THURSDAY, AUGUST 10. 1961 Superficial Made Real By STEPHEN BLUM Contributing Writer I am not a film critic. Lest I have not said it explicitly enough times before in this column, I am not, in the tra ditional sense, a critic at all. I do, however, have opi nions. "La Dolce Vita" is a fine film. That is an opinion of mine. Because I think that you ought to see the film, let me try and tell you why I have this opinion. Many sensitive people feel sure that the film is, and has been, a respected art form. There are today many films being made which tend to af firm this judgment. Names of directors like Ray, Bergman, and Fellini have become com mon parlance when discussion turns to fine recent films. "La Dolce Vita" is such a fine film. Properly speaking this Fellini-directed three hour tale has no theme and no hero. Sadly, it is extremely difficult to make any distinction be tween the Bad Guys and the Good Guys. Indeed we seem to be deal ing with a film where the Good Guys and the Bad Guys have, without prior announcement to the audience, fused themselves into a third-rate newspaper re porter named Marcella whose life, in the worst sense of the Dateline Washington A Good Show, But RANDOM RE-ENACTMENT REFLECTIONS Rebel yells drifted across Bull Run recent ly as Confederate troops once again routed the Yankees back to Washington from Manassas. The mock battle, a re-enact ment of the First Battle of Bull Run, drew thousands of spec tators because of its novelty. One doesn't often get the chance to see a Civil War bat tle in the flesh instead of on a cinemascope screen. The mechanics of warfare the Federals firing their artil lery at the charging Confeder ates contrast vividly with the mushroom A-blast less than 100 years later over Hiroshima. Yet what justification is there for grown -men unneces sarily shooting at each other? What of the people who were drawn to the spectacle by the sound of guns? The layout at Manassas was undoubtedly an expensive one and provided a good show. Here at Bull Run, the first of many clashes between men fighting for a cause took place. How much better had this "spirit of Manassas," if such there is, been demonstrated physically and financially some other way. More imaginative planning would have been needed for a real contribution to have been made especially from a fund-raising sense. As it is, Alterations & Repairs Fast Dry Cleaning Service Complete Laundry Service Open Daily 7:30 a.m. lo 6 p.m. CAMPUS CLEANERS E. Beaver Ave. ' Next to the Post Office word, is perfectly normal. The film takes place, since it did have to have a place, in Rome: however, it could have been done in New York, Paris, or even Philadelphia or Pitts burgh. Marcello is a reporter for what we would call a scandal sheet. He feeds on the lavish superficiality of Rome's night life where people become made-up masks unto them selves and others. Among other things Marcel lo and his companion photog rapher do a story on an Amer ican actress who is all bust (she knows it and everybody else knows it, but nobody says it) and who, appropriately enough, Marcello wants to go to bed with the moment he has seen her. The actress is played by Anita Eckberg and she is to be congratulated for faking the the part for she, quite know ingly, makes a total fool of her self. She does it with skill. The film, like life, is episo dic. There are six scarcely re lated scenes. There comes for ward in these scenes the not altogether unusual combina tions of a Bach fuge, suicide, neon miracles led by lying chil dren, and a love which is only neurotic enough to make it rather totally misunderstood by its recipient. When you stop to think about it for a moment there is noth ing whatsoever in this film Manassas 1961 is by now just another newspaper featuire story. The official line from its planners is that the re-enact ment shows we in America can discuss, .debate ,even .re create past internal differ ences, a boast many other lands cannot make. But too many people ap peared subconsciously "reliv ing" the glories of ante-bellum South to suit this reporter. The Rebel yell had too realistic a ring. Judging from today's head lines, we hardly need to "play" at war. B at t le commemorations might find best observation in quiet, inexpensive ceremonies conducted with a dignity which would demonstrate both our SENIORS who will receive bachelor degrees on AUGUST 26 MUST HAVE PORTRAITS TAKEN for the "4 7 1962 LA VIE 7, /t Before Graduation o t: fIT At Studio Of Infinity Enterprises, Inc. 319 W. Beaver Ave., State College, Pa. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays thru Fridays Women wear white blouses or white sweaters. Men wear dark suits, ties, and white shirts. Portrait Charge: $1.92 plus tax NOTE: Any 1962 graduate desiring to have LaVie portrait made now rather than during Fall Term may do so. SUMMER COLLEGIAN. , STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA which is so terribly unusual. And that is just the point. Fellini has *deified, with beau tiful technical skill, the super ficial and shown it to us in all its contemporary meaningful ness and reality. Parts of the film qualify for the term tragi-comedy, for they seem ludicrous enough to be funny until you realize that it is all just part of the big fresco of sham which these peo ple serve up to each other, day by day. When you realize that, then the film is not funny any more. Take the waiter in the restaurant designed like an imitation Roman Coliseum for for example: when you look at him closely you note that he has. besides the "proper" cos tume of a toga, also outsized hornrimmed glasses and gaping false teeth. It seems almost too silly to believe. But it, and more, is all there. in every scene. The picture is perhaps more like a Bosch painting than a mosaic. Every place, in every scene, there is an actor or ac tion who adds detail to the sub tle horror Fellini shows. "La Dolce Vita" is like an in version of the medieval mor ality play -- that is, an immor ality play. Everyman is there, only his name is Marcella Jus tice, Beauty, and Love are also on stage with their messages. But these are 1961 style uni versal heroes with all the perverse grotesqueness which makes them so real and be lievable: Why? unity despite past struggles and our faith in the future. Americans might miss a good show, an afternoon outing, though, and what would the concessionaires do?—Kay Mills SUMMER JOBS IN EUROPE Earn your trip and expenses For Free information Write To: American Student Information Service e. V. Johnstrasse 66A, Frankfurt, Main, Germany Concerning Blum TO THE EDITOR: Your colum nist, Mr. Blum, in his article . . Studies will be interrupt ed," states some opinions which make me feel that he is slightly affected by the heat. Mr. Blum, don't you realize that if we don't make a stand at Berlin, we will have to do it sooner or later at Bonn, Lon don, or even New York. Do you still have the idea that Com munism is something to be toyed with? Don't you know that it has no morals, no eth ics? It is like a hungry wolf— the more it gets the more it wants. You will not convert The little fella knows where the grass is greener. Down low That's how it is with electric service, too. For while the cost of living has gone up, up, up, the price of electric service is still knee high to a tortoise. Fact is, electric service is about the best bargain in your entire budget—and it's cheaper by the dozen, too. The more you use it, the less the average price per kilowatt-hour. WEST PENN POWER inyvitiarwevorde WOOMM NlCktllol4lll4 the wolf into a lamb by offer ing it food, Mr. Blum. He will go for your throat the first chance he gets. There is only one thing that CoMmunism respects.— force! We cannot bury our noses in books and allow ourselves to be lulled into a sense of false security' until we must make a final stand at New York or Los Angeles. If Communism wins, you, Mr, Blum, will not have to worry about what you are going to write in the next Col legian. They will tell you. —Vytautas V. Pazernenas, '62 • Letter cut COST OF LIVING? 'way up here ! PRICE OF ELECTRICITY? 'way down here! PAGE FIVE
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers