Critic views
By JOHN WARD
Collegian Staff Writer
The 1976 Academy Award
nominations were released on
Friday, with two standouts.
“Network,” one of the year’s
biggest films, and “Rocky,”
oife of the year’s smallest,
each guaranteed 10
nominations.
r . “Network,” a controversial
L satire of the television in
dustry, was nominated in
every major category, in
cluding two Best Actor
nominations. “Rocky,” a
limple film about a pug
, boxer’s chance at the
' heavyweight championship,
received major bids in all but
the Best Supporting Actress
Category.
Both films were.nominated
for Best Picture, along with
“All the President’s Men,”
‘l‘Bound for Glory,” and “Taxi
priver.”
, »
; Nominated for Best Actor
were Sylvester Stallone in the
tiitle role of “Rocky,” William
Holden and the late Peter
Finch for “Network,” Robert
DeNiro for “Taxi Driver,”
and Giancarlo Giannini for
‘i'Seven Beauties.”
! Receiving Best Actress bids
were Sissy Spacek as
“Carrie,” Faye Dunaway for
■■‘Network,” Marie-Christine
Barrault for “Cousin,
Cousine,” and Liv Ullmann
for “Face to Face” and Talia
Shire for “Rocky.”
'•Okay, so far, so good. The
Academy has stayed away
. f£om its usual “sentimental”
going instead
for performance. But the
supporting categories get a
bit hairier.
Nominated for Best Sup
porting Actor were Burt
Young and Burgess Meredith
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for “Rocky,” Laurence
Olivier for “Marathon Man,”
Jason Robards for “All the
President’s Man” and Ned
Beatty of “Network.”
Olivier is a good choice; not
so the rest. There were
several other performances
this year that rated at least
consideration, if not a
nomination, including “Silver
Streak’s” Richard Pryor,
“Marathon Man’s” Roy
Scheider and “Taxi Driver’s”
Harvey Keitel.
Nominated for Best Sup
porting Actress were Jodie
Foster, as "Taxi Driver’s” 12-
year-old hooker, Jane
Alexander for “All the
President’s Men,” Lee Grant
for “Voyage of the Damned,”
Beatrice Straight for “Net
work" and Piper Laurie for
“Carrie.”
Nominations for Best
Director, were well-selected.
They include John G.
Avildsen for “Rocky,” Sidney
Lumet for “Network,” Alan
J. Pakula for “All the
President’s Men,” Ingmar
Bergman for “Face to Face”
and Lina Wertmuller for
“Seven Beauties.”
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Oscar's bids
The last two are foreign
film directors, which raises a
confusing question. How can
they be nominated for a
major category while the
films are nominated only for
Best Foreign Film? Maybe
there should be a separate
category for foreign' film
stars and directors.
Several weeks before the
nominations were made
public, I made my own list of
choices. When the real thing
was released on Friday, I
found that I had agreed with
about 60 per cent of the
Academy’s choices.
Now for the second and
more difficult part of the
article: selecting each
category’s winner. It should
be noted that most of the
choices stem from my
viewing of the films. There is
one instance, however, where
the choice is based on other
critics’ opinions.
Jodie Foster gets a definite
“yes” for Best Supporting
Actress. Her portrayal of the
pre-teen streetwalker was
convincing enough to be
frightening.
137 E. BEAVER AVE.
Lord Olivier is this writer’s
selection for Best Supporting
Actor. He was outstanding as
the exiled Nazi in “Marathon
Man,” creating an entirely
unlikeable villain.
Choosing Best Director was
tough, but I finally settled on
“All the President’s Men’s”
Alan J. Pakula. He had more
to do with the pacing and style
of the film than any of the
other directors had to do with
theirs.
Sissy Spacek was my first
and only choice for Best
Actress. She carried off the
title role in “Carrie” with
almost unnerving realism.
Especially memorable was
her split-second tran
sformation from radiant
prom to blood-hungry
avenger.
The Best Actor decision was
a close one. DeNiro gave a
riveting performance, as did
Finch, but Stallone merits the
award more than any other
for almost single-handedly
bringing “Rocky” to the
screen. I admit to not having
seen “Rocky” yet, but so
much has been written about
Stallone’s solo achievement
that he cannot be ignored,
Lastly, I cast my vote for
“All the President’s Men” as
the Best Picture of 1976. As a
social commentary of today,
as an example of a cast
making the most out of their
roles, and as a great suspense
film, it is without equal.
The Oscars are scheduled to
be handed out on March 28,
over a month away. We’ll
have to wait until then for the
final verdict, but you may
rest assured that no matter
who wins, somebody will
exclaim, “No! The real
winner should have been . . .”
The Board of Directors of
LaVie, The Penn State Yearbook,
is now accepting applications for
3 Student Positions &
2 Faculty Positions.
Applications can be obtained
Deadline foe applications is
Thursday, February 17,1977
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Pathfinder
Collegian arts
Complex mystery ably solved
"Veronica' production's 'stunning'
By KAREN GOTTENBERG
Collegian Staff Writer
The identity of those in ‘‘Veronica’s Room” is the key to a
mystery. It is no mystery that the play is a stunning
production of a worthy property.
A young girl, played by Debbie Studer, is lured into a Boston
mansion by an old couple and a young man. The year is 1973.
They convince her to pretend she is a girl named Veronica for
the sake of easing the conscience of someone who.is about to
die.
The young girl changes into Veronica’s clothes and
discovers that the old couple and young man have changed
too. They tell her it is 1935 and that she really is Veronica
the Veronica who killed her sister and will be kept in a locked
room for her crime.
The story ends in a frightening revelation of identities.
The most outstanding feature of the production is the high
level of talent exhibited on stage. Debbie Studer plays a
terrified, confused girl who impotently reasons with her
captors as the suspense mounts. She so fully explores all levels
of her character that she and the audience begin to question
her identity.
Peg French is amazingly versatile protraying the older
woman in the story. She begins by playing a sweet old woman
with an Irish brogue and lures the audience into her con
fidence as well as her young victim. She is a perfect spider
setting her web for the unsuspecting fly. Later, when she
pretends to be Veronica’s mother and torments the girl to ease
her own guilt, French is marvelously evil, yet restrained.
Peder Melhuse also begins his performance with a lovable
Irish brogue,, then he turns into Veronica’s father. Melhuse
portrays a character far older than himself with apparent
ease. His flawless performance explores the confusion of a
man who can no longer stomach what he does but is involved
too deeply to turn back. .
John Homa provides the audience with some subtle clues to
the mystery by conveying nervous uncertainty. He plays a
young man who is as much a victim of Veronica’s room as the
young girl he has helped lure there.
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play review
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The Daily Collegian Monday, February 14,1977 7
Director Steven Adler is to be commended for the dynamic
staging of the play. He not only overcomes the obstacle of
Kern’s small stage but turns it into an asset. The audience can
feel the characters trapped in the room and in their own
torment. The audience, too, is trapped, yet not against its will,
because anyone watching this play is held spellbound by the
fast pace and gripping drama.
The set design, by Jacqueline Watts, is workable and quite
attractive, with set pieces like a brass bed and authentic
Victrola. The.puzzling plot of the play is reflected in the border
design on the walls of the set, painted to look like pieces of a
picture puzzle.
A highly complex and dramatically delightful mystery,
“■Verohica’s Room” is a jewel of a production.
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