laywriglit and the man

by Rachel Ste/ter

The Grinnell College Theater
Department is presenting Gciic: A
Collage of Voices From the Plays of
Eugene O'Neill from Friday,
November 30 through Tuesday,
December 4, at 8:00 p m. in Roberts
Theater. The production is a com-
posite of the works of Eugene O'Neill,
supplemented by critical statements,
letters, and dedicahons by those were
closest to him

Director Sandy Moffett refers to
done as a “play Within a play." A
series of small cuttings from The
Iceman Conicth. Beyond the Horizon,
A Mann For the Mishegotteii, The
Hairy Ape.and Ali wilderness are
woven around a core piece from Long
Days Journey into Night.

“We chose to concentrate on what
we considered to be two essential
aspects of the material. First was the
biography. We wanted to com-
municate the life that was so central
to the work, Second was the texture of

With Macbeth (1971), the work of
Roman Polanski (one of the most in—
teresting people working in film to-
day) returns to campus, Knilc iii the
Water, his first feature-length film,
showed a lot of potential and it is in
teresting to see the direction his talent
took in Macbeth. Polanski's sense of
alienation and realistic, but not
overplayed, violence work well with a
Shakespearean subject.

There have been many attempts to
put Macbeth on film: thev date from
1915 to 1971 and include a few modern-
ized and/or stylized versions, Polan-
ski's version is the most recent and is
generally considered to be the best of
all of them, The acting is very strong
all around and the excellent special ef»
fects provide some possible solutions
to the problems encountered when
staging the play. Good examples of
this are the appearance of the spots on
Lady Macbeth's hands, the dagger,
and especially of Banqun at the feast.

Polanski keeps fairly strictly to the
text oi the play, although some cutting
was necessary for length and a few
things were changed for the benefit of
modern audiences. The decision to
have Lady Macbeth play her sleep ‘
walking scene in the nude might have
been made either for the sake of
realism or because the film was made
by Playboy. but in any case the depar-
tures from tradition are few, generally
yustiliable. and always interesting.
Transferring Shakespeare to the
screen is a very difficult task, and will

vember 30, 1979

the art: the way the words, scenes.
and plays form a complex yet
coherent tapestry,” Mofiett explains,

The play uses quotes from O'Neill’s
family and friends as well as an in-
novative slide presentation to
demonstrate the autobiographical
aspect of O’Neill's plays and to pro
vide insight into O’Neill's development
as a man and playwright

“At the beginning, we thought it
would be easy to put together a piece
that would say it allithe life, the
plays, and the time of O‘Neill. That
was before we saw the enormity of
this man and his quest," Moffett con-
tinues.

Moffett Wrote the narration which
ties the play together, but the actual
play was developed by what Moffett
describes as “a very good, strong
cast” and their impresswns of the
material.

The production promises strong in—
tensity, not only through its content.

but through its staging and portrayal.
The sets, designed by Jan Czechowski,
are stark, black blocks of varying size
and four large screens facing an arena
staging arrangement. The costuming
is basic clothing in somber, muted
shades and the background music con-
sists of selections from Schoenberg
and Chopin. Moffett describes the play
as having “a certain kind of formahty,
like the formality of a concert." There
are sections of the production which
are funny, however, to demonstrate
the many facets of the talent of
O‘Neill.

There are only five characters in the
play: Eugene (played by Joe
Hawbaker), his father (John
Cavanaugh), mother (M. Susan
Wood), brother (Larry Finder), and a
composite character of O’Neill’s ideal
woman (Jenny Taylor). .

The experimental aspect of Gene
makes this a oncerin~arlifetime pro-
duction.

film/tout spackmﬁn & mike glassman
acabre Macbeth, terrific thriller and fortune flop

probably never be totally successful.
ins plays were written exclusively for
the stage, but Polanski’s Macbeth is
one of the best screen adaptations of
Shakespeare that has ever been
donerTS.

Double indemnity 11944), starring
Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck,
and Edward G, Robinson. is a first
rate thriller. Made 35 years ago, with
a screenplay written by Billy Wilder
and Raymond Chandler, this movie is
guaranteed to grab you and hold you
in your seat; maybe you'll even clutch
the arms a few times. The plot is. by
now, a bit on the cliched side, but it is
ingenious all the same MacMurray
plays an insurance agent who plots the
murder of a man with the man's Wife
(Stanwyck). MacMurray‘s been in the
business a long time and he knows all
the angles, all the tricks, and he is
able to accomplish the almost perfect
crime,

The only problem is that Robinson,
a claims adjuster with a nose for a
phony claim, gets wary when Mac-
Murray and Stanwyck try to collect on
the man’s insurance policy. The plot is
complicated, but not overdone; it in
terests you without confusing you; the
scenes are quick, crisp, and powerful
as the film moves along from one
suspenserfllled moment to the next.
All three of the major characters offer
excellent performances. MacMurray,
in particular, offers a surprisingly
strong performance asthe tough»
talking insurance man. Watch for the

shadows—MI}.

The Fortune (1975) is director Mike
Nichols attempt at making a 305
screwball comedy. The ridiculous plot
revolves around an heiress (Stockard
charming) and two men who try to
murder her for her money lWarren
Beatty and Jack Nicholson), The
movie starts outwith Nicholson ma -
i-ying Charming (even though Beatt
her lover) so they can all get to
California without being arrested for.
transporting a woman across state i
lines for immoral purposes, Channing'
finally figures out that the others want~
her only for her money and her dec‘
sion to give it all to charity prompts
Beatty‘s and Nicholson’s decision t
kill her. The murderers then procee
to get themselves into some fairly
dull, messy situations (which are sup
posed to be funny) by thoroughly lip
ching their attempts to drown her

Beatty and Nicholson fall short of
their excellent performances
elsewhere, but channing is very
strong in her debut in a major rol
all the characters, hers is the bes
developed and most interesting Th'
are a few cute scenes involving thej
landlord, but on the whole it's a poo
acted poorly directed film which .
misses the pace of the 305 comediesl
tries to copy. —T 5.

Film Schedule this weekend:
Macbeth: Fri 9'30. ARH' Sun, 9: 30,

Sun..7: -,3Ll ARH The For.tunl: Fri.,
10:00, SL; Sat. 10:00, ARE. 1]

 

