Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 25, 1995 TAG: 9503270019
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In part, the reputation is deserved. Some movies made in Canada have a murky, underlit quality that seasoned fans can spot immediately. But when Canadian filmmakers strike out in their own directions, the results can be much more exciting. This week, we've got a hit, a semi-miss and an oldie from north of the border.
"Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" enjoyed a limited theatrical release last year. But since it was co-produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., it loses little on video. If you've got good stereo sound at home, it gains a lot.
For those who may be only casually familiar with the name, Glenn Gould was a Canadian pianist who decided at the height of his career not to perform publicly. He devoted his professional life to recording until he died of a stroke at age 50, leaving half his estate to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and half to the Salvation Army. A child prodigy, he grew up to be a true genius, albeit an eccentric, completely self-involved genius with a taste for arrowroot cookies and ketchup.
Writers Don McKellar and Francois Girard (who also directed) present Gould as a man for whom all sound - from a Bach prelude to conversations overheard in a truck stop - was pure abstraction. As the title suggests, they tell Gould's story in vignettes. Some, featuring actor Colm Feore, dramatize moments in Gould's life; others are interviews with people who knew and worked with him; some are experimental pieces. One of those examines the inner workings of a piano during a Gould performance. Another is made of moving X-rays of living people.
All of the short films are built around music. And, as writer Peter Shaffer noted about his adaptation of "Amadeus," the screen can hold a lot of music when compared to the stage. That goes back to the days of silent film when musical accompaniment was first used to heighten the action. Now, music is a film convention we readily accept, and unless it's particularly good or bad, we tend not to notice it.
Girard has placed Gould's music at the center of each of these short films, sometimes fading into the background but more often overpowering the visual aspects. Because the score is so strong, I'd recommend "Thirty-Two Short Films" to anyone who appreciates serious music. A detailed knowledge of or interest in Gould himself isn't really necessary, but don't expect a conventional narrative. Instead, think of this one more as a long-form music video for grown-ups.
"Paris France" is altogether different. It's a kinky intellectual comedy that earns its NC-17 rating in the first two minutes.
The story revolves around Lucy (Leslie Hope) who's unhappily married to Michael (Victor Ertmanis), a small-press publisher of serious literature. His homosexual partner (Dan Lett) introduces them to Sloan (Peter Outerbridge), an angry young poet obsessed with sex and mass murderer Ed Gein. Leslie begins an affair with Sloan, and at the same time has vivid memories of another affair she had in Paris years ago.
Before it's over, writer Tom Walmsley and director Gerard Ciccoritti have involved their characters in just about every sexual combination imaginable. Between rounds, these libidinal literati indulge in lengthy monologues and soliloquies. I doubt that anyone who is not or has not been an English major could watch "Paris France" from beginning to end without hitting the fast-forward button. I certainly couldn't.
Moving now to the back of the video store, we find a golden oldie from 1983, "Cross Country." It's a fair, though slowly paced mystery/road movie from director Paul Lynch.
Michael Ironside plays Roersch, a cop who suspects that ad man Evan Bley (Richard Beymer, yes the same one from "West Side Story") has killed a woman. Bley is crossing the continent in his Mercedes with a couple (Nina Axelrod and Brent Carver) who are up to no good. As Roersch gets closer, the trio in the Mercedes play sexual power games of uncertain motives and expectations.
At its best, the film keeps you off balance, wondering who the bad guy or bad girl is, and the ending curiously predates "Thelma and Louise."
Next week: Home video gets respectable!
New releases this week:
Exit to Eden *1/2
Starring Dana Delaney, Paul Mercurio, Rosie O'Donnell, Dan Aykroyd. Directed by Garry Marshall. HBO/Savoy. 110 min. Rated R for subject matter, nudity, strong language, mild violence.
This embarrassing mess of a sex comedy did poor business at theaters last year, but it will probably be a solid hit on video where audiences won't be so uncomfortable with sexual humor based on sado-masochism and such. And, to be honest, seeing Dana Delaney buck-naked, albeit briefly, is worth the price of an overnight rental for a lot of folks.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare ***
Starring Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund. Directed by Wes Craven. Turner/New Line. 108 min. Rated R for graphic violence, bloody special effects, strong language.
Here's an intellectual and surprisingly entertaining exercise in horror from the creator of the "Nightmare on Elm St." films. Though this is technically the sixth in the series, it's something different with most of the key characters playing themselves. Writer-director Craven is writing the script for the film while leading lady Heather Langenkamp is having nightmares about Freddy Kreuger. Self-referential and spooky.
THE ESSENTIALS
Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould *** Columbia TriStar. 94 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.
Paris France ** A-Pix. 96 min. Rated NC-17 for strong sexual content, nudity, language.
Cross Country ** 1/2 New Line. 95 min. Rated R for violence, sexual content, brief nudity, language.
by CNB