FILM LIST
Sam Waterston, Harvey Keitel. 104 mins. Stark, primitive, lushly photographed western focusing on the increasingly obsessive contest between renegade Indian Waterston and trapper Sheen for the possession of a magnificent white stallion. Glasgow; GET 0 84 Charing Cross Road (U) (David Jones, UK, 1986) Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench. 99 mins. Mild-mannered but effective depiction of the affectionate twenty-year correspondence between brassy, garrulous American Anglophile Helene Hanff and the stiff upper lip English bookseller Frank Doell. Strathclyde; Odeon Ayr o The Exorcist ( 18) (William Friedkin, US, 1973) Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely convincing and effective scarefest. Edinburgh; Cameo o Exorcist II: The Heretic (18) (John Boorman, US, 1977) Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher. 117 mins. Glum, dumb and totally unnecessary sequel with priest Burton trying to comprehend the devil within Miss Blair. Edinburgh; Cameo o The French Lieutenant’s Woman (15) (Karel Reisz, US, 1981) Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Leo McKern. 123 mins. Past and present, reality and artifice, passion and scandal are artfully juxtaposed in Harold Pinter’s masterful adaptation of the John Fowles novel that contrasts the Victorian romance of a gent and a fallen woman with the contemporary affair between the actor and acress portraying them in a film. Slightly starchy, but rich and satisfying. Edinburgh; Cameo 0 Gilda (PG) (Charles Vidor, US, 1946) Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George macready. 110 mins. Gambler Ford is the trusted right-hand man of ambitious tycoon Macready who operates a sumptuous casino in Buenos Aires. When Mac unexpectedly marries sensational singer Hayworth, broadcast the storm warnings because the lady and the gambler were once lovers and old flames still burn brightly when rekindled. Archeptypal 405’ melodrama making striking use of its studio setting and Rudolph Mate’s black and white photography. Hayworth is at the height of her career and displays unforgettable magnetism singing ‘Put the Blame on Mame’ and sensuously stripping off long black gloves. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Gothic (18) (Ken Russell, UK, 1986) Gabriel Byrne, Natasha Richardson. 87 mins. Shoddy, irritating Russell farrago with assorted Romantic poets pumped full of drugs and telling ghostie stories in a night of drugs and hysteria that was to inspire Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein among others. Edinburgh; Filmhouse o The Green Ray (PG) (Eric Rohmer, France, 1986) Marie Riviere, Lisa
The latest in Rohmer‘s increasingly
Heredia, Vincent Gauthier. 98 mins.
“
ll Daryl Hannah's fairy tale good looks made a miracle out ol a mermaid in Splash, they are no less appropriate in Roxanne where Cyrano De Bergerac’s table has been endowed with inlinaie romantic charm.
In the part oi the big-nosed no-hoper in love with Roxanne Is Steve Martin who has the knack ol being engaging as well as funny, and oi never making Charlie look a charlie. Martin carries his nose with great aplomb and exploits every inch ol comedy in situations like drinking lrom a narrow wine glass or passing himsell oil as a canary perch, but the real laughs arrive out at the love triangle ol Charlie, Roxanne and conventionally brainless hunk, Chris, played by Rick Rossovlch. Charlie’s deleatist attempts to help Chris write love-letters to Roxanne.
insubstantial ‘Comedies and Proverbs’ series tells of the lonely Delphine trying to pass her summer holidays without the benefit of a boyfriend. Travelling with a suitcase of self-pity through Normandy and on to the mountains of Biarritz, she finds a companion when she least expects to.
Rohmer’s lean, observational style is still distinctive and admirable but Delphine is irksome and one longs for a bit of spit to go with the French polish. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Hall Moon Street (18) (Bob Swain, US, 1986) Sigourney Weaver, Michael Caine. 89 mins. Improbable but glossy and quite watchable thriller in which research assistant Weaver supplements her regular income as an escort and finds herself an unwitting pawn in an international conspiracy to discredit a leading British politician. Glasgow; GET 0 Hannah and Her Sisters (15) (Woody Allen, US, 1986) Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey. 107 mins. An achingly funny and well-cast celebration of the cohesion and support within the family unit, as only Woody knows how. Glasgow; GFI‘. Edinburgh;
Cameo
O Hellraiser (18) (Clive Barker, UK, 1987) Andy Robinson, Ashley Laurence. 92 mins. Gory but thoughtful stomach-chumer from author turned surprisingly
OXANNE
speak poetry on her balcony, scripted by Charlie giving him instructions through a radio transmitter in his ear. Director Fred Scheplsi takes us smoothly through a variety of comic ellects lrom gentle humourto Police Academy style slapstick in the scene
where Martin, as head of the local lire --
department, attempts to knock discipline into his lire lighters. At the same time the mood at romance is as sustained in the beautllul scenery and interiors, as in the love story ltsell. Huge liberties have been taken with Cyrano De Bergerac’s ending, but then Roxanne is a delightfully liberating lilm, and one which should at last give Steve Martin, who also wrote the screenplay, the shoal oi British tans he deserves. (Stephanie Dillen)
accomplished filmmaker Barker. Strathclyde; Odeon Hamilton
0 Hope and Glory (15) (John Boorman, US, 1987) Sarah Miles, Ian Bannen, David Hayman. 112 mins. A warm, witty and affectionate autobiographical portrait of the Second World War as seen through the eyes of the child who grew up to be John Boorman. Well-crafted, sharp-eyed nostalgia. Glasgow; Udeon. Edinburgh; Dominion. Lothian; Cannon
0 The Horse Thiel (l8) (Tian Zhuangzhuang, China, 1986) Tseshang Rigzin, Dan J i ji. 88 mins. Tibet, 1923. To provide for his poverty stricken family Norbu steals horses from wandering nomads and offerings reserved for the gods. His actions earn him the contempt of his village and, ultimately, expulsion from his tribe.
An episodic narrative, The Horse Thief lingers on the rites and rituals of the tribe with anthropological longing. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 lnlemo (18) (Dario Argento, US/Italy, 1980) Dario Nicolodi. 95 mins. The discovery that a New York apartment building hides one of the gates to Hell is the catalyst for all manner of mayhem. Typically variany Argento fare, brilliant suspense sequences flounder in a morass of soggy plot exposition. A few moments of worthwhile perversity though. Edinburgh; EUFS
o The Journey, Partl (PG) (Peter Watkins, Sweden, 1987) 5 hours 15 mins. The first dollop of Watkins’ exhaustive and exhausting survey of the impact of the nuclear age on the common man, his attitudes and the lack of accurate information at his disposal. Ten families from around the globe are questioned on their feelings and their knowledge of what is happening often on their doorsteps. Glasgow; GFI‘
O Labyrinth (PG) (Jim Henson, UK, 1986) Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie. 101 mins. Angst-ridden teenage girl asks the Goblins to make off with her tiresome baby brother. They duly oblige but she changes her mind and must make her way through demon Dave’s mysterious labyrinth to recover the little mite.
Occasionally inventive and fairly charming family film. Glasgow; Grosvenor 0 Last Tango in Paris (18) (Bernardo Bertolucci, France-Italy, 1972) Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider. 130 mins. A young Parisienne meets a middle-aged man with whom she develops an increasingly violent and purely sexual relationship. One of the key films of its decade, Bertolucci’s powerful drama is a meditation on the expression and communication of personal identity through intense sexual contact. Brando excels. Glasgow; Grosvenor 0 Letters From A Dead Man (PG) a» (Konstantin Lopushansky, USSR,
1986) Rolan Bykov, losef Ryklin. 86 mins. In an inhospitable post-holocaust landscape survivors struggle on, most notably a former Nobel Prize winning scientist who tries to keep his memories alive by writing letters to his dead son. Undeniany a gruelling experience, the astonishingly sepia-toned scenes of devastation and the final spiritual catharsis make it also a very much worthwhile one. Edinburgh; Filmhouse o Llsztomanla (18) (Ken Russell, UK, 1975) Roger Daltrey, Paul Nicholas, Sara Kestelman. 104 mins. The life and times of Liszt according to Ken Russell includes Nazi rallies. a spot of vampirism and a twelve-foot phallus. The word ‘excess‘ begins to develop new resonance. Edinburgh; Cameo 0 Little Shop at Honors (PG) (Frank 02, US, 1986) Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Bill Murray. 94 mins. Brash, breezy, big-scale musical about Audrey, a likeable plant with a man-size appetite. Edinburgh; Cameo o The Long Good Friday (18) (John Mackenzie, US, 1980) Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan. 114 mins. A meaty, violent underwbrld thriller with Hoskins in vigorous form as gangland boss Harry Shand watching his empire crumble from under him. Glasgow; OFF 0 Mad Max (18) (George Miller, Australia, 1979) Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns. 93 mins. In the near future top cop Gibson quits the force but returns for revenge when his wife and child are murdered by vicious cyclists. High speed action-packed adventure with
12 The List 13 — 26 November 1987