I - p ARTS Ahq Michigan Daily. Wednesday, January27, 1982 Page 5 rq 1 Dreyfuss pulls off 'Whose Life' Johanna Breyer and Ron Thiele lead 'Scheherazade' during the Qakland Ballet Company's Monday night per- formance. Classic restaged by the, Oakland Ballet By James Clinton A CAR SLAMS into a truck in the opening moments of Whose Life I It Anyway? Through intense surgical procedure, around the clock care, and daily dialysis, eccentric sculpter Ken Harrison miraculously survives-from the neck up. The rest of the film con- sists of his fight to be taken off life saving devices and die a natural death. Unarguably, the subject matter is dour. The medical and legislative com- plexity of thee issues seem more suited to a "60 Minutes" segment than a film. The denoument is predictable, pragmatic, and depressing. It seemingly invites a viewer's mood to swing from aversion to boredom. The project appears doomed from the beginning by its claustrophobic limitations and distasteful interior. Well, imponderable as it seems, a very intelligent treatment is the result and Whose Life emerges as one of the most unlikely of recent successes. There are several reasons why the film works so well and they are all named Richard Dreyfuss. This is an ac- tor who remains an enigma. When he is bad, (or out of control) he hams up the intellectually neurotic, incessantly mannered characters he plays, to the point of parody. When he is "on", though, the insight and overall design he brings to a role are quite remarkable. Such is the case here. While Ken Harrison has, certain similarities with the composite Dreyfuss characters of the past (notably verbalralacrity, perseverance and a sardonic wit), in many ways this role is a daring departure. Dreyfuss is nothing if- not a visceral, intensely idiosyncratic actor. Usually his roles are characterized by a metabolic inten- sity that shifts from hyper to manically animated. He relies on a repertoire of nervous ticks, scratches and ever, present hand gesticulations that are compatible with his whiny aural delivery. The thought of a Dreyfuss performance bereft of physical shifts and linear movement is highly im plausible., In this film the physical proximity of the role exists in the few inches between the mouth and the eyes. In an enor- mously complex and challenging role he realizes his character so admirably that one can't help but he impressed. His facial expressions are so mutable that not only . is the transference of emotion evident, but it's as though a visualization of the thinking process en- folds before our eyes. He uses his voice more effectively than he has in the past; the intonations signal a change from acceptance to rage and back again. The overall effectis of a man who must emote everything with his face, a face that vivdly fortells his for- tune in fate. Unfortunately, Dreyfuss' brilliance is offset by a sluggish troupe of suppor- ting players from the autonomous John Cassevetes (who's certainly capable of more than this unilateral caricature of the chief doctor), to the badly mis- cast Christine , Tahti, as the sympathetic physician. In fact, other than Thomas Carter, who spices up the atmosphere as the energetic, rasta/orderly, the cast is so in contrast with Dreyfuss that it's as though they're working with a different script. To a degree, Badham compensates for this by a deliberate focus on Dreyfuss, who, for all his physical limitations, is never dull. The pacing of this film (as it was in Badham's Satur- day Night Fever) is particularly good; an appearance of oyerall movement neatly disguises the basic immobility of the film. By adapting Brian Clark's original play in quite a literal fashion,,a level of dialogue usually associated with good theatre emerges. This considerably enlivens the central activity, while enriching the dimensions of both the story and the protagonist. Also, in the portrayal and summation of the legal and medical complexities, there isn't the tendency toward editorialization the matter might've dictated. To be sure, there are surface flaws, such as a schmaltzy soundtrack and camera work that borders on banality by repeatedly focusing on the weather. One presumes Badham does this to broaden the atmospheric latitude from the inherent constriction of the hospital room locale, where most of the very sequentially ordered film occurs. These and other little things are negligible complaints. If Badham's imagistic aptitude is somewhat sophomoric, his overall design is fashioned around a storytelling, in- tegrity that, in this particular case, translate an intrinsically legislative issue into the broader and infinitely more personal realm of human ex- perience. This is a surprising success. U ... 130 1:15 13:05 5:30 00 17:. AVCO EMBASSYE7:3019:00. PICTURES RELEASE 93 t f' I w a Iwo By Ellen Rieser' M~fONDAY EVENING'S "Diaghilev ' Tribute" at Power Center by the Oakland Ballet Company was an eyeopener in many respects. Not only was it an adventurous program consisting of four works associated with thie famous director of Les Ballets Russes, the performance was a solidly professional one by a leading-but in- ffequently' seen-West Coat ballet company. Diaghilev's ballets are notoriously dif-. ficult to mount properly. If not done with sensitivity to the strong design and mime elenrents, the ballets can look denatured or overly static. However, the Oakland Ballet Company has been unusually fortunate to have actually worked under the guidance of Leonide 1(assine, a principal dancer and choreographer with Diaghilevs Les 1allets Russes;. the company has also worked with Nicholas .Beriosoff, assistant to another great Ballet Russe choreographer, Michel Fokine. Thus, the versions of the Diaghilev ballets that the Oakland Ballet Company dan- ces have been passed down from the originals with a minimum of distortion. The prograz i opened with Sdaeherazade, choreography by Michel Fokine, set to the Rimsky-Korsakov gore. Scheherazade was a strong production all around. The set and the opening .scrim were wonderfully exotic; the costmes, based on the classic designs by Leon Bakst, were gaudy with reds, greens, blues, and oranges; the gems on the costumes glit- tered and chinked in the dim light. The ballet is based upon the famous first tale of 1001 Nights. It is the story of an orgy in the Shah's harem and the horrific aftermath off the Shah's discovery of his wives' unfaithfulness. Emphasizing the Arabian setting, the choreography features deep back bends by the women,fluid arm movements postures presented in freize-like. profile, and the absence of pointe work. Johanna Breyer's performance as Zoebide, the Shah's favorite wife, showcased the extreme suppleness of her arms. Zoebide's lover, the Golden Slave, was capably. danced by Ron Thiele who whirled and leapt with grace.' After what seemed to 'be an un- necessarily long intermission, the Oakland Ballet Company performed excerpts from La Boutique Fan- tasque, choreographer by Leonide Massine, music by Rossim-Respighi. The ballet, which concerns the antics and fortunes of enchanted dolls in a toy shop, is a delightful collection of little bonbons of music and characterization. As the ballet is infrequently performed, Monday's performance, albeit of excer- pts, was an unusual treat. However, the ballet itself is so short that one would have wished that the company had gone ahead and performed the Whole. This also' would have been fairer to the original. By showing only the variations featuring the enchanted dolls, Massine's important contrasts of humans and dolls, human reality and See RUSSIAN, Page 7 Join N ews Staff V i - INDIVIDUAL THEATRES .5th Are. ofLiberty 761-9700 I WARREN BEATT" DIANE KEATON ; REDS Daily 8:30 (PG) Wed, 1,4:45, 8:30 We-250 til1: . Good Thru 1/28/82 Except "Reds" "The Miracle of this movie is that it sends us home in a state bordering on elation." -Cosmopolitan Mag. Richard Dreyfuss Daily-7:00, 9:15 Wed-2:10, 4:35, 7:00, 9:15 (R) WITR GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE S EASON '82 OSCAR PETE.RSON solo piano Saturday, January 30 Hill Auditorium -8 P.M. $W-.' f ' : m