reference cited by Derek Jarman in relation to his own work. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
0 Kiss of the Spiderwoman(15) (G.Hector Babenco. Brazil-US. 1985) William Hurt. Raul Julia. Sonia Braga. 117 mins. See caption review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse
o The Lacemaker( 15) (Claude Goretta. Switzerland-France. 1977) Isabelle lluppert. Yves Beneyton. Florence Giorgetti. 106 mins. l-luppert made her first. striking impression here as naive Parisian teenager Pomme. ()n a seaside holiday in Normandy she meets a young student and falls hopelessly and painfully in love. A graceful and delicate romance that carefully sustains a sensitive mood and avoids the Mills and Boon pitfalls that lurk at every corner. Glasgow:(iFl‘
0 Legend (PG) (Ridley Scott. UK. 1985) Tom Cruise. Mia Sara. Tim Curry. 94 mins. Wildly self-indulgent fairytale in which good and evil clash once more. Pretty pictures help to distract the eye but nothing can stop the mind picking over the bones of a shambolic narrative.
Glasgow; Rio. Strathclyde: Kelbume
o Letterto Brezhnew 15) (Chris Bernard. UK. 1985) Peter Firth. Alfred Molina. Margi Clarke. Alexandra Pigg. 95mins. Lively Liverpudlian comedy-romance in which two ‘scallics‘ paint the town red with a couple of Russian sailors. One girl finds true romance and looks to the Soviet leader fora ticket to permanent happiness. A gritty low-budget triumph of rough charm and ready wit with notable performances. Glasgow: ABC (Sauchichall Street)
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 ofthis viewer.
Edinburgh: Playhouse. Glasgow; Cinema
0 Matter of Heart (U) (Mark Whitney. US. 1984) 106 mins. A unique film biography ofC. G. Jung consisting of rare footage ofthe man himselfcollected together with a fascinating collage of interviews with the men and women who knew him
l
well. Jung comes across as very much
a man apart from the rest. with an intuitive understanding of the psyche
‘ of patients and colleagues.
Edinburgh; Filmhouse
o A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (15) (Woody Allen. US. 1982) Woody Allen. Mia Farrow. Mary Steenburgen. 87 mins. A fanfarronade of partner-swapping.
FILM LIST
PRIZZI’S HONOUR
Prizzi’s Honour (15) (John Huston, US, 1985) Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Anjelica Huston. 129 mins. Throughout his long and erratic career John Huston has shown a preoccupation with individuals driven by a quest for the unobtainable; dreaming their impossible dreams, whether it be the ownership of the Maltese Falcon, the conquest of Moby Dick orthe folie de grandeur exhibited by the soldiers in The Man Who Would Be King. Whilst Prizzi’s Honour speaks in a less grandiloquent manner, the tone is unmistakably Huston’s. Jack
Nicholson’s Malia hit man may be none I , sensuous, over-reaching Irene to the
too bright, and his object of middle-aged bliss through true love mightappearcomparatively mundane, but he is a quintessential Huston
dishonoured his lamin with a double-dealing casino scam in Las Vegas.
Nicholson’s killer instict is blinded by love as he agonises, ‘Do 1 ice her or do I marry her?’ He chooses marriage, a selection that merely compounds his previous errors because no one can
violate the code of the Prizzi family with
impunity, even blood relatives.
First and foremost Prizzi’s Honour is a skiliul black comedy, a Iecund source of sly wit to distinguish the autumn oi a grand master's career. The cast contribute a rogues' gallery of performances from Kathleen Turner‘s
icy malice of Anjelica Huston as her romantic rival and the splendidly
‘ decrepit William Hickey as the
maverick irresistibly drawn to the pot at
the end ofthe rainbow. At a grand family wedding Nicholson spots Irene (Kathleen Turner), an
imperious family Don. Nicholson's own work is a triumph,
' with a padded upper lip his appearance is positively Neanderthal, and with a
alluring woman in a lavender dress. He
is smitten by her charms but midway through the reception she disappears. He subsequently pursues her to Los Angeles where their infatuation blossoms into an unquenchable passion more fulfilling than any he has ever experienced. She claims to be a successful tax consultant and such is his state of enchantment that he is willing to accept her at face value. However, she is far from what she professes to be, in fact she shares his
trade of hired assassin and has already
' _
infidelities and amorous frolics ensues when inventor Allen holds a weekend party at his country estate in turn of the century New York. A delightful. civilised entertainment. underrated on its initial release. Glasgow; GFI‘
0 Missing ( l5) (Constantine Costa
Gavras. US. 198I)Jack Lemmon.
Sissy Spacek. John Shea. 122 mins. Lemmon is the upright. solid businessman. an innocent abroad he is forced into the political upheaval ofa South American coup when his daughter-in-law is left stranded and his liberal son is euphemistically missing. Given the bureaucratic runaround by the American embassy he faces the slowly dawning prospect that his own government not only
brain that operates one heat behind the rest of mankind he appears a cross between a sIow-witted Bugs Bunny and
j a bemused teddy bearwith a low If]. It , is his slowly dawning awareness that i the dead hand ofthe Prizzis shadows
his every move that establishes the film as a tragedy. In his rigidly ordered Mafia world one brief shining moment of uninhibited romance is paid for with a lifetime of empty gestures and emotionless actions. In Huston’s world the end of the rainbow yields only fool’s gold once more. (Allan Hunter)
helped to engineer the bloody takeover but are also responsible for his son‘s disappearance. A sobering. powerful true story with Lemmon exceptional as the initially disapproving parent turned impassioned citizen. bristling with righteous indignation. A must. Glasgow: OFF
0 Mysterious Island (U) (Cy Enfield. UK. 1961) Michael Craig. Joan Greenwood. Herbert Lom. 1()() mins. Escapees from a Confederate prison are blown off-course and land on an uncharted island inhabited by gigantic animals. Well-made fantasy adventure from a two-part Jules Verne novel enhanced by Ray Harryhausen special effects.
Edinburgh; Filmhouse
0 National Lampoon's European Vacation ( 15) (US. Amy Heckerling. 1985) Chevy Chase. Beverly D'Angelo. Eric Idle. 96 mins. To be reviewed.
Edinburgh: Dominion. Glasgow: Cinema. Grosvenor. Rio. Lothian: Regal. Strathclyde; Kelbume. La Scala
o The Official Version ( 15) (Luis Puenzo. Argentina. 1985) Hector Alterio. Norma Aleandro. Guillermo Battaglia. 112 mins. ()ne woman's politicisation amid the ruins of the military regime in Argentina. Cossetted from the realities of life under the generals she is shaken out ofcomplacency by the revelations of a close friend who returns from exile. ller subsequent quest for knowledge has repercussions for every aspect of her life. A tragic personal dilemma is used to make US uncomfortably aware of the ease with which injustice thrives. Compelling. deeply-felt drama. GlasgoszFl'
0 Plenty( 15) (Fred Schepisi. US. 1985) Meryl Streep. Sam Neill. Charles Dance. Sting. 124 mins. See caption review.
Edinburgh; ABC. (ilasgow: ABC (Sauchiehall Street)
0 Police Academy ( 15) (Hugh Wilson. US. l98~1)Steve Guttenberg. Kim Cattrall. Bubba Smith. 96mins. Witless vulgarisatioir ofthe Keystone Kops for the animal 3 House generation. Lothian; ABC (Falkirk)
0 Police Academy 2: Their First Assignmentu’G) (Jerry Paris. US. 1985) Steve Guttenberg. 87 mins. More of the above. although less crude to achieve the lower certificate and even more box-office takings. Police Academy 3 is already in the can. Lothian; ABC (Falkirk)
o The Postman Always Rings Twice (PG) ('l‘ay Garnett. US. 1946) Lana Turner. John Garfield. Cecil Kellaway. 113 mins. Drifter Garfield accepts casual employment at the Twin Oaks gas station and falls for the boss's wife. This fatal attraction spreads like a poison through their systems releasing an ingenious web ofpassion. murder. blackmail and revenge. Film noir with elements of Greek tragedy in this shimmering M-G-M production of the James M. Cain novel. A classic. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
o Prizzi's Honour ( 15) (John Huston. US. 1985) Jack Nicholson. Kathleen Turner. Anjelica Huston. 129 mins. See Caption review.
Edinburgh; ()deon. Glasgow: Odeon
o The Purple Rose of Cairo (PG) (Woody Allen. US. 1985) Mia Farrow. Jeff Daniels. Milo ()‘Shea. Van Johnson. 85 mins. Unhappy waitress Mia Farrow relies on the exotic escapism of Hollywood to survive the grim realities of Depression-ridden America. One day an ardent suitor steps down from the screen and totally transforms her life with a touch of romance. Poignant comedy from the maestro. Edinburgh; Dominion. Glasgow; Salon. Strathclyde; Kelbume o The Rocky Horror Picture Show ( 15)
The List 10 — 23 January 25