'Zandy's Bride:'
not Troell's
best effort
By LEAH ROZEN
of the Collegian Staff
"Zandy's Bride," Swedish film director Jan.Troell's first
American film, is not as compelling as his previous work,
"The Emmigrants" and "The New Land."_
"Zandy's Bride," starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann,
also concerns frontier life. However, the characters fail to
develop the same immfdiacy and depth they had in the
previous films.
Ullman comes to Hackman's cabin as a mail order bride He dimensional, there is little he can do otherthan huff and puff.
is a rough, mean character and handles her brusquely His frequent outbursts were well-handled but one longed for a
gentler moment.
This is the film's main problem. Hackman's character does Eileen Heckart, her face looking as if it was made of paper
not change. There isi. , very little explanation, and even less mache, effectively played Hackman's wornout mother. Susan
provocation, for his nasty responses to Ullmann. Tyrrell gave one of her usual mannered, spaced-out per
formances as a besmirched former companion of Hackman's.
Troell tried to provide a background for Hackman's
oafishness by having him visit his family, where his father is - This film was frustrating because it could have been very
even less likeable. Brushing his plate from the table, Hack- good. The frontier life and its relationships shoidd make an ab
man's father tells his wife, "This slop draws the piss out of me sorbing movie but the insufficient levels to Hackman's charac
- at least I might throw it in your face." ter denied the film a real story or conflict.
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Ullmann kgeps making overtures lo Hackman, all of which
he steadfastly turns aside, repeatedly telling her, "There are
no frills in my way of life."
He tells her that she is a "hateful woman" and dunks her
head in a water trough when she tries a fancy hair style.
saying "I did it for ytnwouil good."
Ullmann takes all of this, only asking-for a clothes line, until
Hackman drives his cattle through her garden. This is the final
straw. She tells him to leave and his mother backs her up.
Hackman journeys to San Francisco where he changes his
,views toward her and returns for the happy ending. His trans
formation is too vague and elliptical for the viewer. It is hard
to believe that things will be any different. rC
Visually, the film is lovely. It takes place in Little Sur coun
try and there are many absolutely,
.breath -taking shots of the
area's mountains and valleys.
Ullmann turns in what is probably her best performance in
an American film, filled with quiet emotional shadings. She
makes a scared and yet determined bride.
Hackman is not so lucky. Since his character is so one-
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UNIVERSITY CALENDAR
Friday-Sunday, November 8-10
SPECIAL EVENTS
Friday, November 8 Commonsplace Coffeehouse, 8 p.m., Room 142 Kern.
Friday-Saturday, November 8-9 University Theatre, Surrealistic Celebration,
"The Breasts of Tiresias" and "The Wedding on the Eiffel Tower," 8 pan., Play
house Theatre.
Friday-Saturday, November 8-9 University Theatre, "Lemon Sky," 8 p.m.,
Pavilion Theatre.
Saturday, November 9 Artists Series, The Royal Shakespeare Compliny, "The
Hollow Croyvn," 8:30,p.m., University Audit6rium.
Saturday, November 9 Sports: Coss Country, vs. Pittsburgh, 11 a.m., White golf
course.
Sunday, November 10 Artists Series, The Royal Shakespeare Company, "Pleasure
and Repentance," 8:30 p.m., University Auditorium.
Sunday, November 10 Lecture-demonstration of electronic music by Burt Fenner,
\ 3 p.m., Music Bldg. recital hall. Sponsored by State College Music Guild.
Stinday, November 10 Chapel Service, 11 a.m., Eisenhower Chapel. The Reverend
Charles L. Coleman, Program Director, Religious Affairs.
Sunday, November 10 Black Christian Fellowship worship service, 11 a.m., Black
Cultural Center.
Friday, November 8 Physical Chemistry, 4 p.m., Room 333 Whitmore. James B.
Anderson on "A Random Walk Game. Competition for LCAO-MO-SCF-CI-Etc.?"
Friday, November 8 Fuel Seience, 1:30 p.m., Room 244 Deike. Roger A. Strehlow,
aeronautical and astronautical engineering, University of Illinois, on "Coal Dust
Combustion and Suppression." •
Thursday-Sunday, November 7-10 Centre Cinema, "Slaughterhouse Five," 7:30
and 10 p.rri. Thursday, Simmons lounge, Friday-Sunday, Room 105 Forum.
Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 South Halls, "Butch Cassidy," 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.,
Redifer D.
Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 East Halls, "EffecCof Gamma Rays," 7:30 and 10
p.m., Findlay Rec Room.
Friday-Sunday, November" B-10 North Halls, "Bonnie and Clyde," 7:30 and 10 p.m.,
Room 102 Forum.
Friday-Sunday ? November 8-10 West Halls, "Camelot," 7:30 and 10 p.m
EXHIBITS
Museum of Art Living American Artists and the Figure, Galleries A and C
Twentieth Century Master Potters, Gallery B.
Zoller Gallery Fiftieth Anniversary of the Surrealistic Manifesto, Graduate Shoir.
Rare Books Room,. Pattee Library Rare books, manuscripts, letters, journals
related to Surrealist Movement.
Cultural Center, Walnut Bldg. "The ;Black Presence in the Era of the American
Revolution, 1770-1800," a Smithsoniali Traveling Exhibit. '
Kern Gallery Ken Kuhn, wall reliefS, through November 9. D. Tracy Blumenthal,
paintings, through November 9. Shirley Sturtz, watercolors, drawings, opening
November 10.
Sackett Gallery Graphics Exhibit by freshman students in Architecture 121
Through Friday, November 8.
'Pelham,' train
both belong
far underground
By PATRICK SOKAS
of the Collegian Staff
"The Taking of Pelham One 'Two Three" is about the
hijacking of a subway. No, I wouldn't joke about a thing like
that. Lord there are enough jokes about it in the movie.
- remain ''. is a new, "realistic" type movie. That means that
most of the scenes are shot on location, which in New York sub
ways and offices requires such a wide-angle lens to get a wide
picture that most of the movie looks slightly fish-eyed. The
new realism also means that everybody talks dirty and that
the heroes all argue with one another. In addition, lots of in
nocent people get shot, but director Joseph Sargent almost
puritanically avoids the sight of blood. You figure it.
The plot, to be brief, is about four armed men who take over
a subway car and hold the passengers for one•million dollars in
ransom.
The transit police, led by Walter Mattau of all people, must
get the money to them in an hour, without offending the
somewhat abnormal hijackers.
It is a gimmicky film, but most of the tricks are good. The
hijackers disguise themselves behind mustaches that look like
thatches of transplanted astroturf and horn rimmed glasses.
They call each other "Mr. Grey" and "Mr. Blue" and more
SEM INARS
FILMS
The Daily Collegian Friday, November S. 1974-
such nonsense. Even the brassy score by David Shire adds to
the manicly overdone effect. From the quality of the opening
scenes, the movie could be a success.
But the filmmakers are unwilling to leave it at that. I suspect
they were trying to remain faithful to the novel written by John
GOdey, and in the process forgot that it is possible to describe
more things in a book than nu can show in a movie.
In the rather uninspired race-against-time scene, we don't
really care whether the policemen make it in time. We don't
know these policemen.
Similarly, it=is difficult to sympathize more than super
ficially with the passengers. Their characterization barely
reaches cliche status.
The most developed characters in the movie are the villains.
Robert Shaw's cultured nasty fits in much better here than it
did in "The Sting," and Martin Balsam is fine in his what's a
nice-guy-like-you-doing-in-a-place-like-this role. The four
hijackers are the only real people in the movie, to the point
that they are the only ones who bleed when they are shot. It's
an odd way of doing business. •
Walter Mattau, who should be the focal character in the film.
spends most of his time merely acting cute. probably on the in
structions of the director. Once he gets started'. he delivers an
admirable performance, but it is too late to take the movie
back from Robert Shaw.
In the resolution, to be sure, justice is sewed, but the ending
seems wooden and contrived. We know thpt the final villain
has been caught when Matthau sticks his head back in the
room and makes a funny face. Much of the audience will
probably be wearing ,a similar expression by the end of
"Pelham."