l
THE MANCHURIAN
: CANDIDATE
The Manchurian Candidate (15) (John Frankenheimer, US, 1962) Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh. 126 mins. Now this is one you should make strenuous efforts to see. Reissued alter twenty-odd years in obscurity is George Axelrod and John Frankenheimer's classic screen version at the brilliant political satire by Richard Condon. In his only convincing screen role Laurence Harvey plays an American soldier hailed as a war hero on his return from Korea, but who, as fellow combatant and latter day intelligence agent Sinatra is soon to discover, has actually been brainwashed by the Communists tor a daring and sinister mission they have in mind. And what
FILM LIST
part does Harvey‘s dominating mother
Angela Lansbury (a truly overwhelming
exercise in megalomania) have to play in the proceedings?
Sinatra brings a hardworking smartness to his role thatdraws the audience in as he warily paces through revelation alter revelation, and Harvey does well to imbue his role as zombie assassin with a painful vulnerability, making realise how a caring human being has been turned into a cold machine. While Lansbury's electric egoism will have fans of Murder She Wrote cowering under their seats, you just have to hand it to Frankenheimer for holding it all together. It damn well works, and surprises in the way that so few pictures do anymore. See it. (TrevorJohnston)
character (ilasgow. (it"l.
I Midnight Hunt )5) ( .‘vtarim iii-est. t'S. l‘lSS) Robert De \iio. ( ~liarles(irodin. Yaphet Kotto. .loliii Ashton. 132 mins. De
.\‘irois charmingandsurpiisingly
straiglitloi'waid as an honest ex-cop turned bounty hunter. crossing the country to brmgci‘ookedaccountant (iiodin back from New York to l..-\ sothat
he can face cliai ges of embez/ling Malia
money the only problem heingtliat the l~Bl. the mob. the cops. and another bounty hunter all want their handsonthe slht‘ect trio.
l-octising on the grow mg friendship between the two leads as they become reliant on each other in their elfoi'tsto escape their purstiers. this is an amiable
buddy movie that'salso.iconsistcntly unpredictable road moy )e. that iust happens to he a qttite smart cop mos ie.
Superior l lollywoodentertainment.very capany sei y ed up and performed. l‘tlllil‘tllglt. ('ameo.
I Moonwalker l l i l (.lei'ry Kramer ck ('olin ("hilyets l ‘S. l‘lSSl Michael .lacksoii.
Seanl eiiiioi). Kellie l’ai'kei'. .loc l’esci.
lllll mins. '1 he .lacko plan for complete world domination continues apace with this ragbag of hits and pieces masquerading as a feature ttlltl. We get some old .ltickstitt l'lye lootttge: an animated section by Jim slur/She ll‘us llasltliled‘. a song called Builder stttt‘t'lngtllt eight year-old .lackson lookalike; and an e\lcl)tled \ lLlL't) lot the track Snumlll
( rmiimit’. which hasour Michael leadiiiga double life as both clean-cut good guy and fedoi a-topped gangster figure.
(‘itticisiii is pointless as the kiddicswill flock to It anyway . bttt there's a lot to dislike about a mo\ ie which sets out to exploit our younger viewers'short attention spans. Spare a thought lorthe unfortunate parents. (ilasgow ; (‘annon ('lai kston Road. ( ~annon Sauchiehall Street. Salon. l-dinburgh: Cannon. Central: ('aledoman. ('annon. Regal. Strathclyde: .'\.\l(‘(‘lydcbank lll. (armor). Rialto.
ll My Life AS A Dog ( l’( i l l l .asse l lalstrom. Sweden. l‘lSS) .-\ttton ( ilatt/elttts. Manfred Server. Anki l.iden. llll mins. Wholly eaptiy aiiiig rite of passage tale set in Sweden during the l‘)5lls. 'l wclve year-old lngeniar copes with hismother's terminal illness and his family ‘s general indifference to his boisterous spirits by indulging in a high fantasy life. including the pretence that he is a dog. 'l'crrihle title. wonderful. unmissable film. lidinburgh: l'illlltltttllSL‘. I The Name of the Rose ( lS ) (Jean-Jacques Annaud. W. Germany France Italy. IUSb) Sean ( 'onnery . l5. \furray Abraham.(’hr'istian Slater. l3l mins. Mary ellous mediey al mystery with the
masterful ('onnery asa Sherlock Holmes-like sleuth on the trail of a murderer in the monastery. A convincing historical atmosphere and a BAl7l‘A
w inning performance from Sean. (ilasgow': (it"l'.
IThe Oment is) ( Richard Donner . t 's‘. l‘)"t))(ii‘e'gr)i'y l’eck. lee Remick. David Warner. lllmins. the young son of the American Ambassador to Britain and his wife turnsout to be the .-\ntichrist in this effective and gory horror piece that w as popular enough to spawn a stteL‘eSstottUt sequels. .lerry (ioldsmith‘sOscar-winning score certainly helps the mood of tittcasc. Strathclyde: .'\.\t(‘(‘lydebank til.
I Once Upon A Time In The Westt )5) (Sergio Leone. [8. NOS) llenry l'itittda. (’liarlcs Bronson. (‘laudia ( 'ai'dinale. .lason Robards. lb5 mins. l’rohably Leone's best film. this classic w ester i) details in operatic fashion the this e of crooked railroad magnate l-onda tocheat w'idow' (‘ardinale out of her land. until lone stranger Bronson comes to town that is. Brilliant .‘Vtori'icone score. acliingly slow pacing. and an enthusiastic use of the w ide screen mark this out as an
idiosy ncratic gem. ladiiihuigh: ('ameo.
I The Perverse Comedies of George Kuchar While Russ Meyer and .loliii Waters remain the most w idely recognised icons of trash cinema. the BH has put together two programmes of short films by the New Yorker ( ieorge Kuchar. who as yet has received scant attention on these shores. lilitllletl [IN/(1310 lt'III/t’ I'm .\rl/u'r/tlte season ollei‘s iis a glimpse at the determinedly low budget comictmiyerse this weird talent constructs from the flotsam and jetsam of Aiiierica‘s consumer culture. (ilasgow : ( il'I‘.
I The Princess Bride ( t’( i i ( Rob Reine r. l'S. l‘)S7l (’ary lilwes. RobinWright. Mandy l’atinkin. Billy ('rystal. ‘Nniins. The princess in question is one Buttercup. chosen by the nasty l’rince l liiriiperdmek to be his bride; her heart. liowey er_ belongs to Westley . a farm boy w ho has gone off to make his fortune before marrying her. but has disappeared. the princess is kidnapped by a rather dodgy trio. which proves to he the cue forthe re-appearance of Westley. now become the Dread Pirate Roberts. and the beginning of a series of often \ ei‘y funny swashbuckling adventures before true love can finally prevail.
William (ioldman's lieayily ironic. tongue-in-cheek fairy tale is giy en a spirited treatment by the director of Siam! By Me and an enthusiastic troupe. Edinburgh: (‘ameo. l-‘ilmhouse.
I Raiders Of The Lost Ark t t’( i ) ( Steven Spielberg. lTS. 19S] ) Harrison Ford. Karen Allen. I 15 mins. l-ord plays adventuring archeologist Indiana Jones
who almost bites off more than he can chew when he turns up the Ark ofthe (‘ovenant in Nazi-infested wartime Iigypt. Return to the breathless excitement ot'the Saturday morning serial with this rollercoaster of a movie. 'I'ongue held very firmly in cheek. lidinburgh: (‘ameo.
I Ring 0t Bright Water ( l’( 5) (.lack ( ~ouffer. t'K. l‘)()‘)) Bill Travers. Virginia McKenna. 107 mins. .‘ylodest storyofone man and his otter. l’erfcct.crediblc filming of a heartwarming animal story . A treat for adults and children alike. with lovely wildlife photography. lidinbur'gh; National .‘yliiseum Of Scotland.
I Robocop ( IS) ( l’aul Verhoey en. t 'S. 19S?) l’eter Weller. Nancy Allen. Ronny (ox. Ill} mins. Slickand stomach-churningly violent futuristic thriller blending elements of Dirty Hurry. l-runkeiisrerli and The Six .tli/limt Dollar Man. When diligent policeman Murphy is shot to pieces by vicious thugs. his remains are mechanically reconstructed into a hi-teeh law enforcement officer but the human desire for revenge still heats beneath his mechanical exterior. lidinburgh: (‘ameo
I Santa Claus: The Movie ( l’(i)(.le2mnot Sware. l’S. 1‘)S5) Dudley Moore..lohn l.ithgow. lllSmins. (‘uddly Dudley and father (7 himself in the same moy ie'.’()ne to entertain the younger viewers. or those w ith a high crassiiess threshold. Strathclyde: A.\l(' (‘lydebank til.
I Scrooged (l’(i) (Richard Donner. L'S. WSS) Bill Murray. Karen Allen. Robert Mitchum. .lohn l‘orsythc. till mins. Returning in his first comedy role after the mega-successful (i/iosrhusrers. Bill Murray is the local point of thisumpteenth screen version of the Dickens classic. here play ing a miserly television exec determined to exploit the yuletide schedules for all they are worth. but who is shown the error of his ways in time for a cringe-inducing finale demanding peace on earth and goodwill to all men.
Despite lavish effects and a motley constellation of guest stars. this is a formulaic exercise in contemporary comic cynicism whose uneasy sense of vicious humour seems at odds with the spirit ofthe original material. Alistair Sim. where are you now"? (ilasgow: (‘annon Sauchiehall Street. Iidinburgh: Cannon. Dominion. (‘entralz ('aledonian. Cannon. Strathclyde: AMC ('lydebank ll). ('annon. WMR.
I September ( PU) (woody- Allen. US. 1987) Mia Farrow. Dianne Wiest. Sam Waterston. Iilaine Strich. Denholm tiliott. 83 mins. Returning to the more serious drama he earlier attempted with Interiors. Allen now essays an exercise in family conflict and romantic tensions. which is characterised by the kind of
confrontation with the past that marksthe work of Miller and ()'.\'eill. Set entirely in a summer home in Vermont. the narrative concerns Farrow 's attempts to recover from personal crisis by looking for a new relationship in the shape of advertising exec Waterston. but her progress is halted by the latter‘s interest in her best friend Wiest.
As one might expect w ill) this cast. the performances are uniformly excellent. but Allen's writingdoesoccasionally strain for significance. and the film as a whole is simply much too precious. (ilasgow : (il’l'. I She‘s Gotta Have ltt t.s‘) (Spike lee. t '8. NM») 'l‘racy ('amilla .lohns. Redmond llieks. Spike l.ee. S5 mins. Spirited. sympathetic comedy of sextial manners. with a snappy script and a fluid technique that marked an auspicious debut for its young. gifted and black writer director star. lidiriburgh: ('ameo. I Slaughterhouse 5( IS) ((ieorgc Roy Hill. t'S. Ill-’2) Michael Sacks. Ron Liebman. lll~1 mins. liveryinan Billy l’ilgrim hastimc tray elliiig adventures that take him back to his wartime experiences in Dresden. and forward in time to face captivity on a distant planet. Vaguely flat adaptationol the Kurt Vonnegut novel. not that had really but iiist lacking the loopy senseol unpredictability the author iisually tends to bring to his material. Iidmburgh: (‘aineo I Splash ( l’( i l t Roi) llowaid. l'S. l‘lS-l) ’l‘om l lanks. Darryl l lannah. .lohnt‘andy. lll mins. Boy meets mermaid. boy loses mermaid. boy gets mermaid Aniiable comedy w ill) rela\ed pei'loriiiances by the two leads and a few good \ isual gags, Very pleasant. l-.dinburgh: (ameo.
I Stand By Me ( Rob Reiner'. l'S. WSM River Phoenix. Will Wheaton. ( 'orcy l‘eldman. .lerry ()'(‘oimeis. Kcifer Sutherland SS mins. Based on a Stephen King short story . this liliii recallsa childhood adventure for four small—town boys w ho discover the w heieahouts of the corpse of a missing boy . and decide toget there before the local totighs. It's a charming rite de passage which Reinei directs with a sure touch. carefully ey ading sentimentality. l'diiihui'gh: (‘ameo
I Sunsett l5 l l Blake lidwards. l 'S. l‘)SS) Bruce Willis. .laiiies ( iarner. Patricia
1 lodge. Malcolm .\lcl)ow'ell. ill-7 mins. Hollywood. 192‘). Western legend Wyatt liarp ( ( iarner) is hired as a technical adviser on the latest moy ie featuring cowboy screen idol loin .‘ylix (Willis). and before long they are both called into real-life action to soly e a murder mystery that could involve the studio boss.
It‘s a nice idea to bring two different eras of Western heroes together like this. but once lidwards sets tip his initial conceit he givesthcm very little todo togethcrhut plod through a bland my estigation. (iarner is a clear w inner in the charisma stakes. Strathclyde: .-\.\l(‘(‘lydebank It). I Switching Channnels l l’( i it led Koteheff. l'S. WSS) Kathleen 'l’urner. Burt Reynolds. (iltristoplter Reeve. til-l mins. Turner is a hotshot news reporter for a top (’hieago'l'V station. but a little drained by her job she takes a holiday. only to meet Superyuppie sports equipment tycoon Reey e. l'nderstandably newsman ex-hubbie Reynolds. would rather not losehis ex-partner to such a silly ass. and so he contrives to put 'l'urner on the case ofan innocent man about to be given the chair inorder to keep her in town.
Although the stars mug gamely to inject some sort of life into the proceedings. this unnecessary remake of l lecht and .VlacArthur's Hie I’m/i! I’uee can't make up it‘s mind whether it’s a frantic romantic farce or a satire on media cynicism. but with a script so lamentably flat it endsup being not very much of anything at all. (ilasgow: ()deon.
IATaxing Womant IS) (.lu/o ltami. Japan. l‘)S7) NobukoMiyamoto. 'l‘sutomo Yamazaki. 127 mins. This follow-up to the internatioiuil success of
tonic- List :3‘i3'e3e‘i—«Isis'4 12).”) loss)