oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (04/18/84)
It's pretty sad around here. I've run out of movies to see. What am I supposed to *do*? I was so desperate I finally saw "The Dresser" -- entertaining but overly histrionic. Unless something happens soon, I'm going to end up Thursday night at a double-bill of "Yor" and "Krull". Gaack! A few recent releases: Spetters (Verhoeven, Paul; Netherlands; 1980; 105m) This was a big disappointment. "The Fourth Man" was a big hit at the Festival of Festivals last fall. This earlier film about a femme fatale who takes advantage, one after the other, of three amateur motorcycle racers is a rambling mess. Verhoeven hops about without settling on a story -- the interplay of subplots is just plain silly. The best part was trying to hone up on my Dutch. If "The Fourth Man" ever gets released, however, go and see it -- it's very clever and very funny. Entre Nous (Kurys, Diane; France; 1983; 110m) Beautifully-made film about a close (lesbian?) friendship between two women. The film takes a while to get started (there is a fair bit of relevant background information about the characters to get out of the way) but in retrospect it all holds together. Significantly, there are no bad guys in the film. What happens results from the unfortunate combination of personalities. The marriages of both heroines break up, mostly because they were inappropriate marriages to begin with. A jealous husband accuses the two of being lesbians -- the film is rather genteel on this point; it seems rather that they had no one else to turn to. They help each other break out of the traps their marriages have become. The movie is set in post-war France up to the mid-fifties. Beautiful period sets. My one big problem was with the star, Isabelle Huppert. I find it hard to imagine her capable of genuine emotion -- she always has a seemingly cold, disinterested expression. Nevertheless, highly recommended. Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, The (Young, Robert M.; USA; 1982; 103m) Sort of a western. Based on a true story from the turn of the century. Gregorio Cortez was a Mexican who shot and killed a sheriff in a confusing incident in Texas. He eluded several posses while he tried to escape to Mexico. The film tries to piece together what really happened from testimonies made by different people involved. A reporter who travels with some of the groups trying to capture Cortez is used as a device to gather these different threads. Much of the film has a spontaneous, unstaged appearance as in the docu-dramas of Costa-Gavras. There are a few points where the audience is blatantly manipulated to sympathize with Cortez (such as the ending) but these occasions are fairly infrequent. A bit more low-key than a "real" western, but still suspenseful and satisfying. Question: Does anyone know of anything else directed by Robert M. Young? (Note -- this is *not* Robert Young of Marcus Welby fame.) I'm sure I've heard of him before but I can't find the reference anywhere. Oscar Nierstrasz @ utcsrgv!oscar