FILM LIST

o The Emerald Forest (15) (John Boorman, US, 1985) Powers Boothe, Charley Boorman. 113 mins. The son of an American engineer working in the Amazon is kidnapped by Indians. While his father searches for him, he is brought up by the tribe as one of their own. Glasgow; Grosvenor

0 Favourites of the Moon (15) (Otar Iosseliani, France, 1984) Katia Rupe, Hans Peter Cloos. 102 mins. The life of a 19th century painting at the hands of diverse characters, in

present day Paris, including a

bomb-making genius, a statue-attacking anarchist, and an unpunctual manicurist. Edinburgh; EU Filmsoc

0 File Story (Jacques Desay, France, 1975) Alain Delon, Jean-Louis Trintignant. 110 mins. Based on a

? true story, superintendent Borniche

tracks down public enemy number one, Emile Buisson. Edinburgh; French Institute

0 The Girl In The Picture (15) (Cary Parker, UK, 1986) John Gordon Sinclair, Irina Brook, Rikki Fulton. 91 mins. The girlfriend of professional photographer Sinclair parts company with him, and despite a roving eye and a disarming Iittle-boy-lost manner, he misses her, realising that their mutual misery was, in fact, true lurv. The

- Scottish film industry has perhaps

overworked a rich seam of romantic whimsy, and this is a slight but agreeable addition to the genre. Edinburgh; Odeon. Glasgow;

Odeon.

0 The Graduates A selection of short films made by Scottish students at the National Film and Television School. These boys will be the feature directors of the future, so this should be well worth seeing. Glasgow; GFT

0 Guys and Dolls (U) (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, US, 1955) Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons. 149 mins. A New York gangster takes a bet that he can romance a Salvation Army lady. This Runyon-inspired stage musical has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years and is admirably preserved by this respectful if overlong screen treatment.

; Strathclyde; Odeon Ayr

5 0 Harold and Maude (15) (Hal Ashby, ; US, 1972) Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon.

3 92 mins. The touching romance of a

teenage psycho flamboyantly

i obsessed with death and a youthful

young lass of 80. Even if you’ve seen it on TV this all-time cult classic is worth another visit. Recommended. Edinburgh; EU Filmsoc

O The Hitcher (18) (Robert Harman,

5 US, 1985) Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh. 98

mins. See caption review. Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC Sauchiehall Street.

0 The Honorary Consul (18) (John MacKenzie, UK, 1983) Michael Caine , Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins. 104 mins. Unworthy screen translation of one of Green’s finest works. In Northern Argentina, 3 flaccid Richard Gere is a doctor incapable of love or commitment, but Caine shines as the booze-ridden

figure of the title. Glasgow;

28 The List 16— 29 May

Grosvenor

e I Am Going To Kill You Wolf (Wolfgang Petersen, W Germany, 1970) 60 mins. The film-school graduation film of Wolfgang (The Boat) Petersen, is a tense murder

story about a young woman who kills

her lover Edinburgh; Filmhouse

o Intimate Strangers a (Robert Smith, UK, 1986) Irene Marat. Colin Smith. 46 mins. A mother and her teenage son move into a derelict house in Brixton and transform it into a home, Edinburgh; Filmhouse. 0 Jagged Edge (18) (Richard Marquand, US. 1985) JeffBridges, Glenn Close. 109 mins. The irrestistible Bridges stands accused of the brutal slaying of his wealthy wife in this old-fashioned whodunnit.

Edinburgh; Odeon. Glasgow; ABC Sauchiehall Street. Strathclyde; La Scala

g 1 ‘0 :.»’- .

3 1985) Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas

Howell, JenniferJason Leigh. 95 mins. You are driving along a road in the US Midwest on a stormy night. You almost fall asleep at the wheel. Coftee, cigarettes, music all fail to step you leeling drowsy. In the distance you see a hitcher at the side of the road: he’ll help you stay awake if you give him a

0 Jewel Of The Nile (PG) (Lewis Teague, US, 1985) Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas. Danny De Vito. 108 mins. Overlong, mechanical sequel-by-numbers to the altogether more enjoyable Romancing The Stone. De Vito supplies the lame comic relief, and even the considerable charisma and chemistry of the Turner-Douglas double-act cannot overcome the deadening obstacles of a tired and contrived narrative and lazy direction. Edinburgh; Odeon. Glasgow; Cinema, Odeon, Rio, Salon. Lothian; Regal. Strathclyde; Kelburne, La Scala, Odeon Ayr, Odeon Hamilton. Rialto.

0 The Last Unicorn (U) (Arthur

Rankin Jr. Jules Bass, US. 1982) Voices Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury. Christopher Lee. 84 mins.

1 A unicorn overhears a comment to g the effect that she is the last of her

THE HITCHER

Netherlands) to create an other-worldly note which makes his performance all the more shockingly evil. The film as a

whole mostly shows an unerring sense

of pace; director Harmon knows how to

I build a scene just until the audience ; thinks the danger has passed and then

hit them with something very nasty to

buttock-hopping effect. There is one

ride. ForJim Halsy (C. Thomas Howell) r chains and a crucial foot on the clutch pedal. Nasty.

this proves not such a good idea. The hitcher, one John Rider (Rutger Howell) turns out to be a deranged killer, the perpetrator at a number of

In-car slayings. It Is not, however, to be

the final meeting between the two, for Halsy escapes the initial encounter only to be dogged by the shotgun and flick-kniIe-wlelding hitcher murdering his way across the country in pursuit.

: Complications arise when the cops.

enraged by the grisly deaths of several of their members, pin the blame on Halsy and join In the Hitcher’s hunt for

Jason Leigh) as his only ally, the situation seems to be moving

% inexorably towards tragedy.

Two presences dominate this tense skillful tale of cross-country motorised combat: Rutger Hauer as the brooding demonic hitcher, and the directorial assurance of Robert Harmon. Hauer's steely glare and lcily deadpan wit combine with his slightly wayward American accent (he hails from the

positively torturous sequence involving the girl, an articulated lorry, some

However, one at the strengths oi the lilm is that it emerges as more than just another shlocky gore flick. Howell and Leigh are touching as the young protagonists beset by misfortune, brutal redneck cops and the very

I malevolent ol' grey eyes. The bright ; clear desert landscapes, sharply photographed, totally subvert the

3 horror conventions ol gloom and

darkness. Given Hauer's desire to be . killed by someone equal to the task, him. With a friendly waitress (Jennifer * ; existential overtones to the

E proceedings. Throughout there is a

one can even being to assign

feeling of carelul intelligence at work behind the camera - allied to the film-making ability which makes this

5 one of the most efficient exercises in tension for a while. Excellent value for ; those who like to work up a little sweat

as they squirm in their seats. (Trevor Johnston)

OCINEMA TIMES AND DATES PAGE 30/310

species. Understandably upset she sets out on a quest to discover the veracity of the statement. Edinburgh; Filmhouse

o Letterto Brezhnev (15) (Chris Bernard, UK, 1985) Peter Firth, Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke. 95 mins. Lively Liverpudlian comedy-romance of rough charm and ready wit, as a scouse gal finds love with a Russian sailor. Edinburgh; Dominion. Glasgow; ABC Clarkston Road.

0 The Maggie (U) (Alexander Mackendrick, UK, 1953) Paul Douglas, Alex Mackenzie. 93 mins. The couthy crew of a dilapidated tramp steamer pull a fast one on an American businessman desperate to send his cargo to a remote Scottish island. Edinburgh; EU Filmsoc

o The Maltese Falcon (U) (John Huston, US, 1941) Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Elisha Cook. 101 mins. Archetypal hard-boiled private eye yarn with a bunch of sparklingly defined rogues in pursuit of an elusive but priceless Black Bird. Murder, mystery and the moral dilemma of a woman beautiful but bad, Edinburgh; Filmsoc

0 Man of Flowers ( 18) (Paul Cox, Australia, 1983) Norman Kaye, Alyson Best, Chris Haywood. 91 mins. A solitary middle-aged man collects beautiful objects ofart, writes daily missives to his deceased mother and is deeply passionate about flowers. Each week he is visited by a model who performs a striptease Edinburgh; EU Filmsoc

o The Man Who Knew Too Much (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1954) James Stewart, Doris Day, 120 mins. Leisurely Hitchcock remake of his own 1934 success. An all-American family holidaying in Marrakesh are plunged into international intrigue Edinburgh: EU Filmsoc

o The Man with Two Brains (15) (Carl

Reiner, US, 1983) Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner. 93 mins. Martin stars as brilliant brain surgeon Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, 2 inventor of the cranial screw-top,

who having suffered the loss of his 1 wife runs across psychotic wealthy heiress Turner. The prospect of a huge fortune means marriage is soon in the air, but then Martin discovers that a rival scientist is keeping alive the brain of his dear departed. From here on, things start to get really silly, but delightfully zany. Strongly recommended. Edinburgh: Filmhouse

o A Midsummer Night’s Dream ( 15) Celestina Coronado, UK, Spain) Coronado’s dance-orientated verson ofThe Bard axes 75% ofthe text and relies on an atmosphere of decadent sexuality and a charismatic performance by Lindsay Kemp. Glasgow; GET

0 My Beautiful Laundrette (15) (Stephen Frears, UK, 1985) Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day-Lewis. 97 mins. Conspiring to turn a rundown business into the ritziest laundrette in town, young Asian Omar and his schoolfriend-lover Johnny encounter all the pressures of Thatcher’s Britain where the only victors are those left standing at the

end of the day. Richly textured.