Word: womanities
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Rose spirals downward for two hours, as parasitic people struggle to make a living off her talents. There are some brilliant moments in the film--Midler's return to the transvestite club she once haunted, Midler's gutsy rendition of "When a Man Loves a Woman"--but director Mark Rydell must be the most pessimistic man behind a camera. There is no comic relief, no reminder that, in the long run, good can prevail, no hint that justice is done. If you take away Rose's guts, you're left with an awfully familiar theme--only the good die young...
...This film about a Hollywood Hills song writer, his hokey girlfriend and perverted neighbors is, in one word, terrible. Dudley Moore--of Good Evening fame--limps along mightily, running into Beverly Hills cops, the back of his telescope and, finally, the beautiful Bo Derrick. The woman is a "14" but, for some reason, her hair dresser thinks she's a Rasterfarian...
...doesn't even satisfy those who are out for sexual thrills. There are scenes in this film--when a broken-down woman admits her sexual problems, first to Moore, and then to a bartender on the coast of Mexico--that are embarrassing. There are performances in this film--why did Julie Andrews cut her hair and leave Germany?--that are unspeakable. And there are parts of this film--critical explanations that might help you understand what's going on and why--that were left on the cutting room floor. Avoid...
Enter, at last, Lysistrata (Kathleen Sweeney) and her horde of woman cohorts: Kalonike (Darla Christopher), Myrrhine (Nancy Boghossian), Lampito (Sarah Brown), Ismenia (Maureen Fallon) and Calipo (Chuck Marshall). Yes, that was Chuck. A male playing a female part--there must be something behind this. You keep waiting for him to reveal his identity and perhaps foil Lysistrata's master plan. When it becomes apparent that nothing of the sort is going to happen, you begin to wonder if enough women auditioned. But no, the director tells you afterwards, they thought it would be a good joke...
Burger's Daughter, By Nadine Gordimer (Viking, $10.95): An elevating exploration of social commitment and the demands it places on a woman whose father has no doubts about his commitments in South Africa. She obviously has her doubts, and Gordimer portrays in heroic dimensions her attempts to carve out her own moral vision against the background of her father's consuming convictions. Gordimer's sensitive observations on South Africa's racial conflicts make for wrenching reading...