bvi (12/02/82)
Two excellent movies which have been making the rounds in the Bay Area. 'Xica' is the story of a black slave woman, Xica, who becomes the mistress of a powerful nobleman and diamond contractor to the king of Portugal. He frees her, dresses her in high court dress, builds her a lake on which she sails her own galleon (no whites allowed), and much more. It is a movie about sex and the nature of power, full of wicked amusement, chicanery, and pathos. The music is wonderful and haunting; the acting is superb. Street Singer is a must for lovers of San Francisco. It shows a part of the city that most people don't see - the Tenderloin (a poor district), and highlights the personalities that people it. The story involves a (really very good) street singer and the people who affect her in one way or another. The photography is spectacular, the music and the acting quite good. Beatriz Infante