THE MICHIGAN DAILY
cinemci w eekend Friday, November 7, 1975 Page Fave
Pick of the Week: -Jeffrey Selbst
Flying Down to Rio What's playing this Cinema Weekend
Campuis Theatre Cinema Guild, Old Arch Aid This weekend features a batch of as-yet undiscovered
Saturday, 7, 9:05 films, with such gems as Westworld or Flying Down to
We have spoken before in Flying Down To Rio should Rio. Monty Python freaks are advised to catch And Now 1
this space o the AmericanFilm have gone the way of most For Something Completely Different, a series of sketches
Theatre (AFT), Eli Landau's similar early 30s musicals-a for the zany.
d bu-ag to capture major few late, late shows and then Perhaps the best the weekend has to offer are two old
e ronagoefilm forback into the vaults for good. favorites: Philip De Broca's King of Hearts, and of course
sta.geproductions onfilmtfor
natibn'wide exhibition. After all, the three top billed the incomparable Judy Garland taking one more fling in 1
This week's offering in the performers are Dolores del Rio, the land of Oz.1
Campus Theater's current series Gene Raymond and Raul Rou- Here's the complete lineup:
of reruns from the first AFT lien, and only four songs appear Friday-Captain America, Old Arch. Aud., 7; King of
season, Laurence Olivier's rich amidst much wooden dialogue. Hearts, Aud. 4, MLB, 7, 9; Floating Weeds, AUD. A, An-
version of Three Sisters, is prob- But, of course, the difference gell7 9:15; Wizard of Oz Couzens Cafeteria 8, 10; And
ably the best product of this here is in second leads-Fred Now For Something Completely Different, Aud, 3, MLB,
unique cinema experiment. Un- Astaire and Ginger Rogers are Now0ForSometHngyCompletel Nif.fernt Aud. 3,7:L0
der Olivier's gentle control, the united for the first time. 7:10, 8:50, 10:30; Harry and Tonto, Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:30'
stark, moody Chekhov theatre Historically, the film is well 9:30.
classic sparkles gloriously with I worth seeing, but Fred and Saturday-Harry and Tonto, Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:30, 9:30;
a superb combination of talent Ginger's dances together are Wizard of Oz, Couzens Cafeteria, 8, 10; Westworld, Mojo
and marvelous staging. maddeningly brief, and, truth- Lounge, 7, 9; Memories of Underdevelopment, Aud. A, An-
In Thee Sisters, Chekhov drew fully, not all that good. Their gell, 7, 9; Flying Down to Rio, Old Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05.
a concise portrait of Russia on classic screen personas have not Sunday-Ballad of a Soldier, Aud. A, Angell, 7, 9; What's
the brink of revolution-a nation " yet emerged and both come off Up Doc?, Aud. 4, MLB, 7, 9; Tout Va Bien, Old Arch. Aud.,
of rmen and women increasingly as rather awkward and un- 7, 9:05; Westworld, Mojo Lounge, 7, 9.
alienated from the central gov- pleasant people.A
ernmnt in a society fast losing There is the rather dubious All weekend-3 Days of the Condor, Michigan (665-6290),
its identity and sense of national allure of seeing actual footage, Mahogany, State (662-6264), Monty Python and the Holy
purpose. 1933 vintage, of "Rio,io by the Grail, Fifth Forum (761-9700), Three Sisters, Campus (668-
At the center of the action-or, sea-o." However, some surreal- 6416) Return of the Pink Panther, Black Christmas, Rooster
more properly, lack of action- istic pleasure can be derived Cogburn, Hearts of the West, Briarwood (769-8780).
are the three sisters: the prim from seeing Astaire sing to the
Olga (played here by Jeanna sky while airplanes circle :ver-
Watts), the introspective and re- head bearing dancing and sing-
tlective Masha (portrayed by ing chorus girls on the wings. cap of being funny only when Westwo rlid
Jui'n Plowright) and the viva- -Cynthia Cheski ! he's not trying to be; in Lover Mo-Jo Movies, Jordan Lounge
cibus Irina (Louise Purrell). ; Story, he was unintentionally
They interact with a 4iverse Blck Christmas hilarious-in What's Up Doc? he Sat., Sun., 7, 9
company of outsiders, who The Movies Briarwood is clearly baffled and petrified The best I can say about West-
range from bland to boorish but by the prospect of actually hav- world, Mosher-Jordan Hall'
yet tventually bring the family Black Christmas is a Canadian ing to be comic. maiden voyage into film coop-
routine to an excruciating stall. thriller, of all things, and a sub- As for Streisand, she tries eratives is that it's being shown
Chekhov drama is unusually'par effort at that. It's The Old so hard to fill the void her co- with the Academy Award win-'
intense and highly graphic, and Dark House all over again as a star leaves that she becomes ning cartoon short The Crunch
Olivier's film is a strikingly handful of lovely collegiate a caracature of herself - run- Bird.
effective vehicle. There are a i women are killed off one by one ning, hopping, purring, non-stop estworld is the main attrac-
few ennbarassing moments - a in a sorority house nearly va- in a kind of two-hour celebrationW
dream sequence that momen- cated for Christmas vacation. of all the negligible sides of her tion, though, and if one is to
tarily disrupts the theme, for? The unseen killer is not only talent. After a while the viewer expect a challenging mental
example-but this AFT produc- adept at gruesome murder, but is so saturated in cuteness that exercise from this Michael
turn is nonetheless a worthy possesses a marvelous vocabu-even the wooden O'Neal seems od ein
teenthewooen 'Nel semsopus, he'd best confine his
monument to a great dramatic lary as well. Like clockwork he a welcome relief. thoughts to why the film was
masterpiece. heralds each dire deed with What plot there is to What's made in the first place.
-David Blomquist inspired obscene phone calls to Up, Doc? is mostly incoherent,
the surviving girls, each call stridently and noisily dull. But Westworld builds on a not-too-
King of Hearts highlighted by throaty Mercedes I really, this project was doomed o r i g i n a 1 premise concerning
Ann Arbor Film Co-op, MLB 4 McCambridge-like descriptions from the start: To admire a realistic amusement parks. Asj
Friday, 7, 9 of the female anatomy. masterpiece is one thing-to at- one might expect, the robot
It seems that America is not the twist is, of course, 'that tempt artistic one-upmanship is figures populating these parks
the seem country in which the fiend resides in that very quite another. eventually go berserk, and it's
the same sorority house-in the at- -Kim Potter up to twitchy star Richard Ben-:
"etazies - are - the - only - sane tic no less. The main suspect is, jamin to stop them.
theme has caught on. Or maybe played, not surprisingly, by Keir W7
it is, far only here has this film Dullea in a caricature of his' The film takes itself all too
made it big. neurotic image. Couzens Cafeteria seriously. Crichton's first di-
Alan Bates is innocent and Victims and almost vi:tims Fri., Sat., 8, 10 rectorial effort is no more than
wondefully bewildered as the l are the talented Margot Kidder Judy Garland may not he grade-B '50s sc-fi fluff, and not
soldier in World War I who ven- (Sisters, Peter Proud, Waldo alive and well, but she certainly the 2001-style technology par-
turies into a French town to Pepper) and Olivia Hussey (Ro- will be remembered for unite ' able it purports to be.
defust a bomb. The only in- meo and Juliet). Why such some time. This weekend vew- -Chris Kochmanski
wabitants who haven't evacuated names would waste their talent ers will be able to more fully
with the townspeople are the on such a turkey can only be appreciate her on the full sized And Now For
residents of the local insane explained as a burst of Canadian screen. Just think too-no con-
asylufm. Genevieve Bujold is national pride.-I fusing the golden arches with Something
strikiuk as the gentle loony Nonetheless Black Christmasthe Emerald City
sates is to marry. is pretty solid drive-in material. And oh. the music! Is there Completely Different
But this film plays on sym- There is lots of blood, creakingAno th ic tr Ann Arbor Film Co-op, MLB 3
pathieo in unfair fashion. There doors and thrills aplenty. Fri., 7:10, 8:50, 10:30
is a subliminal contempt for -Chris Kochmanski j doesn't know "e're off to : Tee
the omplicated, the adult and thizr? Wodos'hko e now well-known "M2onty
the pompous. There is a natural' W/at's[ "Over the Rainbow" as well as
dislike of big bad bullies and New World Film Co-op MLB 4 the national anthem
the film is suffused with altru- NeoldFl C-p;MB' Indeed, The Wizard of Oz 3G4GGG G'G\'I
istic feelings for sunny chd-Sunday, stands out as one of the best
hood. What's Up Doc? is Peter films made in Hollywood's grld-Have a flir for
Python's Flying Circus" is only take-off on an audience partici- made your sides hurt in TheI Whether he is threatening a
an appetizer to this little goodie. pation television series called Pink Panther and A Shot in the organ-grinder with a tick
And Now For Something Com- "Blackmail." Dark are present, but somehow while a bank robbery is -axin
pletely Different is based on the A combination of witty and ; the old recipe has given us an ! place directly behind him, or 1
quick hitting, strictly British sick humor the film is a must inferior product. The plot is con- # is being attacked by his blazl
humor which has evolved into for you Python fans. fusing if anything, and the di- belt butler, Sellers is hysterica
a unique comedy cult. -Steve Goldberg rection offered by Blake Ed- Return of the Pink Panther
The film, a series of short wards is facile. an attempt to capture soma
vignettes, lives up to its title. Return of the Pink So what does Return of the thing that no longer exists. Lk
ta~bishetor dad hi te ax Bothoner, steirLj
Whether it's old ladies, the es- Panther Pink Panther have to offer. the Marx Brothers in their la
tablishment, or dead parrots The Movies Briarwood Despite all flaws, the viewer three or four films, Peter Se!
that grabs your leg and won't does not come up completely ers has become a little slow<
let go, this film is for you. Clouseau lovers beware! Yes, emptyhanded. He gets close to and the laughs come less frn
A particular favorite is an once again we have the bum- an hour and forty-five minutes
educational piece on the "art of bling Inspector fighting off of the misdirected antics of quently. Yet he still displa
not being seen." The sharpest friend and foe alike, and single- the occasional sparkle of t
bit is a cartoon comparison of handedly recovering the stolen Peter Sellers as the fallible4past.
American foreign policy to d i a m o n d. Sound ridiculous? Inspector Clouseau. -Mitch Dunitz
toothpaste. The slyest and pos- Well, it is.
sibly the brightest sketch is a I 'Many of the ingredients that '"'"rg f ' m
- - - -___-- - - - - -:
I
The University of Michigan
Professional Theatre Program
presents
*e
" 9
Nov. 7-9: 8p.m. .-- -
Sun. Mat.: 3 p.m. -,
POWER CENTER -
Tickets available at PTP
Ticket Office. Mendelssohn"
Theatre Lobby. Mon.-Fri.,
10 a.m.-1 p.m., 2-5 p.m.
CALL 764-0450
FOR INFORMATION
Tickets available through the PTP Ticket Office,
Mendelssohn Theatre Lobby, Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-l
I
"A remarkable
be seen and
completely" -
Daily News
thing to
admired
Chicago
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TONIGHT at 8:00 only
OPEN at 7:45
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Three sistems
Three obsessions.
Three faces of love.
}
f
i
{
iJ
J.m.-,G a- pm. Cll 764-U45 for intormation,
EVERY FRIDAY NITE AT 11:00 P.M.
THE ELY LANDAU ORGANIZATION. INC AND
CINEVISION LTEE PRESENT
THE
MkT~iAL THEATRE
CiaMPnY
of Fpawy
E=
a
NOV. ,12gtson
NOV.
'
NOV.
PACIFIC VIBRATIONS
Mind Blowinq Rock Concert
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The movie makes you laugh, Bagdanovich's much self-bally- en era. The music, the s'merb,
applaud, and at the strangely hooed attempt to recreate, as sets, choreography and cos-
touching end, shed a tear or two he puts it, "those wonderful tumes are unmatched, yet they
for what you might have been screwball comedies of the '30's," are only a showcase for the
and almost certainly for what primarily the classic Catherine fantastic and appealing story of:
you're going to be. + Hepburn-Gary Grant Bringing Dorothy and her travels in Oz.
But you walk out of it, think Up Baby. The cast list reads like a
seriously a moment, and guf- Alas, Bagdanovich should have "Who's Who" of the thirties and.
faw. What is this silly, simplis- I remembered how suicidal it is forties Hollywood-Frank Mor-
tic stuff? Who wants to be a kid to try to improve on a super gan, Billie Burke, Bert Lahr,
again anyway? Besides, you're original-his resulting product Jack Haley, Ray Bolger and at
past that now and for all its is frantically and furiously pac- the peak of her career, the mrar-
foibles, adulthood is more de- I ed, but almost totally unfunny. velously wicked Margaret Ham-
sireable. ' A lion's share of the tedium ilton.
Then sometime later, you see rests on the shakey shoulders And of course, Judy Garland.
it listed in the paper-and you I of stars Barbra Streisand and You might say this film was-
have a strange desire to see it Ryan O'Neal. divinely inspired.
again. O'Neal suffers from the hand--. -Mitch Dunitz
artistic writinq?
If you are interest-
edt in review'"i
poetry, and music
or writing feature
stories about the
drama, dance, film
a:Contact Arts
E d i t o r, c/o The
MichiganDay.
L
j NOV. FRED FRANK
2$ ASTAIRE SINATRA
DEC, ALICE'S RESTAURANT
with Arlo Guthrie
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t
t
0
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It's "a better movie than Blazing Saddles'
or' Yo{ung Frankenstein's-oln.tn
Yy'
Ti!D
TherTL~y
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