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TrevorJohnston is your guidethroughthe lortnight‘snewreleases. I ASTERIX AND THE BIG FlGHTlU) Goscinny and Uderzo‘sgraphic Gallic creation celebrates his 30th anniversary with his most spectacularbig screen adventure yet. Gasp asthe plucky little warriortakes on the might ot the invading Roman army. Glasgow Odeonlrom 13 Oct.
ITHE BEAR (PG)Simple tale ol two bears and two hunters, with the audience rootinglirmlylorthelour legged-characters. No expense oringenuityhas been spared to bring out our lurrylriends' hitherto unsuspected acting skills. See leature. Odeons and UCllrom 13 Oct. lJUNlOR LONDON FESTIVAL ON TOUR A varied programme otlive children'smovieslrom aroundthe world (subtitled when necessary) hitstown lorthe hall-termbreak. Including. a bitearly perhaps, ‘Ernest Saves Christmas'. Glasgow Film Theatre 15—21 Oct. ITHECOOK, THETHlEF. HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (18) PeterGreenaway's controversial slant on the revengetragedyhas enoughviolence and squidgy coprophagyto churn eventhe strongest stomach. Dressed by Gaultierand sulteringlor theirart are Michael Gambon. Helen Mirren and Richard Bohringer. Don't miss. Seeleature and review. Edinburgh Filmhouse15-24 Oct.
I HARD TlMES(PG) Portuguese directorJoao Bothelho‘s monochrome dissection olDickens is an inspired lesson in translorminga literary chestnutintoastriking. mysterious. eliptical piece of cinema. Brit Lit Pixtake note. Edinburgh Filmhouse 24 8t 25 Oct.
l HOWTO GET AHEADlN ADVERTISING (15) And indeed literally so. Poorad exec Richard Grantis having sucha hardtime thinking up a campaign lor zitkillerthatthe boil onthe side olhis neck‘turns intoa vehemently Thatcherite second bonce to give him some unscrupulous help. Savage illumbling satire lromtheWithnail team. See review andleature. Glasgow Odeonlrom 20 Oct. Edinburgh Filmhouse 21—28 Oct.
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FILM LIST
Art Attack
The death. eoprophagy. sex and eannibalism in Peter (ireenaw'ay's new lilm has shoeked— audienees and erities alike. but Alan \Voods diseoy'ers a serious— minded and painterly sensibility at work.
Relused entry to the ( )llieial Seleetion at the \eniee l-iilni l’estiyal beeause it w as deemed ‘unsuitable‘. l’etel‘(it'eettayyay'slatest work Ute (rm/t Hie Hire! //r\ ll/lt'tmi/l/t'r /.oi erprompted the l‘lritish lioard ol l'ilm ( ‘lassilieation to anrtouitee that they obleeted to its ‘tone‘. \\ ith Hit a star Riehard liohl'ittget‘. \liehael (iambon. l lelen \lirren and .-\lan lloward as the tour prineipals. (it'eeltaway deset ibes the lilm as ‘a \‘title‘ltt Ltltel erotie ltty e story set it] the kitehenanddimng roomol asmart restaurant. It tells a tale ol ten days
it. .13. aw?” fimhwm‘i .
Director Peter Greenaway (left) with Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren.
ol eating and itot only lood praetieally ey‘erytliing is eatable it not edible in this restaurant.~
’l‘aking a few moments out lrom
post—prodttetion duties. the uniquely talented British direetor who trained and indeed exhibited as a painter. was keen to diseuss the inl‘luenee ol art history on the highly-textured tableaux ol' his own work lor the einema. to the extent ol naming preeisely w'hieh artists inllueneed whielt ol' his lllltts. ('aray'aggio and De la ’l‘our are the presenees behind his breakthrough leature [Ii/1U
/)ruue'/itxrrttm 's ('trrilrtu'l. while Vermeer is erueially' important to the look olfl /,('(/(UI(/ 'l'wo Norm/its. and [Note/ting by .Vurrr/ters bears the imprint ol' l loltnan Hunt and ‘the lzttglish landseape painters iust belore the pre—Raphaelites‘.
'/‘( "/‘l'llll'H/H on the other hand. belongs to the genre ol 'table painting typilied by leonardo's lust
.S'tr/r/rt'r. l‘ran/ l lals and eyen Van
(it )gltis i/‘llt' /)()[(1[(/ [ztllt‘ry .‘
‘.-\ lot ol people find the use ol relerenees irritating and elitist f be eontinues. ‘but l'or rite it enriehes the labrie. Across the whole history" ol- painting. De la l‘raneesea. l’oiissin. l’atil Klee. all sorts ol people are using a Vast eneyelopaedie irtterehange ol a thousand dil lerent diseiplines and ideas in order to
most areas ol eultural aetiy ity w hieh
tnake artelaetswhieh are astonishingly rieh and resonant. l sineerely beliey'e that eittema is best when it reeognises its own artilieiality‘. and least sueeesslul when it pretends to be a w indow on the world. .-\ll those people ehasing realism. it's a eliimera.‘
‘x\etually'. Hie (' Uri/x Hie Htit'l //l\ ll'i/i‘tmtl/ler [.rtl‘t’l'\l;tl'l\ oll with a delight in .laeobeati drama. with its sense ol both titelatteholy and yiolenee. 'lhere‘s a great tise ol the body that belehes and larts and eopulates in the way that l‘len .lohnson bad in his eomedies. yet it draws on \Vebstei ~s Uta/ten or .l-ltti’li and .lohn lord‘s to /’/l\‘ ,s/it'y .t ll'r'Iirrt' as well. like that great moment in lord w here the brother eomes on stage with a bleeding heart on the ettd ol a dagger. [herds a great sense ol brutality that also worksas titetapltor.‘
'( )l eourse. at one leyel. I do not take mysell or my lilms at all seriously. .‘yly lilms are lull ol itotty. w ltieh purports to be a mueli more uniyersal way ol looking at the world, i w entieth eentuiy art. ltoiii llorges to Ktlttdet‘a to you name ll. is lull ol irony .‘
.‘ylt‘ ( ireenaway . it seems is also lull ol erudition. displaying an almost eney‘elopaedie knowledge spanning
.-J