The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 9, 1991 - Page 7

Love
,without
pithy
Love Without Pity
dir. Eric Rochant

|I

by Brent Edwards
Name that film: a romantic com-
edy about an out-of-school, irrever-
ent young man, without a job and
living with his sibling, who falls in
love with a relative stranger; she's
an academic, outside of his deadbeat
social group, but he eventually wins
her over with his charm, wit and
fresh yet pessimistic view of life;
*events come to a head when she gets
a scholarship to study abroad and
they must decide who will stay or
go; and it's in French. A dubbed ver-
sion of Say Anything? Non, non, it's
the latest rage from France, Love
Without Pity.
With the creation of the film's
lead, Hippo (Hippolyte Girardot),
first time writer/director Eric
Rochant is trying to redefine the
ebel sans Cause for the '90s.
Hippo's character is out of tune
with established society. He walks
around Paris flirting with women,
but he retreats from them as soon as
they gets close. He has no money,
but he refuses to get a job, and when
4 policeman pulls over his car,
Hippo berates the officer for
hounding his delinquent generation.
As played by Girardot, Hippo
Ias a sly manner which speaks of
existential chicness. His lost-and-
still-looking generation posing,
fiowever, seems unsubstantial -
erect, but still soft. We're told of
1Iis carefreeness, but all we see is a
smart-ass with an attitude. Hippo's
apathy seems idiotic and his love-
*aches seem immature. The character
is difficult to like, and when he
cries, "All we can do is fall in love,
rand that is worse than anything,"
one feels like slapping some sense
into him.
That being said, the film does
have its moments of humor, al-
though I fail to recall any right
now. And Rochant uses Paris effec-
tively, giving us a flavor of Parisian
life without resorting to travelogue
shots of the Champs Elysees or
*Notre Dame, effectively transform-
ing Paris into a silent supporting
cast member.
While the speaking supporting
cast is interesting, their situations

Walk on the Wilde
side is entertaining,
but unsatisfying
A Picture of Oscar Wilde
The Performance Network
Friday, September 6, 1991
"Isn't it charming how I twirl it between my fingers?" cooed Glen Allen
Pruett's Oscar Wilde, suggestively fondling his long-stemmed flower for
a captivated Performance Network audience during A Picture of Oscar
Wilde. Playwright Peter D. Sieruta's one-man show impressively captured
the spirit of the flamboyant auteur of such classics as The Importance of
Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the latter work, a young
man's moral decay is reflected in a portrait, and this theme is paralleled in
Sieruta's play, which has Wilde himself waiting to be painted and showing
off his plethora of possible poses.
Pruett, directly addressing the audience, was brilliantly charming,
putting cheap poseurs like Morrissey to shame with his rendition of the
original bitchy fop. He also demonstrated great endurance as an actor,
keeping the audience enraptured with an almost non-stop barrage of barbs,
puns, double entendres and general obnoxious comments. "I enjoyed the
quieter times when we sat about," he says of weekends spent in the country
with friends, "I being witty and everybody else trying to be."
Wilde and his unsheathed witticisms are nothing if not critical, or, for
that matter, egotistical, self-aggrandizing, cynical and, at times, downright
malicious. Explaining that he inherited from his doctor father "not the de-
sire to heal, but the need to cut," Pruett's Wilde goes on to verbally anni-
hilate whatever happens to wander into his path. "Mr. Madison, if God had
wanted you to talk, He would have given you something to say," he tells a
boorish dinner guest. Addressing his hatred for the game of badminton,
Wilde explains, "A shuttlecock could never live up to its name," going on
to say that "a true man of leisure sits in the shade observing the game."
A Picture of Oscar Wilde was a largely delightful one until it ended.
Only running about an hour long, the play seemed much too brief - not
only because the audience wanted to see more, but because the picture was
incomplete. Of course, a truly complete picture of anyone is impossible,
but more than a superficial caricature is. The fact that the play was set
when Wilde was only 27 years old, before he had even been published, was
one limiting factor - his writing was not touched upon nearly as much as
his infamous reputation.
-Mark Binelli
who what where when

Hippo (Hippolyte Girardot, right) and Halpern (Yvan Attal, left) sure look moody in Eric Rochant's Rebel wanna-
be, Love Without Pity.

are bluntly obvious attempts at
poignant commentary on the prob-
lems of Hippo's generation. Xavier
(Jean Marie Rollin), Hippo's drug
dealing brother, portrays the trou-
ble they face due to a lack of money
and the temptation of drugs, while
Halpern (Yvan Attal), Hippo's
friend who was dumped after
proposing marriage, portrays the
troubled state of love. Quelle
poignant. Of course, Attal won a
Cesar - the French Oscar - for

Best Male Newcomer, since his was
the role which most resembled a
Mickey Rourke character.
Love Without Pity also won a
Cesar and a prize at the Venice Film
Festival for Best First Film, which
is kind of like telling kids they're
good little players the first time
they try a sport - now go and do
something better.
For those who have seen Peter
Weir's romantic comedy Green
Card and hated the ending, notice

the final scene in Love Without Pity
and how the ending would have been
like Green Card's without it. Is it
really necessary to include a scene at
the end of a film to show that
everything works out okay, or can
the audience perhaps be given the
credit of having the ability to infer
the characters' future actions? Just
curious.
LOVE WITHOUT PITY is being
shown at the Ann Arbor 1 & 2.

Auditions for the Ann Arbor
Symphony Orchestra 1991-92 sea-
son will be held today and tomor-
row, with final auditions held on
September 15 and 16. Openings are
in all section strings, principal bass,
principal second violin, second
bassoon and third trumpet. Call
Kay Rowe at 994-4801 or 455-1487.
The Toledo Choral Society
will conduct auditions for the 1991-
92 season tonight at 7:30 and on
subsequent Mondays as needed at
Augsburg Lutheran Church in
Toledo. Performance dates for the
season are December 13 and 14 for
Handel's Messiah; and April 24 for
Faure's Requiem, Schubert's Mass
in G, and Durufle's Requiem. Call
389-1206.

The annual Metropolitan Opera
National Council Detroit Dis-
trict Auditions will take place
Saturday October 19 at Rackham
Auditorium in Detroit's Cultural
Center. Candidates must be in the
following categories: sopranos 19-
33; mezzo-sopranos and contraltos
19-33; and tenors, baritones and
basses 20-33. Contact Mary Sue
Ewing at 313-477-8629 or Elaine
Fontana at 313-644-8197.
Michigan Opera Theater is
holding auditions for MOT orches-
tra on September 20 to fill posi-
tions in violin, viola and bass sec-
tions at MOT office in Detroit's
New Center Area. Contact Suzanne
Acton Roger Bingaman at 313-874-
7850.


CLASSIFIED ADS

S GOIN. ::PLC::.:E:S
WANT TO GO TO EUROPE CHEAPLY?
Try out for The UM Men's Glee Club. Mass
Meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday at The Pen-
delton Room of The Union.
FREE TRAVEL- air couriers
cruiseships. Students also
needed X-mas, spring, and
summer for amusement parks
(805) 682-7555, Ext.. F-1379
$129 or $189 ANYWHERE IN THE USA
ON CONTINENTAL AIRLINES! Bring
your AMEX CARD and Continental
VOUCHER. REGENCY TRAVEL 209 S.
State St. Call 665-6122, ask for Irene or Ann.
EUROPE SPECIALS: Amsterdam, London,
Paris, Frankfurt, Glasgow fr. $386. Eurail
pass fr. $230. For details call REGENCY
TRAVEL 209 S. State 665-6122. Ask for
Dan.
ORIENT SPECIALS: Tokyo fr. $840,
Taipei fr. $904, Hong Kong fr. $925,
Bangkok fr. $1011, Seoul fr. $941, Singapore
fr. $996. For details call REGENCY
TRAVEL 209 S. State 665-6122. Ask for
Dan.
ROMANTIC FALL GETAWAY! 49-69/
nightly incl. cute, cozy log-cabin lodging.
Outdoor hot tub, boat, canoes & much more.
Call 616-276-9502.

GYMNASTICS TEACHER WANTED to
teach 8 year old girl at our private gym in
Chelsea. 475-7933.
........... M U.S: ..: IC ::":.::":::":.:::. .
HERB DAVID GUITAR ST UDIO. Not just
guitars. 302 E. Liberty. 665 -8001.
Lessons.Special: Pay 4 get 5. Tune-up
special.
FOR SALE: Pair of season football tckts.
Great seats & great price! 662-9840.
U OF M FOOTBALL TICKETS. Wanted 2
good season tickets. Call 313-649-8800, day
OR 313-932-1994, eve.
WANTED: FOOTBALL TICKETS FOR
FLORIDA ST. GAME. Will pay top $$$.
Call 517/753-8811 between 8-5, ask for
Barbara.
MICHIGAN ALUMNI WILL PAY TOP
PRICE for 2 good seats to 9/14 Notre Dame
game. Call 508/897-6936 for a quick sale.

ABSOLUTE TOP DOLLAR paid for U of
M football tickets. 668-7707.
WANTED: Two or more FSU vs. UM foot-
ball tickets, TOP $$$ PAID. 1-800-648-8039.
FOR SALE: Season Football Tix., Best
offer. 663-1786.
NOTRE DAME TICKETS WANTED!!!
TOP $$$ PAID! 930-0510.
PURDUE TICKETS WANTED!!!
TOP $$$ PAIl)! 930-0510.
WANTED- One season football ticket. Call
517-694-5612.
FOR SALE: Football season tickets. Sect.
26, best offer. Call 662-3959.
*NEED1 0 TICKETS to Florida State - UM
game. Will pay good $. Call 773-0479.
NEED 5 TICKETS FOR FLORIDA
STATE. Call 434-1731.
FOOTBALL TICKETS FOR SALE! Sect.
25, make best offer. 995-2508 or 995-2369.
WANTED: PACKET OF FOOTBALL
TICKETS Call Pam at 996-8895.
WANTED TICKETS to M vs. Florida State.
Call (313) 682-9358.
ABSOLUTELY MUST FIND I student
season football ticket! Call Nikki at 996-
2960.
NOTRE DAME TICKETS NEEDED - 3 if
possible. Call Jeff, 741-1373.
WANTED TICKETS TO ALL U-I
FOOTB ALL GAMES or season tickets.
Call Yvonne 464-4040, Ext. 264. After 6pm,
call 722-7344.

TICKIETS
WANTED: 1 student football ticket packet.
$150/neg. Call 429-1153 or 347-3585.
I NEED 5 NOTRE DAME TIX & I need
'em bad! Same section would be prime, but
split up ok. Call Wendy 741-8261 ASAP.
SEASON FOOTBALL TCKT. FOR.
SALE! Sec. 24. Call and leave message at
763-2687.
YOGA COURSE 6 Tues. Eves. Starts Sept.
10, 761-6520.
ZEN MEDITATION COURSE 5 thurs.
Eves. Starts Sept. 12, Zen Buddhist Temple,
761-6520.
TONITE AT THE BLIND PIG! Blues Par-
ty and Open Mike. Big fun! Come and
PARTY!!
SENIORS: Preliminary applications for
Rhodes, Marshall, and Power Scholarships
for study in Great Britain, are due September
11, in Room 1210 Angell Hall, LSA Honors
Program, 747-4484. It's not too late - CALL
NOW!
2 ROOMS AVAILABLE IN 9 BDRM.
HOUSE. Close to campus - 427 Hamilton Pl.
See anytime.
FEMALE ROOMMATE WANTED for 2
bdrm. apt. on Packard. Call Lynn 998-0096.
ROOMMATE - Female for North Campus 2
bedroom. $295 + utilities. Call 998-0393.

ROOMMATES.
FEMALE ROOMMATE TO SHARE
CHARMING two bdrm. house, close to
campus, pkng., preferably vegetarian. 663-
0084, 663-0230.
FEMALE ROOMMATE NOW. Fumished,
own room, 8 month lease. Hill Street. 741-
8782
FREE ROOM & BOARD FOR SOME
CHILDCARE or weekly salary for more
childcare. Call 677-2399.
OWN ROOM IN 1 BDRM. CONDO.
Tower Plaza.w/law student & cat. $400/mo. 9
mo. lease. Remodeled. W/view. 663-0256.
ROOMMATE NEEDED TO SHARE
LARGE 2 BDRM. in 3 person apt.HMale,
non-smoker pref. $286/mo., heat & water
inc. Laundry. avail. Call 769-6401.

. . . . . . . .
SPACE IN LAWYERS' CLUB DORM for
Female law/grad student available. 764-9069.
FOR SALE: COMPLETE MACINTOSH
PLUS computer system w/ printer +
manuals. In mint condition. Great price! Call
Rob #994-9003.
Look for it in the
Classitieds!



STUDENT FOOTBALL TICKETS
WANTED
313-856-8125 call collect 6 p.m.-8p.m.
Ask for Scott.




GRAD STUDENT NEEDS 2 SEASON
FOOTBALL TICKETS! Call 973-6350.
WANTED: 2 Football Season Tickets, Sec-
tion 24 or 25. Please call 353-5429.
NEED CASH? I will buy your football
season tickets. Call Steve 1-945-9559.

"""""


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