ARTS The Michigan Daily Wednesday, October 23, 1985 Page 5 'Plenty' offers picture of loneliness By David Schwenk CAN ONE find satisfaction after fighting a war? Meryl Streep puts this question to the test in her new film, Plenty. Her character, Susan, has personal qualities that allow Streep to show just how well she can act. She's sexy, emotional, and troubled by secrets from her past. While Plenty's success does not rely solely on Meryl Streep's performan- ce, she makes a good idea for a film an outstanding final product. After a short sequence in France, the setting shifts to London during WWII. Susan is haunted by the memory of the passion and idealism she experienced as a fighter in the French Resistance. Her present life is drab and dull. She works in a shipping office where her boss is an old half-wit whose sole concern is to see how far he can look down Susan's blouse. Susan's friends' are members of board committees that discuss such grave issues as when to serve the bread at the next luncheon. She desperately wants to recapture the excitement and sense of purpose she felt as a freedom fighter, but finding no outlet for her emotions, she in- teracts with the other characters like a corked-up bottle knocking against dead pieces of wood, ready to explode. And she eventually does. Plenty is full of substance that one doesn't see much in recent films: in- triguing characters, a challenging plot and well executed cinematic techniques. The pace results in the same tension as watching a game of Russian roulette. The various scenes are like bullets of experience that Susan loads into a gun, ironically hoping for a spark of life or emotion each time she aims the gun at her head. She is gradually reduced to madness, and whenever she squeezes the trigger, nothing happens. For example, Susan tries having a baby with a man she hardly knows, but fails. She changes jobs, going from one bad position to another. Her actions are self-destructive. When she finally marries, the bullet strikes home. But instead of giving her the emotional expression she sought in a love relationship, the marriage becomes dull and void of feelings. The plot is a careful shift from ac- tion to emotional involvement. The scenes are highly dramatic; Streep is captivating as Susan. Her gestures and facial expressions reflect Susan's growing madness and despair; she draws us into her role, and we feel her torment. Her physical appearance changes from scene to scene, visually echoing the decay of Susan's charac- ter. The entire cast is superb. Charles Dance portrays Raymond, Susan's husband, as a hard, cold Englishman who masks his feelings with feigned dignity. His complete lack of passion strangles Susan. Tracy Ullman plays Alice, Susan's friend, as a flirting, aggressive, take-it-as-it-comes type girl. She offers comic relief when it is needed. And once again Sting pops up in the cinema. There is nothing extraor- dinary about his acting, but he gets the job done. He doesn't look out of place like other rock stars have in the past when they played on the big screen. Also, the film contains splendid shots of the different towns and coun- trysides. Director Fred Schepisi is sensitive to the subject matter. He skillfully creates a tense atmosphere of pressurized emotions and bitter- ness. Plenty isn't shocking enough to blow away its audience with lots of in- tense action. There aren't any fantasy trips to other times and other worlds. But the film keeps the audience's at- tention with its wonderful interplay between the characters; it expresses, both emotionally and visually, a time of change in the lives of many, changes still felt today. BLOOM COUNTY y ;l d f, ~ia. I Watch for it in Abe ibiga DEM MERYL STREEP is Susan, a woman whose present does not live up to her past, in the film 'Plenty.' Night of nonsense features lineup of idiots YOU THINK school is nonsense? Just wait until you see the antics of Radio Free Wolverine, whose troupe of dedicated musicians and comedians will make your nonsense dreams come true tonight at the RC Auditorium in East Quad, beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Each show consists of a long sketch involving a set of main characters and two musical numbers. The plots - totally nonsense - are sometimes University-oriented, sometimes not, according to Mark Schildberg, one of the troupe's organizers. "The plots themselves are not meant to make sense," said Schild- berg. "Somehow the route taken is more important than the destination." Both of tonight's shows will be recorded for broadcast on WCBN. The list of main characters begins with Marc Taras as David Steingold, who is the "fearless patriotic-idiot hero," according to Schildberg. "All the characters tend to be idiots," he said. Gilbert Smegma, played by Toby Stone, is the "adolescent-obsequious idiot" and assistent to the hero, David Steingold. The idiot villains are headed by Prince Hal Shapiro, a supply side economist "who frequently has his trousers ruined by the trickle-down effect," said Schildberg, who plays the character. Toby Stone as Lord Jim Manure (pronounced Man-u-ray) is a "cad and lackey to the Prince, and has a different middle name every show for tax purposes," said Schildberg. Ted-Bob (Mark Schildberg) and Enid (Lynette Penar) are two Ozark idiots. Ted-Bob is "rumored to be the only surviving offspring of Tarzan Lord Greystoke" while Enid, who "was born wearing orthopedic shoes and a rain net, is the rumored wife of Ted- Bob." Lynette Penar as Leannarama is a "feminist idiot with an extremely filthy mind." As an example of a show Schildberg described "The Missing Nat Sci Building," where the hero has been to Health Service and told that in order to live he must go on a diet of buildings. "This catches the attention of Prin- ce Hal who has just learned that the Natural Science Building is literally floating on a lake of oil. Prince Hal forces David to eat the Natural Scien- ce Building at gunpoint." The music for the two shows will be provided by The Jeffrey Chajes Quar- tet and vocal soloist Lynette Penar. The evening begins with an audien- ce warm-up featuring the Quartet. followed by a TV trivia game, and a According to Schildberg, the night short sketch. There will be a short of nonsense will last about 90 minutes. break between the two shows that are to be recorded. - Chris Lauer THANKSGIVING VACATION AIRFARE TO NEW YORK FROM $98 REGENC TRAVEL INC. has moved to 209 - 211 S. State Street 665-6122 Sail from Ft. Lauderdale and spend four glorious days in the Bahamas for under $425. Our volume buying power gets you a great deal. Don't HUR NI be disappointed, call now:. . 1 IA 1 1 1limited availability. 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