v 71 -W -W w 7f i Mf Michigan finds solace in NIT Corned. beef Reuben, Reuben Starring Tom Conti Directed by Robert Ellis Miller Now playing at the Briarwood Theatres. By Dennis Nicoski F I MAY make one meager demand concerning director Robert Ellis Miller's film Reuben, Reuben, let it be this: Do not allow yourself to be misled by the publicity that graces this film. It does little justice and even slanders it; it seemingly ignores the film's solemn, serious side, while exploiting the "commercial" elements. In Reuben, Reuben we have a rare film that forces us to think in order to understand. Sex. That infamous box-office draw. Give 'em a full frontal and they will gladly shell out $4.50, but this is im- becilic celluloid clutter. Sex is integral to Reuben, Reuben only because the pursuit of it constitutes a critical piece of poet Gowan McGland's twisted per- sonality. He thrives on the somehow alluring glances of face-lifted, post-menopausal women with gravity-stricken bodies. But he does not crave the pleasure of sex. He needs the thrill of the chase, the daring of adultery, and above all, the' attention. He has long since lost a loving and thoughtful wife because of these amorous adventures. Alcohol is his second deadly sin. He constantly gulps from a water glass or bottle huge draughts of Dewars' or J & B or Johnny Walker. This is his crutch in any time of anxiety - a crutch that causes him many problems. These faults confound Gowan's lofty yearning in life: To write poetry. Though once successful, Gowan eeks out a pauper's existence from boring lecture tours to women's clubs and by stealing tips in posh restaurants. The drive to write is still there, and tormen- ts him repeatedly, yet he fails to produce anything publishable. Enter Geneva Spofford (Kelly McGillis), a lithe, bright student with dreamy eyes and wispy blonde hair, who immediately usurps Gowan's heart. Now he is truly in love, yet he has sunk so low he cannot realize that her deference to him may be more out of pity than genuine love. We often laugh at the hopeless con- dition of our tragic hero, but we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that this is a comedy. The humor is educated wit, not the crass bathroom variety. Gowan remains, above all, a poet. His con- scientious word choice and Conti's beautifully expressive Scottish accent make the movie to a joy to relax with and listen to. In one scene, Gowan speaks of the power of words, stating how much our picture of a common weed would alter if it were called "mist of morning." His insights into the language are brilliant. Credit Screen- writer Julius J. Epstein with a daringly intelligent adaptation of Peter de Vries' 1964 novel, on which the movie is loosely based. In the aforementioned scene, along with every other, Conti's presence alone consecretes the moment. Per- manently attired in a tweed coat, with dissheveled shock of brown wire- rimmed glasses, he is a delight to behold. He is also characterized by his boyish eyes and an unmistakeable oc- togenarian walk. Conti is remarkable throughout the film - from teasing and seducing mid- dle-aged housewives to brilliant and bitter moments of self-realization. I never once thought of Conti the actor, but rather that Conti embodied Gowan McGland. Kelly McGillis portrays a convincing Geneva, though their relationship lacks the depth of emotion needed to be truly convincing. The remainder of the cast merely constitutes Gowan's world. They are a plaything for him, a torture to him, a mirror in which he can see himself. The striking simplicity of the film enhances the characters and their im- pression on us as audience. No camera tricks or special effects needed here, there is a sparsity to every scene which gives it beauty. We focus primarily on two characters engaged in intense dialogue. The camera does not avoid By Paul Helgren W HEN BILL Frieder parked himself in front of his television set last Sunday at 5:30 p.m.,he expected to hear some good news about his basketball team. There was no advanced war- ning for The Announcement, not even for the coaches. Frieder sat and wat- ched, just like the rest of us. Frieder looked on as Brent Musburger and Billy Packer, standing before the famous "Big Board," calmly revealed the fate of 85 schools-the 53 that made the NCAA and the 32 that were left for that "other" tournament. Slowly, tantalyzingly, the teams from each region of the NCAA tournament were listed. When the final team in the final region was named, Frieder at last knew his team's fate. N.I.T. The letters don't have quite the same ring as N.C.A.A., do they? "I thought we'd be in it (the NCAAs)," Frieder said a few hours later. "We had 18 wins with a tough schedule. They (the NCAA selection committee) took other teams that were 18-10 and didn't play as tough a schedule as ours.'' A BRIEF look at some of the teams shows that Frieder is right, at least about the records. In fact there are some teams with records worse than the 18-10 mark he mentioned. Nevada- Reno, at 17-13, made the tournament. Dayton, which finished with a record identical to Michigan's-18-10-and lost to the Wolverines by 22 points this year, got a bid. Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia,. Villanova and St. John's all got bids, despite their 11 regular season losses. These teams may indeed be superior to Michigan. But that doesn't make it any easier to accept. But Frieder's Michigan basketball team made the NIT just the same and is doing its best to live with it. Frieder claims it is a worthy challenge for his club and is in no way a sign of failure; but no matter how you look at it, the NIT is a bitter pill for a team expecting the sweet rewards of another, more prestigious tournament. It is an anti- climatic journey, a cruel punishment for a team that fought so hard only to be ignored by the NCAA selection commit- tee, possibly on the basis of one over- time loss to Northwestern. The committee's message is clear: The best teams in the nation play in our tournament and we don't think you are one of them. "NATURALLY I'M disappointed," said Frieder. "Especially when so many teams with more losses than us got in. . . But our fate was in someone else's hands." NIT. It stands for National Invitation Tournament, a once-proud, now futile Continued on next page °I Michigan: Squeezed out of the NCAA tournament Tom Conti: No DELIte extreme and insistent facial isolation. We see and feel pain, love, joy, pity, despair, and humiliation along with each character. Forever transfixed in my memory will be Gowan's tear- streaked, crushed countenance smeared against a bathroom mirror. This mirror is a wonderful metaphor for the film as a whole. As Gowan's world mirrors the poet, the film itself reflects Gowan to us. We laugh heartily at his witty sarcasm and cute clum- siness, but we also pity him. He is a character we can learn from. Jf only to appreciate Tom Conti's glowing performance, and to be lulled by lovely language and diction, the movie is something to relish. But it allows us to think too: an admirable quality in modern cinema. So next time you brave the popcorn and bubble gum crowd, shun the unsubstantial and min- dless, and feast on this delectable film experience. Join the Daily Arts Staff j "10% off tonight's Friday Night Specialty Dinner March 16 hr9?tovon In addition to our extraordinary regular variety, we are nowannouncing,... 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