The Michigan Daily- Friday, October 16,1992- Page 9
Hitchcock's'M'rings true for mystery and suspense
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by Camilo Fontecilla
In his trend of stage adaptations, Alfred
Hitchcock could not overlook Frederick Knott's
play "Dial M for Murder" about the perfect mur-
der. While keeping much of the flavor of live
performance, Hitchcock adds the advantages of
film to create the stuffy tension-filled atmo-
spheres of which he is the indisputable master.
The film itself has an unmistakable British style,
Dial M For Murder
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by
Frederick Knott; with Ray Milland, Grace Kelly
with a great deal of gentlemanly verbal inter-
change between the characters.
"Dial M for Murder" is a classic detective
story, with all of the necessary ingredients. What
makes the film rise above the genre are the con-
stant plot twists. As the seamless murder plan
rips apart, the criminal constantly finds ways to
patch it all up again.
The story revolves around Tony Wendice's
(Ray Milland) vile scheme to rid himself of his
wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), who has been cuck-
olding him with handsome (and American) Mark
Halliday (Robert Cummings). Trouble is, divorce
just isn't enough, especially considering that
Margot's wealth will transfer to Wendice after
her death, as is stated in her will. Since Wendice
wishes to keep his hands clean, he employs the
services of ex-college chum Captain Lesgate
(Anthony Dawson) to do the dirty work, and pre-
sents him with a significant sum in cash and a
seemingly clockwork-like plan. As the story un-
folds, and lies pile upon lies, Inspector Hubbard
(John Williams) appears on the scene.
Wendice is a character with an incredible
knack for social etiquette but who, when alone,
reveals himself to be very psychologically dis-
turbed. This makes him most interesting when he
is not around other people, and Milland portrays
these moments with intensity. Margot is a trans-
parent woman, but she has a classic flair that
immediately catches the eye. Since she doesn't
have any brilliant lines to say, most of her lan-
guage is physical. Her movement changes with
her moods, as she methodically switches from
perky wife to ardent lover. To complete the tri-
angle, there is the inane Mark Halliday, a most
annoying character who is supposed to be a
writer but is more of a journalistic snooper.
This is a play, and there's no getting away
from it. Most of the action inhabits a single
space, the Wendice's sitting room, which sets an
environment of bourgeois contentment. The
camera swings quite conservatively around the
room during most of the movie, but Hitchcock
has his fun during some of the more tense scenes,
playing with light and angle to create a distorted
view of the scenario. He also stages the charac-
No Prokofiev, but,..
We love Russian music. But the
next best thing, however, has got
to be poetry. Joseph Brodsky, who
emigrated to this country from the
former Soviet Union and went on
to win a Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1989, will read his poetry
(which is written in Russian, but
there'll be an English translation)
tonight at Rackham at 8. We
remember his commencent speech
back in 1988, don't you? By the
way, it's free. Call 747-2133.
Nice play, Bill
Theater alert: there's more than
"The Birthday Party" happening on
stage this weekend. Black actors
from the Royal Shakespearean
Company and the National Theatre
of Great Britain will stretch the
limits of the Bard by taking
"Macbeth" to contemporary Africa
at the Michigan Theater tonight at
8 p.m. Don't worry, though, all the
blood and gore has been left intact.
Student tickets are $12.50 at the
door. Call 668-8397.
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Hitchcock has his fun during
some of the more tense
scenes, playing with light and
angle to create a distorted
view of the scenario.
, .
,
- - _ _ . - 1
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ters in such a way that sign language seems to be
almost a second script: fleeting glances and hand
gestures say almost as much as the spoken
words. It's a movie of details, and the more you
notice the more you will like it, because what
makes detective movies so damn entertaining is
being able to follow the intricacies of the plot
and understanding it all at the very end.
DIAL M FOR MURDER is playing Saturday at
the Nat. Sci Aud. 7:00 and 9:00.
The BlRTI4PAY
by Harold inter
"The more acute the
experience, the less
I
Photos reflect Hispanic culture
articulate its expression."
Trueblood Theatre
(located in the Frieze Bldg)
Oct 15-17, 22-24 at 8 PM
Oct 18, 25 at 2 PM
Tickets are $10
Charge by phone: 764-0450
Student seating is $6 with ID'
Tickets on sale at'
the League Ticket Office in
the Michigan League.
by Stacey J. Mayesh
"The temples and gods of Pre Columbian Mexico
are a pile of ruins, but the spirit that breathed life into
that world has not disappeared; it speaks to us in the
hermetic language of myth, legend, forms of social co-
existence, popular art, customs."
- Octavio Paz, poet
It is this spirit that photographer Carole Patterson
and Latin American Literature scholar Margaret Sayers
Peden have brought forth in a brilliant photography ex-
A. .,
Capturing the Spirit: Portraits
of Contemporary Mexican Artists
Ann Arbor Public Library
hibit profiling 40 Mexican and Hispanic artists. The
exhibit, focusing on performance, literary, and visual
arts, emphasizes the fact that although we, in the United
States, are separated from these artists by cultural and
linguistic differences, we can be unified through art.
Patterson's black and white photographs resonate
with a magical, pulsating vitality that mirrors the cre-
ative, colorful lives of the artists. Her highly individual
and simplistic style strikes a primordial chord. The pho-
tographs offer a multifaceted view of Mexican and His-
panic life, from booming metropolis to seaside villages.
For the most part, the inspirations of the artists por-
trayed are derived from Catholicism, government, and
from the inherent problems created by Mexico's tradi-
tion of machismo, or male domination. More abstract
concepts, such as death and the power of myth and
magic influence and play an important role in the lives
of the artists as well. These individuals followed the
paths that had been laid by their ancient heritage and
now strive to bring that tradition back in their art.
The purpose of the exhibit is to increase American
awareness of the rich, unique, Mexican and Hispanic
artistic cultures of which we know far too little about.
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT will be on display at the Ann
Arbor Public Library until October 22.
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U-M SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Department of Theatre and Drama
BOOKS
Continued from page 8
of Carver's style. In his introduction
to this volume, William Stull notes
that John Gardner, Carver's teacher
at Chico State College, told Carver:
"Read all the Faulkner you can get
your hands on, and then read all of
Hemingway to clean the Faulkner
out of your system." The first story,
"Furious Seasons," seems almost
more Faulkner than Carver, and
stands as an example of everything
Carver grew to dislike in fiction.
Two stories later we find "The
Aficionados," a macabre tale told in
the style of Hemingway. Through
the course of the five stories here
you can trace Carver moving closer
to his sparse, straightforward style
of writing.
Carver used his "occasions,"
book reviews and introductions as a
forum for expounding his ideas of
what makes "good" writing, or a:
"good" story. His insights, however,
tend toward the universally acknow-
ledged: "I'm not very interested, fi-
nally, in haphazard revelations, at-
tenuated characters, stories where
method or technique is all - stories
... where nothing much happens, or
where what does happen merely
confirms one's sour view of a world
gone out of control."
"No Heroics, Please" contains no.
fantastic, undiscovered piece of
Carver's, and while it reveals some
of Carver's thoughts on his art, there
is nothing particularly fresh or inter-
esting. Unless you feel strongly
about reading everything Raymond
Carver had to say, this collection is
not for you. If, instead, you're inter-
ested in reading the beautifully
crafted stories upon which Carver
built his reputation, go out and find
"What We Talk About When We
Talk About Love" or "Cathedral."
- Joshua Keidan
U of M DISC GOLF CLUB
Demonstration with
Disc Golf Pole Hole
in Diag
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Oct 17 2pm-3pmaograpyoarceu
and art? Time magazine calls it a "multi-media
Discover Disc Golf enchantment." Newsday calls it "enormously entertamig.
Fall league forming now./G
Also appearing, 1992 RED GROOMS and composer PHILIP GLASS call it a
World Footbagcollaboration. Revellingiwordplay,
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Freestyle Champions. masterpiecesdance
spectacle. A D W A I Y ?NC
aSunday, October 18 t 8pmn T EATERlMU
0 Contact Steve Peck 434-1615
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$In Flight 995-DEAD 'eminArt&neCinema CAL 3366 39
IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL,
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Wednesday, November 4
1:00 - 5:00 pm
Michigan Union
Graduate and Professional School Day
* Recruiters from degree programs in business, liberal arts, science,
social service, communication, public & international affairs will
be available to answer your questions
Compare costs & content of programs across the country
Preconference Highlights:
Conference Briefing Book
" Research participating institutions & their
admission requirements
" October 1 - November 4
Career Planning & Placement
MBA Programs: Preparation & Application
" Demystify the process of preparing for " October 22, 4:10 - 5:00 pm
& applying to MBA programs Career Planning & Placement
It Pays to Go to Graduate School
- TT... - r ,. .. r .4 t..- 4A7 ~-;A. LSt. -')?- ,/.04Ol
Graduate School or Work Experience:
Which Comes First?