Ways of Spending $2

Bobby Deer Field

Directed by Sidney Pollack Embassy

It you thought that Al Pacino would only take part in quality films, think again. The standard set by Bobby Deerfield in the the "Bad taste film of the year competition" is going to be hard to beat.

Bobby Deer field is a top formula one racing car champ. Every time he walks out on the track the crowd seems to go crazy (at the expense of no-name drivers like James Hunt and Mario Andretti). To save money the director has decided to use crowd scenes twice and sometimes three times over, obviously with the unobservant masses in mind.

The unobservant masses, however, will not be satisfied at all with this film; there are only one or two lengthy shots of race scenes and the only remotely exciting subplot (the mysterious malfunction which causes two of Deer field's team's cars to crash) is not developed.

The rest of the film consists of Deer-field trying to leave his exotic French lover in favour of an exotic but terminally ill, Italian lover. Good material for an interesting film? Well perhaps, but what we have here is two hours of unexciting ramble.

Al Pacino's acting is positively awful. It is as if he dislikes the film intensely, and wants to get it over with as soon as possible. Who can blame him?

The editing is atrocious and some lengthy and tedious scenes seem to have little or no relevance to the main body of the film. One wonders what the real intention of director Sidney Pollack was.

His earlier film Serpico managed to tell an important story with feeling and interest. If there was any feeling and interest in Bobby Deerfield originally, which somehow I doubt, Pollack has beaten it till it is groggy and lifeless.

If you've read this far, the general message is to spend your $2 on something more worth while. Try Star Wars — it's good for a laugh.

David Murray

Ways of earning $200 million

Directed by George Lucas Cinerama

Why bother with a review of Star Wars? I mean, everyone's seen it, enjoyed it (most (most of it, anyway), stepped outside the Cinerama squinting into the sun refreshed and ready to face reality once again.

What exactly is Star Wars? Well, most people think it is a lot of fun. Never mind that the plot is about as complicated as the the recipe for toast. That's half the fun. Deep thinkers need not apply. Roll some jaffas down the aisle instead.

If Star Wars makes any demand upon its audience whatsoever, then it's probably to be found in the mass of associations the film conjures up. Take everything that was good in 2001, Tarzan, The Blue Max, Two Lane Blacktop, The Wallons, 12 O'Clock High, Lassie, The Scarlet Pimper-If nothing in that list rings a bell, then find your own associations. Hollywood isn't dead, just retailored to fit into a space-suit.

Yes, even the baddies look like baddies. Peter Cushing does his cultured nasty bit in the mould of Josef Goebbels, while Darth Varder, besides relishing his quietly symbolic black coat, speaks in heavy tones through a face reminiscent of the grill of an Olds mobile 2-door.

On the heroes and heroines side, the beautiful Princess Leia, (in equally quietly symbolic white), the desirable object of the affection of our heroes; Luke Sky-walker(!), a kind of inter galactic John-boy with a touch of the Farrah Fawcett; the "Dad and Dave" of robotland; and some other chap who, were he alive in Wellington today, would be charging $ 12 an hour as a mechanic to fix your car. (Is this subtle bias in film or reviewer? — Ed.) Sir Alec Guiness almost steals the whole show by doing what he always does best: acting dignified.

That's it. Lots of c.u.'s to keep it on a human interest level, parallel editing in all the right places and a special effex tour-deforce which has you on the edge of your seat biting nails and altogether forgetting everything that's gone before.

And with a happy ending, what more could we ask?

How will history judge Star Wars? Only time will tell. Who knows, maybe . . . "A long time ago in a special effex room far, far away ....'

David Beresford