wwww w 'r NW wr NW heite r i r ......:..,.,, ..::r... :....,...... _ ............... .:"::. .. .............. ....h .. . ....,.,:::: }}:"::.t<.::":": }>:.:k?: i.'"S: ..... z?,..":cn.: '.;"..,:::::;:,.,x<..:.i .. :. Z..x.F. k: .x <.. .t.::'."-y:.:-:><::::::..,.}:-.:: ":....::::, 5.....:.t. .+ }r:::.:.",", Pennell returns Butley Michigan Ensemble Theater Lydia Mendelssohn Theater 8 p.m. Wednesday January 25- Sunday, January. 29 and Thursday, February 2-Sunday, February 5 By Julie Bernstein A RUMPLED, crumpled ef- figy," "a rotting apple in a rotting barrel," "a half-baked academic,"~ "in- sufferably egotistical, despicable foolish, bitter - yet likeable and strangely sympathetic. These oddly incongruous remarks were made by theater critics in 1971 as they described Ben Butley, the central character in Simon Gray's British comedy, a painfully funny work about an English professor's attempt to piece together his crumbling life. Ben Butley, the title character, would rather maintain his undisturbed academic life, quoting T. S. Elliot and Shakespeare. However, he is forced to confront the dismal reality of his wife's leaving him for another man, the aban- donment of his male protoge; their latent homosexual relationship, and the possibility of losing his job - all of which happens in a relatively short period of time, thus enhancing the humor of these isolated tragedies. Nicholas Pennell, Canadian actor and long-time favorite of the University theater scene, returns to Ann Arbor to tackle the literary challenge of Gray's Butley. Why has Pennel returned to Ann Arbor every year since his 1973 graduation, after which he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the world-reknowned acting conservatory in England? Pennell responded that he "loves the place" and besides, the University somehow represents a "spiritual cam- pus" for him. Pennell also noted that "Butley is a good play for Ann Arbor. It's about academic life and its pitfalls. (as well as) emotional tenure." It is a play where, "the size of the risk informs the size of the failure," which is analogous to Ann Arbor and the artistic freedom Pennell feels as guest artist and lec- turer. Pennell experiences personal parallels with Gray's partially autobiographical story. "Butley is self- destructive, which many artists are," Pennell said. But he not only identifies with this artist's self-destruction, he also finds inspiration, as he summed up by citing the last line of a Stevie Smith poemj've been to far out all my life, not moving, but drowning. Pennell says that despite Butley's an-' ti-heroic nature, he is still, "a brilliant teacher...and extremely lovable. "I am moved by (Butley's) predicament. I understand it - the loneliness, the love," he said, em- phasizing his emotional connection with the role. When asked to compare his own ac- ting choices to those of actor Alan Bates, the original Butley who played in New York and London 12 years ago, irt U n THE BIG CHILL Seven University alumni gather together at the funeral of a friend, the results being humorous and touching. Are these the best years of our lives? (Movies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780). CHRISTINE The unfulfilled adaptation of Stephen King's novel focuses on the antics of a very tempermental car, and sparks fly. (Fox-Village Theater, Maple Village; 769-1300). FLASHDANCE/STAYING ALIVE The two movies-of last summer make a return engagement. If you're expecting dance-fine, but if HOT DOG Yet another sex flick, only this time the action. takes place on snow-covered mountains. (Fox- Village Theater, Maple Village;:769-1300). THE LONELY HEARTS A love story of unknown quality and content. (Ann Arbor Theater, 210 S. 5th; 761-9700) THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN Burt Reynolds stars in a tepid and silly remake of Truffaut's French classic. (Movies at Briarwood,' Briarwood Mali; 769-8780). NEVER CRY WOLF The Disney adaptation of Farley Mowat's best- seller about humans and their environment. (State Theater, 231S. State; 662-6264). RISKY BUSINESS Tom Cruise is a rich and naive teenager who inherits a beautiful prostitute for a night. (State Theater, 231S. State; 662-6264). RETURN OF THE JEDI seethes with passion and ambition; his wildest dreams come true,.bringing along some wild night- mares. (Campus Theater, 1214 S. University, 668-. 6416). SILKWOOD Karen Silkwood discovers disturbing things about her plutonium plant. When she attempts to expose them, she mysteriously dies in a car accident. (M~lovies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780). STREAMERS Both Robert Altman and his new film will be in town this week. Streamers, the story of three young soldiers before they're shipped off to Vietnam, is perhaps the finest Altman film yet. A must-see. (State Theater, 231S. State; 662-6264). - SUDDEN IMPACT Clint hits again, suddenly and repeatedly, as Dirty Harry Callahan whose investigation of a murder' leads to a lovely lady and a psychopath. (State Theater, 231 S. State; 662-6264). TESTAME Jane Ale her famil (Movies at TO BE OR Mel broo the remak Hitler an( Washtenaw TWO OF A The che: Newton-Jc divine inte (Fox Villa UNCOMM Gene Ha Vietnam to Maple Vill you rav a god toryineforgt i. (Mvie atYENTL you crave a good storyline-forget it. (Movies at Third in a series of space-age flicks that combine TERMS OF ENDEARMENTyn Briarwood, Briarwood Mals; 769-8780). action, amusing scenarios and charismatic charac- A dow (Shiry c e), tris to settle someo g GORKY PARK . ~~~ters in an enjoyable, albeit mindless, movie (Fox oftecnuigpnsofam hr/uher uysce: Can a. jaded Russian agent detective save Russia o h ofsn onso ohrduhe oit and the girl he loves from an international smuggling Village Theater, Maple Vilage 769-1300) relationship with her daughter (Debra Winger). finally fulfi scheme? (Movies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; SCARFACE (Ann Arbor Theater, 210S. 5th; 761-9700), musical. ( Cuban immigrant Tony Montana (Al Pacino) 769-8780). 769-8780). Pennell: Plays the part as he plays himself Pennell responded that he has no inten- tion of playing the role any way but his own. In fact, he has deleted all stage directions designated in the script in order to avoid a carbon copy perfor- mance of the original Broadway ver- sion. Besides, Pennell does not feel par- ticularly inspired by commercial theater. Because the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Pennell's ar- tistic home) receives less funding than any regional theater in Canada, he resents Broadway producers and their frivolous, million-dollar expenditures and their coveting of potential money- makers from regional theaters. "Producers are jackals picking up leavings from other tables," Pennell said. Pennell denied that any previousj Butley productions will dictate the ac- tion of this one; he believes that the play itself is about the actor playing the .part. "The play's got to be about me, you can't pretend to be someone else," Pennell said. WE'RE NOT KIDDING SAVE UP TO $190.00 Save $100 off regular price of each E lysia Comforter purchased... OR ... Purchase .TM Elysia at regular price and receive FREE Featherbed of same size. The Elysiafeatures White Goose Down, stitched into square quilting to give an MICHIGAN STUDENT MSAASSEMBLY! HOUSING FAIR TN/S / YOUR (NdNCE TO (NECK-OU11T b .0US/N OPT/Ns r + 4PM481 i TO YOU FOR 194-85 SU1NP4Y, J4#NURY 22, I98# 1C/CA4N UNION SAL ROOM NOON - 4 P.M. Information will be available from: Individual Landlords, Management Offices, Tenants Union, University Housing Office, Student Legal Services, Co-ops, Fraternities, Sororities, Campus Housing BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Jean Cocteau, 1946) The French director takes a surrealistic look at the classic story. It's a good movie to start off the week with, because the title does a splendid job of sum- ming up the week's offerings. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 7:00) THE GOLDEN COACH (Jean Renoir, 1953) Ann Magnini stars as Camillia, an actress in a theater troupe. The troupe serves as a vehicle for Renoir to take a look at humanity. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 8:45) CAT PEOPLE (Jacquest Tourneur, 1942) Not the remake, but the original. Simone Simon plays a woman who is quite scared about the ancient curse of a panther. By the time the film is over, the audience finds out that the fear was not all that unreasonable. (Mediatrics; Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:30) CAT PEOPLE (Paul Schrader, 1982) This is not a glitch in the production process. There are two versions of the same movie playing tonight. This is the more recent version with Nastassja Kin- ski in the title role. Which cat person do you like best(Mediatrics; Nat. Sci. Aud., 9:00) SEVEN BEAUTIES (Lina Wertmuller, 1976) Giancarlo Giannini is a gangster whose life goes from bad to worse to worst as it progresses from jail to a concentration camp with stops along the way. Italian with subtitles. (Cinema Guild; Lorch Hall, 7:00,9:05) WIZARDS (Ralph Bakshi,1979) One of the wizards of modern animation takes a look - see into the future when magic and technology are trying to decide the winner for good. To be preceded by chapter 3 of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. (Classic Film Theater; Michigan Theater, 7:15,11:20)_ THE LORD OF THE RINGS (Ralph Bakshi, 1978) The animation is spectacular - so is the butchery of Tolkien's novels. Perhaps not for trueepurists, but enjoyable enough. (Classic Film Theater, Michigan. Theater, 9:00) VICTOR, VICTORIA (Blake Edwards, 1982) The last good film by Edwards is very, very good indeed. The stars include Julie Andrews, James Garner, and the rest of Blake Edwards' usual en- tourage. The plentiful laughs are enhanced by a very good musical score by Henry Mancini. (Hill Street Cinema; 1429 Hill, 6:45, 9:00) LIFEBOAT (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) World War II. A lifeboat adrift at sea. On board are Tallulah Bankhead (difficult to picture her being stuck on a lifeboat), William Bendix, Hume Cronyn, and others, including the Nazi vital to every WWII picture. (Alternative Action; Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:00) SPELLBOUND (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945) If you like Freud, then you will love this movie about Ingrid Bergman psychoanalyzing Gregory Peck. If Freudian psychoanalysis is not your cup of tea, this suspense movie will seem about as suspen- seful as watching the trees on the Diag grow. (Alter- native Action; Nat. Sci. Aud, 9:00); DIAL M FOR MURDER IN 3-D.(Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) Ray Milland and Grace Kelly. He plots to kill her and then tries not to incriminate himself while the police investigate. (Cinema 2; Lorch Hall, 7:00,9:00) THE WAR AT HOME (Barry Alexander Brown and Glen Silber) A look at how the anti-war movement developed and the effects it has had on U.S. foreign policy. (Alternative Action; East Quad, 8:00 FREE) TWENTY-FOUR EYES (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1954) An elementary school teacher sees the promise of the future vanish from when she first taught in 1928 until the late 1940s. Japanese with subtitles. (Cinema Guild; Lorch Hall, 7:00, FREE)g ABSENSE OF MALICE (Sidney Pollack, 1981) Paul Newman gets victimized by some stories written by reporter Sally Field. He decides to get some revenge. Highly entertaining, even though some things are left hanging. From the director of Tootsie. (Mediatrics; Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:00,9:00) FOREIGI 1940) Sinister the items a reporte Cinema; 1 THE LAD It just g that Miss your trair and you w ty except Film Thea THE PAF The six doing it?) Charles I Film The TO HAVE Bogart William F Ernest Hi (Cinema2 UMBERT A man face of h practicall Guild; Lor exact amount of down, covered with EL (Luis Bunuel, 1952) Black comedy leads off an evening of Bunuel. His study of a jealous and paranoid man also attacks religion, like so many of Bunuel's films do. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 7:00) SIMON OF THE DESERT (Luis Bunuel, 1965) From black comedy to philosophical comedy. The subject of this is a prophet called Simon who likes to spend most all of his time atop a pillar. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 8:45) THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ (Luis Bunuel, 1955) Black comedy once again. De la Cruz is a psychotic. He also thinks he is a murderer. The comedy deals with murder, perversion, and the like. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 9:30) ANGEL LEVINE (Jan Kadar, 1970) Zero Mostel, Harry Belafonte, Eli Wallach, and others. An angel is not performing up to standards, and to try and get himself back in favor, he comes to Earth to help someone. From a Bernard Malamud story. (Hill Street Cinema; 1429 Hill, 7:00,9:00) THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET (Jan Kadar &Elmar Klos, 1965) Czechoslovakia during World War II and the early days of Nazi occupation is the setting. The story deals with the Aryan controller of a button shop who starts to fall in love with the elderly owner. Czech with subtitles. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; MLB 4,7:00) OKLAHOMA! (Fred Zinneman, 1955) The screen version of the Rodgers and Hammer- stein musical comes complete with a surrey with the fringe on top, a beautiful day, chapter 4 of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe; and more. (Classic Film Theater; Michigan Theater, 3:00,6:00, 9:00) OF HUMAN BONDAGE (John Cromwell, 1934) The bondage is more metaphorical than actual. Bette Davis plays a not-so-nice waitress who toys with a club-footed medical student who seems to like the cruel treatment. (Cinema Guild; Lorch Hall, 7:00) THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (Harold Young, 1935) The French nobility stand mere inches away from the guillotine, about to be beheaded, when a secretive English nobleman swoops down to save them. Adventure in the midst of the Reign of Terror. (Cinema Guild; Lorch Hall, 8:30) OEDIPUS THE KING (Phillipe Saville, 1967) Christopher Plummer, Lilli Palmer, Donald Sutherland and Orson Welles are on hand for an adaptation of the Sophoclese tragedy that was filmed at a ruined Greek ampitheater for authenticity. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; Aud. A, 7:00) MARAT/SADE (Peter Brooks, 1967) Inmates of an asylum reenact the death of Marat as directed by Sade. The atmosphere at the asylum is quite horrifying, and the film is not recommended for the queasy-stomached. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; Aud. A, 8:45) breathable 100% Cotton, priced. so you can enjoy White Goose Down. LA STRA An Aca stars Anth story. Ita Michigan AMARCO A semi- small Ita Film Thea QUEREL The fin premiere bad wher friends.G Coop; Aud I AM A FU LeRoy, 11 Paul Mu gang, and and atten Nat. Sci.A THE GRI Steve IM James Cc Attenboro practicall German 8:30) CAMELO' Now th superb mi up for an Harris an King Art May...(Ci . candia D Pin Shops* European Comfort You Bring Home BRIARWOOD MALL 9944-1228 Regular price of ElysiaTm TWIN $210 QUEEN $290 FULL $240 KING $345 FINAL WEEK SALE ENDS JAN. 28th URGH!! A MUSIC WAR (Derek Burbridge, 1981) This Ann Arbor premiere is a dose of MTV on the silver screen: It takes a comprehensive look at the new music scene with non-stop performances by The Police, Dead Kennedys, Oingo Boingo, Joan Jett, and more. (AnnArbor Film Coop; MLB 3,7:00,9:15) DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (David Lean, 1965) The novel by Boris Pasternak comes to the screen. Omar Sharif and Julie Christie star in a very big melodrama that is melodrama all the same. Maurice Jarre composed the music. (Cinema Guild; Aud. A, 4:00,8:00)' i Julie Andrews: A man's man 8 Weekend/January 20, 1984 5