Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 105

9, 1984 Crimes of Passion' Exalts Tawdry Netherworld THE HARTFORD COURANT: Friday, November Film Review SPECIALS PRIME RIB $9.95 FRESH SAUTEED SCALLOPS $9-95 VEAL MARSALA $9,95 HO New World Pictures By MALCOLM L. JOHNSON Courant Film Critic -Whether artistically and logically pretentious, such as "Women in Love," or just crazy-off-the-wall, such as "Tommy," Ken Russell's films can be fun in a loopy kin'd of way. Or they can be unbearable, like "Lisztomania." Except for the performance of Kathleen Turner, who shows she can bring a certain wit and appeal to even the sleaziest of porn films, "Crimes of Passion" goes beyond the unbearable into the execrable: an 1 artistic netherworld where terminal boredom, utter silliness and mind-boggling perversity coexist. Hard-core Russell devotees, whoever they may be, may argue that their lord high schlockmcister was sabotaged by the rating board, which forced heavy cuts on "Crimes of Pas-. sion" in order to avoid an X-rating.

But while it is possibly true that "Crimes" made slightly more sense before its reportedly massive edit-' ing; some defects constituting key elements in the film cannot be explained. First is the script by co-producer Barry Sandler whose credits range from the worst Goldie Hawn "picture ever, "The Duchess and the -Dirtwater Fox," to the pallid "Making Love." The first lines we hear are a'misogynistlc dirty joke, and "Crimes of Passion" goes downhill from there. Its trangressions against Intelligence range from the stage name of Turner's fashion designer-by-day prostitute-by-nlght, "China Blue," to the puerilely sexy double-entendres she must spit out during her nocturnal trysts. Running a close second behind the script is Rick Wakeman's score, mostly stolen from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Over and over, its in "Crimes of Passion." When it comes to playing a lunatic, Perkins is certainly able enough, having made a nice weird career out of it.

Usually, though, some clue is given as to the source of his wackos' problems. But his mad street minister comes armed only with symptoms, which include the nastiest bag of sex-shop appliances that anyone might nightmarishly imagine. Which brings us to the intended object of his dissection, China Blue, alias dress-for-success Joanna Crane, as played by Turner. As concocted by Sandler and directed by Russell, she is a preposterous character, the repressed, plain virgin who dons a platinum wig and a silken blue minidress and gets her kicks by turning the sickest of tricks. But Turner, who can act her way through Sunday if RESTAURANT BAKED $C95 SEA SCALLOPS FISHERMAN'S $750 PLATTER I BAKED LOBSTER $095 SEAFOOD COMBO SELF SERVICE COUNTER MO TAKE OUT SERVICE STILL AVAILABLE 1 030 Silas Deane Hwy.

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15 Cash Only OPEN 7 DATS A WEEK presents Taking Reservations For Christmas Parties New Years Eve. CRIME! OF PASSION, Directed by Ken Rus-lell; written and produced by Barry Sandler; director ol photography, Dick Bush; muilc score composed and performed by Rich We-keman; film editor, Brian Tags; art director. Steve Marsh; eiecutive producer, Larry Thompion. A Donald P. Borchera production, released by New World Picture, and opening today at the Newlngton Cinema, the Movies.

Weitfarml. and UA Theatrel Eatl. Manchester. Running time: 104 minute! Hopper Bruce Davison Bobby Grady John LOvahlln The Rev. Peter Shnyne Anthony Perkins Amy Grady Annie Potts Joanna CranerChlna Blue Kathleen Turner the most tawdry material, once again acquits herself with a certain amount of style.

There are a couple of other amusing things about Russell's current work. Director of photography Dick Bush and art director Steve Marsh combine to provide Russell a wonderfully cheap and glowingly lurid look that makes the film's Porn Street scenes look like poverty row studio stuff. At one point, China Blue intones something about how pictures taught her all the important things in life. Clearly, as the superbly sleazy night scenes sometimes show, this was Russell's impulse: to update the classic Bs by stirring in the excesses of new sexual freedoms in Hollywood. But once again, Russell's passions have led him astray into a picture that is criminally insane.

Rated this film has a lew moments that would be a little unnerving la an picture. There Is much nudity, simulated sex, dirty talk, a prolongued assault and Intimations of extremely perverse violence. brunch $7.99 JUS includes potato and Freshtastiks great meal! 8( Taste The New )n Business persons Lunch Including Soup or Salad, Uoltee or lea CAROLE SUNDAY! Appearing Tuesday-Saturday SupfcrVie guitarist vocalist from 9 p.m.-l a.m. in the Lounge. i rj John Laughlin and Kathleen Turner themes are distorted in different arrangements, each more irritating than the one before.

In third place is the casting of an exceedingly blah leading man in the role of the ex-football star, stuck in a frigid marriage, who discovers life and love again in the ecstatic arms of China Blue. John Laughlin's acting ability is too limited to make his character, a house-security entrepreneur named Bobby, much more than a dull simp. Just who is to blame for the fourth area of abysmal filmmaking cannot be guessed, without a viewing of the original uncut version. The questions here center on the character played by Turner's co-star, Anthony Perkins. Over the course of "Crimes of Passion," we learn only one thing about the Rev.

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