1977 d-l- ncbrc-ks- thursday, janusry 20, 'y n

8 (OS fimaer of American movie could be due to the Reviews by WO EbfXran v obvious in many of the scenes and Kong's battle with a but her lack of expertise explained After a vast array of technicians had finicd construct- giant serpent looks lake something straight out of a cheapo overpowering screen presence of her co-eta-r. ing a giant black ape's hand for the mia!timIion dollar re-nu- ke Japanese sci-f- i flick of the fifties. Licons!.t treatment and fun if of JCws To, producer Dino De Lauren tiis was Kong himself is occasionally unpressive .especially in King Kong might have been entertaining called to the set. Trie technicians proudly unveiled their the close-u- p shots of his face, when the giant ape is only given a more consistent treatment. The director, hydraulicaSy controlled creation as it emerged at De actually clayed by a man in a monkey suit. Unfortunate- John GuiHermin (who specializes in big, empty-heade- d 40-fo-ot film an Laurentiis with the middle finger ruddy extended in the ly, the tall mechanical Kong is impressive in size, spectacles like 77a? Towering Inferno) gives the internationallyknown gesture. but not in believability. overall polished, expensive look, but for $25 million, what That same middle finger is now extended at the Ameri- In order to update the creaky old plot, screenwriter do you expect? can public in the form of the finished f2m and its count- Lorenzo Semple has attempted to inject relevance by What the film lacks is any kind of central core. As it is, less promotional product tie-in- s and overall barrage of using Kong as a symbol of man's rape of the environment, King Kong clunks along from one big scene to the next publicity. or possibly even the United States exploitation of the like a lumbering gorilla. The relationship between Kong the King Kong is the rip-of-f of the year and a prime Third World. ' and the beautiful girl is supposedly the center of film, example of how an overheated advertising machine can The shallow treatment of these themes in the film only but Lange's unconvincing emoting and lines like 'Tut me disguise rotten filmmaking and succeed in performing a snow job on the public. As a film, King Kong is probably the most overblown production ever to hit American screens. The film-make- rs had the choice, in the beginning, of playing it straight in respect to the original 1933 version (rightly lathed as "classic") or to camp it up and not take the rather ridiculous story very seriously. rtfsslt FIsjsI serves to cheapen them and insult the intelligence of the. down, you goddamn male chauvinist ape!," are so ludi- The final result is a film that lurches back and forth, crous that they're not funny, even in the campiest sort of never mind whether serious ; making up its to be or cynical, A search for oil leads to the discovery of Kong and in way. or funny tragic. the end, the greedy capitalists (led by Charles Grodin in a King Kong will no doubt make a lot of money and Despite its $25 million budget, some of the technical terribly overplayed performance) are responsible for his might even surpass Jaws as the all-tim- e box office champ. effects are The version :'v special surprisingly shoddy. 33 'death.: J .;;: v '.. V However, I doubt Kong will ultimately be remembered as didnl try to look overly realistic and achieved an overall The forces of good and innocence on Kong'sf side are any sort of well-craft- ed or entertaining movie. Instead, the feeling of true fantasy as a result. represented by Jeff Bridges, an idealistic scientist who Kong phenomenon will probably go down as a supreme To the contrary, the new version tries too hard for real- spends most of 4he time brushing his hair off his face triumph of high-power- ed public relations and advertising ism. The much-laude-d hydraulic hand never really looks and, in the old Fay Wray role, newcomer , over an unsuspecting and gullible American public. like more than a giant hydraulic hand. Rear-projectio- n is Kong's true love Lange's acting ability is questionable, Also showing in Lincoln is (currently at the Douglas 3), a movie with a split personality. , Director has skillfully combined a blood nd-thunder horror story with a' sensitive portrait of a shy, rejected adolescent. These two seemingly incom- patible story elements are combined to produce an off- beat, memorable film. Based on the best-selli- ng novel by Stephen King, Carrie concerns a young girl endowed with powers of tele- kinesis, or the ability to move objects mentally, Carrie, beautifully played by , is the victim of her fanatically religtous mother (Piper Laurie). Carrie's mother, repressed to the point of insanity, inflicts her own warped beliefs on her daughter. The film opens in the girls' shower room at Carrie's high school, where a terrified Carrie believes she is bleed- ing to death when her first period occurs. The humilia- tion by the other girls and rejection by her mother in pleas for help begin to bring forth Carrie's latent power. Feeling guilty for the cruel treatment of Carrie, one of trr ner classmates persuaaes ner ooyiriena 10 asK came 10 the upcoming prom. At the prom Carrie finally emerges from her shell and begins to blossom with She and her date are elected prom king and queen, but Carrie's triumph is cut short by a cruel joke- -a bucket of pig's blood is dump- ed on her from above in the front of the whole student body. 1 - V.:- i i Tormentors punished V V" The final humiliation causes Carrie to unleash her awe- ' 9 m some power to punish her tormentors. The high school prom is turned into a fiery Armageddon. Carrie is probably the most off-be- at film of the year, simply because the viewer never quite knows what to pect. -- De Palma is a director who has a feeling for both the mundane, everyday surroundings of the small high school and the melodramatics..of full-blow- n horror storyl As the film S 1 . progressed, the normal, everyday, fantastic and unbelievable move closer and closer together until they - . i I t lit collide in the climactic sequence at the prom. ; What sets Carrie apart from other horror films is De t f Palma1 real feeling for his characters. De Palma displays a I t f l sense of humor during the film's lighter moments that ;'!: seems to indicate he isn't the type of director who enjoys k violence ot would use it gratuitously. '' v. Despite the ample violence, De Palma seems to be more h .W i concerned with the characters so they emerge as real peo- ple and not merely instruments to push the plot along Photo courtesy of Paramount Kicturcs from one thrill to ihe next. De Palma has one of the most individualistic Tut me down you goddamn ma!e chssvisi tpc! And Fay Wrsy thor! she had it bad . . styles among contemporary American commercial directors, probably because he started his career as an independent film-make- r; then worked his way up. As a result, he isn't uu-u- p do rum n . afraid to things differently, and what seems like an 00 inconsistent unt?is etyt.yiii(Si p style is really De Palma's way of trying to By Ccih Erxom People available for consultation include two faculty revitalize old genres and avoid cliches. It's not exactly 20th Century Fox, but the Film Co-c-? members, June Levine, who teaches fUm criticism, and PcepizgTom provides eq'jipnxst, infecmation and smicei for anyone illke Farrcll, cinematographer for Nebraska Educational For the sequence in the shower room, De Palma moves in the community who wants to make a film. Television. his camera like a voyeur and consequently the audience rca-ynchroniz- Dan Film in-vcl- People can use super eijht carsrrai, Ladely, Sheldon Theatre director, also is feels like a Peeping Tom. The more frightening scenes vig editing equipment, tspe recorders snd a nks qtwity" anikble, alorg with III3, resident artist for the Nebraska Carrie and her mother are filmed in the sty le of a microphone, accoTdlr to Gary I L1, one of the organizers Arts Council. HUl't title under the council is Filmmaker Gothic honor story, in contrast to the hih school scenes of the co-o-p. in Schools. which are shot in a lighter, mere realistic tone. De Palma The co-o- p is financed individuals The tape recorder is deserted for sound by private but the demonstrates his penchant for camera movements in the fyiwonized does them a room. because it has a generator motor, IIU1 said. university give prom sequence, where Carrie's first dance with her date is The co-o- p got off the ground after Otto and John shot in increasingly rapid 360 degree which Iiowctrr, there is no processing available pans, equipment Kotouc donated $4,000 in actual equipment and $6jDC0 immerses the viewer in the whirling feel of the dance. atiheco-cp-. in cash. However, one piece of equipment can cost De Palma's unique style manages to provide something The co-o- p has an nca-cxed- it informal, meeting every $2,4C0. for everyone. Horror fans will certainly not be dissppoint-e- d Thursdiy at 7 pxi. in Lyman IL3 114. However, slsdcnts More money is needed because there are hopes to even- when all stops are pulled out in the end. But Carrie rrcrhis credit from co-c- p accumulate so may independent study work, tually enough equipment anyone can make transcends the genre with its sensitive and perceptive por- a hf--h quality 16 or eiht millimeter film, Ladely said. trait of the high school milieu and its doomed -- outcast D-a- certirs people dixuss Him procsdurea, k The co-o- p is a "connection. It is a place where people De Palma saaxidt because he manages to express his to zt or fiad oat how to actors who are films and who want to do fZmscan and concerns for the fia proccssd grt doing-- people feelings outcast through an uncon- and dancers for their fuxa. go. It's an equipment pool, Hill added. ventional, but highly effective framework.