BACARDI BLACK
INDEX FILM
director Proctor shows considerable skill by creating a heartfelt examination of life as a woman under the volatile regirrre of 80s South Africa. Introduced by Cecilia Moyo. who will talk about the ftrture of South Africa after the elections. Proceeds to Amnesty International. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Geordie (1') (Frank Launder. (K. 1955) Bill Travers. Alastair Sim. Norah Gorsen. 99 mins. Launder and Gilliat‘s comic fable tells of a Scottish weakling who sups his porridge to the extent that. one day. he is able to hurl the hammer at the ()lyrupics. Frill of old-fashioned charm. Followed by ceilidh. with proceeds going to Gorgie City Farm. Edinburgh: St Bride‘s.
I Goldfinger (PG) (Guy Hamilton. 1K. 190-!) Sean Connery. Honor Blackmarr. Gert Frobe. 112 mins. The one with Ptrssy Galore. ()dd Job. Shirley Bassey belting it out. Shirley Eaton covered in gold and a typically over-the—top plot as mad Auric plans to break into Fort Knox. Mtrclr better on the big screen. when it doesn't have to be crammed into the TV frame. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Gunhed ( 12) (Masan llarado. Japan. 1989) Masahiro 'l"akashima. Brenda Bakke. 101 mins. A rip-off ofevery hardware movie going — spot the references to Alienr. Blade Runner. even Transflrrmert and The A-leam — as a group of treasure hunters battle with biodroids on a w ar- torn island somewhere in the futtrre. Alternater dull and confusing. with poor effects and a minimum of story. See Screen Test. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Hal Hartley: Original Visions A day event. with screenings of Hartley's three features — The Unbelievable Truth. Trim! and Simple .llen — introduced by GI’I‘ director Ken Ingles. The writer/director's unique style is open to audience discussion. Sat 30 only. Glasgow: (ii-'1'.
I Hal Hartley Shorts ( l5) (Hal Hartley. LS. 1991) 8-1 mins. In between Trust and Simple Men. Hartley refined his filrrrmaking technique with a trio of shorts. Ambition is stylistically closer to Godard. and rrrore physical than his usual work; ‘l‘heorv ()fxlt‘llit’l'enrt'ltl centres on New York trendy underachievers; and .S'urvivi/rt: Desire tells of a literature teacher‘s love for a pupil. Hartley's dialogue is as idiosyncratic and entertaining as ever. Glasgow: Gi’l‘.
I Hammers Over The Anvil ( 15) (Ann Turner. Australia. 1992) 101 mins. A crippled boy becomes the go-betwcen for turn-of-the-century fanners. one of whom rs Charlotte Rampling. Dull work from the director of ('elia. With Emma Kate Croghan's Dexire ( 1() mins). Australian Film Festival. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse. I Happy Go lovely (1') (Bruce Humberstonc. UK. 1950) David Niven. Vera-Ellen. Cesar Romero. 97 mins. Drab musical redeemed only by local curiousity: an impressario hires a dancer for his Edinbtrrgh Festival show in order to get access to her rich boyfriend's millions. Edinburgh: St Bride's.
I Heaven and Earth (15) (()Irver Stone. IS. 1993) Iliep Thi l.e. Joan Chen. llairrg S. Ngor. Tommy Lee Jones. 141 mins. The third episode in Stone's Vietnam trilogy follows the almost constant suffering of Le Ly Ilayslip. a Vietnamese farrrrer's daughter who is tortured by the US and the Viet Cong. and who moves to America only to undergo further abuse. The acting. cinematography and production design cannot be fatrlted. but Stone's direction is so wearineg over-emphatic in its straining for effect that the result is counter-prtxluctive. Central: MacRobert.
I The Hour Of The Pig ( 15) (Leslie Megahcy. UK/France. 1993) Colin Firth. Ian Holm. Donald Pleasance. 117 mins. A hotshot Parisian lawyer arrives in a medieval French backwater and finds he has to defend a pig on a dubious murder charge. Atmospheric Middle Ages murder mystery that doesn‘t lose its sense of the comic absurd. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Adam Smith. I In The Name or The Father ( 15) (Jim Sheridan. ITS/Eire. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis. Pete Postlethwaite. John Lynch 133 mins. Writer-director Sheridan manipulates the facts concerning the wrongful arrest and eventual acquittal of Gerry Conlon. one of the Guildford Four: but the deep. disturbing truths of this miscarriage ofjustice remain constant. Day— Lewis and Postlethwaite give career-best perfonnances as Gerry and Guiseppe Conlon. the father and son whose relationship provides the emotional core of the movie. Brave. powerful stuff. Glasgow: MGM Sauchichall Street.
I The Joy Luck Club ( 15) (Wayne Wang. LS. 1993) Tsai Chin. Ming-Na Wen. Tamlyn Tomita. 139 mins. Intertwining tales of four Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters which use elements of ethnicity and the immigrant experience to highlight the rrrore universal themes of mother/daughter
relationships. Above all. it is a very Hollywood-
style movie. attempting to manipulate emotions and downplay much of the insight of Amy Tan‘s novel. but it will strike a chord with many in the audience. and not just the women. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Juliet Of The Spirit: ( l 8) (Federico Fellini. ltaly/France/Gemrany. I965) Guilietta Masina. Alba (‘ancellieri. Mario Pisu. 148 mins. A married woman. resigned to life with her dull husband. discovers she can conjure up spirits at a seance. which gives her the confidence to spy on her spouse's extra-marital affairs. Mild female insight from the late Fellini. directing his own wife. with gaudy colour and intriguing fantasy sections. Followed by a talk on Fellini‘s life and work. Glasgow: GI’I'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1993) Sam Neill. Laura Dem. Jeff Goldblum. A group of scientists are invited to give their approval to a theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs. but the giant reptiles are soon running amok. Unsurpassed computer effects ensure that the dinosaurs themselves are terrifyirrgly believable (rnoreso than the PG certificate would suggest). but by the halfway point. it‘s more or less a chase movie with superior technology. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I Kaliromia ( 18) (Dominic Sena. US. 1993) Brad Pitt. Juliette Lewis. David Duchovny. Michelle Forbes. I 18 mins. Take a car. a writer of a thesis. a photographer. a white trash woman- child and a murderous psycho. and put them on a road trip to the sites of various serial killings. The result is not your average serial killer movie. but a tight and stylish character-driven piece that plays with our fascination for killers while delivering some slap-bang gore. Has the potential to do a Dogs. Glasgow: Grosvenor. All I'Cls.
I King Of Comedy (PG) (Martin Scorcese. US 1983) Robert de Niro. Jerry Lewis. Sandra Bernhard. 109 mins. Full-time schrnuck Rupert Pupkin (de Niro) dearly wants to be a successful television entertainer. so he puts together a plan to kidnap glum chat show host Lewis and force his way onto the box. Desperate comic capers. with a bitter edge to de Niro's manic. hilarious and somehow involving performance. Criminally under-rated. this slices to the core of America's cultural emptiness. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I King Of Jazz (U) (J. Murray Anderson. US. 1930) Paul Whiternan. John Boles. Laura La Plante. 95 mins. More swing than jazz. as bandleader Paul Whiteman's revue — including the first film appearance by Bing Crosby — hits the stage with popular songs of the day. Edinburgh: St Bride's.
I let's Hope I Make It Io Speriamo C Ire Me La Car-o (PG) (Lina Wcrtmuller. Italy. 1993) Paolo Villaggio. Isa Danieli. Gigio Morra. 110 mins. A primary school teacher is brought in to restore order to a rundown establishment outside of Naples. Warm and funny stuff from the director who. until this year. was the only woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I little Misunderstandings Piccolo Equivoci (15) (Ricky Tognazzi. Italy. 1989) Sergio (‘astellitto. Lina Sastri. Nancy Brilli. 90 mins. Four men. two women. a whirlpool ofjealousies. moods and truces. Tognazzi's debut is a firmly handled comedy of manners. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I love In limbo (15) (David Elfick. Australia. 1992) 102 mins. A coming-of-age comedy set in the 1950s. who ends up giving his uncle sexual advice. not vice versa. Bounces along to a rhythm 'n' blues soundtrack. With Peter Moyes's Sunday (3 mins). Australian Film Festival. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Mac ( 18) (John 'I'urturro. US. 1992) John Turturro. Michael Badalucco. Katherine Borowitz. 117 mins. After a decade of writing and workshopping. Turturro's directorial debut makes it to the screen as an assured and soundly constructed tribute to the dignity of labour. A young Italian-American sets up a construction firm with his brothers. but is unaware how far his rivals will go to obstruct his endeavours. Each character has his or her own sense of rounded psychological depth. Central: MacRobert.
I The Mad Morrltey (18) (Fernando Trieda. L3K/Spain. 1990) Jeff Goldblum. Miranda Richardson. Daniel Ceccaldi. Dexter Fletcher. Liza Walker. 108 mins. Disturbing psychodrarna develops when Fletcher‘s tyro film director hires nervy Goldblum to write the screenplay for a bizarre project based (ever so loosely) on Peter Pan. The initial atmosphere of sexual intrigue builds gradually to a gripping sensual tension. centring on the director‘s alarmingly alluring teenage sister (Walker). who draws all the main characters into a tightening web of obsession.
fed by bad dreams and fantasies. Glasgow: GFI‘. I mm Mystery (PG) (Woody Allen. US. 1993) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. Alan Alda. 108 mins. When her elderly neighbour dies mysteriously and suddenly. Carol Lipton (Keaton) does some amateur sleuthing along with the New York literary set. Allen returns to the comic formula that first made his name - neat plot. snappy one-liners — making this a much more approachable and enjoyable experience than his more serious work of late. Central: MacRobcrt. I “81'! Best Friend (18) (John Lafia. US. 1993) Ally Sheedy. Lance Henricksen. Fredric Lehne. 90 mins. A TV reporter unwittingly allows an experimental prototype killer dog loose from a top secret animal lab. The filrrt itself is a bit of a hybrid. lurching uncertainly between gratuitous carnage and the occasional attack of doggie-woggie cutesies. The kind of thing you wouldn't inflict on dumb animals. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I Medlterrarreo (15) (Gabriele Salvatores. Italy. 1992) Diego Abatantuono. Claudio Bigagli. Guiseppe Cedema. 90 mins. A group of WW2 Italian sailors find themselves stranded in the Greek village they were supposed to be ransacking. and settle down to an idyllic life with the locals. A tribute to the kinship of the Mediterranean peoples. this 1992 Oscar winner carries sentimentality and knowing humour in equal amounts. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I Menace II Society (18) (Allen and Albert Hughes. US. 1993) Tyrin Tumer. Jada Pinkett. Larenz Tate. 97 mins. A brutal but thoughtful tale of life in Watts. LA. where guns and drugs rule the day. Unlike other recent movies by young Black directors about inner city life. this one concentrates on the criminal element typically dismissed. Superny played and technically brilliant. it’s depressing. disturbing stuff. But it's also the slap in the face we sometimes need. Recommended. Glasgow: Odeon. I Miller‘s Crossing (18) (Joel Coen. US. 1990) Gabriel Byme. Albert Finney. Marcia Gay Harden. John Turturro. Jon Polito. 1.13. Freeman. 115 mins. The Coen Brothers' latest opus is a predictably quirky-but-stylish reworking of genre material — in this case the gangster flick. Set in an unnamed East-coast city in the 1930s. it centres on the falling-out between mob-leader Finney and his right-hand man Byme when both take a shine to the same broad (Harden). Possibly the best. most under-rated film of 1991. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Mother’s Boys (15) (Yves Simoneau. US. 1993) Jamie Lee Curtis. Peter Gallagher. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. 95 mins. Curtis is the nasty mom who abandoned her family a few years back. but now decides she wants to split ex- hubby Gallagher from new girlfriend Whalley- Kilmer. Her secret weapon is the emotional pull she has on her kids. Another twist on the ‘home invasion' scenario. this is stylishly rendered but the plot collapses into laughable farce. See review. General release. I We Dotretflre (12) (Chris Columbus. US. 1993) Robin Williams. Sally Field. Pierce Brosnan. 125 mins. Separated from his wife and kids. out-of-work voice actor Daniel Hillard (Williams) dons make-up and body-padding to become a sexagenarian nanny. Another top- notch comic performance by Williams. who makes the most of his split personality zest without becoming overly sentimental. Hugely enjoyable and well pitched with gags for the whole audience. General release. I m Ado About Hauling (PG) (Kenneth Branagh. UK/US. I993) Denzel Washington. Kenneth Branagh. Emma Thompson. Keanu Reeves. 111 mins. A lusty. lively version of Shakespeare's comedy of love and deceit. set in the sun-drenched Tuscan hills. Barbed witticism fly across the screen as British thesps and American stars acquit themselves with honours. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Med (18) (Mike Leigh. UK. 1993) David Thewlis. Kauin Cartlidge. Lesley Sharp. 126 mins. Johnny. a cynical drifter. wanders around the homeless of London spouting a bitter philosophy. An episodic. bleak. but bitineg funny portrait of 905 Britain that suffers from a few characters who could only exist in a Mike Leigh world. Scenes of sexual violence may be difficult for some audience members to sit through. but the virtuoso performance from Thewlis is one of the best of the year. Strathclyde: Clydebank. I In Visions Glasgow's international festival of film. video and media takes place at three venues — Glasgow Film Theatre. the Centre for Contemporary Arts and Glasgow School of Art. The ‘Intcmational Zeitgeist' screenings mix formats and styles to give a comprehensive sense of the current state of experimental filmmaking. For details of times. see Film Listings.
sponsored by BACARDI BLACK
Programme 1 86 mins. Work from Japan. England. Germany and Hungary. with Scottish contributions by Gillian Steele (Chemicals & Illuminatex). Simon Fildes (.IIisxing The Point Completely). Shaz Kerr and Philip Crean (Dookit) and Emma Davie (My Itchie Feet). GSA. Wed 4. 2pm.
Programme 2 l l 1 mins. Work from the US. Russia. Germany. Norway. Poland and Denmark. with Scotland represented by Deitch's Cearc Agar (’blt. Gl'T Wed 4. 6pm.
Programme 3 98 mins. Belgium. the US. Canada. Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic are represented. with Mike Kelly's Serious Fun and Chris Harrison‘s Pug/ed the Scottish entrants. Also included is Bedford Video Group's ()ur [.iver. (ll-T Wed 4. 8pm. Programme 4 79 mins. Mark Saunders and Siobhan Cleary's The Truth Lies In Rostot‘k uses material filmed in German refugee houses and interviews with neo-nazis and anti-fascists to paint a disturbing portrait of current events. C(‘A. Tlturr .5. Hum.
Programme 5 100 mins. Norway. the 17K. Slovenia and Germany feature in this screening. which also includes Richard and Graeme Campbell‘s (:‘Iroxttlancer. the story of a redundant Scottish steelworker and a political extremist. CCA. Thurs 5. lpm.
Programme 6 91 mins. Two works make up this screening: Cordelia Swann's Out Her! and real- life road movie romance Double Blind by Sophie Calle and Greg Shepherd. ('CA. Thurs 5, 3pm. Programme 7 77 mins. A mixture of animation from Poland. the (K. and Austria. with a strong Scottish input — Helen Comioquoy's A Brie/tile Tide. Roselrill Arts Group's Dangerous Game and John Colin's Cherries. C(‘A. Thurs 5, 5pm. Programme 8 11-) mins. Latvia. the Netherlands. Italy. the L'K. Ireland. and Austria show their wares. with Scottish work from David Oswald (My Burning Bus/r). Slriona McCubbin (Les Anglairer Arrives) and Ann Vance (Intrusion). CF]: Thu/1r 5. 6.30pm.
Programme 9 1 12 mins. Works from former Yugoslavia. the 17K. Austria and the US. with Kevin Cameron (Shoot The Refugees). Gordon Cumming and Andy MacKinnon (7V [.alldy). Richard Crornpton (Bedtime I-‘or Brenda) and Inigo Garrido (The Phone) providing Scottish interest. (ll-T Than 5. 3.30pm.
I High! On Earth ( l5) (Jirn Jarrnusch. US. 1992) Winona Ryder. Beatrice Dalle. Gena Rowlands. Giancarlo Esposito. 129 mins. Los Angeles. New York. Paris. Rome. Helsinki. Five cities. five taxi rides. five chance encounters. The director of Mvrlerjv Train and Down By Law pushes aside narrative and goes instead for visual unifonnity in a claustrophobic setting. Character studies with a mildly philosophical aftertaste. With New York shorts Dervish Machine and Death Train. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Nosferatu The Vampire (Werner Herzog. W.Germany/France. 1979) Klaus Kinski. Lisabella Adjani. Bruno Ganz. 107 mins. Disappointineg turgid remake of the expressionist classic. whose main redeeming feature is the splendid make-up and rnesrnerising presence of Kinski. Central: MacRobert.
I On Deadly Ground ( 18) (Steven Seagal. US. 1993) Steven Seagal. Michael (‘aine. Joan Chen. 110 mins. No longer is the thinking man's Chuck Norris kicking the shit out of low-life scumbags. now he's kicking the shit out of capitalist scurnbags intent on destroying the delicate balance of the eco-system by oil exploration. First-time director Seagal stages the action scenes with great skill. but falls down with the characterisation and speechifying environmentalist tone. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I The Pelican Brier ( 12) (Alan J. Pakula. CS. 1993) Julia Roberts. Denzel Washington. Sam Shepard. 141 mins. Another adaptation of a John (The Firm) Grisharn novel; another over-long. flabby thriller. Law student Roberts finds herself on the run from killers when her speculative brief on the murder of two Supreme Court judges hits a raw nerve. Instantly disposable stuff. with Washington as solid as ever in his beefed-up role. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: MGM. 17(‘1. Borders: Pavilion. Strathclyde: Odeon Hamilton.
I Peter‘s Friends ( 15) (Kenneth Branagh. UK. 1992) Kenneth Branagh. Stephen Fry. Emma Thompson. 102 mins. A decade after their last performance together. a varsity revue team reunite for a New Year break and discover that career security is no match for happy relationships. A highly assured. extremely funny and deceptively touching character drama. whose only fault is that it sends up Branagh's media image a little too knowingly. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Philadelphia ( 12) (Jonathan Dernme. US. 1993) Tom Hanks. Denzel Washington. Jason Robards. 125 mins. A lawyer takes his former
The List 22 April—5 May 1994 33