Surrender (PG) (Jerry Belson, US, 1987) Sally Field, Michael Caine, Steve Guttenberg. 94 mins. Aitertheir less than enthralling union in Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, Sally Field and Michael Caine owed themselves and the public a rematch under more iavourable conditions. Whilst no sparkling gem, Surrender at least provides a more ielicitous show case ior their comiortable chemistry and emerges as a midly diverting old-iashioned romantic comedy.
Caine is bestselling novelist Sean Stein who has sworn off any lurther costly entanglements with the opposite sex alter being stung tor all sorts oi alimony and palimony by a succession oi ex-wives and girliriends. Field is aspiring artist Daisy Morgan whose creativity is suliocating under the demands oi a day job on a paint assembly line and whose relationship with super smooth lawyer Guttenberg is unsatisiactorily servile. The two stars attend a party where the guests are robbed and iorced to strip. Bound naked to each other, intatuation is soon aroused. However, linancial issues cloud the tryst on which they embark; Daine takes impoverishment to test the integrity oi their union, the tirst oi many deceptions and complications en route to a happy-ever-aiter conclusion.
The production notes herald Surrender as a contemporary return to screwball comedy, evoking memories
FILM LIST
SURRENDER
oi Tracy and Hepburn, Hudson and Day and It Happened One Night. Alas, Jerry Belson’s film has neitherthe pace nor precision oi those cherished originals and his commentary on the war between men and women lacks the depth or wit oi say Woody Allen.
Instead, we have a chucklesome helping oi unassuming entertainment
that consistently reveals Belson’s past experience in television situation comedy. Surrenderthereiore relies on iarcical complications, improbable coincidences and smart one-liners as the mainstay oi its largely innocuous humour.
A lightweight, painlessly watchable conieciion, Surrender is considerably enhanced by the hard-working cast. As
Guttenberg generously rises to the thankless demands of the ‘other man' role that Ralph Bellamy once made his exclusive province. Sally Field displays a surprising warmth and appeal as Daisy, a woman described a ‘the worst judge at men since Judas.‘ More relaxed and less mannered than on many previous occasions she clearly does have a flair for comedy. Michael Caine, of course, is a past master at such iluit and invests Stein with a manic, dog-eared charm that is hard to resist. Surrender is eminently forgettable but their skills make its passing the more pleasurable.
(Allan Hunter)
0 She’s Gotta Have it (18) (Spike Lee, US, 1986) Tracy Camilla Johns, Redmond Hicks, Spike Lee. 85 mins. Spirited, sympathetic comedy ofsexual manners with a snappy script and fluid technique that marked an auspicious debut Edinburgh; EUFS
o Sheena Wagstaii Lecture The curator ofthe ICA Comic Iconoclasm exhibition talks about the rational behind her work of examining the impact ofand uses of the comic by 20th-century fine artists. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
0 Shock Treatment (PG) (Jim Sahrman, US, 1981) Jessica Harper, Richard O’Brien, Ruby Wax. 94 mins. Dreary sequel spin-off from the Rocky Horror Picture Show with Brad and Janet trapped in a television game show. Glasgow; Grosvenor
0 Sid and Nancy ( 18) (Alex Cox, UK, 1986) Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman. 110 mins. The story of Sex Pistols bassist and his American girlfriend Nancy Spungen Edinburgh; Cameo
O Sleeper (PG) (Woody Allen, US, 1973) Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck. 88 mins. Frozen in 1973, Woody is awakened two centuries later in this daffy futuristic gagfest that is silly, slapstick and full of visual and verbal gems. Edinburgh; Cameo
0 Some Like It Hot (PG) (Billy Wilder, US, 1959) Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe. 120 mins. Two musicians inadvertently witness the St Valentine’s Day
Massacre and take refuge in Florida with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators. an all-female band. Brilliant, brittle farce with all concerned at a peak in their careers. Glasgow; GET 0 Something Wild (18) (Jonathan Demme, US, 1986) JeffDaniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta. 113 mins. Another yuppie-in-peril Iaff fest to top After Hours and Desperately Seeking Susan with its deft blend of kooky komedy and emotional resonance all floating around in the most eclectically
non-stoppingest soundtrack in years.
Not to be missed. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Song oi the Canary (PG) (YS, 1978) 58 mins. Documentary about the growth of work-related diseases in the US which poses questions about corporate responsibility and the difficultes faced by workers seeking improvements in working conditions. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Stop Making Sense (PG) (Jonathan Demme, US, 1984) 88 mins. Dynamic footage ofTalking Heads in concert from 1983. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Street Smart (18) e (Jerry Schatzberg, US, 1987) Christopher Reeve, Kathy Baker, Mimi Rogers. 97 mins. Unseen at the time ofgoing to press, Schatzberg describes this as dealing with ‘the corruption of an average man . . . how a basically honest person succumbs to the pressure of today's Iife’.
Reeve stars as a journalist who ‘allows himself to be corrupted in the
process of trying to further his career.‘ To be reviewed. Glasgow; Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Lothian; Cannon. Strathclyde; Cannon
0 Superman IV: The Guest ior Peace (PG) (Sidney Furic, UK, 1987) Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman. 90mins. Shoddy, Cheapskate adventure in which the man ofsteel decides to rid the world ofnuclear weapons Strathclyde; Odeon Hamilton.
0 Surrender (PG) e (Jerry Belson, US. 1987) Sally Field, Michael Caine, Steve Guttenberg. 94 mins. See panel. Edinburgh; Cannon. Glasgow; Cannon Sauchiehall Street.
0 Therese (PG) (Alain Cavalier. France, 1986) Catherine Mouchet. 9(1mins.Thérese Martin was a young Carmelite nun who died in 1897 and was declared a saint in 1925. Cavalier’s film won the jury prize at Cannes in 1986 and later swept the board at the French Césars. Far from drowning in cloying religiosity it depicts her life as a fairlv ordinary one. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
o The Three Amigos (PG) (John Landis, US, 1987) Chevy Chase, Steve Martin. Martin Short. 105 mins. Dreadful comedy-musical fiesta turkey with Steve and Co searching for laughs in old Mexico as silent screen stars mistaken for real cowboy heroes. Three amigos who can barely muster a laugh between them. Strathclyde; Odeon Ayr
O Tin Men ( 15) (Barry Levinson. US. 1987) Richard Dreyfuss. Danny De
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Fri 133t2.15pm WHITE OF THE EYE (18)
Mon 16, Tue 17, Wed 18 at2.15pm TOP GUN (15)
Thurs 19, Fri 20 at 2.30pm LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (PG)
Mon 23, Tue 24, Wed 25 at 2.30pm
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (15)
Thurs 26, Fri 27 at 2.30pm BLACK WIDOW (15)
O guru/(1y
77 zllliru‘m
Sun 15 at 2pm
THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN (15)
Sun 22 at 1 .15pm AMADEUS (PG)
O Late flights Fri 13at11.15pm
BIHDY (15) & MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (18)
Sat Mat 1 1.15pm THE DEVILS (18) & LISZTOMANIA (18)
Fri 20 at 1 1 .15pm BANANAS (15) & SLEEPER (15)
Sat21at11.15pm THE EXORCIST (18) & THE EXORCIST 2 (18)
Fri 27at 1 1 .15pm
KING OF COMEDY (15) & OENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (PG)
The List 13 — 26 November 198715
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