FILM

Rip It Up, Issue 57, 1 April 1982, Page 22

FILM

excellent. Its text is simply a year by year factual rundown on Bowie's career from 1963 to 1980 with no critical attempt to get at the masks behind the masks. The book's great value lies in its superb collection of photos, predominantly full-paged and, as often as not, in colour. Trace the hairstyles and sartorial splendour from sixties mod to flowerpower perm to Garboesque to Ziggy etc. The shots vary from solo studies to telling candids of Bowie with associates, friends and lovers.

" Undoubtedly of more limited appeal (though still great fun) is Merseybeat: The Beginnings of The Beatles wherein . the early days of the fab four are chronicled through reprints from the now defunct Merseyside entertainment paper. In 1961 you could get five bands for five shillings with the Beatles topping and Gerry and the Pacemakers second on the bill. On one page you'll find an item reporting on The Beatles' 'rapturous reception' in Hamburg while underneath is a news snippet that Rory Storm and the Hurricanes are spending their third summer season at a local Butlin's holiday camp. John Lennon's own pseudonymous column 'Beatcomber'. is a foretaste of In His Own Write. The Omnibus range includes the modestly priced In Their Own Words paperback series. Semi-biographies on Lennon, Dylan, the Stones, Bowie et al that are assembled by a cut and paste job on years of press interviews. Their value depends on how eloquent and candid the subject was. The , Who volume gave me a few good chuckles. Another book is Rock Family Trees for all those people wanting to trace various sixties and seventies' groups. A truly major work for and by the obsessive. There's a Sex Pistols File and one on the Clash and a whole discography series. The only two real nasties I've spotted so far are a vacuous . Pretenders' volume and a shoddy Encyclopedia of British Beat Croups and Solo Artists of the Sixties. v L,: Happy browsing. (Omnibus Press is distributed locally by the Australia and NZ Co.) / . \ Peter Thomson ’

The Scarecrow Director: Sam Pillsbury Working from a very clever scripting of the ■ Ronald Hugh Morrieson novel, Pillsbury has come up with a most satisfying film,- a piece of cinema that proves the local film industry could produce something as successful as Peter Weir's early explorations of the more bizarre sides of the Australian SHHnBHBpi Although the eerie, centrifugal force of the whole film is the emaciated, omni-present Scarecrow, played with relish by Hollywood veteran John Carradine, the real reference point for most of the action comes from the trio of youngsters. Australian actress Tracy Mann is an impressive Prudence, and Pillsbury has managed to get wondrous performances from Jonathan Smith and Daniel McLaren as the two friends who eventually unravel all the dirty goings in the funeral parlour. Add to this many memorable and vivid cameos (Margaret Blay as the testy Mrs Breece admonishing her petulant child is particularly vivid) . and a striking evocation of small town life in the repressive 50s, and you have the most - effective piece of New Zealand cinema I have seen for some years. The California Dolls Director: Robert Aldrich What on the surface might seem to be an exploitation flic about glamorous lady wrestlers becomes, in Aldrich’s hands, a shrewd and cynical tale of compromise in modern society. Underneath all the tawdry glamour (and the final fight-out between the Dolls and the Toledo Tigers is the most dazzling of production numbers, with gasps and giggles.in. equal proportions) is a piece of tough character analysis. • . ,/l Peter Falk as Harry Sears is a hard-bitten manager, playing' tapes of Pagliacci in his car whilst ferrying his two lady-tag-wrestlers (the statuesque Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon) around the country in search of that elusive title match. Aldrich uses his usual production -./ team'; and Joseph Biroc's images are as elegant as ever, finding that there can be an ironic beauty in the most unlikely places. Outland . Director; Peter Hyams • A thoroughly dreary little space western, in spite of the cool presence of Sean Connery. Some interest is generated during an all-too-short show of paranoia by Steven Berkoff, and Frances Sternhagen deals out a nice line in wisecracking . cynicism, but after a while, you just get rather tired of reading printed messages on video screens and gazing at flashing computer keyboards. Really, people are still more interesting and good scripts help too.

Renaldo and Clara Director: Bob Dylan Currently doing the rounds in the hallowed setting of the Film Festival, this is really much more than just a record of the Rolling Thunder tour. Although the original version is often- self-) indulgent and rambles at times, it presents some marvellous images and equally memorable scene's (Allen Ginsburg reading poetry to an audience' of respectable matrons being one). To cut it by half its length, as has happened in NZ, is brutal. Surely those interested would prefer to see the film as the director originally • conceived it. . ’ History of the World Part I) g Director: Mel Brooks '. It's all a matter of taste, as the bishop once said to the actress. In the matter of comedy, Mel Brooks has become an anarchic law to himself, being the most noted contemporary exponent of the Would it be funny if ...' brand of comedy. Self indulgence sometimes works splendidly. It does in History's Inquisition sequence, with starchy nuns suddenly becoming voluptuous chorines. And Brooks certainly has an enthusiastic cast, with Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Dom DeLuise and Sid Caesar almost making one ignore the fact that so many of the jokes are not only fairly venerable, but more than a little on the weak side. Still, .considering the current state of 35mm comedy, now that Frank Tashlin is no more, who can afford to be fussy? William Dart Late News Sydney band Dropbears with ex Hooker, Johnny Batchelor, have, released a 45, Fun Loving' Anything I Do'. They also feature on the new Fast Forward cassettezine. Same town: Real Traitors have recorded another 4-track EP ... Swingers may record their second album in Auckland. If so, expect them with Snoid.'at Mainstreet in May. Mondo Rock play NZ in June. Grace Jones will tour downunder ... there's a rumour about that Harry Ratbag wrote 'Legend In His Own Lunchtime' for the Gurlz and that he penned the new Sister Sledge single 'My Guy’ using the pseudonym S. Robinson ... Furtive may release a live 12 inch EP of the Newmatics recorded at their final gigs ... same size but by May: six-trackers :on :■ Key label: Th'Dudes So You Want To Be A Rock’n'Roll Star (all the singles) and Hello Sailor Last Chance To Dance ... Troggs pic sleeve 45 Wild Thing'/'With- A Girl Like You'.is released to coincide with their tour April 28 Mainstreet gig ... rebuilt Mascot Studio is open. Phone them for special re-opening rates. First projects include: Phil Yule produced Herbs 45 and LP and Mahana produced by Billy TK ... the Jam tour is postponed torAugust?^HWHBMBWB New look Talking Heads?