Friday, July 14, 19~72

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Nine


Friday, July 14, 1972 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine

Who called Hitchcock senile?

(Qoftinued from Page 2)
Is the director of Psycho about
to nauseate us once more? Not
at all; Rusk simply uses the
knife to wedge' between the
corpse's fingers in an attempt
to pry open that uncompliant
fist.
Yet there is something be-
sides Hitchcock's new tricks that
makes Frenzy decidedly modern.
A Village Voice critic recently
inferred that one of the themes
of Topaz was that of how an-
onymous corporation man can
be. Frenzy seems almost to be
a variation of that theme; not
that people are all the same to-
day, but that we have tendency
to take others less seriously,
that we treat each other as in-
terchangeable parts. The fact
that Brenda Blaney runs a mar-
riage brokerage somewhat im-
plies this. Take, for example, the
sole match we see-that phy-
sically mismatched couple that
emerge from the office as Blaney
enters to see his ex-wife for the
first time in the film. The domi-
neering woman is already re-
tailoring her meek fiance to fit
the role of her deceased hus-
band.
Or take Rusk's attitude to-
wards others. Sure, he's the
crazy, but there's something in-
dicative of the tone of the movie
in the line he uses on his vic-
tim; "You're my kind of wo-
man." Two types as disparate
as Brenda and Babs are his kind
of woman. And presumably, so
is every decent looking girl.

The same almost seems t. go
for Richard. He too finds the
very different Brenda and Babs
to his liking. And while Rusk
reacts to murders by afters.rds
eating and picking his teeth
(food is an enormous motif in
Frenzy - don't ask me why),
Richard's immediate self-con-
cern and total lack of grief cer-
tainly does not bespeak much
affection for the two women
most likely closest to him of
anyone. Indeed, Frenzy is the
only Hitchcock film I can think
of in which love plays such an
insignificant role.
Hitchcock seems at times to
almost implicate us in the lack
of emotion and strong attach-
ment to the world of Frenzy.
Our allegiances are j u g g I e d
around so totally, all deaths are
passed off so lightly, that while
we are sympathetic to at least
one, often several characters at
every moment of the film, no
one means very much to us in
the long run.
Blaney seems more like the
villain, Rusk the hero, in the
first half hour of the movie. Yet
with no hesitancy at all, we
accept Blaney as the protagonist
and condemns Rusk once Hitch-
cock illuminates the truth of the
situation for us.
Vincent Canby has compared
Brenda's d e a t h with Marion
Crane's in Psycho, as to the
large amount of violence in-
volved.
Brenda's murder is a vicious

one; yet the manner in which it
is presented, combined with the
lack of emotional reaction to it
did not upset me (or anyone else
I know). Indeed, several minutes
later, Hitchcock wittily has his
camera wait outside the build-
ing in which Brenda's secretary
discovers the body so that we
can catch the reaction of two
startled passers-by.
Babs, like Brenda, is an ex-
tremely agreeable character, yet
her death also is passed over as
if it were a trivial event. Hitch-
cock actually uses Babs' body
as a comic prop in the potato
truck scene, and it doesn't seem
distasteful at all. Human life
and death is a very trivial thing
in the world of Frenzy.
I wouldn't press this point too
far, however. Whether I've been
dispensing brilliant insights in
the last five paragraphs or sling-
ing the ole bullshit fast and fur-
ious I am presently incapable of
saying (such is the result of
reading too much Robin Wood
and an overactive imagination).
TV: violence
and banality
(Continued from Page 8)
of his life living like an animal
to avoid the police. I Am a Fu-
gitive from the Chain Gang
may not be the most entertain-
ing film, but as a social docu-
mentary, it is well worth your,
time.
Although The Roaring Twen-
ties is not a social protest film,
it does deal with the two great
debacles of the Thirties, the
Depression and Prohibition. The
Roaring Twenties, directed by
Raoul Walsh, is less oppressive
than I Am a Fugitive. The film
that inspired the television
series of the early sixties stars
James Cagney and Priscilla
Lane.
Underworld, U.S.A is a film
of a different generation, circa
1961. Directed by Samuel Ful-
ler, Underworld, U.S.A. is about
revenge and loyalty.
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Eagleton takes VP spot
(Continued from Page 1) McGovern aides hastily con-
on the two names under con- ferred again and chose a name
sideration. more acceptable to the party
The response was not positive. regulars - Eagleton, a former
Apparently three party leaders, Muskie backer.
notably a number of southern With such unique possibilities
governors, strongly protested as Kennedy and Woodcock
McGovern's choices and urged floating around, it was hard for
him to select someone else. the news people to get very ex-
One southern governor was cited by relatively unknown
reported to have responded: Eagleton. "Besides," one re-
"Moon Landau? Who's pal is porter commented, "What kind
he? Why don't you try someone of slogans can you make with
else, George?" McGovern-Eagleton?"
McGovern's Vietnam stand

(Continued from Page 1)
ernment in Indo-China.
Simultaneously, vigorous dip-
lomatic efforts would be under-
taken to achieve the release of
U.S. prisoners of war, and an
accounting of U.S. missing in
action, something I am confi-
dent would be achieved as a
result of the implementation of
points 1-3. I have pledged to
make a personal trip to Hanoi
for this purpose, if that would
be helpful.
Upon return of U.S. POWs,
and a satisfactory accounting
of U.S. missing in action - a
process which I am convinced
would be completed in the same
time frame as the 90 day with-
drawal of U.S. ground forces.-
I would, although Thailand is

not a part of Indo-China. also
close U.S. bases in Thailand and
remove all U.S. naval forces
from waters adjacent to South-
east Asia.
My statement to the POW/
MIA group was unfortunate-
ly misunderstood by the press
and I want to reiterate as
strongly as I can that my po-
sition on the Vietnam was has
not altered one iota.
I stand as I have stood
throughout this campaign, for
the immediate halt to American
military activities, the with-
drawal of all American forces,
the complete suspension of mili-
tary assistance to the Thieu re-
gime, and the negotiation of the
prompt release of American
prisoners of war."

McGovern's volunteers
dispute campaign tactics,
(Continued from Page3) hunches over the table in a
the only campaign that was faded blue teeshirt and dirty
raising the issues," he says. jeans, smoothing his relatively
Gulping black coffee between short hair.
hastily scheduled meetings, with "The big thing," he says, "is
his fellow volunteers, West of- the people around McGovern's
fers a surprisingly unsenti- campaign. They're really fan-
mental view of the candidate tastic. We have to stay around
for which he and others' have
sorked so hard. after the campaign, and start
"He's a practical politician something permanent on the
and this creates a barrier for grassroots level." he says rapid-
some of us. He will blow with ly.
the wind, but I guess he's real- It's late and he says he has
ly more principled than other to leave. As we walk out of the
politicians," he says, leaning massive Fontainebleu and to-
back and concentrating, search- ward the street, he looks out on
ing for the right words. the late afternoon sun spark-
Trying-for something ,a little ling on the Indian River. "I
more positive, he offers some really believe there is a new
praise. "He is innovative and politics coming - something
seems willing to try different that will bring real democracy,"
things, which is good." he says. "If the Democratic par-
But there's still a nagging ty reforms itself, it could be the
doubt, a fear of being sold out. vehicle. Otherwise we will have
"I can't say how honest he is. I to find something, maybe some-
just can't tell what's the truth thing like the old Progressive
and what's just bullshit from Party."
his campaign managers." With that, he turns away and
West checks his watch ner- heads down the street towards
vously, late for his meeting. He another organizing caucus.

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"A remarkably mature work
of cinematic art."
Peter Schjeldahl in the NY T mes


C)
0-

Miss out on tickets. for the
Stones' concert? See them
Biqner than Life!


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a JEAN-LUC GODARD double bill
ALPHAVILLE with
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-AND-
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-TONIGHT-
Double Bill $1.25
7:00 & 8:45
At the Natural Science ii
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ends Saturday
FRI.-"Gimme"-
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"Z"-8:45
SAT.-"Z"-3-7=1i1
"Gimme"-1:15-
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DOUBLE FEATURE-Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Academy Award Winner Dyan Cannon
George C. Scott ;n
in "DOCTOR'S
"HOSPITAL" WIVES"