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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1981)
Films Raging Bull Starring Robert DeNiro Directed by Martin Scorsese Cinema World, 342-6536 If Robert DeNiro wants your sympathy he’ll beat it out of you. Violence seems to be inher ent in DeNiro’s character: he’s portrayed violent men in films like The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, and Taxi Driver. DeNi ro and director Martin Scpr sese brought Taxi Driver to the screen, and now they’re back together for Raging Bull. Raging Bull is a relentless film that never stops hammer ing. DeNiro is a middleweight boxing champ, Jake LaMotta, a man who thrives on violence in and out of the rink. Scorsese pulls no punches in his por trayal of the profession’s bru tality. LaMotta is a hard guy to sympathize with, but, then, he really doesn’t ask for sym pathy. He’s a volatile man who pulverizes his opponents and beats people when he gets mad. At the same time he's a victim: Violence is all he’s ever been good at. From the film’s very first frame LaMotta’s life is tragic. He seems incapable of the Unmarried Woman, Kramer vs Kramer and Ordinary People share: A sensitive look at the problems contemporary peo ple face in their relationships. sensitivity brought from intel ligent evaluation. There’s an adolescent awkwardness between him and his girlfriend. LaMotta is interested in a ser ious relationship; his girlfriend says she loves him, but in truth her love for him is rarely evident. LaMotta can’t deal with love. He transforms his relationship with her into a prison of jealousy and paranoia. With little tenderness in his life he batters himself emotionally like he batters his opponents in the ring. Scorsese and cinemato Dreyfuss’ portrayal as the enormously arrogant, yet ba sically insecure pianist is ap pealing and has a ring of truth most of the time. Irving is less grapher Michael Chapman float the film through round after round of dreamy battles, which maintain a poetic quality despite their brutality, sharply etched in black and white. The fight scenes are gracefully savage When the blows land, the frame ex plodes with slow motion foun tains of sweat and blood, punctuated by exaggerated smashing sounds. Chapman s camera careens with LaMotta in the ring DeNiro’s oppon ents are real-life boxers, and the real-life Jake LaMotta was technical adviser during the filming. too much, neither of which give her any greater sensitivi ty Both of them give superb piano performances; it’s hard DeNiro's LaMotta thrives in the ring. This is what makes him great, what allows his in secure ego to survive. When LaMotta is finally beaten, he reminds his vanquisher that despite his bloody face and swollen eyes, he didn't fall down. Through with boxing, we see LaMotta degenerate phy sically and emotionally. Con fined in prison at one point, humiliated, he cries “I'm not an animal!” Unlike the same line in The Elephant Man, LaMotta's line is a lie. In the end, LaMotta is a loser. By Richard Lallberte The Competition Starring Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving Directed by Joel Otiansky Valley River Twin It’s irritating when a film gets a lot of advance publicity and fails to deliver the story promised. The Competition could have been a fine movie, but it consistently fails to come together as a whole. We are left with a good scene here and there, with the rest of the film being easily forgettable. It's a shame, because the film attempts to explore com petition between men and women. As a dramatic idea, its time has come as more women gain the power, prestige and skill that men now hold in a variety of fields. The story centers around two gifted pianists who are competing in a prestigious recital which guarantees a bright future for one of them. They fall in love and attempt to explore the problem that such a relationship must surely in vite. Paul Dietrich (Richard Dreyfuss) is more comfortable with the idea of losing to a man rather than to the woman he loves. Heidi Schoonover (Amy Irving) is uncomfortable at the thought of being a better pianist than her lover. The Competition could have earned the respect that An WE BUY USED RECORDS Bring in your Jazz, Rock, Classical, and Blues We Pay Top Prices HOUSE OF RECORDS 258 E. 13th Between Pearl and High Streets But the film falls short of the mark, suffering mainly from a bad screenplay and poor dir ection. There are intermittent flashes of clarity in both, but director Joel Oliansky relies too much on slushy romance. Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving star in “The Competition." They are drawn to each other both as young lovers and as rivals vying for the same prize in an international competition. arrogant, more secure and more willing to give up her career to save his. Her naivete is unsettling in scenes which call for greater personal strength She is prone to wringing her hands and crying to Deneve tney aren t actually playing The piano concertos are wonderful, and better il lustrate the intensity of the couple’s relationship to each other and their work than in any dialogue they share. The NEW! NEW! INTRODUCTORY OFFER Barbecue PORK RIBS NEW! NEW! Right now. The Branding Iron is introducing their Brand New Hickory-Smoked Barbecue Pork Ribs. They're served with a complete dinner that includes home-made soup or tossed green salad, nee pilaf. french fries or baked potato and bread for only $5.95. But what's even more amazing than that, is that these Texas-Style Pork Ribs are so big. lean, meaty, and delicious, they even fooled "El Paso Billy", and we all know about him: he thinks we rustled the recipe from Texas. But we didn't. Ask for Oregon's own Texas-style Pork Ribs for only $5.95 tonight at The Branding Iron. BRANDING IRON 579 East Broadway, Eugene Phone 344-3201 (Visa, Master Charge, American Express) exception is when Dreyfuss is explaining his devotion to music to Irving after breaking down under the pressure he’s facing. But these scenes are sand wiched too far between a ridiculous plot involving the defection by a Soviet piano instructor, a twist that could have been cut without hurting the film in the slightest. The bright spark in the mid dle of all this mediocrity is Lee Remick, as Greta Vandemann, Irving’s piano instructor and mentor. She gives the film more credibility than anyone except Dreyfuss, and she’s the only character to address what’s really important about this film: How far are people willing to go to be the best in their field? She tells Heidi the piano "gives you a center that no man — that very few men — can give you.” Women don’t hear that kind of statement often, whether or not it’s true. It’s that kind of choice The Competition considers, but not consistently or forcefully Oliansky strays from the point too often. Instead of focusing on self-exploration, he has his characters wandering around uttering meaningless phrases to one another. Remick’s tart, realistic remarks are a wel come change from too many longing glances across the piano. Sally Oljar _Qtm Cultural Forum Presents Contraband from Virginia r~ with Bob Childs, caller TRADITIONAL AMERICAN CONTRAS-CIRCLES-SQUARES — All dances taught — — Beginners, singles welcomed — Friday, February 27 8:00 p.m. EMU Ballroom U of O Campus $2.00 Admission
