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PAGE 12 - The Georgia Bulletin, December 20, 1990
'Havana' Recreates Pre-Castro Milieu
Festival To Celebrate Storytelling
BY GERRI PARE
NEW YORK (CNS) - Politics, desire and greed collide
on the eve of the 1958 Cuban revolution in "Havana"
(Universal).
Weather-beaten gambler Jack Weil (Robert Redford)
arrives in the tense Cuban capital convinced it’s precisely
the right time to set up a high-stakes casino card game.
Mob-backed casino manager Joe Volpi (Alan Arkin) is less
convinced and more concerned that Jack has done a
dangerous favor for the beautiful Bobby Duran (Lena Olin),
wife of a wealthy revolutionary (Raul Julia in an uncredited
role).
When dictator Fulgencio Batista’s military police ferret
off the Durans in the dead of night and the husband is
reported executed, Jack calls in a big marker to get Bobby
released. Although he has saved her life, Bobby remains
wary of the love- struck Jack, knowing that, unlike her, he
cares nothing about social justice.
As the violence in the streets escalates and the secret
police warn Jack to back off from the Duran woman, he
inches closer to getting gangster Meyer Lansky’s approval
for the game of his life. But all bets are off when Bobby
finally returns his love. Jack risks everything to arrange
their safe passage off the island until a last-minute
revelation puts his newfound integrity to the ultimate test.
Director Sydney Pollack uses the love story at the film’s
core to vividly recreate the notorious decadence and
rampant corruption that permeated pre-Castro Havana when
the tourist industry’s hotels, bars and casinos were largely
controlled by U.S. mobsters.
The film flourishes or fades on Redford and Miss Olin’s
chemistry as a couple caught on the crossroads of history.
At first tentative, the two leads gingerly build on their
performances until their romance becomes the stuff of real
drama.
Pollack elicits fine acting from lesser characters as well,
especially Arkin as the ever pragmatic casino boss, Julia
as the idealistic husband and Tomas Milian as the slippery
police head.
Production design and cinematography are top drawer
and the moral decay of the city is so well captured it’s easy
to see why so many Cuban people rejoiced at Batista’s
departure and welcomed Castro.
The movie, however, is too long. Possibly a half hour
could be trimmed to eliminate long-winded scenes that
belabor their point The epilogue, for instance, is
unnecessary and blunts the note of finality and romanticism
on which the story would better end.
Because of restrained sexual innuendo, including a
momentary, shadowy "menage a trois," minor violence and
occasional rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference
classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is R - restricted.
"LOOK WHO’S TALKING TOO"
Mikey (voice of Bruce Willis) is a busy toddler what
BEATRIX POTTER CLASSIC - “The Tailor of Gloucester,” Beatrix
Potter’s classic Christinas tale of mice who come to the aid of the kindly
tailor on Christmas Eve, will air on Great Performances on GPTV,
Channel 8, Dec. 25 at 11 p.m. (CNS photo from PBS)
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center will be
the scene of the two-day Olde Christmas
Storytelling Festival January 4 and 5.
Storytellers from around the Southeast
will come together for the celebration of
the art of storytelling. Included in the
Festival will be music and workshops on
storytelling, a puppeteer presentation and
children’s performances. A selection of
food will be available for sale throughout
the Festival as well as a Booksellers’
Comer.
This year’s featured storyteller will be
Bobby Norfolk of St. Louis. The master
storyteller is a major contributor to the
renaissance of storytelling. Norfolk be
lieves in the “theatre of the mind.”
“All of you have something superior to
television, movies, and VCR’s,” Norfolk
says. “It is between your two ears, some
thing called imagination.”
Norfolk feels that, through storytelling,
the listener gains a better understanding
of language, literature, and an apprecia
tion of many cultures. He will appear in
concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 4.
The Festival begins at 3:30 on Friday
and closes with a second concert at 8
p.m. on Saturday. Callanwolde is located
at 980 Briarcliff Road in Atlanta. For
ticket and other information, call 872-
5338.
with toilet training, a new baby sister (voice of Roseanne
Barr) and his mom (Kirstie Alley) on the outs with his new
dad (John Travolta). There’s virtually no new story to tell
in this silly sequel, so director Amy Heckerling is reduced
to stringing together a lot of adorable baby facial shots until
the grown-ups get their act together. Minor fantasy
violence, sexual references and much bathroom humor. The
U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults.
The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13
— parents are strongly cautioned that some material may
be inappropriate for children under 13.
"THE ROOKIE"
A grizzled detective (Clint Eastwood) determined to
avenge the murder of his partner is hellbent on capturing
the auto thieves responsible (Raul Julia and Sonia Braga)
with or without the help of the new rookie (Charlie Sheen)
assigned to him. As directed by Eastwood, this trite,
formula action film lacks imagination or any interesting
characters and portrays cops as deliberate killers.
Intermittent violence condoning vigilante justice, a
restrained but sordid sex encounter and much rough
language. The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is
O - morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of
America rating is R -
restricted.
"MERMAIDS"
An adolescent girl (Win
ona Ryder), troubled by her
less-than-spiritual attrac
tion to a 26-year-old man
(Michael Schoeffling), is
even more embarrassed by
her flamboyant single mom
(Cher) who has taken up
with the local shoe store
owner (Bob Hoskins). The
contrived and silly storyline
in director Richard Benja
min’s limp comedy mocks
a young girl’s religious
leanings while managing to
make her promiscuous
mom seem hip. Acceptance
of promiscuous and pre
marital sexual relationships.
The U.S. Catholic Confer
ence classification is O -
morally offensive. The
Motion Picture Association
of America rating is PG-13
- parents are strongly
cautioned that some materi
al may be inappropriate for
children under 13.
HAVANA ROMANCE - Robert Redford stars
as a weather-beaten gambler who falls in love
with actress Lena Olin, the wife of an aristocratic
revolutionary, during the 1958 Cuban revolution
in “Havana.” (CNS photo from Universal)
C.S. Lewis Fairy Tale
Gift To Family Viewers
NEW YORK (CNS) - The “Wonder
works Family Movie” returns with anoth
er adventure taken from “The Chronicles
of Namian,” the series of stories about a
fairy tale world spun out of the imagina
tion of Anglican author C.S. Lewis.
This time it’s the tale of a bewitched
prince as told in "The Silver Chair." It will
air Christmas day from 7 to 10 p.m. on
GPTV, Channel 8 and be repeated qt 9
a.m., Friday, Dec. 28.
When two English youngsters, Eustace
(David Thwaites) and Jill (Camilla Power),
go through a seldom-used gate leading out
of their schoolyard, they find themselves
suddenly transported to the magical land
of Narnia.
Aslan (Ronald Pickup), the mystical lion
who oversees Narnia’s welfare, has
summoned them to find King Caspian’s
missing son, Prince Rillan (Richard
Henders). Aslan tells Jill to watch for four
signs that will help them in their search,
though in all the excitement, she has a
great deal of trouble remembering what
she was told.
Serving as their guide is Puddleglum
(Tom Baker), a gloomy, mud-caked
marsh-wiggle who, despite his constant
warnings of disaster, proves a good friend
and resourceful ally through the wrong
turns and tight spots that lie ahead.
Following Aslan’s signs, the three pass
safely through the ruined city of the
ancient giants, only to be imprisoned by
their flesh-eating descendants. In making
good their escape, they enter the under
ground world of the Deep Lands.
Their adventures continue in the
subterranean realm ruled by an evil Queen
(Barbara Kellerman) who plans nothing
less than the destruction of the sunlit
Narnia. Finding the lost prince and
breaking the spell of the silver chair
proves easier than finding their way back
to Aslan.
The BBC production rightly is aimed at
the youngsters, though parents who spend
the time watching with them will not be
bored.
The wonder of the story’s fairy-tale
world is charmingly depicted through an
imaginative use of set design, costuming,
models and masks rather than any
elaborate special effects.
Sustaining the charm of the piece is the
acting, especially that of Baker as the
woeful marsh-wiggle whose dour expecta
tions add a comic refrain to the proceed
ings.
Director Alex Kirby knows enough to
keep the children natural rather than trying
to turn them into cute Hollywood moppets.
And the rest of the cast perform their roles
with the seriousness needed to create
fantasy.
Implicit in this tale of innocence
conquering evil are Christian echoes of
grace overcoming original sin. Those
interested should seek out the Narnia
novels by Lewis.
As public television’s Christmas
offering for family viewers, "The Silver
Chair" is a welcome gift