blakrose@watarts.UUCP (Todd Schneider) (10/30/84)
There's a movie made in ireland, and released in N.A. by Warner bros.,
called Cal, that is a must for the discriminating film enthusiast.
(There's a pun on 'discriminating' there somewhere, since the movie
is about Ireland!)
Basically, there are two plot elements*
a young man's fight to stay out of the republican violence
going on in Northern Ireland, and
a young man's fight to get into some lovong
with a desirable -- and available -- older woman.
Those going to see the show for the first plot element won't be
much disappointed, except where dramatic licence
takes over for common (warlike) sense -- only one scene I can think
of like that, though.
However, the folks at Warner have hyped the movie in their newspaper
ads in a ver disturbing way as concerns the second element.
While the sexiness of the movie is an integral part of the ad
campaign, it is both misleading and cowardly. To wit*
not only is there not "a passionate affair" going on
between the two main characters, despite what the advertising claims,
the admen have purposely downplayed the "controversial lifestyle"
element of the sex in order no to offend anyone's puritanical
sensibilities.
At least, that's the way the film is presented here in bad ol'
uptight Ontario. That phrase I used ("Controversial lifestyle") is not
a euphemism I created; it's the actual way some films, like
"Making Love", for instance, are classified by our fine
Ontario Censor Board.
[Flame for those who are aware of the Board's existence:
You can take the Board to court over it's right to exist,
under the canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but you
can't cut out the cutting out. The Syupreme court of Ontario
told them they were unconstitutional, but as the court battle continues,
they continue with their offensive business of making things innocuous.
Grrr!!]
Anyway, to return to the point of this article -- plugging CAL
far and wide -- I promise that you won't be disappointed if you see it.
Fine work in every aspect, and NOT ONE DARN HOLLYWOOD MONSTROSITY!!
NOTE TO AMERICAN READERS: When I want to see a good foreign flick,
I studiously avoid the Hollywood trash that passes for fine entertainment
all over the world. When is your industry going to grow up a lot?