Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 9. April 24 1978
VUWSA Films
VUWSA Films
Three special screenings this week as part of Capping Week.
Chinatown
A Bogartland thriller handled with style and brilliance by Polanski. The plot is riddled with mystery from the very beginning when Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), a classic wise-cracking private-eye, is hired by a woman to find out what her errant husband is up to. The woman turns out to be an imposter hired for purposes unknown; the husband is duly murdered; and the real wife (Faye Duna way), leads him into a nightmare web of intrigue ranging from civic corruption to incest by way of some bizarre encounters.
One such encounter is a memorable meeting of Gittes with a gnome-like smiler (Polanski himself) in a nocturnal wasteland. "Want to know what happens to inquisitive guys?" the gnome asks as he delicately slits open Gittes' nostril. "They lose their noses." Gittes survives the humiliation to unravel the mystery and even get his dangerous charmer to bed, but only at the sudden climatic ending do we realise the significance of the film's title.
Chinatown has shades of Hitchcockian cunning and is full of subtle images for all its exquisite period" detail. Good performances from Nicholson and Dunaway and veteran director John Huston as the villain.
Monday 24th April 2.00 pm.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Had Kubrick's film been made recently, it would have been hailed as a masterpiece. The fact that this 10-year old film is just as evocative and stunning now as it was then makes it a monumental classic. 2001 surpasses all other films for its innovative film technology ( Star Wars owes its visual conception to this film) and sheer power and imagination. The film is primarily concerned with the evolution of Intelligence. Kubrick sees the levels of ascent to be Ape, Man, Computer, then Superman, but the development is not a simple one. As the film progresses, our intellect and imagination are stimulated on several levels with ideas, symbols and questions beyond the visual spectacle. Kubrick is an avowed master of film and this is often considered his best. See it or see it again.
Wednesday 26 April 2 pm.
Five Fingers of Death
Five fingers of Death is the most successful box-office martial arts film from the Shaw Bros, industry. The plot follows a typical storyline that involve feuding Kung Fu schools, acts of betrayal and vengence, secret super normal techniques, duels to the death... in fact, what makes this film stand out is the inclusion of virtually all the elements common to the genre.
There is an uncommon 'Western' approach to the mechanics of the plot. The action sequences build up slowly; restrained compared to the instantaneous mayhem otherwise common within 10 minutes of a Kung Fu film. As Kung Fu films go, in the historical fairy-tale class, this is one of the better ones. For once the characters are developed and the colour, direction and dubbing are well above standard. Magnificent escapism.
Thursday 27 April 2 pm.