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ARTS
The Michigan Daily Thursday, April 8, 1982 Page 5
K
-A selection of campus film high
Bringing Up Baby
(Howard Hawks, 1938)
This is the kind of movie that define
the term screwball comedy. A si
paleontologist (would you believ
Cary Grant?) is wooed by a dizz
dame (you better believe Katherin
Hepburn) and in the proces
discovers love, dinosaurs, and a
adorable leopard, named Baba
(Thursday, April 8; Nat. Sci. 9:00).
Dr. Zhivago
(David Lean, 1965)
It's got epic written all over it. Oma
Sharif is the young, poetic doct
who must survive the Russia
Revolution, and a love affair wit
two women. His is a * tale of it
dividual freedom in a world t'oi
apart by war. Photography, music
acting, script, this film's got it al
(Thursday, April 8; Michiga
Theatre, 4:0, 8:00).
The Kirlian Witness
(Sarno, 1978)
If you're not up for the sweepin
drama of Dr. Zhivago, try and catc
this personal, intimate movie abo
a plant. Such characterization in ou
leafy, green friends has never bee:
seen before. Actually, this 's a ver
well made film with a twist. It's.
typical murder mystery, except tha
the only witness to the crime is son
sort of poinsettia. (Thursday, Apri
8; Audi A, 7:00,8:40).
hightsl
double bill. Edwards is an average
director who happens to cast some of
the funniest men in the world in his
movies. Dudley Moore stars as a
man who begins to question his wor-
th and his relationship with a singer.
The film that brought fun back to
counting, as well as establishing the
acting talents of Bo Derek.' (Friday,
April 9; Michigan Theatre, 7:00,
11:30).
Kramer Vs. Kramer
(Robert Benton, 1979)
Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sup-
porting Actress, Best Adapted
Screenplay, and one other Oscar
that I can't remember. A truly
emotional movie about divorce,
child custody, love, and rejection.
Not half as depressing as it sounds,
but twice as involving, and en-
joyable. Dustin Hoffman is the in-
sensitive father who must learn to
love; Meryl Streep is the mother
tired of playing a role she doesn't
believe in; and Justin Henry is the
child torn between two parents.
(Friday, April 9; MLB 4, 7:00,9:00).
The Deer Hunter
(Michael Cimino, 1978)
A monumental film that attempts to
explain how war affects individuals.
It is a long, tense, and difficult film
to watch. But because it deals so
specifically with the Vietnam War, its
broader themes are reduced. What
is left is a less engrossing movie, one
that is, however, worth seeing.
(Michigan Theatre - Saturday,
April 10, 4:00, 7:30; Sunday, April II,
4:00, 7:30; Monday, April 12, 4:00,
7:30).
Blow Up
(Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966)
If you're ever going to take a film
course, you're going to be asked to
discuss this enigmatic movie. What
does it mean? What happens in the
plot? Is it a good movie? They may
take this column away from me for
admitting this, but I haven't the
foggiest idea. Of course, that may be
the point. (Saturday, April 10 ; Nat.
Sci. 7:00,9:30).
Fame
(Alan Parker, 1980)
Ignore the current TV show of the
same name. The movie is much,
much better. Which miay not be
saying much. At least the singing
and dancing really reflect the
energy of high schoolers, and that's
enough to get you through the overly
dramatic sequences. Parker, direc-
tor of Midnight Express, brings his
ability to make anything, even a
grimy high school, look beautiful.
(Saturday, April 10; MLB 3, 7:00,
9:30).
The Man Who Fell
To Earth
(Nicholas Roeg,1976)
David Bowie is a strange ex-
traterrestrial being who has come to
this planet to find water. As in any
Roeg movie, the exact plot is secon-
dary to the cinematic and audio-
visual creation. In other words,
these movies look and sound great.
(Saturday, April 10; Aud. A, 7:00,
9:15).
Striking it rich in Hollywood
By Richard Campbell
AFTER WORKING for years at an
advertising job you hate, you turn
around, go to Los Angeles, and churn
out the scripts for two of the top money-
making movies of all time, write
another successful comedy, and direct
a critically acclaimed motion picture.
That scenario doesn't apply to many
people, not even in the fantasy world of
the movies, but in Lawrence Kasdan's
life it all came true.
A University of Michigan graduate in
English, and a former Hopwood awards
winner, Kasdan spoke to a large crowd
of film devotees at the Stasheff Lecture
sponsored by the Department of Com-
munication on Tuesday.
He has some advice for those that
wanted to follow in his footsteps. "Do a
job you hate, so that you don't get
seduced by success. I'm weak, I would
have quit trying. If there is just one
thing that is going to make you happy, ,
you'll do it.
"I worked in advertising and I didn't
like that, but it put food on the table. It
was an effective strategy for living, but
I was in a state of desperation."
Without that desperation, Kasdan
might not have given us Continental
Divide, The Empire Strikes Back,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, and his debut
film as director, Body Heat. It is the
kind of start in the business that
Hollywood particularly notices.
Some more advice: "You have to get
an agent. It took me about five years.
But you can't do anything without get-
ting an agent ... including giving scrip-
ts to visiting directors." Kasdan was in
Los Angeles trying to get somebody to
look at Continental Divide, when he got
in touch with Steven Spielberg and
George Lucas. Lucas later asked
Kasdan to do the first draft of Empire.
Meanwhile, Michael Apted began
production on Continental Divide.
Kasdan says that he has a couple
problems with both movies. "There
was a change in tone (in. Divide). It's so
far off what it should have been. It had
to hit its emotional points or miss, and it
fell between the two. John came
terribly far as an actor, but was disap-
pointed at it."
And as far as Empire goes: "I hated
what Harrison (Ford, who plays Han
Solo) had done with the role. He's so
strident. Han and Leia should develop
this relationship with wild banter. In-
stead, Han kept yelling at her."
Kasdan is writing the third in-
stallment of the Star Wars series,
Revenge of the Jedi. Although reluctant
to answer some questions about plot
specifics, he said that he had less con-
trol over the script than he had for Em-
pire. "The whole Star Wars series is
really George's (Lucas) baby. We
collaborated very closely on Jedi. You
can push him to do different things, but
especially on Jedi, there were things he
wanted to say."
Considering that his first few movies
have all been genre pictures-Divide
was a comedy-romance, Empire was a
fantasy, Raiders was a continuing
serial, and Body Heat was a '40s
mystery-it is surprising to hear
Kasdan say "I'm sick to death of genre
pictures. My next film won't belong to
any genre, except that it might be a new
genre." It will revolve around his ex-
periences in Ann Arbor, "not my
college years, but it's about what hap-
pened to me here."
Body Heat, as a matter of fact, is
based in part on Kasdan's experiences
at the University from 1966 to 1970. "We
thought that we ruled the world.: We
thought that we had done it (Johnson's
decision not to run in 1968). We could do
anything. Matty and Ned (from Body
Heat) are very similar to that." After
graduation, Kasdan discovered that the
"world was tough. There was a casting
about to find that quick thing to get the
money and the power." Matty and Ned
represent that attitude, "What she wan-
ts is- not so different from what Ned
wants. She's just better at it."
An American Werewolf
in London
(John Landis, 1981)
Neither horror .film nor comedy,
American Werewolf is a com-
bination of all those elements-that
make movies fun. There's music and
adventure, romance and thrills, and
non-stop comedy. Of course, not all
of these elements work well
ogether; the jokes aren't that fun-
ny, the'music doesn't quite fit, and
the romance is a bit trite. But what
'the heck, Landis is a good enough
-director to keep you on your toes in
this tale of a modern werewolf.
(Friday, April 9; MLB 3, 6:45, 8:30,
10:15). ''
Haira
(Milos Forman, 1979)
The exuberant, rebellious musical
of the '60s is now an exuberant,
long, ultimately unsatisfying film
musical for the '80s. When looking at
the film.song by song it is hard to
spot anything that is out of place:
the opening "Age of Aquarius" is
great, "Hair" is wonderful, and the
finale "Manchester, England/Let
the Sun Shine" is superb. But the
anger is gone from this musical, and
that was its core, its reason for
existence. Still, Hair is capable of
being enjoyed purely for the music.
(Friday, April 9; Aud. A, 7:00,9:10).
Bedazzled
(Stanley Donen, 1968)
Two of the great British comedians
were once one of the great British
comedy teams. Peter Cook and
Dudley Moore had a magic and elec-
tricity that is captured in this, their,
,one movie together. Taking the
Faust legend and weaving their own
bizarre humor around it, the team
has produced one of the more con-
sistently funny tales in a long time.
(Friday, April 9; Michigan Theater,
5:00, 9:15)..
.10
(Blake Edwards, 1979)
The second half of the Bedazzled.
Kasdan sounds like he wants to make
intelligent movies, but in the anything-
for-a-buck world of Hollywood he
realizes that is not always the simplest
thing to do. "It's a question of power.
You want to impose your fantasy on
someone else's fantasy. I'm trying to do
what I want to do. To do that you've got
to try and manipulate the system."
Kasdan knows how strange writing
for the screen is. "It's not theater, it's
not literature. You need good prose to
tell what's going on, and good dialogue
for the actors.
"I lucked into this job, which is exac-
tly what I wanted to do," he says. It's
just the kind of modesty you want to
hear from a man who is going to make
millions.
Records
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Lee I nenurF- l-f- efeatures Lee Soley on the acoustic
(Elektra/Musician) guitar. He is a fine electric guitarist,
Lee Ritenour's new album, Rio, is one and his works have filled many of the
of the initial dozen or so releases on West Coast's best studio albums, but
Elektra Records new Musician label. Rio is his first acoustic album. Unfor-
All of the albums on Elektra/Musician tunately, while he sporadically demon-
are described by the label's president, strates a Spanish flair, most of his leads
Bruce Lundvall, as by artists whose sound similar to those on his electric
work represents "beyond entertain- albums.
ment ... some of the most lasting con- Rio was recorded in New York, Los
tributions to the musical language of Angeles, and Rio de janiero with three
our time." Though Rio is quite nice it is different bands. It is easy to discern
not a lasting statement. which tracks were cut where. The New
Lunvall himself chose the' ap- York songs have a street-funk tinge;
propriate word to describe Ritenour's the Los Angeles cuts are ultra-slick;
music, accessible. It is hard not to en- and those from Rio are more Latin-
joy Rio. It is not particularly flavored.
challenging, some might consider it The Brazilian songs are the low poin-
boring, but it is impossible to strongly ts of the album. Both "Rainbow" and
dislike. That is its problem; it is so "Simplicidad" are unnecessarily.
bland that it is difficult to sway strongly string-laden and lack direction.
one way or the other. The highlights of the album are the
The differences between Rio and initial and concluding songs. "Rio
other Ritenour albums is that Rio Funk" and. "San Juan Sunset", recor-
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ded in New York, and "Ipanema Sol"
and "It Happens Every Day," from Los
Angeles close it.f
The New York tracks display the
pleasant uptempo melodies that
Ritenour has included on recent albums
like "Rit" and "Feel The Night". " $io
Funk" is particularly amiable with
Dave Grusin's piano intermingling with
Rittenour's acoustic. "Ipanema Sol"
features Ernie Watts (last heard riffing
behind the Rolling Stones on their
recent tour) and Ritenour in an oc-
casionally furious flute-guitar jam. "It
Happens Every Day" is an old
Crusaders composition that closes the
album with the grace typical of most
Joe Sample ballads.
If the album does have a major flaw,
it is possible stagination. Rio never
really heads anywhere. Ritenour
demonstrates his interest and under-
standing of Latin music with results
that add up to nothing more than easy
listening.
-James Harris
NOON LUNCHEON
Soup & Sandwich.. . $1.00
Friday, April 9
'MYRAFABIAN
Counseling Coordinator, CEW.
"Women in Higher Education:
Issues & Options for the 80's"
GUILD HOUSE -802 Monroe
ann
DOWNTOWN ANN ARBOR
ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE
FOR GRADUATION
* 200 Rooms
* Color T.V.'s
* Cocktail Lounge
" Direct Dial Phones
" Near U of M
" Group Rates Available
" Major Credit Cards Honored
" Call for Reservations
100 S. Fourth Ave. 769-9500
Jules and Jim
(Francois Truffaut, 1961)
If you thought Truffaut only made
cute movies, like Small Change or
The Bride Wore Black, then you owe
it to yourself to catch up on the
earlier works. The 400 Blows is
phenomenol for its personality, but
Jules and Jim captures your heart
with its poetic beauty. This is the
kind of a movie that does something
with the art of cinema, rather than
just rehashing old plot lines. That's
why they called it the new wave
cinema. (Sunday, April 11; Lorch
Hall, 7:00, 9:00).
-compiled by Richard Campbell-
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