panel on (iF'Vs I’olanski’s season) (ilasgow; ('rF'I‘
o A Chorus Line (PU) (Richard Attenborough. I 'S. 1985) Michael Douglas. Alyson Reed. 'I'errence Mann. 118 mins. Sixteen dancers reyeal their innermost secrets and fears todirecttir—chorcographer Douglas in a bid to secure one of eight coveted roles in a brand new B roadway musical.
Edinburgh: ()deon. (ilasgow; ()deon.
o Cocoon t P( i) (Ron I Ioward. t‘S. 1985) Don Arneche. Jessica Iandy'. Jack (iilford. 11“ mins. Iingaging science-fiction fantasy set among a retirement community in Florida. Dapper charmer Don Arneche has rcceiy'ed a Well-descryetl Oscar nomination forhis contribution. (ilas‘gow; (‘inerna
o The Cotton Club ( 15) (I’rancis Coppola. IS. 1985) Richard ( icre. (iregory l lines. Bob l loskins. IZS mins. Moyie stars. molls and murderers interact in this cxpensiyc and loying recreation ofthe famous clubofthe prohibition. (iere contributesanother lifeless performance but although confined to the sidelines. llines shines (ilasgow ; (irosy'enor
o Cul de Sac t 15) ( Roman Polanski. ['K. 19m») Donald I’leascnce. lirancoisc Dorleac. lionel Stander. llll mins. A wounded gangster takes refuge in a mansion on a Northurnbrian island. Very strange. yery' bleak comedy by Polanski out of Beckett and lonesco and all the better for it. (ilasgow‘. (il’l
0 Death Wish 3 ( IS) (Michael Winner. IS. 1985) Charles Bronson. Deborah Raffin. Martin Balsam. Ull mins. Bronson‘s ageing Vigilante returns to the happy hunting ground of New York (‘ity to resume his pest control actiy'ities. (‘rime is bustin‘ out all oyer and this time his actions are sanctioned by the police. Settling into a neighourhood terrorised by local gangs he pots a few blacks. hispanics and other expendable ethnicminoritiesto make the streets safe again for clean—liy'ingcitizens.
Michael Winner‘s urban nightmare goes into overtime with this second sequel in which Bronson plays a vicious game ofcowboys and Indians on the streets of l .ondon‘s dockland posing as New York. l’itched at an absurdist comic book leyel the film is merely an excuse for unrelenting mayhem as a catalogue of murders. rapes and lootings proyidc the necessary emotional ammunition for Bronson to call on an ever more preposterous arsenal of mail—order hardware. Slick. sick. redundant Iidinburgh; ()deon. (ilasgow; Cinema. (irosycnor. ()deon. Rio. I.othian; Regal. Strathcly'de; Kelburne. ()deon. Ayr; Rialto.
o Desperately Seeking Susan ( 15) (Susan Seidelman. l'S. 1%5) Rosanna Ar'tiuette. Madonna. Aidan ()uinn. Ill} mins. Delightful feminist fantasy concerning mistaken identity in the Big Apple.
Iidinburgh; I’lay'house (ilas‘gothFl~
o Diaryfor my Children t l’ti) (Marta Meszaros. llungary. l‘)SZ)/..suzsa (‘zinkocL 1H7 mins. Budapest I‘Mo.
FILM LIST
DEUTSCHER BOYS AND GIRLS
l
Today‘s dominant American cinema presents a problem with the treatment ofyoung people on screen. The rising costs of film-making and distribution demands commercial success. and the result is a constant outpouring of formulaic pap. from tits ‘n' ass to stalk ‘n‘ slash. determined to exploit rather than communicate with the teenagers who form a substantial part of the audience. Thanktully however. this is notthe case everywhere. Glasgow‘s Goethe Institut is presenting a special season of work from West Germany concentrating on how film-makers there from the late 7Us onwards have been attempting to accurately and sympathetically represent the lives and problems of German youth.
Forget the synthetic yuppies of St Elmo‘s Fire. for here are portrayals of teenagers that accept them on their own terms and refuse to overdramatise them into artificiality. Class Enemy (directed by Peter Stein. made in 1983. showing Mon 24 Feb) has a group of
a young girl. -ltlll. whose parents are dead. comes to Me with a would—be foster mother. a member of the Stalinist elite Iidinburgh; lidinbtrrgh l’ilm (iuild
o The Falcon and the Snowman ( 15 ) (.lohn Schlesinger. IS. 19%?) 'l'imothy I lulton. Sean I’enn. l’at llingle. 13] mins. fuelled by diycrsc motiy'ations two boy hood friends feed classified information to Soy ict agents. \Vorkrnanlike recreation of true eyenls. (ilasgow‘; (irosyenor
0 Female Trouble (Are you kidding .’r (John \Vater‘s. I‘S. lllim) Diy‘inc. 95 mins. Diyine stars as an innocent schoolgirl on the road to ruin. ln Americaaudiences were warned that the film included “scenes of extraorindary' pery'ersity which may be seen as morally and sexually offensiye‘. See it. if you think you're sick enough to take it. lidinburgh; Ijl' I’ilmsoc (NB for legal reasons. only Members may be admitted to the performance ).
0 La Femme en Bleu (Michel Dcyillc. lirancc. W72) Michel I’iccoli. lea Massari. llll mins. A man meets a woman in blue. A half-allegorical. half-realistic film from the director of the forthcoming ( ireenaw ay -like
1981. Fri 28 Feb) the protagonist
16—18 year-olds who barricade themselvesintotheirclassroom and then eachtake aturn atbeing ‘ieacher'. which sounds asthough iitooialls into thistrap but. in fact. allows the participants a chance at self-expressionthey would not normally be given. Night Of the Wolves (Rudiger fluchtern. 1982. Wed 26 Feb) isasimilar exploration ofgroup interactionfocusing onthctensions betweena gangofBavarian rockers and a rival gang ofTurks. whichtrieslo understandthe overbearing statement otselfwhich produces racialhatred. Otherfilms inthe series zero inonthe years of adolescence as the time when we begin to break away from parents to discovera sense ofourselves. ASlt Something Easier (Haro Sentt.1979. thus 27 Feb) is a documentary with two “l4year-oldsgirls expressing themselves, muchtotheirparenis‘ distaste. through clothes and music. In Joseph's Daughter(Gustav Ehmck.
. ‘ v: . Death in a lr‘etrch ( iar'tlen. t ilasgow; I’rcnch ( inc—t 'lub
6 Fox and His Friends ( is) l Rainer \‘y'cr‘ner‘ l’trssbirrtler'. \‘y'cst ( icr'rrtany. 1"“) R. \V. I’Lrssbinder'. I: 1 mins. A poor young homosc\tr;rl w ho has won a lottery is exploited by his lllliltllc‘w‘lilsslilycr'.
l.dinlttrrgh; l' l' l'ilrrrsoc
a Full Moon in Parisr 15 r 1 line Rohmcr'. l‘r'arrce. I‘M-1) l’ascalc ()gier. 'l cheky' lstrr‘yo. l‘abricc Itrchini. llll mins. A young trainee textile Designer finds her fondness forsocialising catrscs tension betwen lrer‘scll and her ltrgtrbr‘iotrs loycr. lxdinbtrrgh; lzl ‘ l ilrnsoc
o GhostDance ( Ifirtls'cn McMuchl 'ls. l‘liSRl l’ascale ( )gicr. .lactlues Derrida. Robbie ( 'oltrane. lllll mins. A meditation on ghosts, identity and the collapse of industrial society basil around the writings of Derrida. l"tlirrlrtrr'gli:
oThe Glass Celltfi.w'. (ieisscndor'fcr. W ( ier'niany. 1975') Released from prison after fry e years. an architect attempts a reconciliation with his wife. his best friend and an understanding with the real culprit of the crmre for which he w as com ietcd. Based on a l’atr'icia
(TrevorJohnston)
eventuallyleaves home because she can no longersufferherfather‘s domineering and uncaring attitude towards herzwhileTestofStrength (Heidi Genee. 1982. Wed 26 Feb) showsateenagegirl forcedto cope on herown when heralcoholic motheris taken intoasanatorium. lndependenceinthe contextofthe familyisonething. bulgoing italone awayirom homeis quite another. Several tilmsdepictyoungsters struggling lorsurvival on theirown. a struggle which often bringsthem into contact with the law. The End OfThe Rainbow (Uwe Freissner. 1979. Mon 24 Feb) is a compassionate study of an aimless young man shamblingthrough a life ofpetty crime in Berlinto make ends meet. and The Little One (Klaus Lemke. 1981.Thurs 27 Feb)details how an innocentcan bedrawn intoa sloughofcorruption. Thethemeofthe individualvsthe State is morefully developed in The LastYears of Childhood (Norbert Kuckelmann. 1979. Tue25 Feb) based onatrue story ofa 14 year—old boy who. afteryears of corrective establishments and escape attempts. hanged himselfinhis cell. All these films gain from a sensitively handled documentaryfeelwhich engagesthe viewer‘s attention and sympathy. Anintroductoryleciuretothe season will be given by ProfRenate Mohrmann. a film and media specialist fromthe University ofCologne. on Tue 25 Feb at 5pm. For full details of the restoithe programme seethe Listings section. All films are subtitled. and admittance is absolutely and completelyfree. Sounds likea bargain to me. and sounds like anyone who is now or was at anytime a young person mighfdoworsethantotrotalong.
llighsmith noyel, ( ilasgow ; ( ier man (‘inc~t‘hrb
0 La Grandelllusiontl’tir(lean Renoir. l’rancc. lll.i“).leari ( iabin.
l rich \‘on Str'oheim. l’icr‘re I-r'csnay. (1* mins. In a first World War prison camp. three l’r‘enclr officers engagein:rshiftirrgconllictwith theirhar'sh ( ierman commandant. l-dinburgh;
0 La Grand MeaulnesH—(i, Albiccoco. l'ir'artcc. l‘lltfi) Brigitte l'ossey..leanBliisc. lll~1rrrrrrs..\ man deyotes his life to the search for a girl he fell rrr loye with during an encounter in hisyotrth. I drnbrrrgh; french Institute
. The l5) ( Stephen l'l'cili‘s. lil\’. lllh’tllohn l lllf‘l. l'inr Roth. lerence St;rrrrp.‘l(lrrrirts lwohil—rrrerrar‘c sent toSpam tobrrngastrpcr'grass back to l ondorr to face the music. but find their prey in philosophical frame of mind and well prepared for
thceryd. I’dmbrrr'gh; l'llllllltillsc‘
0 International Velvet 1 Pt i) 1 Bryan l-orbcs. l‘lsi. lltfits') lattrrrt I )‘Ncal. Nanette Newman. Anthony Hopkins. llo mins. Adequate sequel to the Will li/al‘eth l'aylor‘ hit with \elyet now a grown woman .rtly isirrg .r niece w hose equestrian skills carry
lhcl rsl .71 l ell o'\lar 25