Page 8-Friday, May 21, 1982-The Michigan Daily
Movie magic helps
Martin talkto Bogart

(Continued from Page7)
tant are the people that our hero meets
and the danger he gets into.
This is where our old friends come in.
As Martin tracks down the murderer
of Ward's father, he constantly comes
face to face with the actors and ac-
tresses of the '40s. On a train Martin
sits across from Cary Grant; he visits
James Cagney in prison; and he
whispers to Barbara Stanwyck in a
supermarket.
Martin, director Carl Reiner, and
George Gipe wrote new dialogue for
these scenes and wove them around a
fragmentary plot. Sight gags and jokes
abound as Martin incongruously replies
to his co-stars' remarks.
What the movie lacks in humor it
makes up for in ingenuity. Through the
careful matching of the black and white
originals with the new footage, and
using similar styles, you really believe
that Martin is snubbing Bogart or flir-
ting with Stanwvck.

As far as the acting goes, you can be
sure that the performances of Milland,
Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and
Ingrid Bergman hold up over the years.
Dead Men isn't the funniest movie
ever put together, but it is certainly one
of the more consistently entertaining
films of the summer. There are no
moments of absolute hilarity, because
the humorous actions are played
seriously by the actors. The result is a
steady dose of cinematic fun.
Most of the film moves along at a
brisk enough pace, though there are
moments when you wonder how many
more film clips you are going to see.
But the ending of the movie, liberally
sprinkled with scenes from The Bribe,
beautifully recreates the days when no
country was better than America, no
profession more worthy than private
eye, and no decade better than the '40s.
And like the serials of that era, Rear-
don will be back in another episode next

Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.
JAZZ on the
TERRACE
RON JACKSON
and The People's Creative Ensemble
TONIGHT MAY 21 7-11 pm
U-Club Michigan Union
Outside-on the Patio
SPECIAL PRICES
Happy Hour 4-7 Free Snacks

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