FILM LIST
F—
the brill title song and the cherishable Iinc ‘Does your mother know- you‘re the
The Glass Menagerie (PG) (Paul Newman. US. 1987) Joanne Woodward. John Malkovich. Karen Allen. James Naughton. 134 mins. There have been two previous attempts to bring Tennessee Williams' play to the screen: a muddled 1950 Hollywood version with a miscast Gertrude Lawrence as the mother and a superior 1973 production with Katharine Hepburn leading the fray. Paul Newman witnessed a stage production with his wile Joanne and Karen Allen and grew determined to capture the quality oftheirperlormancesfor posterity. Hence this third attempt to do justice to Williams' poignant figures trapped in a world of make-believe. selfdelusion and inescapable family ties. The result will probably stand as the definitive screen translation.
In a cramped apartment in Depression-era St Louis. the bird-like Amanda Wingfield (Joanne Woodward) will reminisce about the romantic South of her youth at the drop of a hat. She still harbours aspirations that her crippled daughterLaura (Allen) will maintainthe gloriousfamilyfradition of entertaining a vast and varied collection of gentlemen callers. Laura. however. is growing ever remote from the real world as she withdraws into a private realm ofold phonograph records and a collection of fragile glass animals. Her brotherTom (Malkovich) is desperate to break free from the suffocating emotional sfraitjackef that his mother represents and is already restlessly at liberty most evenings with
I‘lSol Sabine .-\/eiiia. I‘aiiny .-\rdaiit. l’rer'i‘e :\l'tIllI. I Illmins. l’ai'is. I‘Db. A world renowned concert violinist'swife embarkson an affair witfi one of her husband's old friends w hreh is to threaten her marriage and conclude in tragic crrcuiiistances. Resriais adapts. most iiiiprobably . a popular irieIodi‘ania ofthe 'I w critics. and turns it riitoa slt'rppcd-dow n almost essential cinema w hose brilliant performances and claustrophobic settings remind one ofthe pow cr'ful work sometimes accoiriplished by Altman. Initially rather cold but finally a iiiesiiierising and rewarding experience. Itdiiiburgh: I'ilmhotlse.
I Midnight Express l lsi l Alan Parker. I'K. l‘lqb') Brad Day is. .lohti l liii‘f. Mike Kelliii. III mins. Dealingecoiioriiically with the truth this is still a riv ctiiig story of the nightmare that befell Ariieriean Billy llayes w hen he was incarcerated in a helliin Turkish tail on a charge of drug-smuggling. Brutal. viscer'ally powerful filmiiiaking that won an ( )scar for()liv er Stone’s script. lidiriburgh: ()deon.
I My Life AS A Dog I I’( i) ( I.asse I lalstrom. Sweden. I985) Anton ( iIan/elius. Manfred Server. Anki l.iden. Illl mins. Wholly captivating rite of passage tale set in Sweden during the l‘)5lls. 'I‘w'elve year-old Ingemar copes w itli his mother's terminal illness and his family's general indifference to his boisterous spiritsby indulging in a high fantasy life. including the pretence that he is a dog. 'l‘errible title. wonderful. unmissable film. (ilasgow : (il’lf
I Notorious ( l’( i l f .-\lfred I litchcock. l 'S. leriH‘ai'y (iraiit. Ingrid Bergman. (‘Iaude Rains. Illl mins. World War II. ('y riical intelligence agent (iraiit enlists playgirl Bergman to help him uncover a Nazi atomic plot in Rio de .Ianeiro. She
14’I‘Iie list I 14 .'\pri| I‘ISS
THE WLASS MENGERIE
.1} J; his alleged visits to the movies. When he invites workmate Jim (Naugbton) to dinner. the experience becomes a catalyst for reality to intrude into this delicately perched nest of fantasy. One of Williams' tender and most acutely autobiographical plays, dealing with his love for a sister lost to mental illness and his own guilty homosexuality, The Glass Menagerie. in this incarnation. has been transferred from one medium to anotherwith skill and perception. The
intelligence of Newman‘s guiding hand i
is evident throughout; in the way in which he respects the language and
poetry of the original text and in finding
a suitable style torthe cinema that neither indulges in an over-elaborate opening out norembalmsthe work in
marries suave plotter Rains and then finds her life in alarming danger. 'I'aut. Ilitchcock classic with a fine Ben I lecht script that effectively blends romance and suspense. Bergman and (irant create movie magic in each other's presence. particulary during what was advertised as ‘the longest kiss in history". lidiiiburgh: I‘IImITUUSC
I No Way Otll ( I 5) ( Roger Donaldson. I‘S. I‘)S7) Kevin ('ostrier. Sean Young. (iene Ilackman. lI~l mins. Resourceful naval hero ('ostncr. now a liaisonofficer' between Secretary of Defense I Iacknian and the ('IA. is asked to lead an investigation into the murder ofa Washington socialite. l lowev er. he knows that I lackmaii was the accidental killer and that the finger ofsuspieion is being falsely pointed towards another man who shared the girl's bed. namely himself. ..
Beautifully paced conspiracy yarn with fine performances all round. Highly recommended. (‘entra|: (’aiinoii.
I NUTS l 18) (Martin Rln. t's. 1987) Barbra Streisand. Richard Dreyfuss. Karl Malden. l I 1 mins. Streisand. out toprove her dramatic worth. is a high-class hooker on a manslaughter charge who must firsb prov e her mental competence to stand trial. ()ld-fashioned courtroom melodrama with an overdone star turn. (ilasgow: ('aiiriori Sauchiehall Street. (‘inema. (irosvenor.
I Platoon ( 15) (()Iiverstoiic. t's. 1986) (‘harlie Sheen. Willerii I)afoe.'l"oni Berenger. Ilemiris. Writer-veteran Stone's multiple ()scar-winner seeks to portray. as vividly as possible. the experience of the ordinary infantryriian on coriibat duty in Vietnam around the turn of 1967 (i8. The result isboth harrowing. convincing and moving. (ilasgow': (‘anrioii ('Iarkstori Road.
aspic. The camerawork is fluid and unobtrusive. the overall tone simple but effective. He provides a sympathetic framework for some outstanding performances. particularly from Malkovich who serves as the after-the-events narrator of the drama. Uncharacteristically persuasive and compelling as the sardonic, sad Tom he gives the best performance of his cinema career and of the film.
Newman, as if to make amends for his own diluted encounters with Williams' work. has uncorked a vintage dramatic wine and had the innate good sense to leave it unadulterated and give it room to breathe. The result is a model of how such potentially painful transitions can be adroitly achieved. (Allan Hunter)
Strathclyde: (‘aniioir
I Ran ( IS) (Akira Kurosawa. Japan-France. 1985 ) 'I‘atsuya Nakadai. Miekollarada. l’etcr. lfilriiiiis. Kurosawa's King Lear is a bleak and despairing vision of mankind rent asunder by division. disuriity . personal vengeances and family feuds that produce no honour. no victors. just victims.
An accomplished fusion of Japanese Iiistory and blood-drenched Shakespearean drama the film grow s more impressiv c with repeated v iew ings. (ilasgow: (ii-'1'.
I River's Edge ( IS) (fun I lunter. l 'S. l‘)Sbl(‘rispiii (ilov er. Keanu Reeves. Dennis l lopper. W mins. .-\ motiveless murder is the catalyst for a moral crisis among a group of teenage buddies.
('hallenging exploration of" alienated youth and their atteriipts to forge a v alue system in a society of numbing moral blankness. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Robocopr 1.s‘) ( I’aul Ver'lioeven. t ".s‘, 1987) Peter Weller. Nancy Allen. Ronny (’ox. Ill} mins. Slick and stomach- cliurningly violent futuristic thriller blending elements of Dirty lliirrv. l-‘rmikwisiein and The Six .‘IIi‘l/imi Dollar Man. When diligent policeman Murphy is shot to pieces by vicious thugs. his remains are mechanically reconstructed into a Iii-tech law enforcement officer but the human desire for revenge still beats beneath his mechanical exterior. (ilasgow; Salon. Central: (‘annorr Strathclyde: ()deoii Ilamiltoii.
I Rock 'n‘ Roll High School ( ISllAlan Arkrush. l'S. I979) I’. .l. Soles. I’airl Bartel. l)a Brudders Raniorie. Ullmiiis. Anarchy and rebellion erupt at Vince Lombardi Iliin School when the Rariiorieseome to town. Hit and miss academic capers watchable for the Brudders hilariously laid-back lifestyle.
Ramones 1". Glasgow: GFI‘.
I The Rocky Horror Picture Show ( 15)Jim Sharriian. UK. 1975) Tim Curry. Susan Sarandon. flit) mins Appealingly perverse cult musical horror spoof. lidiriburgh: ()deoii.
I Roxanne ( PU i (l-‘red Schepisi. US. 1987) Steve Martin. Daryl I lannah. Shelley l)uvall. 107 mins. Witty. tender and charming reworking of ( 'vrumi (1e Bergerac deploying a range ofcomedy techniques as fire chief Martin ofthe enormous proboscis copes with life and lovestruck romance. lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse.
I Sarraounia ( IS) (.‘vtetf l Iondo. France. 1986) Ai KeitaJeari-Roger Milo. lieodor Atkine. 121 mins. Sarraounia is the Queen of the Aznas. trained since childhood in the arts of
herbalism and war. Iler stronghold of
l.iigu comes under increasing attack both from the advancing I‘rench coloriialists but also internally from the limirof Sokoto. Appearing as a vision to rally her own forces and intimidate hereiiemies. the warrior queen is resolute in the defence of her lands and tribes. stressing the need to defend freedorii with vigilance and might.
fligth praised African epic exploriiiga multiplicity of issues arising from colonialism. the protection of indigenous cultures. the role of women. ritual and storytellling in society. Said to be similar in sty Ie to the classic .lapaiiese cinema of Mi/ogushi and Kurosawa. lidinbiirgh: I'IImIftitlSL' I Saturday Night Feveri 18) (John Badham. l'S. I‘V’T') .lohn 'I'ravolta, Karen I.ynri(iorney . Julie Bovasso. I 1‘) mins. Remember the Bee ( icesriiiisic. the white suits. the days w hen .loliii 'l'ravolta w as a promising young talent'.’ Nostalgia rules again with the rev ival of this ratherordinary teen rebellion dance iiiini-classre in w hich an ordinary working-class youth finds the only meaning in his life during his energetic
peregrinatrons on the weekend dance
floor. lidinbui‘gh: (‘ameo
I Snow White and the Seven Dwarfst l “i
(Walt Disney Productions. IS. 1937) Voices: Adriana (aselotti. l larry StockweII. I.ucille l.a \‘erne. S3 iiiins. ()ne of the most enchanting and influential of animated features. ‘llie central character is a riirte w ct but the individualistic dwarfs. memorable songs and superny crafted backdrops and incidents make this an essential cinematic experience. Izdrnburgh; Dominion.
I Someone To Watch Over Met 15)
i (Ridlcy Scott. l'S. l‘lVII'orii Berenger.
Mimi Rogers. I.oriaine Bracco. lllbriiins. See panel. (ilasgow: ()deoii.
I Spellbound i t’( i l ( Alfred l Illelfcrit‘k. l'S. 10-15) Ingrid Bergman. ( iiegoi‘y l’eck. I.eo(i. (‘airoll I I l iiiiiis. Complex. not entirely satisfactory
I lltc‘hcock stispcnser w ifh psychiatrist Bergman coming to the aidof mentally disturbed amnesiac I’cck who ispassiiig himself off as Dr dewaides. It transpires
that he has witnessed a murder. 'l'his isthe
one with the Salvador Dali designed dream sequences. amateur l'i‘eudiari analay sis. lush Miklos Ros/a iiiiisrcaiid particular'y wooden per foi'riiarice from l’eck. Still of interest. ladiiiburgh; I‘Itltnlfottse. I Sfakeouti lSii .IiiIttf Badham. t 's. I‘IS") Richard I)ieyfiiss. l.iiiilio ITSICVL'I. Madeleine Stowe. .'\ltI;tfl ()uinn. lllll mins. Dreyfuss and I-steve/ are two unconventional cops given the task of setting up a stakeoirt on the cx-gir'lfi‘iend of escaped conv iet Union. but romance strikes and the routine assignment becomes more than lust a lob.
Bland. formulaic cop stuff with moral dilemmas. well-iriounted action highlights and a comic dog. .-\
performance of hard-working charisma ’