The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 18, 1992- Page 9
'Pride' on film is as agreeable as Austen
Say 'fromaggio'
Is your life a tad aimless? Do
you find yourself helplessly
sipping Campari, pondering the
type of pasta you really want?
What you need is a lecture on 19th
century Italian photography.
Coincidentally, there just so
happens to be a display of Carlo
Naya's work in the Museum of
Art, and Paolo Constantini (an
expert, they assure us) is on hand
to discuss it. He'll be in Angell
Hall Auditorium B at 8 p.m.
Saturday night, it's free of charge,
and there's a reception following.
Grace under pressure
It's one of our favorites (even
'though Woody Allen had nothing
to do with it) and you can see it in
all its wide screen-ness tomorrow
in MLB 4 at 9 p.m. "It," as you
may well have guessed, is
Hitchcock's "Rear Window." We
just can't get enough of this one. It
just satisfies the voyeur in us, we
suppose - we always like it when
nosy, prying behavior is portrayed
as noble and essential. Regardless,
by Michael John Wilson
Last summer's "Howards End" is
a fine example of a literary adapta-
tion done right. It captured the spirit
of E.M. Forster's novel, without
overscrupulously recounting every
detail of the original (see the recent
"Madame Bovary" for an example.
of that).
Pride and
Prejudice (1940)
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard;
written by Aldous Huxley based on
Jane Murfin's dramatization of Jane
Austen's novel; with Laurence Olivier
and Greer Garson
The 1940 film version of "Pride
and Prejudice" likewise captures the
splendid irony of Jane Austen by
translating it into the language of
film, not by merely copying Austen
word for word. While the best of her
witty dialogue is heard in the movie,
it is the wordless moments -an
aghast look on the face of Laurence.
The young Olivier deftly treads the line
between snobbery and charm in the role of Mr.
Darcy, not letting us despise or love him too
much until the end.
work most of all are its visual spec-
tacles. It's wonderful to see the cos-
tumes, the balls, the carriages, and
all the trappings of the period.
Viewing them on a big screen allows
us to inhabit that world in a different
way than the novel does. Maybe the
novel's main advantage over the
movie is just that it permits us to
stay in that comfortable setting fair
longer.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE plays
tonight at 7 and 9:05 at the Nat Sci
Auditorium. Tickets are $3.
Stewart
Olivier's Darcy, for example
- which are most memorable.
The film also invents situation
which, though not strictly Jane
Austen's, distill the essence of her
novel. In one scene Elizabeth (Greer
Garson) defeats Darcy at archery
while they carry on a conversation.
The dialogue is Austen's, the action
is not. In this way "Pride and
Prejudice" transcends the label of a
mere adaptation, and becomes an ac-
complished work in its own right.
The large, distinguished cast is
responsible for much of the film's
effectiveness. The young Olivier
deftly treads the line between snob-
bery and charm in the role of Mr.
Darcy, not letting us despise or love
him too much until the end. In
smaller but equally vivid parts, char-
acter actors Edna May Oliver and
Melville Cooper are hilariously
pompous as Lady Catherine and Mr.
Collins. Greer Garson, Maureen
O'Sullivan and Edmund Gwenn por-
tray the Bennets with equal appeal.
What makes the film version
we also just like watching Grace
and Jimmy.
Huh?
In our We-can't-resist-even-
though-it-sounds-awful depart-
ment, we proudly draw your
attention to "Hamburger ... The
Motion Picture." It's on cable
(USA) at 11 p.m. tonight.
INSECTS.
Continued from page 8
characters with several sides."
Actors developed their own cos-
tumes for the production. "I wanted
students to compose their own cos-
tumes because it helps them feel
through their character," Roe said. "I
also have them explain their make-
up to the mike-up person so that
they keep every aspect of their char-
acter in mind," she explained.
One may wonder then if the au-
dience will see human-size crickets.
The actors, however, decided to re-
main a little more human. Roe
commented, "The characters will
appear human with tiny aspects of
insects. For instance, the butterflies
are constantly fluttering. The move-
ments will identify the insect rather
than elaborate costumes."
Roe hopes that the audience and
the actors will be entertained but will
also learn something. "There are
many stereotypes and, at those, peo-
ple will laugh because they'll see
themselves or their friends," she
said. "This production is also impor-
tant for the actors because they will
walk away knowing they accom-
plished this feat which took many
hours of study and discussion.
"They studied and discussed ev-
ery aspect of satire which can at
times be very, very dark. Developing
these roles, especially in those dark
moments of satire can be painful.
They are all at the age when they are
at the brink of society. The play ex-
amines some light and dark aspects
of society. After spending so much
energy on this, they have greater
confidence."
THE INSECT PLAY opens tonight at
8 p.m. at the Arena Theater in the
Frieze Building. Performances will
take place Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.,
and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $4
for students,$6 regular admission.
Call 996-3888.
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THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO
BECOMING A NURSE IN THE ARM1,
And they're both repre-
sented by the insignia you wear
as a member of the Army Nurse
Corps. The caduceus on the left
means you're part of a health care
system in which educational and
career advancement are the rule,
not the exception. The gold bar
on the right means you command respect as an Army officer. If you're earn-
ing a BSN, write: Army Nurse Opportunities, P.O. Box 3219, Warminster,
PA 18974-9845. Or call toll free: 1-800-USA-ARMY, ext. 438.
ARMY NURSE CORPS. BE ALLYOU CAN BEN
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:
We know you guys like to party a lot. But still,
is anybody minding the store?
You failed to notice an important change in the LSAT.
The question format that you call Triple True/False,
which used to appear in all sections of the LSAT, has
not appeared on the LSAT since February 1991.
But you still prep your students to "crack" this
obsolete question format.
That's wasted cracking, guys. May we suggest that
you briefly disregard your margaritas, and
update your LSAT course materials? We know it's
work, but somebody's gotta do it.
For information on Contemporary LSAT prep, call:
PRM 28m95
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