FILM LIST
The Glenn Miller Story (0) (Anthony Mann, US, 1953) James Stewart, June Allyson, Harry Morgan. 113 mins. Following the successtul relaunch ol the long unseen Hitchcock pmductions, tour ol which starred James Stewart, the same company is now allowing us to reappraise The Glenn Miller Story, one of Stewart’s most Iondly remembered 1950s hits.
Stewart is one 01 the true Hollywood Greats and celebrates his hail century in iiims this year. The hesitant manner and Innate decency ot the man have endeared him to millions whilst the lamed drawl has made the butt oi a thousand lmpressionlsts. The All-American hallmarks oi his screen persona have olten been employed to depict real men; baseball pitcher Monty Stratton, inventor Carbine Williams, pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh and Glenn Miller among them.
Stewart had never met Miller belore embarking on his story in 1953 as he told The List earlier this year, ‘i was just never In the right place at the right time because i was stationed over here in the war when he was doing his BBC broadcasts, but I just never did meet him. His wlie was a tremendous help. First oI all she was against the idea because It wasn't that long a time alter his death. Anthony Mann talked to her as did the people at the studio and I put In my two cents worth. We gave her complete approval oi the script and she became interested and was on the set every day. She was a great help In adding a quality to the story oi the romance, raising a lamlly and the background to the man thinking oi the sound that he’d been looking Ior.’
The 1985 version oi The Glenn Miller Story has been taken trom the original stereo soundtrack and translerred to Dolby and will be projected onto a
Boorman’s latest film concerns itself with the gap between ‘natural’ and ‘civilised’ man. and the destructive effect of modern technology upon the unspoilt environment. The stunning grandeur of the visuals take precedence Over the slightly ropey narrative pace in a serious action movie typical of the director. Edinburgh; Odeon
o The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin, US, 1973) Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair. 121 mins. Genuinely
scary version of the William Peter Blatty bestseller given chilling conviction by a talented cast Glasgow; Grosvenor
o Exorcist 2: The Heretic (18) (John Boorman, US, 1977) Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Linda Blair. 110 mins. Preposterous, unnecessary sequel to the above Glasgow; Grosvenor
0 Fletch (PG) (Michael Ritchie. US, 1985) Chevy Chase, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Tim Matheson. 98 mins. Popular American star Chase finds an ideal character for his smarmy, casually flippant style as I. M. Fletcher, an investigative reporter with a penchant for disguise
IN THE M000
larger ratio screen as originally intended, all to ensure that it’s an experience as tar removed imm television as possible according to Stewart.
The most daunting aspect oi impersonating Miller was undoubtedly the authenticity oi the musical content. ‘I was helped by Joe Yukl, a line trombone player who’d been In Hollywood lor years doing background music Ior pictures. We had a little over two months prior to the picture and I was determined to get It right visually. Oi all the instruments, the trombone is pretty hard to lake completely because oi the slide; every position Is a dilterent note. I wanted to get the correct positions so I wouldn’t have trombone players coming up to me Iorever and ever saying what strange notes I had played. Joe Yukl worked out a thing like a sheet oi music, the notes weren't notes oi music but the position oi the slide. The mouthpiece was completely plugged up so that I couldn't produce a
and a wisecrack for every occasion. In this undistinguished comedy-mystery he uncovers a dope-smuggling ring and unmasks a bigamous businessman with larcenous designs. There is the odd moment ofhilarity but Chase remains an acquired taste. Strathclyde; ABC Greenock.
o The Frog Prince (15) (Brian Gilbert, UK, 1985) Jane Snowden, Alexandre Sterling. 90 mins. An agreeably charming stroll down the pre-permissive streets of first love as English rose Jenny ventures to Paris to study at the Sorbonne and falls head over heels for a Gallic hunk. A nice, old-fashioned romance. Glasgow; ABC
0 The Glenn Miller Story (U) (Anthony Mann, US, 1953) James Stewart, June Allyson, Harry Morgan. 113 mins. See caption review.
Glasgow; ABC. Strathclyde; Ayr, Odeon.
0 The Golem (PG) (Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen, Germany, 1920) Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch. On Friday 15 November the Edinburgh University Film Society are presenting a rare
notel’
With the distance oi time Stewart is now better able to appreciate his own pictures as they head tor the cinemas tor a second or even third release. ‘The Hitchcock Iiims and The Glenn Miller Story were thirty years ago. We always been very sell-critical at work or when a Iilm’s at a rough cut or preview stage. I’m generally miserable. I always just look at myseli and think why did they use this take or why didn’t I talk taster. By the end oi the Illm I’m a wreck. I hadn’t seen The Glenn htiller Story since it opened In the Iiities. Alter I got used to that rather young man with dark brown hair, looking very relaxed and everything, lIound i could just sit back and enjoy the lllm.’
The Glenn Atiller Story can be seen at the Odeon, Ayr on Sunday 11 November, the ABC Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow on 21 liovember and at the Filmhouse, Edinburgh on Sunday 15 December. (Allan Hunter)
opportunity to view this German expressionist classic about a clay monster brought to life by a rabbi to save a group of persecuted Jews. At 65 years of age it’s probably due for retirement but is undoubtedly one of the landmarks of film history
,influencing the entire Frankenstein
series in the 19305 for example and this performance has the added bonus of alive music score‘written and performed by Adrian Johnston who has become something of an expert in this field. The screening is open to the public and tickets can be purchased from Edinburgh University Union Shops price £1.25.
0 The Great American Chase (U) (Chuck Jones, US, 1979) Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Daffy Duck. 97 mins. Bugs hosts a ‘That’s Entertainment‘-style compilation of the very best moments from over twenty Warner Brothers cartoons. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
0 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (PG) (Steven Spielberg, US, 1984) Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Roshan Seth. 117 mins. Only the tiniest bit inferior to its forebear this adventure finds Indy in the Shanghai of 1935 taking on the
might of a thuggee cult. The opening sequence is one of the most purely pleasurable moments of cinema from the 1980s. Strathclyde; Cinema East Kilbride.
0 U1. Force (18) (Tobe Hooper, UK, 1985) Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay. 101 mins. Set in 1986, the arrival of Halley’s Comet is the prelude to an endearineg daffy yarn about vampires from outer space drawing the very lifeforce from our humble planet. Suave scientist Finlay, butch SAS colonel Firth, and telepathic astronaut Railsback are our intrepid heroes
One American wag has already dubbed this wild farrago Plan Ten From Outer Space. Unashamed codswallop it is too, but ridiculously enjoyable all the same. Cult potential considerable.
Strathclyde; ABC Kilmarnock, Ayr, Odeon.
0 Mad Max- Beyond Thunderdome (15) (George Miller and George Ogilvie, Australia, 1985) Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence. 107 mins. Robbed in the desert by a flying scavenger, subdued by Tina Turner in Bartertown, forced into deadly combat with Masterblaster in the Thunderdome arena and hailed as a new messiah by a group of children fresh from the pages of Lord of the Flies Max has every reason to be mad in his third adventure. The action set-pieces are as exhilarating as ever but the directors spend too much time admiring their canvas of a bloated, post-apocalypse society for the comfort of this viewer.
Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC Sauchiehall Street. Strathclyde; Kelburne.
0 Man oi Flowers (18) (Paul Cox, Australia, 1983) Norman Kaye, Alyson Best, Chris Haywood. 91 mins. A solitary middle-aged man collects beautiful objects of art, writes daily missives to his deceased mother and is deeply passionate about flowers. Each week he is visited by a model who performs a striptease to an aria from Lucia di Lammermoor. Is he a harmless eccentric of do more sinister desires lurk hidden in his psyche?
Bizarre Australian shaggy-dog story in the Peeping Tom/Psycho mould served up in the best possible taste. Glasgow; GET 0 Mask (15) (Peter Bogdanovich, US, 1985) Cher, Eric Stolz, Harry Carey Jnr. 120 mins. The true story of California youth Rocky Dennis stricken by a rare bone disease that causes extreme facial disfigurement he is determined to live life to the full and is aided by the strong support of his unconventional biker mother.
A moving drama, similar to The Elephant Man, that tells its story with grace and precision and without an excess of tearjerking. Magnificent performances from the two leads do more than justice to their human counterparts and are front-runners in the forthcoming award beanfeasts. Worth seeing. Edinburgh; ABC 0 Matter oi Heart (U) (Mark
Whitney, US, 1984) 106 mins. A unique film biography ofC. G. Junb
20 The List 15-28 November