Film
less
Directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski’s Tess is
like an egg salad sandwich —
plenty of filling, but no meat.
His interpretation of the story
of a poor English girl rambles
through nearly three hours of
19th century melodrama
before coming to its predicta
ble conclusion.
Polanski has created a
beautiful, memorable, epic
bore
Yet the film’s faults lie not
only with Polanski, but also
with the original author of Tess
of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas
Hardy. As one reviewer of the
stage version of Tess pointed
out, Tess’ story is based on an
age-oia, mreaaoare ineme
that has been "enacted in
every country in all ages."
A hint for Polanski: Some
books were never meant to be
movies.
In creating an epic, Polanski
has bypassed the basic in
gredient that made the novel
work — tragedy. Hardy wrote
Tess for a handkerchief-toting,
catharsis-hungry 19th century
audience, who were willing to
wade through pages of mis
fortunes to be able to watch
Tess’ ultimate defeat.
But Polanski focusses on
the events and misses the
emotions. Natassia Kinski's
Tess is a pouting, passive,
wet-noodle of a woman who
elicits no sympathy for her
caiamuous aaveniures. i ess is
a one-dimensional decoy who
seems to draw the fire of all
those around her
The moral of Hardy's story is
the corrupting influence of
society. Tess is meant to be a
child of nature, but her story is
disturbing for anyone who
believes man is endowed with
free will.
Tess is undoubtedly
hampered by her cir
cumstances and selflessness.
And yet, after she is raped, has
a child, is shunned by her
husband, works as a
farmhand, and watches her
family thrown into the streets,
her mistreatment calls for
some hint of rebellion. But
Tess keeps a stiff upper lip and
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seeks aid from the man who
raped her.
Polanski treats the
character of the rapist, Alec,
far too sympathetically. He is
an arrogant and shallow boor
whose motivation for marrying
Tess is never quite clear.
Tess’ first husband, Angel,
is equally obnoxious, in his
own way. His wedding night
condemnation of Tess’ past
drew hisses from the
audience, but endowed with
the qualities of a human ping
pong ball, Tess volleys
between the two men during
most of the film.
Yet what Tess lacks in form
it almost makes up for in style.
The cast handles the flimsy
plot gingerly and the French
countryside where Polanski
filmed Tess is beautiful — even
if it does seem to have been
shot through a screen door.
Filtered, muted colors only
enhance the film’s surreal ef
fect: We are watching a fair
ytale with no one to rescue
Cinderella.
Tess, which cost $11 million
to film, is the most expensive
French film ever made. And it
shows — right down to the
buttons that were daily
removed and sewn back on
Tess’ dress.
Artistically, Tess may be the
film of the year. But from an
audience’s viewpoint, Tess is a
bun-numbing voyage through
Roman Polanski’-s fantasies.
— Ann Portal
IPs
Night Passage
Weather Report
‘1980, CBS Records
Weather Report fans will not
be disappointed in the latest
release, Night Passage. Nor will
they be particularly surprised.
The group is still milking the
same vein that brought us
Heavy Weather, with its popular
"Birdland.” But the vein has not
yet run dry. The music is still hot,
tight, finely integrated, and the
Weather Report trademark —
tonal and rhythmic density,
shimmering intensity — is still
strong and unmistakable.
Only on two cuts do some of
the old formulas seem in danger
of getting stale. Wayne
Shorter's soprano sax orna
mentation on “Dream Clock” is
the only thing that keeps this
slow, ballad-like tune from
becoming indistinguishable
from Weather Report’s earlier
slow, ballad-like tunes.
“Three Views of a Secret,”
another slower piece, seems the
most weakly conceived and
realized. The nasal, whining
tone that Joe Zawinal puts out
on synthesizer is inappropriate,
if not corny, and occasionally
the brief interplay between
Zawinal and Shorter is limp and
awkward.
As for the rest of the album,
there is little to complain about.
"Forlorn” is a strange, engag
ing composition. The title cut,
"Night Passage,” sustains a
sharp, shuffling groove.
"Port of Entry" is contem
porary Weather Report at its
best. Jaco Pastorius pairs off
with percussionist Robert
Thomas, Jr. to give a strong, if
typical bass solo — lots of six
teenth notes: very fast, very
crisp. From there on the tune
keeps picking up, and never lets
up, as it moves into some burn
ing, unabashed funk.
"Rockin’ in Rhythm,” a bril
liant, playful adaptation of an
Ellington tune, is another fine,
cooking piece. Peter Erskine
carries “Fast City” with some
superb, unrelenting high ner
vous energy on drums. Shorter
gets a chance to cut loose on
tenor and does it very well.
Zawinal cuts loose too, though
he is a little stylized and long
winded about it.
"Madagascar," recorded live
in Japan, is a strong cut remin
iscent of much earlier work in
Sweetnighter. The format is
loose and extended, allowing
the musical ideas to develop
more gradually and naturally.
The playing seems to have more
spontaneity to it, to involve more
active creativity.
The original founders of
Weather Report, Zawinal and
Shorter, are still the backbone
of the group. Zawinal, with his
unique arrangements and dis
tinctive style on keyboards, is
the father and perpetuator of
the Weather Report sound. In
general, he is more successful
in the background, creating
texture and mood, than he is in
the foreground, compelled to
show off his chops.
Shorter, with his thoughtful
and expressive playing, keeps
the music from degenerating
into an orgy of electronics and
mere technique.
People who like what Weather
Report has been doing for the
last four or five years will not be
wasting their money on this
consistent album by an
excellent group of musicians.
— Matthew Taylor
In an attempt to avoid embarrassing anyone,
THANKS PRODO. And, thanks Steve for reading
and re-organizing such moveable pieces; here’s to
a Pentangle, Cynthia; a note, also, to the drooling
monster, please eat the flies, and Heidi, stay well, as
they say in Swaziland! Time to go. . and
remember, recherche is not exactly the same as
outre. Don’t forget to get your stuff to me by
Thursday, the week before publication if you want it
in the 77?! Tah, tah, Erzsi.