Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 19, 1994 TAG: 9402190028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"Nothing But a Man" has a curious history. It was first released in 1964 to serious critical acclaim but only limited commercial success. No surprise there; the film was far ahead of its time, and it's an understated story that probably wouldn't be a big box office hit in any case. But people remembered it, and the film had a second "premiere" at the 1992 Virginia Festival of American Film, and then another theatrical run last year.
Now that it's available on tape, perhaps this story of a young black man in segregated America will finally find the wide audience it deserves.
In early 1960s Alabama, Duff (Ivan Dixon) is a veteran who wants something more than his job laying railroad track. When he meets Josie (Abbey Lincoln), a preacher's daughter, he begins to think more seriously about settling down. But that's not easy. First, of course, are the insults and indignities of institutionalized racism that he has to endure every day. From thoughtless paternalism to serious threats of lynching and beating, inequality is a fact of life that Duff has to deal with.
But how? Should he acquiesce? Stand and fight back? Endure stoically?
On a personal level, Duff has to decide what he's going to do about the boy who may or may not be his son. And then there's his father (Julius Harris), an embittered alcoholic who might be a mirror of Duff's own future.
There's never a false note in the main characters. As created by Robert Young and director Michael Roemer, they're absolutely believable, and they're portrayed with conviction. In telling the story, though, Roemer lets the action move at a slow, halting pace. That's a flaw, but it also allows the viewer more time to watch the backgrounds. Today, that part of the film is an engrossing and realistic look back at the Deep South of the early 1960s. The black-and-white location photography gives the story a well-aged patina.
Finally, the conclusion could not be any better. It's not the big affirmative upbeat that studios demand these days. Instead it's much stronger and much quieter.
There's nothing quiet about "Romper Stomper."
It's a loud, raw look at the world of racist Australian skinheads. Comparisons to "A Clockwork Orange" are well-taken, particularly in the first half.
That's where we meet Hondo (Russell Crowe) and Davey (Daniel Pollock), the leaders of a gang of young thugs. With their swastikas and tattoos, they've bought into the standard Nazi party line, taken straight from Hitler's racist paranoia. The immediate objects of their hatred are Asian immigrants to Melbourne.
When a young woman named Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie) enters their group, the relationship between the two men changes, but the results of that change don't take hold until later. The first half - by far the strongest - concerns the rising levels of violence between the skinheads and the children of industrious immigrants.
There writer-director Geoffrey Wright really shows his stuff. He uses simple techniques - grainy film, hand-held camera, extreme angles, jarringly abrupt edits - to draw you straight into the action. They're the same gimmicks and tricks that are mishandled in music videos all the time, but Wright knows what he's about.
He doesn't want you to sympathize with these guys in any way, but he does want you to see the world as they do. And once the Nazi politics and trappings are stripped away, this is simply another story of violent, alienated urban youth. Move the setting to an American city and the characters could belong to just about any racial or ethnic group you choose.
In the second half of the film, the action changes; it becomes more focused on the three central characters and loses some steam. Perhaps that's inevitable. Most audiences wouldn't be able to take another 45 minutes of such sustained tension. Though the physical action - both violence and sexual scenes - is graphic, it fits the story and seems more explicit than it really is.
All in all, "Romper Stomper" is a remarkable debut. We'll be hearing more from Geoffrey Wright.
New releases this week: Strictly Ballroom: *** 1/2
Starring Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Buena Vista. 94 min. Rated PG for a little strong language.
Like "Breaker Morant" and "Mad Max," this Australian import takes a well-worn genre - in this case the romantic musical-comedy - and handles it with such originality and energy that the familiar cliches are made new. The fact that most audiences will know exactly what's going to happen couldn't be less important. The setting is the rarefied, kitschy world of competition ballroom dancing, but the real conflicts in the story are universal - youth vs. age, conformity vs. originality, obedience vs. rebellion. Recommended.
Needful Things: ** 1/2
Starring Max Von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, J.T. Walsh. Directed by Fraser Heston. Columbia Tristar. 120 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
In style and appearance, this screen adaptation is remarkably similar to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." Both are visually impressive, slow moving and brightened by mordant, dry wit. And neither is particularly frightening. Max von Sydow is delightful as the devil who opens an antique shop in Castle Rock, Maine. The rest of the cast is good, too.
Boxing Helena: ** 1/2
Starring Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands. Directed by Jennifer Lynch. Orion. 105 min. Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, mild violence.
For all the controversy that has surrounded "Boxing Helena," it remains a well-made little guilty pleasure. This is a modest, sexy thriller with a loopy ending that gets the most out of a limited budget. Novice director Lynch does a good job of establishing a surreal, dreamlike mood and then telling her kinky story with a strong undercurrent of humor.
THE ESSENTIALS:
Nothing But a Man ***1/2 New Video Group. 92 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material, though the emotional violence is intense.
Romper Stomper ***1/2 Academy. 89 min. Unrated and R-rated for graphic violence, sexual content, nudity, strong language.
by CNB