Fill INDEX
.ELLM .m-
Fllms screening this fortnight are listed below. with certificate. credits. brief review and venue details. Full-length reviews of selected new releases can he found close to the appropriate entry. Programme details appear in the Listings section which follows. Film Index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I The Addams Family (PG) (Barry Sonnenfeld. US. 1991) Anjeliea Huston. RaulJuiia. Christopher Lloyd. Dan Hedaya. 100 mins. When long-lost Uncle Fester returns from 25 years in the Bermuda Triangle. it disrupts the idyllic lifestyle of the Addams clan. But is this Festera fortune-grabbing imposter? Big budget movie has all of the macabre sense of fun of the TV series and the original New Yorker cartoons. as well as sets and design that any self~respecting ghoulish household would die for. Literally. Central: Regal. Strathciyde: Odeon Ayr.
I The Adventures of Robin Hood (U) (Michael Curtiz. US. 1938) Errol Flynn. Olivia De Havilland. Basil Rathbone. 102 mins. Sparkling. Oscar-winning excitement as Flynn and his merry men fight the evil Prince and the wicked Rathbone to help the poor and capture the hand of the fair De Haviliand. Peerless sword-play and an infectious sense of high spirits. Glasgow: GFT. IAttar Dark. Wammx) (James Foley. US. 1990) Jason Patric. Rachel Ward. Bruce Dem. 114 mins. A faithful film version of the book by cult 505 novelist Jim Thompson. The plot centres on an infernal triangle of passion and deceit. involving an ex-boxer. his devious lover and her side-kick. Foley's intensely physical film is skilfully choreographed throughout. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I American Gigolo ( 18) (Paul Schrader. US. 1980) Richard Gere. Lauren Hutton. Nina Van Pallandt. 117 mins. Archetypal Schrader. exploring the seamier side of the American fast-lane. Gere is perfectly east as the title character. a shallow. Armani-clad stud who provides his clients with infinitely pleasurable sexual satisfaction. but is unable to experience either love or commitment himself. This emotional paralysis changes when he becomes an innocent dupe in a political scandal and reaches out to the beautiful Hutton. Engrossing Brechtian morality play. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Aunt Julia and the Scriplwriter ( 12) (Jon Amiel. US. 1991) Barbara Hershey. Peter Falk. Keanu Reeves. The wierd and erotic world of Maria Vargos Llosa‘s novel is brought to the screen by Scots-born scriptwriter William Boyd and Singing Detective director Jon Amiel. Pedro Carmichael (Falk) comes to local New Orleans radio station WXBU to breathe life into its flagging soap opera. and ends up borrowing from the real romance of aspiring scriptwriter Reeves and his vivacious aunt (Hershey). Glasgow: GFT.
I Bagdad Cate (PG) (Percy Adlon. US/W . Germany. 1988). Marianne Sagebrecht. C.C.H. Pounder. Jack Palance. 108 mins. The wonderful Sagebrecht stars as a redoubtabie German lady who leaves her husband in the middle of the desert and settles down with the folks at a run-down motel. Adlon displays a warm and charming sympathy with the quirks of his oddball but convincing characters. and shapes a beguiling tale from the most basic of materials. Glasgow: GFT.
I Basic lnstinct(18) (Paul Verhoeven. US. 1992) Michael Douglas. Sharon Stone. George Dzundza. Jeanne Tripplehom. 128 mins. On-the-edge 'Frisco cop Nick Curran (Douglas) becomes embroiled with a successful novelist and murder suspect (Stone): she. in turn. treats him to a series of psychological fornications while going along a similar path with his body. Easily the best. ice-pick-sharp thriller for several years. with steamy sex scenes that leave the screen dripping with sweat. See review. General release. I eedknoes and eroomsticts (PG) (Robert Stevenson. US. 1971) Angela Lansbury. David Tomlinson. Roddy McDowall. 117 mins. An apprentice witch and three English kids make their contribution to the war effort via some enjoyable set pieces (the animals‘ football match) and some less than wonderful songs. A chance to piece together the jigsaw segments from years of watching Holiday Disney Time. Edinburgh; St Brides. I La eelle iloiseese (15) (Jacques Rivette. France. 1991 ) Michel Piccoli. Jane Birkin. Emmanuelle Beart. 240 mins. Jaded painter Edouard Frenhofer (a tremendous performance from Piccoli) finds inspiration in a new model . the effects of which spill over to his private life. Rivette‘s absorbing film mirrors the process of
painting — minutely observed details build into a powerful artistic vision. See preview. Glasgow: GFT. I NOIon (15) (Michelangelo Antonioni. UK. 1966) David Hemmings. Vanessa Redgrave. Sarah Miles. 110 mins. A dashing young Swinging Sixties photographer may or may not have captured evidence of a murder on film. Dated but intriguing backgrounds of decadent London are overshadowed by a sensitively evoked exploration of vision and truth in this typically elegiae Antonioni outing. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Blues Brothers (15) (John Landis. US. 1980) John Belushi. Dan Aykroyd. Carrie Fisher. 130 mins. Bloated. overlong anarchic Chicago comedy with the two stars on a mission from God to salvage the imperilled fortunes of an orphanage. Lots of guest stars. musical numbers and automotive destruction in a typical product of over-emphatic contemporary American humour. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. I lookole (15) (Robert iShaye. US. 1991) Chris Young. Keith Coogan. Aeryk Egan. Michael McKean. 87 mins. Retro look at the 505 has an advertising writer reliving the longings of his school years. Teen angst through rose-tinted glasses. this time worn by debut director Robert Shaye. who just happens to be chairman ofNew Line Cinema. The film appeared out of nowhere and looks likely to disappear just as quickly. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Cannon. I Brain Damage (18) (Frank Henenlotter. US. 1987) Rick Herbst. Gordon MacDonald. Jennifer Lowry. 86 mins. Say hello to Elmer. a rather phallic creature who burrows into Brian‘s brain. infusing him with a euphoric (but addictive) liquid. Soon. Brian's feasting on human brains himself. Unsophisticated comedy horror of a boy and his parasite from the man who brought you the tackin superb Basket Case. Edinburgh: Cameo. I erigadoon (PG) (Vincente Minelli. US. 1954) Gene Kelly. Cyd Charisse. Van Johnson. 108 mins. Two yanks on vacation in Scotland discover a sleepy village that comes alive once every hundred years. Rather flat and uninvoiving Minelli musical. especially in comparison with his other Fifties work. with the unconvincing (and unintentionally hilarious) Scots background the main problem. Edinburgh: St Brides. I Cape Fear(18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1991) Robert De Niro. Nick Nolte. Jessica Lange. Juliette Lewis. 127 mins. Scorsese‘s stunning remake of the 1962 original leaves Silence of the Lambs pallid by comparison. De Niro is terrifying as white trash psycho Max Cady. out of prison and stalking the family of the lawyer who suppressed evidence to put him away. Disturbing sexual undertones. centring on 15-year—old Danny (Lewis). make this an even more uncomfortable. but unmissable. top-notch scare-fest. General release. I Casablanca (PG) (Michael Curtiz. US. 1942) Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. 102 mins. You must remember this. . . Bogart being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two lovers. Claude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. a piano-player tinkling that tune . . . A wonderful hill of beans. Edinburgh: St Brides. I Celine And Julie Go Boating (15) (Jacques Rivette. France. 1974) Dominique Labourier. Juliet Berto. Bulle Ogier. Two young women. magician Celine (Berto) and librarian Julie (Labourier) become involved in a repeated drama being played out between a young girl. her widower father and two strange women. Bizarre. allusive masterpiece which works like a cross between Kafka. Lewis Carroll and Borges. and was claimed by critic David Thomson to be ‘the most important film since Citizen Kane‘. Glasgow: GFT. I Cinema Paradiso (PG) (Giuseppe Tornatore. Italy/France. 1988) Phillipe Noiret. Jacques Penin. Salvatore Cascio. 123 mins. Told largely in flashback. the winner of the 1990 Oscar for Best Foreign Film traces young Salvatore's infatuation with his village cinema. and his growing friendship with its projectionist (played to perfection by Noiret). Essentially. it's Tornatore‘s lament for the joyous movie-going experience of his youth and a recognition of the price we pay for our maturity. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. St Brides. I The Commitments ( 15) (Alan Parker. UK. 1991) Robert Arkins. Michael Aherne. Angeline Bali. Maria Doyle. 118 mins. Sod U2 - when would-be manager Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) puts together The Commitments. soul comes to Dublin and the band become the force to really put lrish music on the map. Alan Parker delivers a hilarious. down-to-earth. close-to-home movie. stuffed full of good music and with some relevent social comment to boot. Glasgow: GFT. Strathciyde: Odeon Ayr. I Coupe De Ville ( 15) (Joe Roth. US. 1990) Daniel Stern. Patrick Dempsey. Ayre Gross. Alan Arkin. 98 mins. Three mismatched brothers drive a ‘54 Cadillac from Detroit to Florida fortheir mother's birthday. coming to terms with bruised
egos and dented fenders on the way. if the traditional east to west road movie has been given a 90 degree turn here. so has typical American sentimentalism. Nostalgic comedy in the class of Diner and American Graffiti. Don't miss. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Cross My Heart (Jacques Fansten. France. 1991) Sylvain Copans. Nicholas Parodi. Cecilia Rouaud. 100 mins. in a plot vaguely reminiscent of lain McEwan's novel The Cement Garden . a young French schoolboy lives at home with the body of his dead mother. afraid to tell anyone in case he is sent to an orphanage. Fansten squeezes an odd sense of humour out of the situation. particularly through the group of children who decide to ‘help‘ their friend in his predicament. Glasgow: GFT. I The Damned ( 18) (Luchino Visconti. Italy/W. Germany. 1969) Dirk Bogarde. IngridThulin. Charlotte Rampling. Helmut Berger. 164mins. Visconti‘s massive fresco on the rise of Nazism in 30s Germany virtually defines his later. operatic style. Beautifully composed throughout but very slow-moving. this saga of an industrial dynasty gradually being overwhelmed by its own decadence boasts highly impressive sequences like the Night ofthe Long Knives massacre. but is finally just too languorous for its own good. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Danton (15) (Andrezj Wajda. France. 1982) Gerard Depardieu. Wojciech Pszoniak. Anne Alvaro. Most critics read this treatment ofthe ideological tussles between idealistic Danton (Depardieu) and pragmatic Robespierre (onniak) as analogous to the contemporary conflict in Poland between Lech Walesa and General Jaruzclski. because it certainly makesa very conventional historical piece seem a good deal more exciting. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Dead Again ( 15) (Kenneth Branagh. US. 1991) Kenneth Branagh. Emma Thomson. Andy Garcia. 101 mins. A notable shift away from the Bard for the golden boy of British theatre in his first Hollywood outing. Branagh plays cynical. Los Angeles-based private detective Mike Church. an expert at tracing heirs and missing persons. His latest case involves discovering the identity of a beautiful young woman who has no memory of her own. but relives the nightmaresof a murdered woman. Old-fashioned Hitchcockian thriller. carried offwith much style. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Edinburgh: UCl. I Death in Venice (15) (Luchino Visconti. Italy. 1971) Dirk Bogarde. Bjorn Andressen. Silvano Mangano. 128 mins. Ageing celebrated composer Von Auscenbach (the capable. slightly miscast Bogarde) comes to Venice in the midst ofa creative crisis and becomes infatuated with a beautiful Polish boy who embodies the kindof physical and spiritual purity he‘s been looking for in his work. Highly decorative attempt at the unfilmabie. though the use of Mahler‘s Fifth Symphony is highly affecting. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Deceived(15) (Damian Harris. US. 1991) Goldie Hawn. John Heard. Ashley Peldon. 108 mins. Given the title. it's fairly obviousthat Hawn's sweet and loving hubby (Heard) will turn out to be a raving psycho. and guess what? A suspense-free thriller centring on a happily married art dealer who finds out that her husband and his supposed death in a car crash ain‘t what they seemed to be. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Fife: Glenrothcs. Strathciyde: WMR.A1I UCIs. I Delicatessen (15) (Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Marc Caro. France. 1991) Dominique Pinon. Marie-Laure Dougnac. Jean-Claude Dreyfus. 99 mins. In a sepia wasteland somewhere in the future. a butcher feeds his neighbours with the juicy joints ofhis lodgers. But when former clown Louison (Pinon) arrives and falls for his daughter. an underground vegetarian resistance group come to the rescue. Hilarious blend of bizarre characters. slapstick and comic tension makes for the first true cult item of the Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: Adam Smith. I Dersu Uzala (U) (Akira Kurosawa. Japan/USSR. 1975) Maksim Munzak. Yuri Solomin. 141 mins. Unusual project for Kurosawa. who went to Russia due to lack ofwork in his native country. The film is beautifully shot. especially the eerie Siberian landscapes. but the plot — concerning the meeting between a ‘civilised‘ Russian military captain and a 'primitive‘ Oriental trapper — smacks of simplistic Mosfilm party line. Glasgow: GF’T. I Distant Voices. Si'il Lives ( 15) (Terence Davies UK. 1988) Freda Dowie. Pete Postlethwaite. Angela Walsh. Dean Williams. 85 mins. In the Liverpool of the late Forties and early Fifties. a working class household perseveres through domestic violence. death and marriage. A brilliantly made tribute to the Davies family‘s experience. and a requiem for a way of life now past. by one of the most gifted cinematic artists this country now possesses. Glasgow: GFT. I Do The Right Thing ( 18) (Spike Lee. US. 1989) Spike Lee. Danny Aiello. Ossie Davis. John Turturro. 119 mins. New York‘s deprived Bedford-Stuyvesant district on the hottest day of the summer. and racial tension escalates between
ltalian-Ameriean Sal (Aiello). his two sons and the mainly black local community who make up the bulk of his customers. A forceful exploration of the socio-economic and cultual causes behind white racism. Lee‘s film also operates as a tightly
- controlled multi-character drama. Edinburgh:
Cameo.
I The Doctor ( 15) (Randa Haines. US. 1991) William Hurt. Christine Lahti. Mandy Patinkin. Elizabeth Perkins. 123 mins. A topsurgeon develops throat cancer and is given a taste of his own medicine. Soft but not sickly examination of the bureaucratic insensitivity of the hospital system. coupled with a Total Bastard Becomes Caring Human Being sub-plot. well handled by William Hurt. Edinburgh: Dominion. Fife: Glenrothcs. Strathciyde: UCl East Kilbride.
I The Edge of the World (PG) (Michael Powell. UK. 1937) Niall MacGinnis. John Laurie. Belle Chrystal. 81 mins. Powell‘s first major feature was shot on the wild remote landscape of Foula in the Shetland Isles. Inspired by the evacuation of St Kilda. the narrative charts how the struggle to survive breaks down even the closest of friendships. Powell returned to the project in 1978 to add new footage for a BBC version. but the enterprise only proved that his original material and imagination had stood the test oftime. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Father of the Bride ( PG) (Charles Shyer. US. 1991) Steve Martin. Diane Keaton. Kimberly Williams. Martin Short. 105 mins. Stepping into the shoes worn by Spencer Tracy in the 1950 original. Steve Martin is nauseating asthe over-protective father. unwilling to accept that his baby girl is all grown up. Slushy and barely funny. it‘s another step by Martin along the caringcomic route of Parenthood rather than the inspired madness of his early days. All UCIs.
I Father Serglus (PG) (Yakov Protazanov. USSR. 1918) Russian silent version of the Tolstoy tale ofa handsome officer who avoids temptation
' and corruption by renouncing his wedding plans
and becoming a monk. Less successfully remade recently as NightSun by the Taviani Brothers. Glasgow: GFT.
I FlnalAnaiysis(15) (Phil Joanou. US. 1992) Richard Gere. Kim Basinger. UmaThurman. Eric Roberts. 125 mins. Top psycho-analyst comes into contact with traumatised woman and her attractive sister. Affair follows. her husband dies. psycho-analyst finds himself prime suspect. Hollywood‘s formulaic approach to replicating the Hitchcockian thriller falls flat with a movie that is totally signposted and utterly dumb. Final analysis? It‘s a stiff. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: UCl. Central: Regal.
I Flirting (12) (John Duigan. Australia. 1991) Noah Taylor. Thandie Newton. Nicole Kidman. 100 mins. The second part of writer/director Duigan‘s trilogy. which began with 1987's The Year My Voice Broke. relates the continuinglife of Danny Embling (Taylor). now at a remote Australian boys‘ boarding school. Wonderfully evocative writing and characterisations lift this gem above other. more slushy. tales of first love. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Fly ( 18) (David Cronenberg. US. 1986)]eff Goldblum. Geena Davis. 1le mins. Brilliant reeonceptuaiisation of the camp 1958 classic. with Goldblum highly effective as the scientist whose experiments in teleportation go disastrously wrong. and his wife Davis no less impressive asthe love of his life. Special effects superlativer revolting. tension sustained throughout. Strathciyde: UCl Clydebank.
I The Fly 2 (18) (Chris Walas. US. 1989) Eric Stoltz. Daphne Zuniga. Lee Richardson. 105 mins. Despite the advances in contraception since the original 1958 Fly. insect-man Seth Brundle (1986 model) managed to sire a son before his sticky end. This is the tenuous pretext on which Walas (the man behind the mucus and gore in Cronenberg‘s remake) builds this poor shadow of a sequel. Like father. like son. needless tosay. Strathciyde: UCl Clydebank.
I Frankie and Johnny ( 15) (Garry Marshall. US. 1991) Al Pacino. Michelle Pfeiffer. Hector Elizondo. Kate Nelligan. 117 mins. Despite some feminine resistance. love begins to sizzle between disillusioned waitress Frankie (Pfeiffer) and short order cook Johnny (Pacino). Warm-hearted romance. with side orders of cliche and diner realism. from the man who brought you Pretty Woman. Strathciyde: WMR.
I Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (12) (Jon Avnet. US. 1991) Kathy Bates..lessica Tandy. Mary Stuart Masterson. Mary-Louise Parker. 130 mins. After the local Ku Klux Klan threatens the busy cafe in Whistle Stop. Alabama for serving coloured customers. the female owner and her black handyman find themselves on trial for an unsolved murder. A chronicle of courage and ingenuity that avoids becomingas overwhelmingly heart-warming as one might have feared. Not the most tantalising item on the menu. but a flavoursome little dish nonetheless. Fife: Glenrothcs. New Picture House. Strathciyde: Magnum. WMR.
I Grand Canyon ( 15) (Lawrence Kasdan. US. 1992) Kevin Kline. Mary McDonnell. Steve
28TheList8—21May1992