Fl." index
FILM INDEX continued
East Side Story (U) Dana Ranga. Germany. 1996) 77 mins. The sheer exuberant escapism of Singin 'In The Rain. The formal aesthetic art of Eisenstein‘s Battleship Potent/tin. Two extremes of cinema. and never the twain shall meet . . . except in the socialist musical. Ranga's infectious documentary pulls together clips of musicals never seen this side of the Iron Curtain. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Elementary School (PG) (Jan Sverak. Czech Republic. 1991) 90 mins. Debut film from the direCtor of the Oscar-winning Kolyu set in 1946 in an all-male school in Prague. infamous for its bad behaviour. When a new teacher anives. his status as an ex-soldier gains the blind admiration of his pupils. Set during a period of transition — after the defeat of fascism. before the iron grip of communism — the film captures the playfulness of childhood. Part of the Czech Cinema on Tour season. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Elizabeth (15) (Shekhar Kapur. UK. 1998) Cate Blanchett. Geoffrey Rush. Christopher Ecclestone. 120 mins. Not your typical frock flick. Shekhar Kapur's film may be ravishing to look at. but it's altogether darker and more disturbing than you'd expect. A political thriller from Tudor history. in which Blanchett’s performance turns cherished notions about England's Virgin Queen on their head. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Cameo. Dominion. Filmhouse. St Andrews: Picture House. Enemy Of The State (18) (Tony Scott. US. 1998) Will Smith. Gene Hackman. 128 mins. A chance meeting with an old college friend plunges the unwitting Smith into a dangerous. convoluted conspiracy involving a rogue National Security Agency boss with an agenda of his own. A slick. entertaining stab at updating the 70s conspiracy thriller. Enemy Of The State lacks a political undertow. and is closer in tone to Hitchcock's Non/t By Northwest. See feature and review. General release. Eraserhead (18) (David Lynch. US. 1976) John Nance. 90 mins. You may never eat jelly babies again after the repellent but compelling tale of Henry. his haircut. his girlfriend. his strange offspring and a sizeable quantity of pus. Disturbing stuff. mercifully filmed in black and white.
Edinburgh: Cameo.
Ever After (PG) (Andy Tennant. US. 1998) Drew Barrymore. Dougray Scott. Angelica Huston. 120 mins. The filmmakers invest the tale with some PC values. most obviously in its heroine who shows ‘girl power' independence and intellect. Barrymore manages to be both sweet and gutsy. but the surprise lies in Sc0tt's engaging turn as the Prince. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. l 10 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Now re- released in remastered form. with a super stereo soundtrack (so you can hear those Obscenities in full). Dead good. dead scary. dead priest. Edinburgh: UCl.
Fear And loathing In Las Vegas ( l 8) (Terry Gilliam. US. 1998) Johnny Depp. 118 mins. As adaptations of cult books go. Gilliam‘s take on Hunter S. Thompson‘s assassination of the American Dream is a glorious mess of a movie. It remains true to the author's vision of moral torpor and psychosis. whilst injeCting a good shot of Gilliam's own obsessions. Flawed. certainly. but epically degenerate. And thus pure gonzo. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre.
Fire (15) (Deepa Mehta. Canada. 1996) Shabana Azmi. 104 mins. Sensitive examination of the break up of a New Dehli family as seen from the perspective of devoted wife Radha. When Radha's brother- in-law brings his fiesty. new wife into her home. the ties that bind begin to unwind. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Fountainhead (PG) (King Vidor. US. 1949) Gary Cooper. Patricia Neal. 112 mins. Loathed and reviled as it was on its release. the King's version of the Ayn Rand novel stands erect as one of the most ambitious. stunning and. frankly. barmy films made by a major studio during Hollywood‘s golden age. lnspired by the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) is an architect with a vision which will not be blunted by matters of cash. career or love. See review. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Gadjo Di|0(15) (Tony Gatlif. France. 1998) Romain Duris. lzidor Serban. Rona Harmer. 100 mins. Translating as 'crazy foreigner'. Gudjo Di/o is the term used by a community
I . “ . “l ‘- »I}wb' N
Building passions: Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper in The Fountainhead
40 TIIEUST 17 Dec 1998—7 Jan 1999
of gypsies to describe Stephane. a young Parisian on a personal mission to Romania in search of a gypsy singer. Here he is introduced to the quirks and customs of the gypsy community and gradually falls in love with their world. The simple story of a man's enriching experience of a new and unusual culture. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
A Goofy Movie (U) (Kevin Lima. US. 1996) With the voices of Bill Farmer. Jason Marsden. Jim Cummings. 74 mins. After a school prank backfires. Goofy decides to take troublesome son Max off on a bonding fishing trip. Max is trying his best to be cool. but that isn't easy when your dad's this particular Disney star. An incident-packed journey provides plenty of laughs which should keep restless kids and accompanying adults amused. Kilmamock: Odeon.
The Govemess (15) (Sandra Goldbacher. UK. 1998) Minnie Driver. Tom Wilkinson. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. 114 mins. Driver excels in this period film as the charismatic Rosina. a Jewish prom-feminist who moves from her London life to presbyterian Scotland. where she passes herself off as a Gentile governess for a dysfunctional family. An underachieving movie. but Driver's star will continue to rise on the back of what is an utterly memorable performance. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. US. 1978) John Travolta. Stockard Channing. Olivia Newton John. 1 10 mins. The long-running Broadway show arrives on screen dripping with 50s nostalgia. cheery tunes. high camp value and the winsome charms of the plastic Newton-John and the toothy Travolta. A nice collection of old timers enhance the cast. Edinburgh: Odeon.
la Haine (18) (Matthieu Kassovitz. France. 1995) Vincent Cassel. Hubert Kounde. Said Taghmaoui. 85 mins. This edgy. black-and- white portrait of racial tension and police brutality on a run-down estate outside Paris won twentysomething Kassovitz the Director's Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Three ethnically mixed lads come up against the cops when one of their pals is hospitalised after a raid. Urgent. compelling filmmaking that's as punchy as a blow to the head. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Hamam — The Turkish Bath (18) (Ferzan Ozpertek. Turkey. 1997) Alessandro Gassman. Francesca D'Aloja. Halil Ergt'i'n. 9-1 mins. A sensuous slice of cultural contrast and smouldering emotion. It's the tale of Francesco. a cool. independent Italian professional who discovers he has inherited a run-down 'hamam' (a Turkish bath) in Istanbul from his aunt. He and the viewer are instantly beguiled: by the alien city. by the tales and letters describing his bohemian aunt. and by the welcoming family who look after the property. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Hangmen Also Die (PG) (Fritz Lang. US. 1943) Brian Donlevy. Anna Lee. Walter Brennan. 131 mins. in wartime Czechoslovakia. the Nazis exact terrible punishment on brave partisans. Propaganda effort co-scripted by Bertolt Brecht. whose impassioned impact is sadly undercut by a phoney Hollywood idea of eastern Europe. Glasgow: Goethe lnstitut.
Nenry Fool ( 18) (Hal Hartley. US. 1998) Thomas Jay Ryan. James Urbaniak. Parker Posey. 137 mins. Intellectual vagabond Henry Fool drifts into a small American town and shakes tip the monotonous lives of a bickering family. most notably of shy garbageman Simon Grim. who metamorphosis into a celebrated writer. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Horse Whisperer ( 12) (Robert Redford. US. 1998) Robert Redford. Kristin Scott Thomas. Sam Neill. 168 mins. Redford indulges several of his favourite passions at once in British author Nicholas Evans' best-selling tale of an equine shrink. As with Redford’s previous directorial efforts this is a fine looking and intelligent film. pittitig the yuppie values ofeast coast magazine editor Scott Thomas against the virtuous all-American qualities of Midwesterner Redford. Stirling: MacRobert. It's A Wonderful Life (PG) (Frank Capra. US. 1946) James Stewart. Donna Reed. Henry Travers. Thomas Mitchell. 129 mins. Small-town boy Stewart runs into financial difficulties and is on the brink of suicide when an elderly angel descends to earth to show him all the good his life has done for
those around him. Archetypal Capra sentimentality with a superbly detailed fantasy framework and one of Stewart's most lovable performances. One to warm even the most glacial heart. Glasgow: GFT. Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The land Girls (12) (David Leland. UK. 1998) Anna Friel. Rachel Weisz. Catherine McCormack. 111 mins. Down on the farm comes a film that reminds us of times passed. Not necessarily good times. of course. as it is set during the confusion of World War 11. but against this dramatic backdrop the human story it describes proves curiously affecting. Three contrasting young women join the Land Army. only to find themselves knee-deep in rustic accents and bad weather on a remote Dorset farm. East Kilbride: Arts Centre.
A Life Less Ordinary (15) (Danny Boyle. UK. 1997) Ewan McGregor. Cameron Diaz. lan Holm. 101 mins. The follow-up to Trainspotting is something else entirely — an original script that boldly plays with the conventions of the romantic comedy. McGregor is a young Scot who kidnaps his boss‘s daughter when he gets the sack. only to find his hostage turns the tables and uses events to get back at her dad. Supported by the short film Joyride. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Loch Ness (U) (John Henderson. US. 1995) Ted Danson. Joely Richardson. Kirsty Graham. 100 mins. An American scientist comes to Scotland to disprove the existence of Nessie. but is charmed by the place and the people. So far. so low! Hero. But in its later stages. this family movie leaps into action. keeping you on the edge of your seat. Better than you might expect. but not remarkably special. Supported by the short film A Small Deposit. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Lock. Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie. UK. 1997) Nick Moran. Jason Statham. Vinnie Jones. 107 mins. A cocky young bunch of ‘entrepreneurs' set up a card game with East End London criminal Hatchet Harry. Of course. things don't work out in their favour and they find themselves owing the gangster plenty of dosh. Witty homage to the British crime thrillers of the 1960s. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCl. East Kilbride: UCl.
Mandragora ( 18) (Wictor Grodecki. Czech Republic. 1997) 130 mins. Moving drama about runaway boys living on the streets of Prague. The film charts the vicious pattern of the teenagers' lives: broken homes, drug abuse. pimps and prostitution. Part of the Czech Film On Tour season. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Magic Sword (U) (Frederik Du Chau. US. 1998) With the voices of Gary Oldman. Jessalyn Gilsig. Cary Elwes. 88 mins. All is happy under King Arthur's rule until evil Lord Ruber tries to steal Excalibur. When the wondrous weapon becomes lost in the Forbidden Forest. plucky young Kayley reckons she's brave enough to save the day. This animated feature sticks to the Disney formula — action. bawled-out ballads. kooky sidekicks — but the animation itself lacks Walt's grace. Edinburgh: Odeon.
Mary Of Scotland (PG) (John Ford. US. 1936) Katherine Hepburn. Fredric March. Florence Eldridge. 123 mins. The melodramatic jealousy of Queen Elizabeth against Mary. Queen of Scots is slightly overplayed in this otherwise underrated RKO production. Ford's emphasis on performance pulls the film above mere costume fripperies. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. The Mask 0f Zorro (PG) (Martin Campbell. US. 1998) Antonio Banderas. Catherine Zeta Jones. Anthony Hopkins. 137 mitts. As a piece of old-schoo. iatinee lioktim. The Musk ()f Ztn‘m flashes its blade with the best of them. but it’s also clever enough to draw in a new audience by plundering every manifestation of the action-adventure formula. With the dark Latin looks of a romantic hero and a physical ability to pull off the film's acrobatic stunts and comedy. Banderas is perfectly cast — an Errol Flynn for the 90s. General release.
The Mighty (PG) (Peter (‘helsom. US. 1998) Sharon Stone. Gena Rowlands. Harry Dean Stanton. 99 mins. Adults may be drawn by the heavyweight acting talents. btit will then be left agog as the two nippers — combining to become one chivalrous champion of the oppressed called Freak the