SHORTS Clown White
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child. She has a properly exotic body, of which much is seen, but only the more innocent of audiences (like the Ontario Censors, who ruled that "some scenes may be offensive"), would call her trysts with man and near-man daringly erotic. Richard Sargent has studied (and not very well) in the Jan-Michel Vincent/ Perry King school of acting, and Don McCloud, the figure in the monkey suit, doesn't speak, se his reputation is safe. But in two areas, Tanya's Island doesn't need to apologize. Mark Irwin's cinematography is effective and lush; Though he couldn't have realized it at the time, his work calls to mind and bears favorable comparison to Nestor Almendros' work in The Blue Lagoon and Caleb Descbanel's in The Black Stallion. The ape make-up was created by Rick Baker, who rather specializes in simians {King Kong, The Incredible Shrinking Woman) and Bob Bottin {The Fog, The Howling). They have their own humorous touch, in giving Blue a face that bears a disconcerting resemblance to Steriing Hayden. One's sympathy, however, goes out to Alfred Sole whose bad luck seems to be holding. His previous film. Commu nion, was well received at festivals in 1977, but only got scattered release under the title Alice, Sweet Alice before the distributor. Allied Artists, collapsed. A carefully plotted horror film, set in bis hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, it stands miles above the current stab- and-chase fare, but it could only be released (now called Holy Terror) by playing up the small role played by the then very, innocent-looking Brooke Shields (only 10 years old at the time), in what was her first film part. Its tight control is in sharp contrast to the mean dering and heavily edited Tanya's Island, but Alfred Sole's name is still in the credits. J. Paul Costabile • TANYA'S ISLAND d. Alfred Sole a.d. David Shepherd, Steve Wright p. Pierre Brousseau co-p. Rainier Energy Resources Inc. exec. p. Pierre Brousseau, Jean-Claude Leves- que assoc. p. Daniel Kingstone p. man. Frank Rosetti sc. Pierre Brousseau d.o.p^ Mark Irwin, esc cam. op. Robin Miller gaf. Jock Brandts, Carlo SHORTS Campana grip Maris Jansons, Scotty Allen sd. engineer Brian Day boom Tom Mather superv. ed. Andrew Henderson, cfe ed. Michael MacLaver- handbook approach, considering the fies him; he returns to the school group, ty, cfe sd. ed. Peter Burgess m us. Jean Musy art d. now in white-face himself, with good Angelo Stea ward. Julie Canton make-up/hair Paul Shapiro's film's central character, Jason, a very Shonah labour spec, efx malte-up Richard A. bright but frustrated and uncommu cheer and a spirit of reconciliation. Baker, Rob Bottin p. accl. Wayne Aaron set dresser nicative boy about ten years old. Jason's What Clown White has done be8t|ito Enrico Campana l.p. D.D. Winters, Richard Sargent, Don McCloud, Mariette Levesque, Mark Irwin stills Clown White isolation goes beyond the fact of his depict sympathetically fte world ar06nd Denis Fugere p.c. Pierre Brousseau Productions deafness. He appears singular in his Jason. With one or two hard-hearted (1979) col. Film House, 35min running time 91 alienation, even in his school class of exceptions, everyone tries in his own min. (original version),82 min. (N. Am. version) dist. fashion to be helpful even the other- New World-Mutual (English Can.), Les Films Mutuels fellow hearing-impaired children; we Ltee (Quebec) often see him through glass partitions wise anti-social bus driver whom-We or even as a background silhouette. children love; this last is ?''>»'' Clown White's Lorene Yarnell and Ivlark Producer Martin Harbury picked up on The best efforts of his teacher - an Michael Ironside, widely seenthBpar Dillon photo: Ron Watts. an idea that had been circulating among earnest concerned man played with in David Cronenber^s Scanners. JasoHS a few Toronto filmmakers for some four evident enthusiasm by Saul Rubinek - classmates are all tenderly crealeo years, to make a film on deafness and fail to reach him. When the boy defaces composites of children that Harbury mime. That was over three years ago, a school wall with chalk drawings of and director Paul Shapiro met whue and the result is Clown White, a fifty- clown faces (an image which repeatedly researching the film in various institu minute television film. In telling the intrigues' him), his teacher feels com tions for the deaf around Toronto. Eacn story of a rebellious deaf child who goes pelled to respond punitively by barring of them is portrayed distinctly, rather on a class outing to the city, where he Jason from a class trip to the Planeta than as part of an amorphous group "• runs away, Harbury got himself in for rium. Not easily deterred, Jason stows secondary characters, reflecting tne more than he bargained for. "The whole away on the expedition. Found out, and care with which the film wasmaoe . field of deafness is a vast and complicat about to receive more punishment, he The fUm is Harbuiys second dramatic ed one," says Harbury. "Everyone has breaks loose and runs off into the midst project but it is no accident mat «• very strong viewpoints, so we had to of the city, pausing first to complete his backgipund is primarily *atof a^ocu^ tread a very delicate path." freedom by discarding the Phonic Ear mentary filmmaker. Clown White « « This delicate path concerns the ways amplifier that remains his only hnk with extensively reseaixjhed film whosesW in which deaf children are taught to the world of hearing. He returns to a evolved ftx>m Harbury-s and Shapuv communicate. Clown White doesn't store window where a mime in white- encounters with the deaf comni^ comment on these ways - indeed, its face (played by Lorene Yarnell of the The children in the film were selerte strength lies in its open-mindedness famous American mime duo, Shields from among the 45 hearinfrmpa^^ towards the various approaches used and Yarnell), has been performing. youngsters that were a"'J""'"^°:?7(he by the concerned adults in the film. It Through her and the gestures of mime the largely positive response ina does, however, throw a curve into any he finds a mode of expression that satis project received in that communio::^ big find was Mark Christopher Dillon Jason's expressiveness, but it is also who plays Jason. "A natural," Harbury significant that he comes to it by means enthuses, and indeed, Dillon projects an of the inner resources of pride and instinctual sense for performing. After determination. all, the boy had a lot on his shoulders; a Salem Alaton • leading role which is not a speaking part. CLOWN WHITE, d. Paul Shapiro sc Jeffrey Director Shapiro finds poignant fram Cohen & Paul Shapiro p. Martin Harbury or mua composed by Bruce Cockbum d.o.p. ReneOhashi ing for Dillon but balances these with ed. James Lahti &. Mairin Wilkinson p. man. Sally the young actor's own intense assertive- Dundas loc sd. Bryan Day St. Tom Mather art d. ness. This assertiveness was one of Roy F. Smith a-d. Steven Wright list), Martha Hen- Harbury's central discoveries in re driks (2nd), Don Baldassara (3rd) props Peter Lau- terman (master), Paul Dreskin (asst.), Greg Pelchat searching the film ; that on the one hand (asst.) iBl asst cam. Bill Brown gaf. Jock Brandis deafness is "the invisible handicap" best boy Scotty Allan grip Maris Jansons loci (probably few people are aware that man. Suzanna Plowright p. co- ord. Susan Mander Canada has some 1.7 million hearing- warfL Mary-Jane McCarty, Karin Ariss (asst.) art trainee BirgitSibermalce-up SuzanneBenoitcont impaired citizens), while on the other, Susan David casting d. Jeffrey Cohen extras casting "in their own parlance and in their own Peter Lavender leclt advisors Victor Solitario, Patri understanding of things, they are not cia Vaughan catering Jesse Frayne stills Ron Watts handicapped people." While the Jason L p. Saul Rubinek, Lorene Yarnell, Michael Ironside, Heniy Ramer, Patricia Collins, George Touliatos, Mi character represents, in part, the dif chael Wincott, Ralph Small, Stephen Witldn, Shelley ficult "individual case which the text Goldstein, Tani Brown, Jeffrey Cohen,Bill Sheldon, book couldn't adequately prepare for, Bernie Finkelstein, Bruce Cockbum, (kids) Mark he also embodies the drive through Christopher Dillon, John Humphreys, Kelly Halli- gan, Arleigh Graham, Vanessa Vaughan, Danielle which people find their own solutions. Turton p.c Martin-Paul Productions Ltd. coL Mime is the discovery that unlocks 16mm running lime 52 min. Un ires grand succes international A Great International IIDIM LE6ENDES 13 demi-heures- 16mm 13 half-hour episodes - 16mm LEGENDSk Une sdrie realisee et produite The series directed and produced par DANIEL BERTOLINO by DANIEL BERTOLINO OFGANADAV DU CANADA des productions Via Le Monde Inc. of Productions Via Le Monde Inc. Deja distribuee a la television : Distributed for television In : en France, en Suisse, en Belgique, France, Switzerland, Belgium, en Alg^rie, en Suede et en Angleterre. Algeria, Sweden and England. Disponible aussi pour les Also available for non-commercial circuits non commerciaux: circuits: • Centres culturels • Cultural centres • Ecoles • Schools • Blblloth^ques • Libraries Ligendes indiennes du Canada, Indian Legends of Canada, une serie historique, une s^rie de an historical series, a must for films qu'il faut avoir dans votre your cinematheque. cinematheque. Cette serie d'emissions a pour but de faire decouvrir au public la profonde personnalite, rimmense culture et la pensee des differentes nations indiennes qui peuplent le Canada, a travers la mythologie extra ordinaire qui se degage des legendes.