films
Three local free lance filmmakers will present
original motion pictures for viewing on campus
tonight.
The University Film Society sponsors various
films of this type and tonight it will present, in 177
Lawrence, the films of Ron Finne, Robert Dvorak
and Jon Jost. A few short films will be shown by
each artist. The filmmakers live in the country
regions, surrounding the Eugene-Springfield area
and each claims total original direction and
production of his films.
The Finne films to be shown range, in many
ways, from soul-searching to silliness. His first,
“Keep Off the Grass”, is a color, twelve minute
film with various, not totally unrelated, sound
tracks. The fact that the film was made in 1968
becomes quite evident. With use of the word
“grass” and the treatment of former President
Johnson, the film is distinctively and painfully
time-locked in its own adventures and comments.
Yet, there is no doubt it is entertaining. Its ironic,
sarcastic presentation leaves bitter-sweet taste in
the mouth. But, the hang-ups of the American
society are pointedly 1968. Thus, the social
comment the film strives for is lost.
Das Ballet, Finne’s second film, is also a
1968, five minute attempt of irony. It obviously
shows the producer’s disgust for ballet. The
general photography, sound and lighting of Das
Ballet resembles an 8 mm home movie.
It’s funny at times, but more often than not, it
is a gross degradation of legitimate ballet — and a
poor one at that. The choreography was designed
by a topless California dancer and demonstrates
the lack of talent this film tru ly needs to look and
comment on ballet with a sarcastic eye.
“Earthspirit House,” a film about “living
things and their unity,” (from PR material about
Finnes films) proves to be a mixture of natural
sounds and native creatures. It’s a 1970, 15%
minute film that explores the ecological and en
vironmental wound civilization has left. Finne’s
camera views endless frames of ducks, birds, -
waters and plant life. The film experience is en
dearing and tragic. Dead animals, of all kinds,
can leave nothing but bitter apologetic feelings
about the polluted environment. This is what
Finne can and does achieve with “Earthspirit
House.” Finne also enters a few well-chosen
words, on screen, that produce a well-balanced
transition within the film. “Earthspirit House” is
Finne’s best contribution, because it achieves
what it needs to achieve.
Robert Dvorak is the second artist in the
series. He contributes five short films to the
presentation as well as an unusual kind of
creativity.
“Fudge Sunday” is an exercise in animated
photography. It is only two minutes long, which is
good because it does not contribute much more
than slight stimulation of the senses. It is worthy
only if you are “high” on optic sensitivity and .
Film schedule
“Three Independent Film-makers” will be
shown at 7:00 and 9:15 tonight in 177 Lawrence.
It will be divided into two segments, with a
break in the middle. The films will be shown in
the following order:
First Segment
FUDGE SUNDAY — Robot R. Dvorak, 2
min.
KEEP OFF THE GRASS — Ron Finne, 12
min.
THE MAGIC ORANGE — Dvorak. 8 min.
EARTHSPIRIT HOUSE—Finne, 15% min.
ANEMONE — Dvorak, 7 min.
SUSANNAH’S FILM — Jon Jost, 13 min.
Second Segment
FILM PAINTING I — Dvorak, 4 min.
DAS BALLETT — Finne, 5 min.
SEASOUND — Dvorak, 8 min.
TRAPS — Jost, 22 min.
CANYON — Jost, 5% min.
“senses” that are bottled or bagged will also enjoy
“Fudge Sunday”. This is also true of Dvorak’s
Film Painting I, a four minute show of color in
relation to positions or length on the screen. These
two short films are Dvorak’s simply-structured
work and their addition to his overall photography
is minimal. On the other hand, Dvorak’s
“Anemone” is a profound religious experience. It
is a yoga exercise, a kind of worship to the sun,
which involves a nude young woman and the use
of negative photography.
“Seasound” demonstrates Dvorak’s visual
work of silence and sea waves. It’s calmly
repetitive, and seems to carry no message beyond
oceanic beauty. Regardless of all Dvorak’s work
the eight minute “Magic Orange” stands out as
the most creative. The story follows a young boy
who captures a fruit stand orange and all the
magic behind it. The child’s imagination, helped
by some animation, rolls and revolves around the
crystal ball-like orange that travels with him on
his adventures. The orange is the nucleus of the
mind and when lost to older boys, it still carries on
in the child’s thoughts. These thoughts and the
theory of the “Magic Orange” pour from the film
to the audience in a visually vivid interpetation.
The background music is particuarly good — as is
the total creative idea.
“Canyon” was simple to make, you just set up
the camera and wait — so Jon Jost felt about his
five and one-half minute film that overlooked the
Grand Canyon. It’s a documentary about one day
in the life of the Grand Canyon. It shows the ar
tist’s feeling fra* the environment, but not much
more. The message is a naturalist flavor of subtle
shades and shadows.
Jost, a ten year veteran of filmmaking, has
only one other film in the series, but this film is an
exceptional visual-emotional experience.
“Traps” is an internal documentary of a woman’s
psyche as she chooses to reveal herself (from Blue
Ribbon, films by Jon Jost). But “Traps” is
MORE!!! The young woman it deals with is ex
traordinary indeed. The plain honesty of her face,
eyes, and words devastate the viewer in a wholly
in-depth fashion. “Traps” examines the woman’s
life, the things die touched ... her dish, her brush,
pictures, articles she loved and the things that
touched her ... the world outside, the war, items
from the five o’clock news. She could not bear the
existence we all face today and she says so,
honestly, while we seem to hide it. “Traps” holds
high regard for fundamental feelings, hurts, and
disappointments. And I hold high regard for
“Traps”. The film moves, it moans and reopens
the wounds we all have felt in an honest fashion.
The impact of the film lasts far bey raid the exit
door.
The films are well worth the dollar paid at the
door. Particularly “Earthspirit House”, “Magic
Orange”, and “Traps”, are excellent. Yet, the
other films also of fa* new, innovative looks and
uses of photography.
I recommend it.
Deb Perumean
weekend preview
If you’re like me your essay mid
terms took it all out of you. That’s a
shame because there is a lot of in
teresting stuff happening now, and
some of it's free.
If you are into therapeutic systems,
particularly meditation, you should
speak with the ‘acharya’ (spiritual
leader) of Ananda Marga Yoga Society,
who will be in the EMU tomorrow. The
room will be posted later. It costs you
nothing.
The University Chamber Choir is also
offering a meditative experience—in
sound. Tomorrow night’s concert
features six vocalists, assisted by
electronic tape and amplification doing
Stockhausen’s “Stimmung,” or
“tuning,” to help you tune-in to your
“inner self.” The concert begins at 8
p.m. in the Music School Recital Hall
and it’s free. They’ll also do some
hunting songs on French horn.
Members of the music faculty will
give another free 8p.m. concert Sunday
on assorted instruments featuring
contemporary German “rascal songs”
by Strohbach, and other selections. The
University Woodwind Quintet, also
faculty, will play 19th and 20th century
pieces Monday. Same time, same
place, same lack of admission charge.
Donald Voorhees, who used to direct
the “Bell Telephone Hour” orchestra,
will appear in Salem Wednesday to
direct the Oregon Symphony Or
chestra Leonid Hambro, pianist, is
also performing, at 8:15 p.m. in the G.
Herbert Smith Auditorium.
Have you seen the drawings and
paintings by University staff members
Caldwell and Spiller? Later next week
when you’ve recovered from this
week’s output, wander up to the second
floor of the EMU. Their exhibit will be
there until mid-March.
Elsewhere on campus, the art
museum is displaying a travelling
exhibit of award winners; sculpture,
photography, drawings and ceramics.
The free photography display is still at
Maude Kerns. And at LCC a new group
of paintings by Sandra McKee opens
with a reception tonight from ft-10 p.m.
This is a great week for out-of-the
ordinary films—provided you can stay
awake after a hard week of cramming
Really, most of these films are worth
dragging your body to see. Everyone
has reels and reels of them, especially
the University Film Society. (Why
hasn’t anyone mentioned them
before?)
Tonight IJFS is doing two showings,
at 7 & 9:15 p.m., of 11 short subjects of
independent Oregon film-makers. Most
are in color and have soundtracks;
some are in black-and-white; two are
animations. Of the three artists, Robert
R. Dvorak makes the shortest shorts,
experimental type films with positive
negative image interaction. Ron
Finne’s films tend to be humorous and
contemporary comments, while those
of Jon Jost lean towards a philosophical
nature. About half an hour is devoted to
each filmmaker. Seeing them puts your
emotions through ajiumber of states in
rapid succession; it’s a nice way to get
‘psyched’. You get all this for a dollar,
in 150 Science.
With more ‘peace’ now than there has
been for a long while, it may be time for
some hard-core philosophical thinking,
provided your brain has not been too
strained by recent academic en
deavors. Probably by coincidence four
different films are around to help you
out. AH share this common theme: war
and its effects on people.
Tomorrow in 180 PLC the NUC Film
Series presents “The War Game,” a
film that simulates conditions during
and following a nuclear war. OriginaUy
produced for BBC broadcasting, it was
never aired. Accompanying it will be a
short, “Village by Village”, concerning
U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Shows
are at 7 & 9 p.m., for $1.
Sunday the ASUO Cultural Forum
takes you back to Fascist Italy in “The
Garden of the Finzi Continis.” The flick
foUows the plight of a wealthy Jewish
family that becomes increasingly
isolated from their community by anti
Semitic regulations from 1938. You can
see it at 3,6 or 9 p.m. in 180 PLC.
“Winter Soldier,” the 1972 Cannes
Film Festival award winner will run at
the Newman Center Lounge (1880
Emerald). This reel is being shown in
conjunction with the Center’s Monday
7:30 p.m. open peace movement
classes. Anyone may attend and they
charge no admission.
Finally, on Wednesday, Friends of
the Youth Hostel and Switchboard will
project two Cuban-made flicks.
“Memories of Underdevelopment,”
filmed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea in ‘68
concerns a wealthy Cuban landowner
who refuses to flee with relatives to
Miami in preference to observing the
revolution in 1961, though he doesn’t
1 know howto participate in it. Its ‘short,’
“Why Mocada?” was just released. For
a dollar you can see both; profits go to
Switchboard, the Youth Hostel and to
the Children’s Community School.
And Sunday UFS is showing a
Pastorini film, “The Decameron”. $1 at
the University Theatre.
The Federal Narcotics Bureau’s 1936
anti-weed propaganda reel, “Reefer
Madness,'’ is making the rounds again.
If you missed it last time, note that it
started yesterday at West Uth Drive-in.
Its overkill is hysterical; a good way to
help your mind recuperate.
Want to be in a movie? You can
tryout for a student project film called
“Flickers” at 7:30 p.m. tonight in 205
Villard.
“Oklahoma!” and the other plays I
mentioned last week are still running if
you couldn’t see them all last week.
If you’d like to know more about
another culture, you have four chances
to discover one this weekend. Tonight is
Vietnamese Cultural Night in the EMU
ballroom; plays, songs, poetry and
music will be presented by NUC at 7:30
p.m. for a dollar. Alsotonight you can
.attend the Chautauqua at the Lane
Fairgrounds horn 7:30-10:30 p.m. (As
promised last week, one definition:
Chautauqua were traveling “medicine
shows” combining entertainment with
didactics, debates, and reviews,
founded in 1904 to bring ‘culture’ to
rural America.)
If you’ve already bought tickets, you
can attend the Chinese Student
Association’s Chinese New Year Night,
8:30 Sunday. Or you can sample
Japanese cuisine or “Red Star”
singing, from 6-7 p.m. and 8-11 p.m.
respectively, sponsored by the Eugene
Coalition Liberation Support, for $l
contribution to each event.
Not many concerts are going on, but
balladeer Diane Adams is playing
today and next Tuesday and Thursday
in the Fishbowl; and at tomorrow’s
“Friday at Four” program, Willy and
the Egyptians will do jugband music, in
the EMU.
So there’s much to do ... if you’re up
t0 U- Terry Sotta