The Standard from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada • 16

16 THE ST CATHARINES STANDARD Wednesday October 12 1977 Movie Beat by Maurice Yacowar Harry Rasky's film on Chagall is winning kudos in the US By BOB THOMAS LOS ANGELES (AP) Hany Rasky collects famous figures the way some men col lect old can or new blondes His latest catch: Marc Chagall Rasky 49 of Toronto is a film documentarian who has made biographical studies of George Bernard Shaw Martin Luther King Haile Selassie Eleanor Roosevelt idel Castro Mahatma Ghandl Will and Ariel Durant and Tennes see Williams latest film is Homage tn which nlaved to Queen to see multicultural show in Ottawa OTTAWA (CP) A show described as panoramic sweep of Canadian multi is being arranged for The Queen's visit to Ottawa by the Canadian olk Arts Council and the multi culturalism division of the fed eral government The Queen will attend the show along with about 8000 specially invited children of the national capital area in civic centre arena Monday Oct 17 The show will be given two other public performances subsequently Among the performers to ap pear are Duke Redbird Metis poet writer painter and actor Denis Highway a native Indian member of the Toronto Dance or a pay off Brigid Polk is the fat lady who wants a neighbor's dog murdered because she lip read the insulting remarks about her appearance in shorts a weird neighborhood and a weird film that quite deserves the Warhol stamp Its vision is of an insane and frustrated urban society where the deploying of sultry giris on various assignments Gt murder and torture seems almost natural Just when we may think that the plot is becoming outlandish a familiar TV news report reminds us how much the Mary 'Hartman series drew from the tradition of Warhol movies The basic tone is of an absurd catastrophic and banal society approached with detachment and understatement Warhol remains one of the truly seminal figures in 1970s culture The film is rich in detail Thus one giri is hired to kill and dis member a man who got off lightly for throwing a musician in front of a subway train The giri is required to take a polaroid shot of the completed assignment With admirable ingenuity the girl has the man crushed under a Volkswagen instead She takes the necessary photo but as well snips off one of the fingers Sone scenes later she innocently leaves the finger as a surprise in Hazel's catsup bottle Before the film has reached this degree of violence it has been carefully located in a world of recognizable malice The film opens with one of the giris gratuitously messing up a lunch counter washroom rom such trivial mischief the film inexorably grows to its decisive pattern of child murder The tinning theme of the contracts involves the assault upon familiar objects of our sympathy The victimized musician is turned into a henpecked sadist Children and dogs are held np not fu our sentimental attach ment but tor us to relish their murder One infant is thrown from a highrise by its mother who decided to save the money on the contract The film covers the slow drop records its splat and for a topper has a fat mother among the thrill hungry witnesses scold her own son with: what do to you if you shut There is a funny lunacy throughout the film When one giri starts a fire in a cinema projection booth for no particular reason but her own casual pyromania and 14 people die in the blaze the cinema manager tells the TV newscast that fortunately he was play ing an art movie so there weren't many people there to die Obviously this film is not everyone's bag of tea You have to have a taste for sick comedy or an appreciation for the freak show that is American city life or simply a macabre sense of humor to find this film entertaining Otherwise it will strike you as offensive tasteless and duiL Me I really liked it a credible documentary of city life with but a touch of the funhouse mirror at its extremities Andy Bad a partly misleading title or one thing not at all a bad movie if you go to it ex pecting an Andy Warhol flick with its minimal tedmiquc and its gallery of glossy zanies Secondly not really an Andy Warhol movie It was directed by one of proteges Jed Johnson But it's as kinky and funny a film as if Warhol Mmself had been at the helm so why canplain about the title? Canoil Baker plays Hazd Aiken a typical suburban housewife who has her mousey daughter in law ana granacnua living wim her Mrs Aiken runs a hair removal service in her living room But not where the action is She also runs a stable of giris who do all kinds of odd jobs for telephone clients like murdering animals and infants like a Charles Addams version of St Catharines Home Personnel! Perry King plays the drifter who moves in for a while to wait for his contract A mother wants him to murder her autistic child Charles McGregor is the corrupt detective hovering for a set up York and showing here before a national release this fall How Rasky persuaded the great painter to sit for a film portrait might be worth a film in itself "Doing Chagall was my said Rasky whose films now are sponsored by the CBC read auto biography My Life written when he was 30 and I said the script for the film is right there Then I set about to get PILGRIMAGE AILED He made a pilgrimage to the villa at St Paul de Vence on the rench Riviera was greeted by a barking go I Theatre company Angela Cromwell Nova Scotia gospel singer and Winston Wuttunee native country star Something New! Thursday riday and Saturdays at the Lakeside Hotel Port Dalhousie THE BALL PARK for ages 18 21 dog and an angry maid who said Chagall never saw anyone without an appointment re turned to Canada in defeat" He had spent time in Israel making a film Next Year in Jerusalem and Rasky asked the mayor of Jerusalem to vouch for his character The artist agreed to receive Rasky But when the director arrived at the villa with a cam era crew Chagall announced: "You make a film but I be in Rasky began hb campaign He screened Next Year in Jeru salem on a villa wall The 90year old Chagall was de lighted with the depiction of Israeli aspirations and he ex claimed: film will make me live longer not less I will walk in your film but not talk" With the help of Mrs Chagall the painter was con vinced he should also talk and she translated hb rench into English before Rasky's camera The conversation was re corded in the summer of 1975 Rasky next undertook the task of assembling copies of a thousand Chagall paintings were filmed in rance where we photo graphed the Paris Opera ceil ings lying on our backs in Switzerland England Chicago and New York Israel and Cana said Rasky wore sent from Germany and other places we visit The Russians answer my mail I know The next problem: How to see the world in Chagall's col on Rasky solved It by devising a set of filters using colored gob which approximated the artist's vivid hues Jama Mason narrated the film and Joseph Wiseman portrayed Chagall'a voice Last March Rasky took a print of Homage to Chagall to the Riviera and apprehensively screened It on the villa wall "At the end he jumped up and hugged and kissed Rasky said "He told me: 'Your work full of love It must have been an obsession for you as my work for Homage to Chagall appeared on CBC last March to critical acclaim and good ratings He offered it to the US networks and there were no takers told me Homage to Chagall would attract only an audience of 12 million so it was of no value If Michaelangeio or Beethoven had to work in American television today they wouldn't be able to find Bus Trips to Kitchener OKTOBEREST OCT 8 15 $10 per person JET WIDE TRAVEL 138 Lake SL 688 4890 CapL rockin the boat 6 nights a week with first class entertainment! Phene 1 716 285 3361 NIAGARAHHILTON alls and Third Streets Niagara alls New York 1430 APPEARING NOW Coming Nov 7 Brothers Li IhfuJl if' EVERY THURS NIGHT sChW1 Every Thursday night Charlie Chans are giving delicious Kim Court chicken wings free of charge So make up a party and came on down Proof of age required Proper dress required no cover charge Open Tues to Sat 8 pjn to 1 am PEN DALE SHOPPING CENTRE (Kim Court Restaurant) GLENDALE AVE (across from Pen Centre) Rock superstar Elton John holds the plaque commemorating hb induction into the Madison Square Garden Hall of ame in New York Tuesday John who broke the all time concert at tendance record in 1973 and recorded a gold album at the arena joined the ranks of PK Barnum Gene Autry and Willb Reed in the hall of fame AP wirephoto TheShrinroboat jspecW! Mite 1 11111 PIW I A big boatload of succulent breaded shrimp (21 in all) and a hbap of crispy chips Only SI 99 every day ESalt ish and Chips Offer Valid Until Nov 13 1977 60 HARTZEL ROAD ST CATHARINES 685 5061 all coupons not valid on this offer Marie the Lobster Queen Invites You to a Delicious Lobster Special 2W lb OR ARB lobster ONLY Served Dally Special Starts Thanksgiving bay Mon bet 10 Seafood Tavern Acclaimed the finest from Toronto to Buffalo I Lock St near Port Dalhousie Harbor Open Daffy from 11 noon for Hoootvottono Caff U4 WT boa af 5 pb 47 Ontario Si (mar St Paul) 0156454 PUBLIC BOWLING Every night plus Sat and Sun afternoon DORADO LANES Li Hotel Meet your friends this week end at Prudhommes with the latest in popular entertainment and a new dance floor (now double the original size) for your dancing enjoyment too JPlNEST 1 CONTINENTAL 1 CUISINE 2 ooly tobefaoWdiUy atiado Drop in soon for a fine Italian meal and discover a very special pleasure in our lovely new addition overlooking the canal Tavern Quevnstilfl SL llamrr Brider 684 5484 ULLY LICENCED Our Specialty la Cooking at Your Table PLAZA BUNTING CARLTON ST CATHARINES TNURSMY SPECIAL RSI 1 CWS RD CHKXEI Including Soup Portions Available OPEN ROM 11:30 AM to 1:00 AM SUNDAY ROM 4 PM to 10 PM OR RESERVATIONS CALL 935 1339 GENCO'S fl LAMBE RESTAURANT £45 shW if gg A MOMMY RES8AY WEDNESDAY SPECIAL SPECUL SPECUL VEAL PORK SHOP I ACACM1 PARMKUM MULE Including Including lnc'ud'nfl Soup Soup 095 NOW APPEARING THURSDAY HUDAY SATURDAY QEW of Yinelond 562 4101 i min We brought you Chicken Wing Ding Night now we Present Wednesday Night 8 pm 11:30 pm REE Baked in the oven and I served in our own special 1 sauce Try 'em 1 84 James Street 684 8232 Mon Sat 12 noon 1 am Sears Parade of The Pen SL Catharines super record buys 7 kb 3 1 99) Sings or You Here at Last Live Engelbert Humperdinck Bee Gees Hope Klaatu KLAATU ''a Greatest Hits Vol 1 Elton John Greatest Hits Vol Elton John SlTON 40hN'' I Rush arewell to Kings Rush Daytime riends Kenny Rogers KENNY ROGERS DAN pill 'JQrER fust tar JraR9mM Miracles Engelbert Humperdinck mu 49? 69? 499 IB LP R99HM WTape Sweet Sensation CarroH Baker A Star is Bom Barbara Streisand q99 LP and rater to Slmpeona SMra Ltd Pricea Talaahop 882 8441 Raconfo Slmpsons Sears Ltd St Catharlnaa Niagara alla Shop 24 houra a onthill day by talaphonal 682 6441 Walland Bria Rldgaway ort Cdiboma Crystal Roach 738 0880 i StevonsvIHo 382 3154 KENNY ROGERS CARROLL BAKfR ne.