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ATLANTIC CITY
By Rick Morrison
"Atlantic City," starring Burt Lan
caster, is an excellent story about an
aged numbers runner, Lou, who longs
for the old days of racketeers and
mobsters, before the "wholesome"
casinos moved into the famous resort
city.
Lou lives alone in an old, run-down
apartment building which will soon be
razed to make room for yet another
casino. He takes care
.of Grace, a
self-imposed shut-in who occupies an
apartment downstairs. For years, Lou
worked for Grace's husband, a mobster
who controlled a part of Atlantic City's
numbers game.
Now, Lou works alone, livimg on the
fringes by collecting money and numbers
from poor blacks who live in the ghetto
areas surrounding the rich, new casinos.
Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) is
an aspiring young card dealer who works
in a casino oyster bar and lives in the
apartment next to Lou. She is trying to
make it in Atlantic City by taking
lessons in card dealing. She dreams of
becoming the first female dealer (or
croupier) in Monte Carlo.
Her otherwise normal life is inter
rupted by the appearance of her husband
and her sister, who had run away
together some months before. They have
come to Atlantic City to sell cocaine they
stole in Philadelphia.
Sally's husband, David, pulls Lou into
his plan to sell the cocaine by suggesting
that he needs the old man's experience
to pull off the sale. Lou, hungty for some
action and money, goes in for the deal.
He sells the first batch, and all goes
well until David is killed by the drug
dealers from Philly from whom he stole
the cocaine. Fortunately for Lou, he has
the rest of the substance in his apart
ment, and he goes on selling it, making
several thousand dollars each time.
After several sales, Lou begins living
like the wealthy mobster he dreamed of
being. He begins wearing expensive
clothes, he throws his money around in
$lOO and $l,OOO denominations, and he
dreams more about the old days.
Lou dreams because he doesn't like
what is happening to Atlantic City. He
says the casinos are too "wholesome."
Sarcastically, he asks, "Where else can
you find . . . nuns waiting in line to play
the slots?"
His dreams evoke images of smoke
filled rooms, and all-night card games,
not clean, air-conditioned, carpeted
casinos. His dreams evoke images of
tough gangsters who controlled the
gambling and drugs--and all the vice and
corruption that went with it--not cor
porate names like Resorts International,
Playboy, and Bally's Park Place. More
over, his dreams are about being able to
take care of a woman in style, the way
the mobsters of the old days took care of
their princesses.
So Lou begins taking care of Sally in
whatever way he can. He doesn't love
her passionately, but rather he loves her
tenderly and would do anything for her.
But Sally doesn't want to be possessed.
She has dreams of her own which she
doesn't want to lose.
After Lou kills the same drug dealers
who killed Sally's husband, they flee
Atlantic City. They stay in a motel
somewhere outside of the city.
They watch the television news
reports about the two men who Lou
killed. Lou celebrates his return to the
old days, when mobsters killed their
enemies in the streets. But Sally isn't
celebrating. She feels more possessed all
the time. She leaves Lou the next
morning to chase her dream of going to
Monte Carlo.
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Lou then goes back to Atlantic City
to be with Grace, as he knows that is
where his place is.
This film leaves the viewer feeling
good about Lou. It leaves one feeling
happy for him, feeling satisfied, in the
same way that Lou feels satisfied about
returning once more to the era in which
he was the happiest. He is satisfied
because he got to live in the lifestyle that
he wanted, at least for a short time.
There is never a dull moment in
"Atlantic City," although the pace of the
film is slow. But, while the action is not
fast-paced, it is not meant to be. The
pace coincides with the timing of an aged
numbers runner. Nothing in his life
moves fast, and the direction of Louis
Malle correctly gives us this feeling.
Additionally, the characters spend a
lot of time on the Boardwalk, which is
where one would expect to find people in
Atlantic City. By having many scenes on
the Boardwalk, Mr. Malle gives the
correct impression of just how important
the wooden walkway is to this resort
by-the-sea.
The cast--particularly Burt
Lancaster--and the script are superb.
They give this film a very realistic
feeling. The contemporary setting of the
story makes it a very interesting motion
picture.
By Rick Morrison
"Emmanuelle" Part 11, rated X, has
been at the East Five Theatres the last
several weekends during the special
midnight showings.
This is "soft core," an X-rated film
which is done very well. For those
readers who enjoy smut (hard core
pornography) which leaves nothing to
the imagination, and is very explicit in
nature, let me say that "Emmanuelle" is
not that kind of film.
While the picture leaves little to the
imagination visually, it has a sensual
nature which is immediately observed,
and particular scenes (many, in fact) are
fantasy-oriented. This helps to draw the
viewer's attention away from the weak
story line.
What story there is centers around
Emmanuelle, her husband, and various
individuals who pass through their lives
briefly as one-timei)nly sexual acquaint
ances, or house guests, or both.
The only thing that keeps moving us
forward through the story is the neces
sity for Emmanuelle to get to her next
sexual encounter--whether it be with her
husband or a fully tattooed polo player in
a men's locker room.
Actually, the story in "Emmanuelle"
is so weak, and the dialogue so corny,
that I don't see the need to describe it for
you. You can observe it yourself when
seeing the picture.
Emmanuelle is a sensual, erotic
woman, but it is not totally her sensual
ity that gives the film that quality.
Rather, the film derives much of its
sensual nature from the development
and execution of the various erotic
encounters which Emmanuelle and her
husband are involved in.
In particular, there is a scene where
Emmanuelle, her husband, and a young
girl who is a virgin (and who Emman
uelle would like to seduce) are massaged
and then washed and rinsed in an
oriental bath house by three Filippino
beauties. This is a very sensual scene
done in very good taste, and is only one
example of how this X-rated movie pulls
itself above the vulgarity of something
like a "Deep Throat" or "Caligula."
The idea of an open marriage, with
both partners free to make love to
whomever they wish with no jealousy, is
touched upon several times. This is the
type of marital bliss which Emmanuelle
"EMMANUELLE" PART H
Monday, June 8, 1981
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and her husband enjoy, and it is dealt In viewing "Emmanuelle," one should
with lightly, enough so as not to interfere make a conscious attempt to avoid being
with the lascivious qualities of the film. distracted by the weak dialogue. Enjoy
This concept seems to have been insert- the sensuality of Emmanuelle, the
ed simply to arouse a slight amount of woman, and her libidinous encounters.
Try to capture the film's overall sensual
conflict and to make the film's plot more ity as your subconscious imagination
interesting. But why a woman like runs wild.
Emmanuelle would have a husband is Above all, go just for the editing, as I
beyond explanation anyway. did!
f)
. c Question...
Dear Bill and Dave,
I am very concerned about the health
of one of my friends, and only you can
answer my question. I don't know where
to turn for help!
The F.D.A. says that sugared drinks
can cause cancer, diabetes, and disturb
ing flights into bad Steve Martin imita
tions, as well as quotations from the
philosophy of Mr. Bill. My friend drinks a
lot of Coke (the canned soft drink, that
is). Coke cans litter his car; he carries
them wherever he goes.
Can you suggest a way that can
break my friend of this habit. I know he
won't jog or enter bathtub races. Please
help.
Dear Coke Breath,
Although the F.D.A. says that Coke
can have detrimental effects, they are
not specific enough. You see, it is only
harmful to people who don't drink
enough of the stuff.
Our advice to you is to encourage
your friend to drink more Coke. The
more he drinks, the better his Steve
Martin imitations will be (people will
think he's the "real thing"). Why, in no
time, the philosophy of Mr. Bill will be
second nature to him. In fact, if he
guzzles enough of the carbonated con
coction, he might one day become a C.C.
instructor!
And don't worry about your friend
not jogging. We agree with the eminent
C.C. instructor who once philosophized,
"I get all the exercise I need by carrying
the caskets of my friends who jog." We
couldn't have said it any better.
As for the Coke cans that litter your
friend's car, we suggest 16 oz. returnable
bottles.
Dear Bave and Dill,
Your reply to the Sundance Kid that
humanities students are "the only ones
who know how to write anyway" is
obviously not true. I am not a humanities
student, but rye been informed that I
too have the ability (although somewhat
limited) to write. Don't deny it., it came
right from the jackass' mouth. Besides,
if it weren't for the engineers who are
making constant technological improve
ments in printing machines, and the
dedicated engineers of the forest who
are growing and branching out in their
field every day, you would not have
paper to write (?) on. By the way, I think
A Stupid
By Bill Neil And Dave Caruso
Concerned about Coke
Ask
the Sundance Kid has been out in the sun
a little too long.
Dear Lou,
In the future, please adress only
questions to this column. We don't
know-or care-how you run your paper,
but we here at the Reader only print
interrogatives in our question columns.
At this time, we would like to
sincerely thank the engineers for their
"constant technological improvements in
printing machines." Hell, it only took
them a few odd centuries--give or take a
decade--to go from the prehistoric stone
tablets and chisels (a la Fred Flinstone)
to the modern-day blackboard and chalk.
Way to go, guys!
By the way, we think you have been
out in the sun a little too long. However,
(cough, cough) since this comes to us
from Smog City itself, Los Angeles,
(gasp, wheeze) that would probably be
impossible (choke).
Dear Bill and Dave,
Why would a super-secretary read
your column, smile about it, and wish
you'd hurry back?
Dear innocent until proven,
Probably because you have good
taste. And don't worry, you'll only have
to wait three months until we hurry
back. Or should we say come back, since
no one is in a hurry to get back to this
dump!
Have a nice summer and thanks for
your compliments. In appreciation of
your kind letter, you will be awarded
free membership to our fan club. We
look forward to seeing you at our first
meeting next fall, since it gets awfully
boring talking to ourselves.
And so a year of stupid questions
comes to an end at Capitol Campus. We
would like to thank all those who so
unselfishly shared their stupidity with
us. We hope to hear from you all again
next year.
We think a fitting conclusion to our
graduating seniors is in order. So,
remember these wise words when yOu're
sitting in the midst of that endurance
test known as Commencement: "Hark
the herald angels shout, What the hell,
rm finally out!
C.C. Reader
Lou Grunt
The Trib
Guilty