The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 47

tim yy fWy 'it1 'f 'v 'yap1 HfYT'rv Delicate Filmed Masterfully Che (Jitiaati Jferalit Wed Oct 31 1973 7-B r'l r- ot 7:25 ond 1000 plus "MIDNIGHT ot 900 only ic intellectual verbose plainly theatrical in structure The movie challenges provokes disturbs depresses uplifts this is more than some people want from a film By CANDICE RUSSELL Harald Entertainment Writer In a year curiously devoid of even one blockbuster there emerges the perfectionism of the A merican Film first release in Miami Edward Delicate Balance" A contemporary classic of the stage has been thnllingly acted and directed into a masterwork of film A family of emotional cripples gathers in their lair a New England mansion reflecting understated wealth The time is now but A concerted effort to preserve the sense that this is theater on film Noticeably missing is a musical score Patrons are given programs called and the lights go up twice during the 132-minute length for intermission Though playgoers will feel at home with the quality of the production Delicate Balance" is more than a filmed play Albee adapted his drama for the screen so there is no distortion of the concept or intentions Director Tony Richardson Taste of uses the camera fluidly unobstru-sively in scenes that are uncommonly long for film What the film does is train the attention make him see quiet anguish in closeup as Claire minutely describes what like to be a drunk The camera expands our awareness and makes us see relationships objects reactions that we would not see in a playhouse More significantly and this is a central aim of the American Film Theater it is a record for all ime of an important theatrical event Does the film have appeal for the perceptive moviegoer who frequent the theater? That depends upon his expectations but probably not because "A Delicate betrays its stage origins In comparison with most movies it appears stat- Due to popular demand 20th Century-Fox presents the original Lee Remick and Paul Scofield stage feeling is preserved the passions fears and longings of the characters know no time or place Agnes (Katharine Hepburn at her best) playfully chides husband Tobias (Paul Scofield) for his constant defense of Claire (Kate Reid) her sister who admit she's an alcoholic CLAIRE IS living with them nurturing the civilized bitchiness wryly observed their failures Enter Julia their childish 36-year-old daughter separated from her fourth husband Testing the bonds of friendship and intimacy are Edna (Betsy Blair) and Harry (Joseph Cotten) who without invitation decide to move in because of an unknown feeling of terror The unexpected situation is one of great humor and great pity Agnes and Tobias comply with their intrusion from shock and politeness but they do not understand The play is about emptiness and loneliness the malaise of a society bereft of meaningful values What matters is survival and the indomitable Agnes seems the fittest of all She has weathered the indifference of a husband who dreaded the death of another child the breakdowns of an unloved daughter the promises of a drunken parasitical sister It is important to care to reach out and comfort those who need love but is it possible? savagely satiric dialog is as much darkly humorous as it is pointedly somber Charley Varriclt Is Funny Adventure of a Bad Guy rj 7j Sj MIAMI PHILHARMONIC Alain Lombard Music Director ALL PROKOFIEV PROGRAM Pierre Amoyal Violinist Concerto for Violin No 1 Concerto for Violin No 2 Excerpts from Excerpts from "Ronjeo and Juliet" GUSMAN PHILHARMONIC HALL Mon Nov 5 Tues Nov 6 at 830 PM Order ticket of Jordan Marsh Downtown 1 63rd St Dadeland and Ft Lauderdale or the Box Office 10th Floor 174 Flagler phone 358-3500 Roar once again with the original movie cast Donald Sutherland ASHAWhf Elliott Gould AS IRAPPIR JOHN A Tickets from $400 Student rush seats $100 after 800 PM 7 MAS-59 An Ingo Preminger Production ELLIOTT GOULD SKERRin Co Stiff nj rAllY KEllfRMAN RORfRI OliVAIL 10 ANN PUL Nt AUBUJQNOIS cd by IN GO PREMINGER ROBERT ALTMAN S( hRING LARDNER Jr from Notl by RICHARD H00l WjI by lOtlNM MANDFl Co or by Ot LUXE PANAViS'ON MASH by Ahmad Jamil on Ctn'my Rxoidi A It I Re idtistd bi PGs Ul I 1 tw legally repossessed There is some problem in smoothly communicating the facts about past he winds up telling his partner things that the partner already knows A love scene he has with a compliant executive secretary (Felicia Farr) is superfluous Whenever Matthau is cast in a movie he brings to it a familiar spate of idiosyncracies the ironical can -this-be-happening half-grin the forward-leaning gait the perpetually wry air of resignation Exuding all the malevolence of Bozo the Clown he has us rooting for his cold-blooded criminal character Lalo score driving then lazy insistent and sassy is a powerful link to the visual images TOPLESS TOMBOY CLUB 1430 HW 119th ST I PM 4M He Mm Hn Com No 1dm mm ifij i MM MIAMI KCH LOTIl Jjll I il i By CANDICE RUSSELL Harald Entertainment Writer Don Siegel has been creating motion pictures for 27 years With each film he enlarges his reputation for making adventure stories better than almost any other American director working in the medium Eschewing artiness subtlety and deep messages Siegel packs a gut-level wallop in the name of entertainment scoring almost every time From "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" to "Dirty he perfects the realism of his milieu and fashions tales of uncommon fascination The quirky "Charley with Walter Matthau in the title role is a brisklypaced off-handedly comic homage to the bungling crook A former stunt flier-turned-crop duster Charley your Class A hero but rather a simple smalltime bank robber who manages to engage our sympathy for seeming to be stupid at his craft INTERESTINGLY the stoiy pits the lawless against the lawless in a life-death struggle suspending the moral issue of right and wrong In kicking over one small New Mexican bank too many Charley and his pals have made off with close to a million in Mafia profits from prostitution gambling and dope With his wife and buddy killed in the bank shootout Charley devises a scheme for escape from the country First got to get the fuzz and a curious old lady neighbor off his back and foil the Mob as personified by brutish Molly (Joe Don Baker of "Walking And got to deal with his impulsive boozing partner (Andy Robinson the sadistic sniper of "Dirty certain to spoil the escape Without intending to Charley plays into the hands 3 1 1 1 i i i 1 aj i i i 1 1 pi j- 3- KiPjpc i'll I': I i i a i ODAYTAtWOMETCOSHEA tf-: A 1 A -v FREE Pverrw Uvtoeitxiw ft Tales that Witness Madness AWbrkJfw 5vwsUrotfWPWuei5n Kim Novak Jack Hawkins Donald Houston Michael Jayston Suzy Kendall Peter McEnery Michael Petrovitch Donald Pleasence urttvibyJftyFatrtank frrn by Nor man Proven mliluTSTI -m A Amount Plclur I IIISCAYNf IUVI) 00SEVEL rr 4 i Walter Matthau bungler of hustlers quick to the double-deal and appears to be blithely cooking his own goose Strong on violence and action the story includes a harrowing climactic chase scene which studiously avoids the usual cliches THIS NICELY-CRAFTED caper written by Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner is adapted from John novel "The Characters do the unexpected and are not what they seem When Molly is given carte blanche at a trailer of prostitution he insults the women and sleeps alone Charley glamorized nor are his crimes glorified Siegel sympathizes with the unwitting victims the wounded policeman the beaten black whose car is il- F1ASSAGE JAPANESE SOAP BATH EXOTIC SPICE OIL RUB 10 AM-1 1 PM FTUUDERD1LI P0MP1H0 I0C1 HOLLYWOOD 566-1544 NI1MI BE1CH MIAMI HI1LE1H SOUTH D1DE 531-3439 for tpoeftt fmup ttisi elt ig any stony jms mi APPEARING NIGHTLY DINNER BEFORE THE SHOW OPEN BUFFET A Jo Ann Robert Sally Pflug Duvall Kellerman AViNUI fOR Ft ATURE TIMt at MOST THEATRES j- Donald Sutherland CAMEO All Satt 754 Jennifer i plua Gene I "CISCO LAST DAY" George SEGAL A Susan ANSPACH I 2nd Feature at Normandy I EXTRA at -NORTH DADE OUT7TIIM HQHMAN STT1AW DODS' Mir lllllX POII RD "DIRTY I III! I till nJ A MIAMI TOWN OllUHWf A RkOit MlAMliCH 944 Sit MOVIE TIMt CLOCK EARLY BIRD PRICES TWmiPATIO MAYFAIR I fARKWAY JL and now the film "JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR' 2nd Fttur at North Andrawa THE MOST READ BOOK 1 ON OR OFF CAMPUS EXPERIMENT mm (ctmszLnn DRonsmi STOII3 SUNSET BARftY FEMMES FATflLES tK IV DINING tOn frM 9am tbra HUtotftit PPr Smericana Bl Mmjm lufptr CM Mmrmi luff at Chit Him A COVER OR WTFRTAINMENT CHARff 0FVFRAGF MINIMUM ONLY EXTRA at SUNSET BYRON VidS PAULNEWMAH THE MACKINTOSH lMAH Georg Scoff Rlgc H4VE LOOK IN THE (H! nit cycvv All YOU 95 CAHiAT Mnii BIRD Served till 10 PM Jr i rvuria- a.