The Lexington Herald from Lexington, Kentucky • 54

I 1 "4 Sunday Herald-Leader Lexington Ky March 7 ITS the Writers Writer zr Anthology Contains Superb Film Criticism I 2 Goal A 'I Novelist By MARY Why does mu Hvtag? oveUstCormac tongue in cheek found I McCarthy says with "I write because very good at anything 'No sane person would sit down novel and write a else1 McCarthy is a fine i young writer who has written three critically acclaimed novels readers win love the zippy style of Newsweek'e Paul Q--Zimmerman whose review or "PspUlon" (which I was an expensive way to nap) says It all in the lead sentence: "Paplllon offer torture as entertainment biri? winds up making entertain ment a form of torture" No less Zimmerman1) equal hi writing these pow er-packed lead sentence hC Vincent Canby of the NqnQ York Times who opens hi review of "Deep Throat" )C stating flatly: ur write honestly about porng graphic films is like trying tq'' tie one's shoo while It's practically impossibly without sacrificing stride an balance and a certain amount of ordinary dignity the sort-one uses with bank teHeto! who question a On the light side reader! will enjoy such deligbtfpt spoofe as Paul IX Zlmmetr man's "Imaginary plus reflective obituaries the late Abel Green editor of Variety Magazine and tgr late and great American fOnf director John Ford All in all "Film everything an anthology 'ft film criticism should be qnf more A little something -lo disagree with a little somef thing to agree with and a foe of provocative insights Just plain think about "The Orchard Keeper" Dark" and "Child of God" Taking time to visit with friends Frank Hare and Ms wife Carolyn here on Ms way to New York for a meeting with Ms editor this 41-year-old Knoxville native has spent the last year in the Southwest gather big Information for a new book McCarthy says most "fuQ time" novelists would probably do something else if they could "No sane person" ho says "would ait down and write novel" Writers do have a stereotyped reputation of being odd and McCarthy says "I sup pose most of us are Most I know are pretty obnoxious I have yet to met any like Besides we crackpots shouldn't be In responsible Jobs" Even though he feels some writers can be a Mt eccentric sometimes he still professes admiration for "all the good authors such as Shakespeare Faulkner Hemingway and Heniy Miner" what "the Gods" had to say about YOUR movie As you meander through the poetically titled sections you'll find it an amazingly balanced book In "Personal Visions" there is first and foremost that erotic giant of the Century "Last Tango In Paris" in Themes" there are dynamically contrasting looks at "Save The which earned Jack Lemmon an Oscar as best acton equally different opinions of the year's best movie "Ike in the section entitled "Masculine complemented beautifully by a touch at the supernatural In "'Pop Mysticism: Between Heaven and featuring reviews on "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "The Exorcist" Among tile more interesting reviews I read and perhaps the most contradictory of-aQ came from the powerful and pre-eminent critic of The New Yorker Pauline Kael who exacerbates the cheap erotic sensationalism of "The Exorcist" then turns around and praises that same style or should I say lack of style in "Last Tango In Paris" Equally as confusing was the review of "Walking Tall" low-budget movie which most surely must have filled every redneck movie-house and drive-in from coast to coast thirsting for a look at violence more violence and still more violence Yet an intelligent critic like Gary Arnold of The Washington Post reviews it favorably mainly because of its heroic content and also because it Is a throwback to the stunning social protest melodramaa of the thirties such as "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Having seen both movies it Is hard to equate an actor at Paul Muni's stature with an unknown like Joe Don Baker but as the man once said there's Just no accounting for some people's taste On the more positive side Nothing leaves the shop unless it's can do Books I FILM 7174 Edited by Jay Cocks and David Denby Bobbo-MerriB Co I8JS a Beebe er FWp a Bert Ever since I can remember two passions have ruled my Ufo: one was my love at baseball the other my love of moviea While one la essentially an athletic contest and the other Is an art form several common bonds nevertheless connect the two Both are entertainment both are filled with stars or celebrities that everyone at one time or another has fantasized themselves as being and they are both of course strictly American in their origins So perhaps for the same reason that I now read every publication I can on the subject of our national pasttime in order to better understand Its subtleties and nuances I also wanted to read and review "Film 7374" Annually since 1966 when the group was first formed the Nationsl Society of Film Critics has published an anthology of outstanding film criticism representative of Its llhistrous members' best writing The membersMp to impressive including this yesrs editors David Denby of Magazine and Jay Coos of Time Magazine Charles ChampBn of the Los Angeles Times Vincent Canby of the New York Times Paul Zimmerman of Newsweek Ms Pauline Kael of The New Yorker Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times Judith Crist of New York Magazine and TV Guide Bruce Williamson of Playboy Magazine plus a dozen other critics whose bylines regularly appear In some of this nation's most prestigious publications Only one major film critic the add-tongued Mr Rex Reed of Womens Wear Dally is missing from the pages of "Film 7374" Obviously with such a wide variety of writing talents immediately available in one compact volume 7374" automatically be- comes a way to test your tastes against our best film critic The end result Is you will come away respecting some critics more than you did before while wondering on the other hand how some of them manage to keep their Job This year's selections edited by Jay Cocks and David Denby are as the put an-tholgies have been a tour de force of superb film criticism and are conveniently divided Into sections that make It easy for you to discover TOBACCO KENTUCKY Personal reading habits of a writer can be Intriguing sometimes and this dark-haired writer has his own formula "I don't read bad books" he says I physically make my eyes move across the page" the best I very good From the viewpoint of a person who deals dsily with public relations chairmen we would highly recommmend it for basics 7 write because I found I wasn't at anything else Not an authors are Interested in achieve-big "best seller" status Personally Cor-mac McCarthy writes for self satisfaction "I don't give a damn what other people think" As for the public "they can rink or swim" Critics have found Ms books to be outstanding The National Observer said of his first novel "The Orchard Keeper" (1965) novel is so remarkably fine that It is difficult to convey its full distinction In a "No American novel this year can surpass It" was Life Magazine's tribute to hie second novel "Outer Dark" (1969) His third book "Child of God" (1971) received excellent reviews In all major newspapers and magazines McCarthy has received only one bad review that he's aware of "It Just sn unfavorable review" he says "the guy hated the book review (W)lm lamwlM MAti 1 NVIAN9 BBi Nobody Paying AttentipnToYou? 1 Media-Oriented Book ils Remedy 9 fi if i 8 Ss I i I i i li -J1 i' 9 BUCKNER write novel for a Best THE KENTUCKY BICENTENNIAL BOOKSHELF oo awcCarthy writes about people odd 1 11 people and sordid human conditions odd ones are more interesting" he says But he treats thede oddities with dignity and humor Many authors feel that in order to write a good story it If necessary forthsauthor to experience directly the things he Is writing about But what about tus writer? Just where do Comae McCarthy's ideas originate? McCarthy Is provoked "They come from people Creativity isn't the idea but what you do with it" He quotes James Joyce as once saying It marvelous what I can do with the simplest things" McCarthy Is extremely personable almost beguiling He has the ability to tell a good stay with humor and never assumes that "untouchable" status that some authors seem to have In fact Just like many of us McCarthy says what he likes to do most Is stay In bed "Somedays I get my books and typewriter and Just stay there aU day or even a couple of days" He makes light of Ms ability but actually he is a very serious writer "I try to write as wed as I can" he says "Nothing leaves the shop unless it's the best I can da" Seller! 795 and state governments as well as the federal agencies how to find others who share your cause advertising and some case histories of people who conducted successful campaigns Allowing for Individual variances between personalities and regions (for example a campaign to ban the growing of tobacco would have little chance in Kentucky as long as this Is the basic money crop) there are a wealth of practical pointers to be gleaned from these pages on how to gain the confidence of media personnel and on how to evaluate your information and put It to best use While It seems to be written primarily for the benefit of people with "causes" it could easily be a handy reference for politicians PR secretaries for almost any organization and for people who have to from the media with crusaders politicians and people Ted Klein is a founder and member of the editorial board of "Business and Society" the first eodsl action newsletter for corporate executives Fred Danzig Is executive editor of "Advertising Age" Both are qualified profe tonally and in a practical sense to write in this field and have done so concisely and with clarity HOW TO BE HEARD by Ted Klein and Fred Danzig Macmillan $995 I Bwritw By Mm MwmM So you're one of those people who are forever complaining that things you bring to the newspapers aren't used And that your voice is never heard In politics And the classified ad you ran to sell your grandmother's antique lace underwear got no response at all though your neighbor oversold that deep-freeze In the Nome Alaska Horse Trader Maybe everything you say about nobody paying any attention to you is true If so there's got to be a either you really have nothing to say which is unlikely or you don't understand how to say it how the media works and how to present In an attractive manner what you have to say If the former is the case forget tt But if it's the latter this new volume Is Just what the public-relations minded doctor ordered While It's not a cure-all (you still have to do most at the work) the 18 chapters cover the basics of television radio and printed media operations how to prepare and cany off news conferences how to use Surveys how to deal with the laws how to get your views heard by local Pictorial THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE by Charles Berlitz Axfon For centuries before the coming of the white man to the New World tobacco had an important role in the religious and social life of the early peoples of Kentucky Here in a fascinating essay Mr Axton describes the various forms in which tobacco has been used its quick adoption by the Old World and its gradual development into the formy common today The author particularly well suited to discuss the tobacco industry was intimately involved with the Axton Fishet Company Numerous drawings by the author of ancient Indian pipes found in Kentucky plus charts and maps tf many aspects of tobacco production accompany this short history Handsomely hardbound and only $395 John Wesley Hunt Pioneer Merchant Manufacturer 5 Financier James A Homage A colorful account of first millionaire the man who built Hopemont and who became the progen itor of the famous Hunt-Morgan family $395 Other' Bookshelf titles-eoch only $395: UNCLE WILL OF WILDWOOD Francis Jewell McVey ft Robert Berry Jewell KENTUCKY MOONSHINE David Maurer THREfe KENTUCKY ARTISTS Winston Coleman Jr THE HARVEST ft THE REAPERS Kenneth ft Mary Clarke Available at your bookstore or from the publisher THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Hie efforts haven't gone unrewarded In 1965 he was awarded the Travelling Fellowship of the American Academy at Arts and Letters and the William Faulkner Foundation Award He spent 19686-68 In Spain and France on a Rockefeller Foundation Grant Additional honors came in 1969 when he received a Guggenheim Fellowship Although McCarthy claims writing is Ms only talent Ms creativity can be found in other media On a recent visit to Louisville Teno which is dose to Knoxville this reporter' was a guest of his wife in their unique home a house that McCarthy had built by hand from native stone slate and barn siding McCarthy's latest novel about life In Knoxville in the fifties is in the final editing stages and should be published fat about a year It has no title yet "Titles don't suggest themselves" he says "gradually the least obnoxious one comes I UMr UK paNHHl An incredible saga of unexplained disappearances in an area of the western Atlantic Planes and ships many within sight of land seem to pass into another dimension This remains one of the most perplexing phpnornena of nature In this absorbing book Berlitz reviews many of the bizarre disappearances connected with the Triangle" and proposes intriguing theories of the strange forces that may be at work there His wide knowledge of the unexplained mysteries of our world demonstrates again that the universe is more strange than we imagine I Nostalgia By BARTON KBATTAILE A COLLECTOR'S ITEM Beautifufiy Bound Hard Back For Keeps Hmld-Liader ntsrtainmiot ids piy ill 300 New Pictures Never Published Before By the Author BOOKS for the young Were" elders to reminisce for the to appreciate "The Way We Commemorating 1775-1975 Bicentennial At your local Bookstore LEXINGTON KENTUCKY 40506 TT.