FILM INDEX
[ I The Last Temptation Of Christ ( 18)
(Martin Scorsese. US. 1988) Willem Dafoe. Harvey Keitel. Barbara Hershey. Harry Dean Stanton. 163 mins. Controversial though hardly blasphemous adaptation of the Nikos Kazantzakis novel has Christ tempted on the cross by the possibility of living out his life as an ordinary man. which allows him to realise the full significance of his divinity. Straightforward though rather overlong treatment of the ministry with Dafoe a rather conventional-lmiking Christ. The rather reverent tone lacks the edge ofthe director‘s earlier work on the mean streets of New York. Glasgow: OH".
I Letters From A Dead Man (PG) (Konstantin Lopushansky. USSR. 1986) Rolan Bykov. losef Ryklin. 86mins. 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. Undeniably a gruelling experience. the astonishingly sepia-toned scenes of devastation and the
9 final spiritual catharsis make it also a very
much worthwhile one. Glasgow: OFT. I Lite and Nothing But (PG) (Bertrand Tavernier. France. 1988) Philippe Noiret.
i Sabine Azema. Pascale Vignal. 134 mins. : France 1918. and Major Dellaplane (Noiret) has the grisly task ofidentifying
unknown soldiers‘ corpses. Among the relatives who come to seek their loved ones are lrene (Azema) and Alice (Vignal). The sense of a bruised and battered people quietly coming to terms with life's continuity despite their griefis splendidly evoked. though the central romance. all suppressed passion and meaningful glances. is mini-series stuff and the humour may have lost something in translation. Glasgow: GF'T.
I Life Is Sweet (15) (Mike Leigh. UK. 1991) Alison Steadman. Jim Broadbent. Jane llorrocks. Claire Skinner.Timothy Spall. David Thewlis. 102 mins. Domestic cringe-drama again in Leigh's latest offering. which centres on a family with mismatched twin daughters (llorrocks and Skinner) an inefficient caterer dad (Broadbent) and a generous-spirited mum (Steadman). The drama — laced. like all Leigh‘s work. with a bleak. almost cruel humour — centres on the sisters‘ relationship. the father‘s ill conceived business venture and the new restaurant
opened by a friend (Spall). Enjoyable.
truthful and surprisingly optimistic. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Little Mermaid (U) (John Musker and Ron Clements. US. 1990) With the voices of Rene Auberjonois. Buddy
Hackett. Kenneth Mars. 83 mins. Based
on a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. the latest Disney animated feature may not quite rank with the glories ofWalt‘s distant past but displays an impressive attention to detail. bags of humour and a
set of truly tacky songs. Our bikini-clad
heroine might be a little too eager to fulfil her Barbie-doll destiny. but by and large it‘s embarrassingly enjoyable stuff. Edinburgh: UCl. Strathclyde: UCl C1ydebank.UCl East Kilbride.
I Little Shop 01 Honors (PG) (Frank 02. US. 1986) Rick Moranis. Ellen Greene. Steve Martin. 94 mins. Deep in the florist something is stirring. as meek green-fingered type discovers that his favourite plant. Audrey. is actually a
: flesh-craving alien from outer space. Daft. ? enjoyable screen version of the stage musical. with funny foliage effects. and a
beezer cameo from Martin as a biker dentist. Edinburgh: Cameo. I A Love Bewitched ( l 5) (Carlos Saura. Spain. 1985) Antonio Gades. Christian Hoyos. Laura Del Sol. 98 mins. Two gypsy children are pledged in marriage. but they grow up to fall in love elsewhere. with predictably dire consequences. Third of the Saura-Gades Spanish dance trilogy is probably for fans only. Glasgow: OFT. I Manon Des Sources (PG) (Claude Berri.
26 The List l4—27June 1991
' deeds ol the Irish have been neglected ‘ in the current bullet-spattered cycle oi
Hum director Joanou wades in with a
: have grown more violent, the Irish don’t look attertheir own and a ; potential mergerwith the ltalian Malia
- returns after a mysterious spell in
State at Grace (18) (Phle Joanou, US, 1990) Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright. 134 mins. Fearlul perhaps that the nelarious
gangster chronicles, U2: Rattle and
bloody, sprawling saga 01 divided loyalties, masculine bonding and romance that offers stylised social realism in place 01 Godfather grand opera but tails short oi the epic mark lor . which it continually strives.
inspired by the notorious Westies, an Irish gang who stalked New York's Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s, the film stars Sean Penn as Terry Noonan, an alumnus ol the old neighbourhood who
absentia. Joyoust reunited with his childhood chum Jackie Flannery (Oldman) and drawn once more to the maturer attractions 01 the latter’s sister Kathleen (Robin Wright), Terry linds that much has changed. The rackets
threatens a bloody lnternecine war.
However, hlsweary, wary, - Bushmills-guzzling response to events
is also clouded by the changes in him; unknown to the others, Noonan is now a g
Boston policeman working undercover
to light crime and corruption in the
: community that once nurtured him.
STATE OF
G
RACE
Joanou does much to enliven a stereotypical plotline with a
' sell-conscioust artistic sense at
composition and the majestic musical
: accompaniment oi maestro Ennio
j Morricone (alongside the likes ol the
. Pogues and Van Morrison), but the real merit of the film lies in the calibre ol
the performances, which range lrom
the incisive supporting turns oi old lag
; Burgess Meredith and man-ol-the- moment John Turturro, to the seasoned
ease ol Harris, and Oldman in a
; trigger-happy characterisation of extreme psychosis that betrays not one
hint at a British accent or sensibility. The proceedings are dominated by Penn. The man’s uniortunate public image has distracted attention lrom the skill and versatility oi an actor who is never less than proiessional and has an
; uncanny knack ol inhabiting the skin 01
his characters. Here he exudes the cool and charisma at an instinctive leading man whilst mapping out the torment at a guilt-ridden individual, torn between
the loyalties at his youth and a higher - sense oi right and wrong.
Ultimately it's the periormances at Penn and Oldman that give this violent
i and derivative work some grace notes 1 ol distinction. (Allan Hunter)
From Fri 14 June. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon, UCl. Strathclyde: Odeon Hamilton.
France/Italy. 1986) Yves Montand.
Daniel Auteuil. Emmanuelle Beart. 114 mins. Ten years after the demise ofJean
de Florette. the Soubeyrans run a ' prosperous carnation farm. Jean‘s . daughter has grown into an alluring young 1 woman and sets out to wreak her revenge. Steering this epic rural saga towards the realms of Greek tragedy. this is a fulland satisfying second half that explores the suffering of the guilty as they pay a crippling penance for man‘s greed and envy. The production values are as high as ever and Auteuil assumes Depardieu‘s mantle in his development from glaikit idiot to broken-hearted suitor.
I The Man Who Would Be King (PG) (John ; Huston. US. 1975) Sean Connery.
Michael (‘aine. Saeed Jaffrey. ‘ Christopher Plummer. 129 mins. Rudyard Kipling's moral fable on the pursuit of power becomes a rumbustious minor epic
j in the hands of l luston. Connery and
Caine. all at the peak of their powers. Set in India. it tells the uncomfortable but
entertaining story of a pair of conmen who find themselves elevated by the locals to a rank far above their natural station. but falling from grace owing to their innate greed. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Marked For Death ( 18) (Dwight 1 1.
Little. US. 1990) Steven Seagal.Joanna Pacula. Keith David. Basil Wallace. 98 mins. Another vehicle for martial arts tough guy Seagal. This time he's a Chicago cop caught up in the drug war between two rivalgangsofJamaican thugs. Er. . .that‘s it really. There are some close—quarter fights and some big shiny guns. a love interest (Pacula) and the occasional attempt at a Bond/Arnie one liner. and the rest you‘ve seen a hundred times before. I Memphis Belle ( 12) (Michael Caton-Jones. UK. 1990) Matthew Modine. Eric Stoltz. Harry Connick Jr. 106 mins. 1943. and the brave crew ofthe B-17 bomber Mempth Belle have one more mission to get through before they reach the target of twenty-five completed runs which will enable them all to return
home as heroes. Yet there's still a lot of dangerous sky between them and their
goal. Predictable. occasionally
3 i
over-calculating return to the schoolboy heroics of another time. although the filmmakers' integrity in remaining true to
Z the harrowing experiences of the many young flyers who lost their lives manages ' to save the film from being just another
‘ so-whatSaturdaynightspecial.
: I Mermaids (15) (Richard Benjamin. LS.
1991 ) Cher. Winona Ryder. Bob 1 loskins,
Christina Ricci. 110 mins. Quirky growing-up comedy whose adolescent heroines are an irresponsible. footloose
mother Mrs Flax (Cher) and her morose.
pious daughter Charlotte ( Ryder). both of whom have something to learn from the other‘s pre-supposed values. [Enjoyable
and warm-hearted. with lloskins splendid
as the sexy shoe-shop owner. and
excellentperformancesfromthetwo
central actresses.
I Miller's Crossing (18) (Joel Coen. US.
1990) Gabriel Byrne. Albert Finney. Marcia Gay Harden. John Turturro. Jon
Polito. J15. Freeman. 115 mins. The Coen 3 Brothers' latest opus is a predictably
quirky-but-stylish reworking ofgenre
material - in this case the gangster flick. Set in an unnamed East-coast city in the
1930s. it centres on the falling-0111
, between mob-leader Finney and his
right-hand man Byrne when both take a
shine to the same broad (l larden). lt'sall carried out with the (‘oen‘s customary
‘ aplomb. and even features a fleeting
-. appearance by Evil Dead and Dar/(mun
director Sam Raimi. I Misery ( 18) (Rob Reiner. US. 1991) Kathy Bates. James Caan. Frances
Sternhagen. Richard Farnsworth. Lauren
Bacall. 107 mins. Adapted from Stephen King‘s novel. this psychological chiller centres on a popular author with literary aspirations (Caan) who finds himself trapped. following a nasty car accident.
with his ‘number one fan' (Bates. whowon
the Best Actress ()sear for the role). Gradually. he becomes aware other psychosis. and is forced to bide his time
until he can contrive an escape. More than
a whiffof Scorsese's excellent King Of Comedy about this project. but the talents of all concerned are employed tosuperb effect. to produce a movie ofgreat originality. subtlety and entertainment value.
I The Name oithe Bose(18)(Jean-Jacques Annaud. W. Germany France Italy. 1986) Sean Connery. 1". Murray Abraham. Christian Slater. 131 mins. Marvellous medieval mystery with the masterful Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-like sleuth on the trail of a murderer in the monastery. Adapted from Umberto [Feo's best-selling novel. the film overlooks its questing.intellectual elements. Nonetheless. a convincing historical atmosphere and a BAFI‘A-winning performance from Sean. I Hot Without My Daughter( 12) (Brian Gilbert. US. 1990) Sally Field. Alfred Molina. Sheila Roscnthal. Roshan Seth. 115 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon Sauehiehall Street. Lannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Cannon. UCl. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride.
I On The Fiddle (U) (Cyril Frankel. UK.
1961 ) Alfred Lynch. Sean Connery. Cecil Parker. Kathleen Harrison. 97 mins. Jolly '
comedy adventure. with our boys Alfred and Sean as RAF recruits getting up to shenanigans when Sarge's baek‘s turned. Early evidence of the Connery charm — we knew the boy'd go on to great things. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Pierrot L8 Fou ( l8) (Jean-Luc Godard. France/Italy. 1965) Jean-Paul Belmondo. Anna Karina. Dirk Sanders. Raymond Devos. Samuel Fuller. 11() mins. Among
Godard‘s most ambitious efforts. and one
which almost succeeds in integrating every idea on a seemingly endless agenda. ()n the simplest level. it‘s an amourfou road
l