8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 7, 1994 Hitchcock's scary 'Birds' still flying after three decades By SCOTT PLAGENHOEF In this the era of dinosaur parks and liquid metal cyborgs, the special effect, of "The Birds" may be too outdated to startle, but that's only because they don't have to - the film has a script. Alfred Hitchcock's classic work, an apocalyptic metaphor about the uninitiated attack by birds on the quiet, little town of Bodega Bay, stands near alone as an intelligent horror film. The Birds Hitchcock presents the basic plot Written by Evan Hunter; directed by - birds attack town - amongst an Wtten byEtaH ute; direted y, odd melodrama in which the confi- Alfred Hitchcock; with Rod Taylor. dent, yet obnoxiously sassy Melanie Tippi Hedren and Jessica Tandy. (Tippi Hedren) follows Mitch with a couple of love birds she bought foAl him from the city to the coastal town of Bodega Bay where he spends his weekends with his jealously protective ma (Jessica Tandy) and repulsive little sister (Veronica Cartwright in an all-time low in child acting). The effectiveness of the film is the inability for the audience to draw any positive conclusions about the reasons behind the birds' eerie attack. The tension between the coyly seductive Melanie, Mitch's former girlfriend, Mitch's ma, the arrival of the outsider Melanie and her love birds - it is all scenery offering few plausible answers to the attack. Hitchcock may consider forces coming down from the sky in an attempt to exterminate a town (this is 1962, the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis) an inevitability which may occut* without just cause. Despite all of the deep layered meanings which can be read into it, the film exists to entertain and stimulate on the surface level as well. The poor quality of some of the effects and the kitsch of some of the characters add to the charm of the film rather than debase it. Melanie hauling ass to Bodega Bay while the love birds lean from side-to- side, Mel's attempts at remaining covert while she boats over to Mitch's house, the attack outside the school, the characters in the diner - they're all corny and they're all fun. The kitsch and the invasion of nature harks back to the nuclear-induced attacks by insects in '50s B-films, substantiating that this is all a metaphor fop the apocalypse with Bodega Bay posing as Armageddon. All the while Hitchcock plants his tongue firmly in his cheek and has fun with the quirks of filmmaking and his mythical town. At first he almost begs you not to take his film too seriously and by the end warns you that you had damn well better. "The Birds" has even been known to make a few people squeamish or at least a little wary of feathered creatures. None of the typical horror show blood-and-guts tactics are used (again this is 1962, no movie ratings yet), but even if Al could, he probably wouldn't and shouldn't. The birds are threatening simply by their sheer presence and this makes the danger accessible. Black birds gathering in an ominous bunch exists every night on Angell Hall (weather permitting) and other places around the country. Hitchcock succeeds in translating a common experience and simple behavior into something eerie and potentially threatening the way only Steven Spielberg in "Jaws" has bested. THE BIRDS is playing today and Tuesday at the Michigan Theater. bA Robert Duvall and Richard Harris bridge the generation gap with "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" -- a touching tale of elderly men. 'Heymngway' cossgenera By SARAH STEWART There are a slew of films dedi- cated to the coming of age, but on the Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Directed by Randa Haines; written by Steve Conrad; with Robert Duvall and Richard Harris. other hand, films about old age are few and far between. Hopefully, 'a widespread accep- tance of "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway," following the comedic lead of "Grumpy Old Men," will not only help reverse this trend but will draw audiences of all ages who as- sume that old folk do nothing but eat, sleep and watch "Murder She Wrote." Admittedly, the two main charac- ters, Walter (Robert Duvall) and Frank (Richard Harris) are not turning som- ersaults around every corner, but they do a darned good job cultivating their brand new friendship. Their evolving relationship, which begins with a chance meeting on a couple of park benches, provides the basis for a sur- prisingly complex film and a realistic contrast to the well-portrayed loneli- ness of their lives away from each other. Although "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" never loses its direc- tion, the plot's main purpose is to reveal the intricacies of Walter, a re- tired Cuban barber, and Frank, a sea- lovin' sailor. The viewer expects Walter and Frank to befriend each other sooner than they do, but this delay teaches us, among other things, that Walter has a boyish crush on his beautiful young waitress, Elaine (Sandra Bullock), and that Frank's son cares only enough to send a "deluxe," double-brimmed baseball cap for his father's 75th birth- day. As the film progresses, the character's develop a bizarre attrac- tiveness; Frank becomes sexy in the same way that E.T. is cute, while it seems absurd that Elaine does not feel as strongly about Walter as he does about her. Similarly, it is impossible not to admire the energy that allows the two to travel six miles on a tandem bicycle to almost reach the long an- ticipated July 4th fireworks; the vi- brancy of these characters consistently follows the trends of the Florida sun above them. Duvall and Harris are proof that the audience's attachment to Walter and Frank is no accident, as they both do a superb job in their respective roles. Although Harris' character is emphasized somewhat more than Duvall's and is naturally more of an attention-getter, it is a tribute to both actors that he never appears to mo- nopolize the screen. Also, Duvall never swerves from the calm intensity that works to pacify the hyper-active tendencies of Frank. In one scene, Walter makes Frank a "respectable gentleman" by giving- him a long due haircut and shave; the result is a touching spectacle that showcases Duvall and Harris as two experienced actors who can create a believable affection between two men. itionga On the other side of the gender line, the women of the film serve as a necessary diversion to the relation- ship between Frank and Walter. Shirley MacLaine gives a steady per- formance as Frank's landlord and surrogate "mother," although the scenes between her and Harris do tend to drag. It is unusual to see her characterized as someone who stays close to the ground as opposed to "out on a limb," which might account for the relative flatness of her perfor- mance. Bullock, as Elaine, is arguably more memorable, responding to Walter's indirect flattery with thecalm embarrassment one would expect, while simultaneously demonstrating a sincere appreciation for his admira- tion. But on a different level, tidbits such as Walter and Frank dancing with two little girls in the park, make "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" a film that blurs the distinction between melancholy and glee and easily bridges the generation gap. Oh, and as for the meaning of the title, just think of it as a mystery that provides extra incentive to see the movie. WRESTLiNG ERNEST HEMINGWAY is playing at the State. SPRING BREAK PANAMA CIY BEACH, FLORIDA *Shell Island Party CruiseO 650' Gulf Beach Frontage Outdoor Swimming Pools 1 Indoor Heated Pool Restaurant, 2 & 3 Room Suites SANDPIPER-BEACON RESERVATIONS 17403 Front Beach Road1 Panama City Beach, FL 32413 *Beach Bonfire Parties Tiki Beach BarNolleyball Sailboats, Jetskis & Parasails Karaoke Beach Party Area Discount Coupons FROM $104 PER WEEK. PER PERSON 4 PERSON OCCUPANCY DUNHAM Continued from page 5 pieces of fabric attached to Dunham's hand. Take Peanut, a purple, furry, one- shoed, green-haired "woozle" who, upon his arrival on stage, declared, "We're in hell!" The colorful, obnox- ious creature proceeded to poke fun at Dunham and members of the audi- ence alike, screaming in his high pitched voice to Dunham, "You can't get a date because, for a living, you play with dolls!" Just as the audience grew attached to Peanut, Dunham introduced Jose, a Jalapeno pepper on a stick, whose on- stage banter with Peanut in Spanish made Dunham, a self-proclaimed non- Spanish speaker (ha, ha) "feel left out." And Dunham introduced his new- est character, Bubba, to a receptive audience. Bubba was a white trash hick from Arkansas who claimed to have met his wife "at a family re- union." With his buck teeth, Dumbo ears, lime green T-shirt and ratty old baseball hat, Bubba was a huge hit. The highlight of the evening on* the crowd monitor was Walter, a bit- ter, cynical old man who has missed his daily bran for the past 10 years and made sure everyone knew it. The au- dience was given an opportunity to take advantage of Walter's biting, sarcastic humor by asking him ques- tions. One audience member asked, "Walter, why are there no blue M & M's?" to which he responded, "It& would be like eating smurf turds." The crowd, obviously familiar with Dunham through appearances on the TV shows ("Hot Country Nights" and "The Tonight Show"), cheered as each dummy made his appearance. Had I asked, I doubt many audience members would have be- lieved that Dunham was doing all the work. "Those guys were hysterical,",, remarked one woman as she left the theater. But this postmodern trip through a multiple personality disor- der certainly put a new twist on stand- up comedy. Seinfeld, there's a blue light special on puppets. Maybe you should check it out. ,eken (set them up in your dorm, apartment, house, car...) I Do^Ieto"r",nta rlt~i o / aFRFF'7 - m" IU I