ARTS Friday, August 10, 1984 Page 8 The Michigan Daily 'Story' never gets going 4 By Richard Campbell F ANTASY filmmaking has almost regained the respect of serious critics. Not only have millions of eager moviegoers shown their interest in such epics by pouring millions of dollars into the coffers of the major studios, but many gifted directors have recently used the genre in their films. After the cold science-fiction of THX- 1138 and the warm high-school hi-jinx of American Graffiti, George Lucas played out the three-act space saga, Star Wars; Steven Spielberg began with the serio-comic Sugarland Ex- press and thrilling Jaws and turned to the epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the serialized Indiana Jones; Peter Yates, who had given us fast- paced Bullitt and the small-town Breaking Away, lately filmed the other- worldly Krull. Now, Wolfgang Peter- sen, who wowed American audiences with the claustrophobic Das Boot, takes us on a flight of fancy to the faraway land of Fantasia in The Neverending Story. Not surprisingly Petersen is one of Germany's most celebrated directors and has been involved with countless TV and movie productions. The inter- national success of Das Boot, nominated for best director and best screenplay adaptation, certainly proved Petersen's ability to work with actors and draw from them performan- ces of a unique and intense character. Unfortunately little of that ability is demonstrated in The Neverending Story. Not only is the plot fragmented into the most derivative of sections, but the characters never rise out of the or- dinary fantasy fare. Even for those that have never read the book, like myself, there can be no doubt that the literary version is the better of the two, for the film's chief gimmick and most interesting festure concerns the interaction between a novel and the reader's imagination. 4 4 Tami Stronach as the Empress and Barret Oliver as Bastian plan to save the fantasy world of Fantasia from destruction by The Nothing in Wolfgang Petersen's 'The Neverending Story'. The star of the story is a hapless child, Bastian, whose mother recently died. Bastian's dad tries to make up for the loss but can't get over reciting platitudes like, "Get your head out of the clouds," "Put your feet on the ground," to the child. After a brush with some classroom bullies, Bastian retreats to a bookstore where a gruff but loveable store owner allows him to borrow a book titled The Neverending Story. Bastian goes to school, but hides in the attic all day reading the fantasy novel. As Bastian reads, he slowly becomes a part of the story, guiding the action and influencing events with the power of his imagination. It is an interesting idea, but one that is undoubtedly better suited to a reading format. When Bastian is finally completely pulled into the world of Fan- tasia, he is told that his imagination and powers are the same as those of the Bars and Clubs The Blind Pig - Friday night the Fabulous Checkers challenge you to a game of wild dancing and good fun. Saturday night it's rockabilly meets Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts The ist Club Band with the Flying Tigers. Joe's Star Lounge - Steve Nardella and Trio are all set to rock both Friday and Saturday nights. Mr. Flood's Party - Al Hill and the Headlites take you back a bit with strong doses of Motown, '60s Soul, and rock like they played it when Buddy Holly was around, Friday and Satur- day nights. Rick's American Cafe - Friday and Saturday nights both it's a taste of Southern rock with the Skyles Calhoun Band. Theatre American Buffalo - David Hun- sberger directs the David Mamet story about three small-timers who decide to try and strike it big by stealing a valuable coin collection. The play features very strong per- formances by David Bernstein, David Isaacson, and Gregg Henry. Showtime is 8p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Thursday nights at the Performance Network. Tickets are $6 for Friday and Saturday and $5 for Thursday and Sunday with discounts available for students and seniors. For more information call 663-0681. Concerts Ann Arbor Summer Orchestra - Harvey Felder conducts the sym- phony in its final concert of the sum- mer season. Scheduled pieces include the "Oberon" overture of Weber,i. e Cid by Massenet, Mendelssohn's Reformation, and Tchaikovsky's March Slav. The concert begins at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night at Hill Auditorium. Admission is free. Footloose - As part of the Michigan Voice coffeehouse, Ann Arbor's most popular country/bluegrass band plays Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Dominick's. Admission is $3. Auditions Flint Symphony Orchestra - The orchestra is in need of several musicians for the positions of: violinist (3), viola, principal bass, principal oboe, principal horn, 3rd horn, and percussion. Actual auditions will not be held until Sep- tember, but appointments can be made now by calling Chris Schaum- berg at 238-9651. Dance Theater 2 Scholarship - The theater will be awarding the Julie Putnam scholarship to a student taking classes at the studio in the fall. Applications can be turned in at the Studio (711 N. University) through September 4. For more information contact Judith Kahn at 995-4242. people that are reading his story, i.e. the viewer. Of course, when you are watching the film version of the novel, that immediate thematic impact is lost. Yet it is in the relatively unimportant area of creating and maintaining the fantastic world of Fantasia that the film bogs down and grows stale. Fan- tasia is being consumed by The Nothing, a great vortex that is gradually destroying the beautiful lan- ds and odd animals. The one person that can save this land is Atreyu, a fierce warrior, small boy, and alter ego to Bastian. The plot limps onward as Atreyu travels from one place after another meeting unusual but unin- teresting characters. The problem lies not in the standard fantasy plot of the movie, but with the dull manner in which that plot is executed. The acting of the variously costumed and made-up actors seems more suited to children's theater. With broad gestures and gross facial ex- pressions, any subtlety or charac- terization is lost on the close-up world of the silver screen. In addition, the adorable critters that Atreyu meets and Bastian imagines range from the passable to the silly. And finally, the special effects seem to work only half the time. The only actors worth mentioning are Barret Oliver as Bastian and Tami Stronach as the Empress. Oliver manages the naive and open-eyed role of the reader-savior quite nicely, while Stronach, though only ten-years-old, presents a character of impressive maturity and ageless beauty. The music by Giorgio Moroder and Klaus Doldinger includes an acceptable rhythmic epic theme as well as an in- sipid top-40 style bomb based on the title. 4 4 4 4