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COLD BLOOD-REVIEW
Senseless killings generally go
tinrecorded, except for a short peri
od of time when newspaper head
lines scream of man's inhumanity to
man. And even when the papers do
present extended coverage, a reader
is given the bare facts and psycho
logical backgrounds are forgotten.
IN COLD BLOOD, a brilliant
movie adaptation of author Truman
Capote's successful book of the
same title, transcends this problem
with a vivid analysis of two men
who brutally kill a family of four.
There are reasons for the brutal
murders, and one of them is not , the
frustration of being unable to locate
a huge sum of money in a farmer's
house.
One of the murderers is Dick, a
former high school basketball stand
out, who splits apart his own fam
ily of a wife and two children be
cause of an extra-marital affair.
("A couple of times in the back
seat.")
The other is Perry, product of
a once-happy family destroyed in
his childhood by an unfaithful moth
er and a wrathful father. The frus
tration of this destruction is car
ried into his adult life by his fath
her whom he detests and admires
throughout this worthwhile movie.
There is much play and counter
play between the two characters.
Dick has called on Perry because he
knows he is a man who can kill.
But Perry, who is usually high on
aspirins, is not as willing to kill
as Dick would like. Perry sees in
Dick his own youth through the
former's broken home and later as
his father when a confrontation with
by R. Thomas Berner.
a gun takes place between the two.
This is the final psychological
straw which breaks the proverbial
camel's back and sends Perry into
an hysterical murder rampage.
But the movie is not there only
to carry to the world insight on a
killer. In the end, when the con
demned men are about to be hanged,
a bitter dialogue on capital punish
ment preceeds the hangings.
And further absurdity of man's
inhumanity to man goes over to the
other side the supposed balanced
side when Perry's request to re
lieve himself is denied by the pri
son guards who stand on ceremony
in backing their refusal. It is the
prison chaplain who convinces the
guards to give in to Perry's request.
The chaplain, also, forms an in
teresting part in the story. Could
he have stopped the murders from
happening with the prior knowledge
Perry was about to break parole?
What I felt to be one of the fin
est points of the movie was the
interrogation of Dick which in part
went something like this:
Police Detective: Why do all of
you have those (pointing to several
tatoos on Dick's body)?
Dick: All of who? What do
you mean?
Police Detective: I mean, crim
inals.
Dick: (In a rage.) Everybody
has their tatoos. Yours is a badge,
cop. Other people, the country club,
the Elks (he rambles on).
Perhaps Truman Capote's "psych
out" of two killers went further than
intended and put all American so
ciety on the couch.
PARNASSUS
SELECTS
NEW OFFICERS
There was a meeting of the
Parnassus Society on May 16, to
elect officers for the fall term and
to initiate new members.
The new officers are Bonnie
Bangor, President; Jerry Notaro,
Vice-President; and Kathy Gibson,
Secretary.
New members were chosen for
superior achievement in academic
work and positive participation in
organized activities.
Outgoing President, Joseph La
mont, presided for the induction
ceremonies. Mr. Ralph Crawford is
the advisor of the Highacres Honor
Society.
"THE ENGLISH
TEACHER"
See the teacher.
He teaches English.
He hates misplaced commas.
He hates obscure meanings.
He hates pronouns with unclear
references.
Hate, Hate, Hate!
See the student.
He studies English.
He misplaces commas.
He obscures meanings.
His pronouns have unclear
references.
Shame, Shame, Shame!
See the teacher,
hate the student.
See the teacher,
flunk the student
Flunk, Flunk, Flunk!
The student is
Ernest Hemingway.
I guess Ernie couldn't write as
well as he thought he
could!