Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 25, 1972, Winnipeg, Manitoba 20 Winnipeg free press Friday february 25, 1972 soviet reviewer takes look at social trends in . Films by Robert g. Kaiser Moscow special tons the most serious journalism on american life published in the soviet Union appears in Usa the journal of the Institute of the a Branch of the soviet Academy of science. Just two years old Usa publishes a wide variety of articles each month from predictable Politi Cal Prog Uganda to relatively dispassionate analyses of Amer ican trends and events. In january the journal car ried a Long analysis of Ameri can movies written by the Dep Uty chaiman of the cinematography committee v. E. Baskakow. Under the title new tendencies in american cinematography or. Baskakow de scribes a new Strain of laudable foreign news exclusive realism in . Films though he also finds Many movies based on the illusion that a person can allegedly proper in a society based on profit if he possesses the qualities necessary for that or. Baska Kov notes a. Number of anti soviet films including a whole series of movies that Dis tort the course of the second world Usa is published for a Small academic audience. Its circulation is a month. Not even that Small group of soviet Citi Zens has seen the movies mentioned in or. Baskakow s Arti Cle. Of those cited in the follow ing excerpt none were released in the soviet Union. Such films Are occasionally shown privately however to carefully screened audiences which Are judged to be politically mature. The Moscow unions of writers and actors also show Western films to their members. These sections of or. Baskakow s Arti Cle were selected and translated by the Moscow Bureau of the Washington Post. I the modern situation in american cinematography can not be Analysed outside the processes that have taken place in the richest country of the capitalist world activation of re action the escalation of the Vietnam War student violence and racial rioting. For a Long time american cinematography which is under the control of Large movie monopolies did not re Spond to the processes occur ring in the country. The movie conveyor Belt stamped out films by habit. But eventually movie companies and Independent producers had to notice that movie goers had changed especially Young people who com prise the majority of those who fill movie theatres movies on political subjects Are appearing increasingly often. The movie doctor Zhivago filmed in Europe but financed by the american com Pany Mem expressed the idea that a social revolution is Hope less and lacks any prospects. The russians Are coming a film based on a simple lot which starred famous actors discussed the necessity of peaceful coexistence Between states with different social sys tems. Opponents of peace were subjected to criticism. Our so Viet press has written often about the american movies or. Strange love and seven Days in May in which All kinds of extremists and War provocateurs were exposed Stanley Kramer hurried to respond to the new trends connected first of All with negro riots. But he did so discreetly without penetrating to the essence of the problem As he did in his Best earlier movies. In the film guess who s Cam Ming to dinner he devel oped a rather simple Story. Respectable parents Well off bourgeoisie from sin fran Cisco people with ingrained racial prejudices suddenly learn that their Only daughter is going to bring her Fiance Home to dinner. And he How terrible is a negro but the Story has a Happy ending. The negro turns out to be quite a decent educated Man. With great difficulty the parents overcome their prejudices and give their Blessing to the Young people. This excellently per formed pastoral is certainly far removed. From the actual racial problems that Are tear ing modern America to pieces. The film Midnight Cowboy was directed by John Schle Singer. It is probably one of the most profitable movies of re cent years i think the movie was a Success because t h e spectators saw on the screen a reflection of the prob lems of youth that stir America today. Not magnificent brightly lit streets not beautifully in g i n e e r e d constructions but backyards a cold unheated apartment gloomy drug addicts hangouts. And at Centre stage the unhappy adventures of a Young Guy named Joe Buck who has come from Texas to conquer new York Joe meets a new yorker of italian origin ratio Ricco who introduces him to the Dolce Vita of the City. But the texan like his new Friend before him faces a cruel and Merci less Force which is not easy to tame. The City of Gigantic opportunities turns its other Cheek to him. It in t easy to grasp to the opportunities the Tenta c 1 e s of this octopus would sooner grab you homosexuals drug addicts Hunters of underground clubs wealthy de Bauchert Joe and ratio meet All kinds of people but their new acquaintances do not bring them happiness their adventures come to a tragic end. The movie is contradictory. It reflects the actual process of decay of what is called the american Way of life. But it still borrows a lot from the usual commercial cinematography an enticing depiction of the Depths of new York life erotic scenes and Many other things which connect this movie with the traditional Hollywood production in his latest film Little big Man Arthur Penn ruins the old fairy tale so habitual for hol Lywood about the Conquest of the wild West he shows that period of american history As an epoch of open genocide mass extermination of the peaceful Indian population the film Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni an italian occupies a special place in this series of movies about the sick society Antonioni shot his movie in the american West with the Money Jaf a pow Erful american company. An Alliance with Hollywood yes certainly. After All what s the difference Between making movies in Europe with Ameri can Money or in the . With the same Money the premiere of Zabriskie Point evoked an immediate storm of arguments and even served As a pretext for very Sharp criticism of the famous director it is True that he casts doubt on such holy Phenomena As the affluent Sci Freedom of Unity of the and other slogans that Are the Trump card of american propaganda just As rioting americans cast doubt on them too. Though Antonioni himself like the Young people he depicts does not have any Posi Tive program or position the artist and his heroes seem to say everything is Rotten it must die it will be destroyed. His movie demonstrates the class Structure of society it is True that the director has t tried to emphasize the class c h a r a c t e r of the processes going on in modern America. He is still far from a class understanding of what is happen ing in the world. But he has made a step toward reality the appearance of the above mentioned movies is Evi Dence of concern on the part of the american and West Europe an intelligentsia about events that Are taking place in America the consequences of mass disappointment in the opportunities and prospects of the con sumption society it is also impossible to forget that there was a Strong realistic tradition in american cinematography particularly in its Best period in the this tradition was identified on the one hand with realistic literature and on the other hand with the names of cinematography John Ford creator of tobacco Road Orson Welles with his citizen Kane As Well As Charlie Chaplin first of All. That realistic tradition disappeared Al together for a while but in the late 1950s and Early 1960s it reappeared As a tiny trickle be Side the mighty flow of propagandist trash which glorified the american Way of chinese to Send delegation Geneva renter the will Send a Strong Dele fiction to limited nations conference on the environment a Stockholm in june it was Tan Moed Tea Naan. A for tee Confer j each said the govern j went cad pc sad orders Qadi w Industry should be avowed to Sac Dob it bad resolved its pal Sheffl. The by the Winner of the 1970 nod prize for literature a picture you should consider seeing this weekend Joseph Bologna Renee Taylor made for each other second week the life of Ivan Desovich adult from the couple who gave you lovers and other strangers adult open today open saturday at at feature at feature at and and open today and tomorrow at w5p.m feature at and pm. Game North of Portage a funny and terrifying motion picture if then was ont. Open at pm. Graduate at pah. Diamonds Are forever of in today and Tom mow at . Feature at every Man was her tool for pleasure held Over the laugh show of the week off Nat pm. Woman ;