hand - with con career girl in fident but perhaps misguided Rosalind Russell hope of selling it to a Hollywood Thompson says, producer. sensational." tough-talking, style, and as she is "just .a I ing effort, the odds astronomic- ally against ever seeing it pro- duced for the silver screen. Today the 32 - year - old Thompson lives in a West Hol- lywood apartment, drives a Porsche, and is relishing the praises for that same script - one of Hollywood's most pleas- ant surprises in recent years- Hearts of the West. One of only two American en- tries at the New York Film Fes- tival, Hearts of the West looks at Hollywood filmmaking in the '30s. The film is a throwback would-be Zane Grey who stum- bles incredibly upon a shoddy movie-making outfit, and pre- dictable misadventures ensue.' The usual romance, suspense,! and slapstick of the old come- dies remains intact, but happily! Like Lewis Tater, the novice But he was particularly pleas- author hero of his script ed with Jeff Bridges' perform-' Thompson merely happened up- ance as Lewis Tater. "When on success. Three days after he was suggested for the part," arriving in town, he and some says Thompson, "I said, 'Great.' friends were introduced to for- Now I don't think of anyone mer actor and fledgling produc-: else in the part." T B'r,il eclipse jazz presents McOY er 1ony m the film escapes the banalities Thompson says he worked, of its own cliches. "I was lucky," says Thomp- closely with the production crew son. Bill, the first producer he and noted a "terrific rapport" Curiously enough, how the approached, immediately op- on the set. "There are so many filmameabout is asntaerest-tioned the script. In short time, myths about Hollywood," he ing and outlandish a tale as the Bill achieved tremendous suc- says. "In our case we had a film itself. Two and a half years I cess with the critically acclaim- terrific producer, director, and have passed since scenarist ed box-office smash The Sting studio (MGM). They let us go Thompson left Seattle for Holly-: and, subsequently the power to considerably over budget and wood - Hearts of the West make Hearts of the West on 'editing schedule." Sscreen a reality. His original screenplay, like car)mpu #'ick4 Russell hits bottom with trashy Liszt 'bio' To direct the film, producer; any Hollywood script, under- Bill hired another relative new- went considerable revisions - comer, Howard Zieff (whose on. revisions dictated by budget, lo- ly previous directorial credit cations, and choices of actors. is the offbeat comedy Slither). "But we adhered to most of my original dialogue," observes And so in fact, the MGM Thompson, "which after all is production - United Artists re- :thhatothe s.int" - &fthe arIL1t of th ri t~**U ___________________~lease is basically a youthful LM CUPL By JAMES VALK production team reflecting on a Still Hearts of the filmmaking period they never characterized by a WHATEVER DIRECTOR KEN RUSSELL set out to do with knew. dose of obvious slanstic his latest endeavor, Lisztomania, he has certainly lost his "I like old B-westerns," says tYou mtst have physic guidance in what can only be termed the most incoherent, mud- Thompson, "and wanted to por- the fim thromp died film since Joseph Losey's Secret Ceremony. tray the making of that type of warted scenes, no ma Working from a flimsy premise loosely involving composer film. It's a colorful era come obvious, where the Franz Liszt, Russell has added yet another entry to his collec- and gone." And so he loaded his would react." tion of distorted musical biographies, this time sacrificing any ! script with colorful stock char- 'r hope of legitimacy for the reckless abandon style he perfected in acters into which an excellent' Thompson feels that ' supporting cast breathed new ticular "physical" s Tom.life. Which stuntman Lewis The result: Lisztomania - which literally derives its rem- s t nants of plot from the title - a projection into the 19th century , Among them is Howard Pike larioiisly stages a dea of contemporary musical values, not so much as an artform than (played by Andy Griffith), an ! to the chagrin of Alan as a function of an infatuated lifestyle. aging cowpoke who befriends among the best in the 1WHETHER RUSSELL'S MEAGERLY THOUGHT out premises Lewis Tater, betrays him, but Another apparent are even valid become of secondary issue to pure garish- eventually saves his life -all device is Thompson's ness. Oh, there may be some correlation between the Liszt of lywtd grand tradion of Hol- rerences fih the 1800s and the musicians of today, and there may be some Alldn,' gnrtn acsy "ec bizarre observation of the cultural acceptance of the different Todayt seeing riffith icchs- herrah)referencess artists in their respective eras. bumbling Andy of Mayberry thing. There's no real But the fact remains that Russell consistently sidelines the ' TV roles might find him an odd for it," he says. hypothesis he proposes, choosing rather to progress to the next choice for such a part, but the mind-boggling, visual circus that the script calls for. p r o d u c e r s remembered Thompson found his Unfortunately for Russell, this cerebral numbness is only tem- Griffith's depth in pre-televi- nerience with Hollvwo porary, with a more rational question then emerging, concern- I sion films like A Face in the I light, and is pleased tha ing not what we saw but why we saw it. 'Crowd, and the choice paid off has received such exce rrHE REAL DIFFICULTY I FIND with Lisztomania is that I admirably. tical notice. it allove cannot even guess what Russell used as his initial excuse of' Alan Arkin overacts nicely in how well this film dogs justifying this debacle. his hammy portrayal of the Unsubstantiated motifs involve the piano as a phallic symbol hack movie director intent on He added, "If Heart representating Richard Wagner as a blood-sucking vampire and' exploiting Lewis Tater's naiv- West does well, we'll later as Dr. Frankenstein himself, and the final creation of a ete. Yet the individual charm more like it. monster that turns out to be none other than Adolph Hitler. of Hearts rests primarily in the Russell, ultimately reduces them to mere cinematic gim- teaming of Bridges and Blythe Chris Kochinanskt is irused, tatefy oureucer fe te etrem ematc im- t Danner as the romantic couple. sistant Arts and Enter icks used to satisfy our hunger for the extreme, much in the Danner plays the hard-to-get Fditor of The Daily. same principle as those shrunken heads given out to the first 50 cars At the drive-ins. If a pattern is beginning to emerge, I would think Russell dould be well advised to retrack from his game plan. I honestly NOW SHOWING don't think anyone can take Roger Daltrey in another somnolent role that asks nothing more than youthful vivaciousness with an SHOWS TONIGHT at 7 occasional grin. Phone 668-6416 OPEN at 6:45 The next question, then, is whether Russell will try to out "ONE O HE BEST PICTURES OF THE YEA Liszt Liszt. I could only guess he probably will, maybe through ' The Denver P some kinky outing like Straussathon or Brahmsarama. If so, it will no doubt prove yet another intricate page in the I ne-dimensional coloring book of which Russell owns the deluxe ' { set of 64 Crayolas. West is generous± k humor. al action with the son. We~ tter how audience one par- cene, in Tater hi- th scene Arkin, is film. gimmick constant :e Woody' 3anifgless in Love' t a fun reason first ex- *d a de- at Hearts lent cri- to direct pends on 5. s of the make' 1YNER Sunday, Nov. 2 - 8 p.m. - Power Center ALL SEATS $4.50 TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT: UAC Box Office, Michigan Union Both Discount Record Shops The Blind Pic Daily Photo by KEN FINK Rob Thompson- F _ L..i''on Order Your Subscription Today 764-0558 ti I I is It Why N( ... that working for a news pa er can be exciting, (10 90oyablean frustrating, enjal refreshing: mt Join THE DAILY?. 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