FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Strike it'i iSergei liisenstein. 't'SSR. 192-4) .‘ylaxim Straukli. (irigori .-\lexandrov. Mikhail (ioiiiorov. 7()iiiins.'l1ie Russian master's debut feature is a searing. epic account of the eternal struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie. in which the hero is the masses: a potent symbol of collectivisni. The editing is superb and the imagery. though crude (the slaughter of innocent workers cut with footage from an abattoir). has a stark beauty which transcends the ugliness it depicts. A rousing celebration of human strength and Russian stoieisiti. (ilasgow: (ii-"l
Take Care Of Your Scarf. Tatjana 4 l5) l/\l\'l Kaurismaki. Finland. I‘M-1H6 mins. ‘Ilie l’iunisli director can be pretty hit or miss.th this is one of his more enjoyable efforts 'l‘wo sombre. uiiconiiiiunicative meii pick tip Rossiaii female hitchhikers on the road to listonia and a claustropliobic. absurd battle of the sexes commences. Shown with 'liim/ [iii/ii/iiikii S/iim- l’ldiiiburgh: l-‘ilmliouse.
THX1138tlSH(ieorgeLucas. l'S. l‘)7()i Robert Duvall. Donald l’leasence. ()5 mins. In a future society. the population is computer-programmed and controlled by drugs. while sex is forbidden. One man however begins to break the rules. l.ucas' debut film is a slice of politicised sci-fi heavily influenced by (ieot'ge ()rw ell. and benefiting from inventive design work lidinhurgh: Cameo.
A Time To Kill ( 15i iJoel Schuiiiachei'. l'S. 199m Matthew .\1cConaughey. Sandra Bullock. Samuel 1. Jackson. H‘) mins. Based on an early John (irisham novel. this hellislily oy er-exteiided courtroom drama wastes its stellar cast on a crass-fuelled ride to cliche city. llot newcomer .\lcCoiiaughey play s the struggling lawyer defending Jackson on a charge of murdering the white racist thugs w ho raped his young daughter: this being the Deep South. the job ain't going to be easy l'ltiniately. it‘s all very pat and patronising. St Andrews: New l’icture House
I \‘i *‘ss .5 s. =
\ ‘\ ‘sc
More Welsh than Irvine: Llyr Evans, Jenny Evans and Rhys Ifans in Twin Town
Total Balalaika Show iP(}i i.-\ki Kaurisiiiaki. Finland. 199-1155 mins. Ctilt hand The Leningrad Cow boy s play- ” large outdoor gig in Helsinki with. chm. the Red Army Chorus. and the result is a hilarious concert film that jtist manages to stop the joke wearing thin. Watch the confusion on the faces of the old Communist guard as they're led through renditions of 'Knocking ()ii Heaven's l)oor'. ‘\'o|ga Boatman' and ‘Delilah'. lidiiiburgli: liilmhouse. Trainspotting ( IS) (Danny Boyle. CK. 1995) liw an Mc(iregor. liwen Breiiiner. Robert Carlyle. Jonny Lee Miller. ()3 mins. John llodge's screenplay perfectly captures the desperate humour of Irvine Welsh's novel. keeping the episodic structure of junkie scenes for the first half. before concentrating more on Renton in London in the later stages. l‘ast and stylish direction. creative soundtrack and acting that's off- tlie-rails excellent. .-\ cinematic blast which also shows a complex — and true 7- understanding of the lure and fatal consequences of drug-taking (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
Twin Town i IS) (Kevin Allen. t’K. 1996i Rhys lfans. l.lyr livans. Dougray Scott. 9‘) mins. 'l‘he quaint ll'rH’ 'l‘lir- lz'ngmc image of Wales is seriously derailed by Allen's anarchic comedy. When their father is refused compensation for a work accident. the badly behaved Lew is twins start an escalation of violence that blows open a drugs deal and leads. ultimately. to mass murder. This darkening plot structure pulls the film away from its farcical early scenes into a brilliant conihiiiatioii of bizarre comedy. nasty brutality and poetic justice. (ilasgow: ABC l-‘ilm Centre. ()deon Quay. Showcase. L'Cl Clydebank. lidinburgh: Cameo. l'Cl. liast Kilbride. l'Cl. Underground ( l5) tlimir Ktisturica. liraiice/ (iermany/llungary'. 1005) .\liki Manoilovic. l.a/ai' Ristovski. Mirjana Jokos ic. 167 mins. A black iiiarketeer cons a cellar ftill of refugees into beliey mg that WW3 still rages overhead. and so becomes a top dog iii the Yugoslav communist regime. Kiisturica's meditation on 50 years of Balkan history is set against a background of national tragedy. but the tone is
emphatically upbeat and one brilliant set- piece follows another. A l’alme l)‘()r- winning celebration of the human spirit. (ilasgow': (ii-'1‘.
Up In Smoke (Lou Adler. US. 1978) Cheech Marin. Tommy Chong. Stacy Keaeh. I I7 mins. 'l’w‘o LA dopeheads attempt to drive a van made entirely out of marijuana back home from Mexico. Shambling festival of drug-related humour. Stirling: Carlton.
Vertigo (l’(il (Alfred Hitchcock. US. IQSS) James Stewart. Kim Novak. Barbara Bel (ieddes. 128 mins. Detective Stewart. a man with a fear of heights. falls in love with a woman who apparently commits suicide. When he meets her double. he becomes obsessed with the possibility that she is still alive. lixtaordinary plotting in this l-litclicock study of romantic mania. with Stew-art memorably cast against type as the distinctly on-the-edge cop. The Bernard Herrmann score is both lush and disturbing. Restored print. lidinhurgh: l‘1lliil10tlsc. Wages of Fear (PG) (llenri-(ieorges Clouzot. l-‘rance. l‘)53) Yves Montand. Charles Vane]. Peter Van liyck. l-H mins. In a sleazy South American shanty tow-n four equally sleazy desperadoes agree to drive a couple of truckloads of nitro-glycerine across the mountains. Bring a sponge to wipe the sweat tip with: this classic suspense vehicle creates buckets of the stuff. A fine sourpuss vision of man's greed married to film-making of unbearable tension. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
Welcome To The Dollhouse ( t 5) (Todd Solondz. US. 1905) Heather :‘ylatarano. Brendan Sexton Jr. Matthew Faber. 87 mins. Heather Matarauo delivers an unforgettable [X‘rformance as Dawn Wiener — a lonely. softly-spoken child subjected to constant abuse at school and virtually ignored at home. 'lhis Sundance (irand Jury Prizewinner presents the world of hiin school as far closer to the bone than the usual sanitised version. probing an inner world of frustration atid anger with scathing humour and understanding. liast Kilbride: Arts Centre.
'iw
“HELEL if- .801 li-UM CA emote/mi L‘E FULL 09' EM UN 01 l , r.
. \ l i .
\J
...,-\.l\/JD\/_l1 lG, .r' U1 ll
iii'fizi‘lbzl/‘l Kill] - VIUUE'IY
f
CLJ VE
WELSH RUSSELL
_ _”l JLY 'l/JSUAL ....,, ... . .....,,.,. .. Pf RE, _ 0 BE, .i-JAUJ. l JED”
CIl/li'fLO'l'l '15 O'SULIJ VII/V - TIME OUT KEEP. DELIVEKS A 3T U1 ll l 11 l G 3E1 ’ " UALJ'J'YAi JD RAGE
la l Y FILM”
MARGARET’S
USEUM.
FILMHOUS I FILM THEATRE STARTS MAY 23RD
STARTS MAY 2ND
EDINBURGH GLASGOW 0131 228 2688 0141 332 8128
36 THE LIST 245 May i99/