Newspaper Page Text
plot. The two men (Gregory
10. THE BARB
6Ar-IN6 TO THE AiOVIl
With Steve Warren
Anyone who enjoys
“Mahogany” needs his/her
consciousness raised!
I say this knowing I will offend
any number of my friends who
have already enjoyed it.
If you are firm in the belief that
Diana Ross can do no wrong (she
can!), you may get off on wat j
ching her waltz through a cliched,
antiquated plot in approximately
50 different costumes which she
designed herself.
Her partners. in the waltz are
Billy Dee Williams, Anthony
Perkins and Jean-Pierre Aumont.
Tracy (Diana) grows up in
Chicago, aspiring to become a
designer while doing secretaial
work in a department store,
Perkins, a famous fashion
photographer, “discovers her
and establishes her as a model in
Rome.
Aumont helps her to further
her designing ambitions; but with
success in her grasp, she gives it
up to return to Williams, a
struggling ghetto politician in
Roger Daltrey plas Franz Liszt.
(“With my hair straightened,” he
told me, “I’m a dead ringer.”)
Paul Nicholas is
Richard Wagner, who became
Liszr’s son-in-law.
The film is a series of fantasy
sequences, many of them sexual
and drenched in phallic, sym
bolism. Wagner becomes a
symbol for the rise of German
nationalism; and Liszt, in a drag
sequence, just rises and rises
until he’s sitting astride a 12-foot
cock.
It’s all intentionally
outrageous; but the most
outrageous thing about it is that
they would sell tickets to see it.
“Abduction” is another
outrage, but at least it delievers
what it promises to its intended
audience. It plays like a faintly
fictionalized version of the Patty
Hearst Kidnapping, but is based
on a novel, * ‘ Black Abduction, ’*
which was published a year
before that event.
Sex plays a big part in the
Lonsey Lay • Diana Ross and Anthony Perkins don't make It In
“Mahogany.”
In real life, Williams is quite
the opposite of the character he
plays. Onscreen he says,
“Everything is politics;” off
screen he told me, “politics is
bdllshit.”
He says he sees nothing
chauvinistic about the, ending of
the picture. It seems natural to
him that a woman should give up
her own success to join her man in
his failure. Just another happy
ending, he says, with love
conquering all.
Now That’s bullshit!
“Rooster Cogburn” is as old-
fashion as “Mahogany,” but
doesn’t take itself so seriously.
John Wayne and Katharine
Hepburn are the sole reasons for
file existence of this “True Grit”
sequel. There’s a bunch of bad
guys they chase across the pretty
Oregon scenery; but only, the
scenes of dialouge between
Wayne and Hepburn are of in
terest to anyone but the student
of western clinches.
If you like either or both of the
stars, you’ll have to love them
together. She treats him exactly
as she did Bogie in “The African
Queen,” breaking down his
machismo front and winning his
respect. It’s the most delightful
castration of the year!
One of the. year’s least
delightful abortions is Ken
Russell’s “Lisztomania.”
I suppose anyone who con
ceives of doing the biography of a
19th centrury composer as a rock
musical deserves some sort of
award for audacious ingenuity;
but Russell has long since taken
permanent possion of that
trophy.
Rozakis and David Pendleton)
who kidnap “Patricia” (Judith-
Marie Bergan) rape het'amfsend
a videotape of the incident to her
father (Leif Erickson). Later, to
show her willingness to
cooperate, she virtually rapes
them.
I don’t know how much of this
you’ll see. “Abduction” ran 100
minutes when Variety reviewed
it. They reported it had already
been cut to avoid an “x” rating. I
saw a 90-minute version, but the
local distributor said he planned,
to trim another 10-12 minutes
before showing it in local
theatres. >-
Watch closely if a trailer for
“Abduction” come on..that may
be all that’s left!
GOOD LAY - Sara Kestehnan and
Roger Daltrey do make it in
“Lkizto mania.”
Michael Caine finds a man in his
bed in “Peeper.”
Sexual kindness is treated on a
higher artistic and intellectual
level in “Conduct Unbecoming.”
It’s set almost a century ago
among the British troops
stationed in India. Susannah
York, the widow of a revered
regimental hero accuses James
Faulkner, a brashyoungrecruit, of
assualting her. ..physically, but
not sexually.
With idealistic Michael York
acting as his counsel, Faulkner is
given what starts out as a
kangaroo court-martial. York
decides, that justice is more
important than regimental honor,
and exposes some stmage
goings-on.
The cast includes Stacy Keach,
Treavor Howard, Richard
Attenborough and Christopher
Plummer, which suggests a
drama of a rather high order. It
dosen’t quite live up to ex
pectations, especially in a draggy
denouement; but “Conduct
Unbecoming” is still a fine film.
John Wayne and Katherine
Hepburn show they will have a
giddy-up and go In “Rooster
Cogburn.”
Meger Daltrey In “Ustaaam
“Peeper” doesn’t even come
up to more limited expectations.
It’s another private-eye
comedy-drama set in the forties,
but inferior in every way to
“Farewell, My Lovely,” let alone
“Chinatown.”
Michael Caine is the dectetive
hired to find a girl who had been
given up for adoption as a child.
The search leads him to a wealthy
family (filiped at Harold Lloyd's
estate, the home of most wealthy
families in movies shot in
California) with “twin”
daughters, Natalie Wood and
Kitty Winn.
There’s some flirtation bet
ween Caine and Wood while he
tries to figure out which girl is
what, but you’re sure to stop
casing long before the matter is
resolved.
Next month we’ll have the
advance word on some Christmas
releases.
COLLECTORS
LPs
PRESENTS ONE OF THE NEW SERIES
MIEN ©IF AMIlRilCA
Driving through the Adirondacks, the
sculptor first saw Digger Dan taking a brief
pause from work on a road building crew.
His sweat stained body glistened, and his
bold eyes squinted from the overhead
mountain sun, and in that split second he
knew this laborer must be immortalized as
a tribute to the MEN OF AMERICA.
The essence of rugged male beauty
captured, created and conceived by the
noted American artist Wayne Hampton.
Individually hand cast. Sandstone finish.
About fifteen inches tall. Intricate detail.
Thirty-eight dollars postpaid.
©AM
WAYNES ART
Dept. 401,28 Southeast Ninth St.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316
SHOWS?* SOUNDTRACKS
* PERSONALITIES *
ever Before Release
Ran ncarHiKS if IRBY GARLAND, CARMEN MIRANDA, BETTY 6RABLE, ALICE FAYE aid
MARILYN MONROE; many never before available sbewtiaes. If yea naif It, n« will
lit it! Seed your rapist law! Inquiries - Mail orders welcome.
RECORD CENTER
Mas Wsst Bstfy Grab I* Vivian Lsigh Gloria Swanson Ca ripen Mira
Jans RimsII Kathsrins Hspburn Bstts Davis Marlsns Distrieh Liz Taylor
glamour women of Hollywood
f ' \ ALL SIZES 16" x 2D"
ARTIST RON CLEMONS |f§ $f|| ||
PUBLISHED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE ART SHOW BY FRED MATTES
THESE FINE ART REPRODUCTIONS : WERE PUBLISHED' l>REMATTED THIS TECHNIQUE
ELIMINATES; THE TIME CONSUMING AND COSTLY- PROCjESS OF.,C:ONVENTIONAL;MATT l ^ n
WHILE ENHANCING EACH’PIECE IN A COLOR COORDINATED MANNER. •
REPRODUCTIONS $3.50 + 50< handling PROMPT DEUVERY
THE RECORD CENTER 2581 PIEDMONT RD NE (BROADVIEW PLAZA)