i THE MICHIGAN DAILY Arts & Eneti m nFrdyFeray2,17 PageFive I N Pick of the week: I w Chinatown New World Film Co-op, MLBI II Sat., 7, 9:45 cinema weekend -into hysteric fits of laughter. Brooks and lead player Gene Wilder penned a screenplay around Mary Shelley's novel that is many things at the same time: a satire on the '303 horror classic, a collection of beautiful little slapstick bits, and some sharp one-line joke writing. The summer of 1974 is almosti certain to be remembered as a distinctly modern sense of receives a standing ovation government by the Bolshevist film release season that was abrupt horror and pacing. Aptly from the audience as he makes revolution. The r e v o 1 u t i o n dominated by directors aided by superb perform ees his departure. touches everyone in Russia, and es. The t by Nicholson and Dunaway, he Madeleine Carroll and Wlieprofoundly alters the life of an creates an almost erfect por- M idealistic poet-doctor, Yuri Zhi-I California Split and Roman Pa- trait of a long-forgotten eriod Watson give strong supporing vago. The war robs him of lanski's Chinatown, were bothIin American politica itor performances, but the true sta family and pspri and cun marked by some of the bes-DvdBoqst of the film is Alfred Hitcncock.teshmbwenheleso behind-the-camera work seen in * * His tight direction maintins a . an American film.in years. high level of suspense, wth a t women, his faithful wife, Robert Towne's fine Chinatown'3, Steps great deal of lighthearted com- screenplay is set in an atmo- Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud. edy intermixed. This combina- sphere of corruption-the smoke- 'Sat., 7, 9:05 tion makes The 39 Steps a must. Zhivago is a highly emotional filled era of machine politics 39 Steps clearly stands out as --Mitch Dunitz cinematography embody suffer- t sndd th urban the finest British film made by ing, hatred, desolation, love and tion andsdHvelhmet ofd Lbs Alfred Hitchcock, and perhaps Dr. Zhivago decadence amid the primitive el His t c his best ever. . 'Bursley Hall Enterprises landscape beauty. Consider the' generalized for almost any Robert Donat portrays Rich- Bursley West Cafeteria superb cast, including Omar a terican cty,graft wntgrh ard Hannay, a man who :s un- Fri., 8 Sharif, Geraldine Chaplin and adpltclgatwnhadjustly accused of murder. With: I Julie Chiristie, and it is no in hand nearly everywhere in btspi and the olde. htn Perhaps the most challenging sure ht D ivago the United States after the Civil both spies and the police hot on literary genre to adapt for film surprise that Dr. Zhivago re- War ; his heels,, Hannay flees to Scot- ;s the "epic story." On the rare:tains its timeless appeal. land. First, posing as a milk- occasions when directors nhave -Joe McMitken Jack Nicholson portrays a pri-! man, and later jumping off a succasswhensdire tora vate detective injected largely train, Hannay barely escaipes s tture tociema try by accident into the seamy so- the police-only to eventu lly restin h invaibly ciety of the ",boss" politicians, fallainto the hands of the leader beome classics. The 19v a aw What's playing this as he attempts to fill in the of a sbeoecass.Te133awpy ring.I theeicGoneWth TheWind missiing pieces of a strange puz- The film has many memor- the epic one i e in, An unusually varied cine tle woven by a mysterious w'- able scenes, including one wshere Oth50s, Ben Hur. In the 1full Friday, Saturday and Sunday, man (played by Faye Duna- Hannay ducks into a pub in screened by director David about every film style and per way). order to escape arrest. Appar- Lean: Dr. Zhivago. George Cukor's Philadelp Polanski deftly evokes the ently mistaken for a prominent :the finest products from the go shadowy, 30s-ish image called London politician, he is forced The epic which Zhivago relates Roman Polanski's sinister m for by Towne, yet maintains a to give a short speech. He then I is the overthrow of the Russian smbolizes some of the best symblzssm ftebs Young Frankenstein Matrix } ii Comedy is an exceedingly dif- Young Frankenstein is a ficult commodity to handle on funny, funny film. You might film. So much of comedy de- just die laughing-and love pends upon fine timing-the d every minute of it. veloped art of the performer --David Blomquist precisely interacting with each peculiarity of his audience. Twelve Chairs But in cinema, of course, there Couzens Film Co-op is no room for such a flexible Fri., Sat., 8, 10 interation: the same finished product musthserve many dif- The 12 Chairs, Mel Brooks' ferent audiences. One final cut post-Producers a t t e m p t at must satisfy both the crowded wacky slapstick comedy, is an Broadway theater and the de- enjoyable near-miss. Everything serted Montana drive-in. 'should have worked: the locale, Perhaps that's what makes the casting (Ron Moody of Mel Brook's Young Franken- Oliver! fame), the zany plot, stein such a unique film It can and really, it almost does. But throw almost any movie viewer Brooks at the time (pre-Saddles) -whether in New York or Butte suffered from two flaws. 1 i 7 i {. r" :.};. v'.vy s. v v 14 'v tkyxtiY:y:T+yr '" y9 . .r ?.'aivy'r,'+' '.-..+ti;.,.v..!T"/,.? 4'%i:.v ifFs%'4YSa}L 2 . ..}f: :.:v'.!. h>'.: :5'. .: ':.:.::K'1:_..4S f .S: Cinema Weekend ma weekend is on tap this with a fine example of just iod genre on display. hia Story represents one of lden age of MGM. Chinatown, ystery from two years back, work of contemporary Holly- W-f PTP's 'Purlie' transforms poor music into a good show By ANDREW ZERMAN Y THE Professional Thea- ter Program chose to pre- sent Purlie as part of the Guest Artist Series when they haven't deigned to do anything more commercial than Arthur Miller for the last two years I don't know. But PTP has done a rela- tively good job with this show - so who's complaining? Purlie opened in New York in 1969 and was a moderate suc- cess, significant primarily for1 bringing Cleavon Little, Melba Moore and Nouvella Nelson to national attention. It is one of those rare musicals in which the, book, based on Ossie Davis's play Purlie Victorious, is strong- er than the score. Too many of the songs, writted by Gary' Geld and Peter Udell, are neith- er good on their own nor very well integrated with the book. morrow afternoon, neglects this musical's original Broadway comic side of Purlie. His per- cast. Leach stayed on the right formance was not nearly big side of the line between satire enough-Purlie is a larger than' and burlesque. life character. AS THE Cap'n's son, Terry DIRECTOR Von Washington Arment was a delight. Arment may be responsible for this lim- emits magnetism and stage pre- ited interpretation. In 'a direc- sence the way the rest of us tor's note in the playbill he do carbon dioxide. He turned says, "Purlie tells the age-old his unimportant, disposable song story of a vigorous and valiant into a little show-stopper. young man who has decided that Not enough thought seems to he is going to stake his life on ' have gone into the staging of obtaining freedom for his peo- most of the songs. Whether that ple." was oversight or inferior work Luckily, little of this produc- from choreographer Vera Em- tion suggests that overly serious bree, I don't know. Either one summation. But that quote still could result in the dullness of might explain why all the wit the musical staging; neither is of Purlie's overblown language excusable. Only Arment and was underplayed. (Word has it Aycox really know how to "put that Rhonnie Washington, who over" a song. will p 1 a y Purlie tomorrow It was also a great mistake night, is stronger in the role.) not to include a funeral proces- The rest of the cast is excel- sion in "Walk Him Up the lent, beginning with Tommye Stairs." The number is not only Myrick as Lutiebelle. She is a great gospel celebration, it is all-innocence and lovableness in quite funny when you realize her ten - year - old's birthday it's supposed to be a funeral dresses and she knows exactly and the spontaneous and un- what to do with comedy. controllable joy that erupts stems from someone's death. SHE DOESN'T have the same That wasn't made clear enough. flair for songs, however, and Under Washington's direction, her two solos were the most most of the show's comedy awkward of the show's several worked. The second act drag- awkward numbers. Arguably, ged, but that's probably be- both songs are out of character cause there's really no reason for Lutiebelle, but that can't be for the show to have a second remedied by performing them act at all. Diction, by the way, without gusto and power. should have been much better. Anna Aycox has a rich, This is not a socko Purlie but creamy voice, and her songs it is a.livelytand funny one. I were perhaps the most effective laughed a lot, tapped my foot in the show. Hers was an hon-: some and had a good time. est, intelligent performance. Consider it recommended. William Leach was better as wood. And King of Hearts, back on Friday for its monthly appearance, is unquestionably one of the more notable "cult".films. This cinema weekend in detail: Friday-Rancho Deluxe (Ann Arbor Film Co-op, MLB r3, 7, 10); Smile (Ann Arbor Film Co-op, MLB 3), 8:45; Philadelphia Story (Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05); King of Hearts (Ann Arbor Film Co-op, MLB 4, 7, 9); They h Live By Night (Cinema II, Aud. A. 7, 9); Little Big Man (Mediatrics, 7, Nat. Sci. Aud., 7, 9:30). Saturday-Chinatown (New World Film Co-op, MLB 3, 7, 9:45); 39 Steps (Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05); Little ' Big Man (Mediatrics, Nat. Sci. Aud., 7, 9:30); Hound of the Baskervilles (Cinema II, Aud. A, 7, 9). Sunday-Deep End (Cinema wuild, Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05); Sunset Boulevard (Cinema II, Aud. A, 7, 9). All weekend-Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (State, 662-6264); Mysterious Monster (Campus, 668-6416); The Man Who Would Be King (Michigan, 665-6290); Young Franken- stein (Matrix, 994-0027); One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Hindenburg, Barry Lyndon, The Sunshine Boys (The Movies, Briarwood, 769-8780) The first was that the movies were always too smart-aleck and New York or showbiz "in."! Middle America ignored them because Middle America cotid- n't understand parts of them. When Bette Midler appeared in Detroit recently, she made a: joke about Brooks' 1968 film, Producers, but no one in the audience laughed. She groaned that the joke was a bomb; that drew a laugh. Midler thought" the audience dense-the sad r truth is that they didn't know t what she was talking about. i The second flaw is that he tnlked frankly over the heads?_ of the average filmgoer. By Saddles, he had cheapened and. vulgarized hishumor (such as the campfire scene). But in those early days, his humor was of a tongue-in-check, silly-though snotty variety. But 12 Chairs has its high moments, and is still worth a look. Shhh. Bip's returning French pantomimist Marcel Marceau, shown here in one of his classic poses, will return to the Power Center next month for two special performances under the auspices of he University Musical Society. The two concerts, scheduled for March 6, follow Marceau's three sellout appearances n Power Center last year. DAILY CLASSIFIEDS BRING QUICK RESULTS -Jeff Selbst New Orleans and Louisiana faced a critical shortage of roads during the colonial era. River travel was extremely slow. An average day's pro- gress was about 24 miles. y';^s'.*... , . ..:4:' ":? G": ?4::ti .*i :fi.V.%.JSW,4S7 .y.fvrrta p y .y {n" r .vgw xp" THE STORY concerns the ef- forts of Purlie, a black preacher in the South, to buy a churchj with $50 that's been willed to{ his cousin Bea. Bea has died, so he finds Lutiebelle, an ignor- ant, timid and utterly adorable girl, to impersonate Bea in frontf of 01' Cap'n Cotchipee who has1 the money. Ol' Cap'n is the villain of the piece, a bigot toc end all bigots.- It makes for a very silly f story but a terribly funny script,z because Davis cleverly satirizes the rhetoric of civil rights and of Southern racism. When Pur- lie says blacks need "not frit- ters but freedom, not cornbread but courage," he's right ofe course, but he's also so full of hot air and fancy talk that we have to laugh at him before we "right on" him. Purlie doesn't,- know when he's off the pulpit or when he's preaching to the converted. He's a hero, but he's a foolish and overeager one,. and that's the charm of the show. Rodney Saulsberry, who will play the role tonight and to- ORANGE JULIUS: Specializing in Refreshing Drinks! ORANGE PINEAPPLE STRAWBERRY * JULIUS * ALL MADE WITH * ACTUAL FRUIT!' FEATURING... * California Dog-.--55c * (chili, cheese & onions) BRIARWOOD MALL S. UNIVERSITY * UNIVERSITY TOWERS - . H. E. Presents D FRIDAY, 8:00* ONLY SHOWING BURSLEYv HALL WST CAFE Admission $1.00 No Showing on Saturday at 8:30- Disregard University Record 01' Cap'n than John Heffernan, Andrew' Zermian s The, who played the part in the Daily's theater critic. uM OFF Huge selection! F Over 300 skiing, camping and backpacking parkas to choose from. ~3 3150 Carpenter Ann Arbor 971-4310 KATHERINE HEPBURN, CARY GRANT, AND JAMES STEWART in 1940 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY "One of the prettiest sights in the world is the privileged class enjoy- ing its privileges." If that's the case, then this sophisticated comedy directed by George Cukor and written by Philip Barry is a beautiful film in scene after brilliant scene. Stewart won an Academy Award for his role as a cynical but human reporter. Grant is great as a society gentleman and the part of Tracy Lord was written especially for Hep- burn. SAT.: Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS CINEMA GUILD OLD ARCH. AUD. TONIGHT AT Admission $1.25 7:00 and 9:05 NICHOLAS RAY'S 1949 THEY LIVE BY NIGHT The original adaptation of Edward Anderson's novel, THIEVES LIKE US. At times an old fashioned rough and tumble shoot-em-up, but this film is chiefly a sympathetic look at a naive young fugitive and his country sweetheart. Robert Altman remade this picture in 1974 and it received a great deal of applause, but the original still stands strong ) under the auidance of Director Ray (Rebel Without A Cause) and pro- A U~*Il~#***k 4 TONIGHT, Friday, Feb.20 in the MLB- RANCHO DELUXE (Frank Perry, 1975) MLB 3-7 & 10 Witty original comedy with a contemporary Montana setting Two rustlers live it up to the consternation of an establishment rancher who is also being fleeced from inside. Sly and i I I Fmfl I .YWf urnot