THURSDAY,NOV. 3, IH8 THEGEORGIASTATESIGNAL BILLDIAL ENTERTAINMENT 'Alfie,' 'Seconds' Share Qualities Of Writing, Acting and Directing ~~ftlqoql "Alfie" and "Seconds" may "ALFIE" WAS directed by by Alfie and later submits to a seem to be strange bedfellows Lewis Gilbert, and his style is repulsive and degrading abor- Mf)VIES - RECORDS - BOOKS for a comparative review. "Al- more traditional. At least his tion. fie" is a British comedy about technique of photographing the We return, after considera- a lovable rogue who moves action of the film is less ob- tion of the various qualities of casually from one "bird" to the viously experimental than these films and of.their super- next 'with never, or hardly Frankenheimer's. For the most ficial differences, to the in- Sound Tracks Sound Good ever, a thought about tomor- part, the viewer is unaware of herent similarities in theme row. the film-making process itself, which tie them together. To Record Makers, Buyers "Seconds" is an American which is exactly what Gilbert THE ALL too obvious point horror movie a middle-aged by ED SIIEAIIAN intended. of "Seconds," and the irony of banker, bored with his subur- "Lara's Theme' - was it before you saw "Dr. Zhivago that What is most important to the title derives from this you realized that was quite a song? I'll bet you can't even re- ban life and his suburban wife, him is what should be most im- point, is that there are no 'sec- who submits to plastic surgery member now. It may have been the day after! portant to -his audience: Alfie's onds." The painful experiences which cuts 15 years from his That's the way with a good REED LINES: Mr. Acker story. Everything is carefully of Frankenheimer's "re-born" physiognomy, and then sets out directed to provide the best simply repeat the lesson we've soundstrack. Maurice Jarre Bilk on Atco with his same to find what he missed the first proved himself quite a master fine clarinet stylings in ''Mood possible viewpoint of the pro- already learned elsewhere - of stitchery with his weaving for Love." Bilk was the time around. ceeding wit h 0 u t interfering "you can't go home again." Mr. These films, however, share of the Love Theme throughout man who romanced way with their progress by draw- Such a theme would be ban- his certain qualities which are ing undue attention to eccen- al except that we are shown the 'track, and Peter Webster's through "Stranger on the becoming increasingly rare in tric camera angels and move- the problem from a new angle. lines (added later) served to Shore" several years ago. motion pictures: they are both ments. lock the song in the collective Rock Hudson never had a RED LINE:_ "Good Vibra- well written, well directed and heads of the public. chance. He is forced into a tions" single on capitol by the well acted. And surprisingly PLEASE DO not be put off colony of "re-borns' 'for an Beach Boys and "I'm Ready enough, the final effect on the by the questionable presence of CAN YOU remember the "adjustment period." He falls for Love" by Martha and the viewer is much the same in Rock Hudson in "Seconds." He soundtrack theme from "How in love with a "company girl" Vandellas on both cases. delivers the best performance To Steal A Million?" You GordY also a of his eareer. What better cast- employed to keep him amused. would if I played a cut from single) are sure cures for the THESE ARE two of the best ing choice could have been In short, his new life is no less it from Johnny Williams' 20th stale sounds on top 40 charts written movies to come out made? He plays the "re-born," ordered and beyond his con- Cenfury Fox album. of late. this year. With "Alfie" the the surgical mutant whose trol than the old one was, and Again, that's the way with a he makes the same mistakes he READING LINES about re- quality is in the lifelike reality futile search for "seconds" good soundtrack. cords would be nothing with- of screenwriter Bill Naughton's comprises the plot of the film. made the first time through. Too few movie producers out a sharpie by Steve Law- dialogue. It may be pointed out that It is ·unfair. It is unreasonable. and 'track composers realize rence on Columbia, "Ballads of Alfie tells his own story, he doesn't have much to do, It is real. just what Henry Mancini was the Sad Young Men" •.. or candidly addressing the au- and that his drunk scene is un- ALFIE'S LIFE is conrtolled doing when he made movie a gas by Leslie Uggams on At- dience much in the manner of convincing; but, in the main, in a similar way. He is subject music into something more lantic (look for some nice pop a stage "aside." The natural, he does a remarkable job. to the consequences of ignoring than just an overproduced stuff from them soon) ... a almost casual, actuality of the Several supporting roles are a moral and social order which, background. film, the believability of the acted with unaccustomed bril- while it may be outmoded, bossie by the Jefferson City actors' performances, stems, in liance. Notable are John Ran- stuffy and confining, neverthe- THEY'VE GOING to have to Airplane on RCA . • . a he main, from the quality of dolph, superb as the buttoned- less prevails. There are no start paying attention (except smoothie by Al Martino ("This Naughton's writing. down banker whose metamor- "seconds" for Alfie either. in the cases noted, and the fine Is Love") on Capitol, which phosis is undertaken; Will A quotation from "Tom ones from the past that stand shows HIS talent, not his en- IN "SECONDS" there is less Geer, as the minaciously sym- Jones" is peculiarly opposite: out in our minds) if the re- gineer's . . . and a hollied pre- dialogue. The picture belongs, pathetic president of the "com- "We are all of us as God made cord companies are going to get view: Bernstein and the New finally, to the director, John pany" which offers this unique us- and many of us, much money for their pressing bills York Philharmonic with high- Frankenheimer, and his veter- transformation; Jeff""Corey, as worse." out of the 'track-buying folks. lights from the "Messiah." an cameraman, James Wong an administrator in the com- Howe. But the screenplay by pany; and Richard Anderson, BOOKREVIEW Lewis John Carlino is believ- as the plastic surgeon who is, able in the same way Naugh- at the risk of tipping Franken- ton's is. The action is true to heimer's hand, the "alpha and life, and the words are words 'Fixer' Twice-Told Tale the omega." Review by David Flinn to be said by real people in childless wife who runs off me? What have I done except real situations. MICHAEL CAINE gives in "The Fixer" by Bernard with a "goy" leaving him alone, to be born a Jew?" penurious and dissatisfied with "Alfie" and "Seconds" show "Alfie" the finest individual Malamud. Farrar, Straus, & As the novel goes on, Bok, life. two radically different styles of performance by an actor that Co. $5.95 who began as a petulant, self- direction, but they share the I've seen this year. His loose- THERE SEEMS to be a new pitying, unattractive little man, BOK IS an ambitious man distinction of being superlative limbed, heavy-lidded, cockney recipe for success emerging in emerges as a man of great and has managed to scrape a examples of each style. puckered-drawled characteriz- the novel. Take a writer with a character and endurance. little education here and there. ation is perfect. Alfie is as little talent, add a persecuted He feels deserted by everyone, F'OR "SECONDS" John alive as a shadow on a len- minority group along with one WHAT MALAMUD seems to particularly God, and after his Frankenheimer continues to ticular screen could be. pathetic and insignificant vic- be saying throughout is that wife's desertion, he ventures to explore his particular brand of Caine shows us something tim of bigotry and ignorance, man must endure and accept Kiev in the hopes of making "surreality." Using distortion true about cads that we may garnish with a touch of sex and hope that someday the world something of his life. lenses, strange photographic have missed before: they are scatology and behold: a best may be a decent place in which angles, and jerky, hand-held not heartless, unprincipled and seller. By saving a life and commit- to live, but as Bok goes to his camera techniques, Franken- amoral. Alfie is generous anc' What gets "The Fixer" out of ting an insignificant crime, Bok trial, he suddenly realizes that heimer, and Howe, his camera- kind hearted. He wants only he shtetl and into the class of is suddenly caught up in the this is all wrong: "What suf- man, force us to look at old happiness, for others as well as zood literature is the fact that maelstrom of "history," and fering has taught me is the familiar scenes as if we'd never for himself. He is a highlv 8ernard Malamud happens to finds himself accused with the uselessness of suffering." A man seen them before. Surely the principled fellow, and he fol- 'rave more than a little talent. ritual murder of a young Rus- must fight, for "where there's sinister qualities of innocent lows a strict moral code. sian boy. The bulk of the novel no fight for it, there's DOfree- institutional corridors, plush BUT WHY does a man with deals with his subsequent per- dom. Death to the anti-Semites! administrative ofices, and glos- THAT THIS code is not thr The Assistant," and ties on Bok in a frantic attempt Who knows what happens to And, unlike so many of the fie, and he is more faithful tc "The Natural" all deal with to force him to confess a list Bok? One is tempted to answer: "talented young directors," it than we are to ours. me motif of social injustice and of atrocious absurdities that he "Who cares?" Actually it does- We must single out several .iersecution, Although there are Frankenheimer is clearly in could never have r considered n't really matter for Bok re- control of the sitaution. Noth- supporting performers fOT .ibvious connections with the committing. . mains what he was in the be- problems of the Negro in ing is gratuitously done, noth- praise: Julia Foster, as Alfie'~ ginning: insignificant. But America, The Fixer" is pri- THROUGH IT all Bok re- ing is really sensational. We see first "bird" and mother of hi" what he symobllzes bJ another bastard son; Shelley Winters, marily a Jewish fable. mains passive. His mind runs in this film what can be done thing. by a mature director, confident as an aging doxy who is, 81' Yakov Bok, the fixer, is not from one extreme to another in his control of his technique. Alfie repeatedly points out, "ir a junkie or a con-man as the but he is never driven to act: "TIlE FIXER" is not an easy A line may be borrowed from beautiful condition;" and Vi·· 'jtle might imply, but simply Hope .appears only to be cruel- book to begin. It deals with Alfie to describe "Seconds." vian Merchant, who is- the best 'in insignificant Jewish tinker ly WIthdrawn as the screw things unpleasant and dis- "It's not pretty. But nothing of them all as the drab middle- living in Russa shortly after continues to ti~ten: Bok cannot Iturbing. Once begun, ..however, is, seen close up." aged housewife who is seduced 1900. He is an orphan with a understand hIS plight: "Why it is not easy _to .put down.