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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1985)
l HW |f & IC>I« jfy jf At the movies Kudos to Copppola for ‘The Cotton Club’ Style has always been at the heart of Francis Coppola films. Recently it has too often come at the expense of the story. In “The Cotton Club” Coppola has a sprawling but solid founda tion to show his stuff, and it looks great. Pulling from both history and fiction. “The Cotton Club” chronicles a time of bootleggers and gangsters, flappers and tap pers, jazz and gangland wars. A number of stories intertwine to create this tapestry of spectacle and decadence. The focus is on Richard Gere, who plays jazz cornetist Dixie Dwyer, an innocent bystander who inadvertently saves the life of psychotic mob-leader Dutch Schultz (James Remar). Dutch displays his gratitude by giving Dixie ‘‘the good life” against his will. Among his new “tasks” are to escort Vera Cicero (Diane Lane), Dutch’s lover on the side, around town. Courtesy photo Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in Francis Coppola's most re cent cinematic spectacle, “The Cotton Club. ” It’s no surprise when romance blooms between the two. In a subplot, Gregory and Maurice Hines play the tap dancing Williams Brothers, an act trying to break into the Cot ton Club. Delbert (Gregory), the more talented of the two, has higher aspirations of a solo career and hopes for a romance with the beautiful Lila Rose Oliver (Lonette McKee), a black singer who dreams of Broadway. Numerous smaller vignettes play themselves out between these tales. Among the colorful personalities are the jovial Cot ton Club owner Owney Madden (Britisher Bob Hoskins), his enormous bodyguard and friend Frenchey (Fred Gwynne), Dutch’s rail-thin hit man Sol (Julian Beck), Dixie’s younger brother Vincent (Nicholas Cage) and scores of other marvelous characters. Coppola infuses this intrigu ing epic with expertly choreographed and brilliantly integrated song and dance spec tacles, set largely in, where else? The Cotton Club. Two worlds exist in stark con trast to each other — the flashy decadence found in the jazz ‘Flamingo Kid’ a ‘marvel’ When lanky, amiable Jettery Willis (Matt Dillon) from lower-class Brooklyn runs smack dab into the bronzed “beautiful people'* of the Long Island Club, El Flamingo, his values begin to shift. When he becomes the eager protege of the club's girdled gin king, Phil Brody (Richard Cren na), a cutthroat businessman with the scruples of a confidence man, Jeffery contemplates a whole new future. What begins as a summer job turns Jeffery Willis into “The Flamingo Kid." Garry Marshall’s wonderful tale of growing up is a sharp, incisive little piece that poignantly descibes the alienation of an overreaching young man and his down-to-earth family. Jeffery’s plumber father Arthur, nicely underplayed by Hector Elizondo, is a proud, af fectionate, loving man with an easy sense of humor and a strong sense of right. Determined to give his children the educa tion he never had. he and his son butt heads over Jeffery's decision to skip college and become a salesman. Spouting Brody's advice, Jeffery sounds cocky rather than resourceful, and a rift develops between he and his father. Dillon gives the finest performance of his career as pleasantly awkward Jeffery. At all times charming and friendly, he pulls off stock scenes of the lower class kid bumbling through high society with understated humor. ‘CLIP COUPON ———1 Marshall creates a natural atmosphere of humor, unforced and affectionate. In an early scene Jeffery banters with has father after climb ing under a sink to help him with a leaky pipe. At the conclusion they toss stilted metaphors bet ween each other, trying to bridge the gap that has developed between them. These trite cliches are so ridiculous that they themselves finally realize the silliness and open up to speak honestly. Marshall delves into the relationship between father and son to discover the love, pathos and natural humor of a real family. A sore spot is Jeffery’s girlfriend Carla, played by Janet Jones. At first a seemingly impor tant character, she loses prominence and disap pears without much impact. Her scenes with Dillon exhibit a fine rapport and a gentle romance, but a stronger development is needed. Some elements do seem overlooked. For ex ample, Brody begins coaching Jeffery in the fine art of playing gin in an early scene, but the logical extension is absent. When Jeffery later takes on Brody in the big game, are we to assume he’s had no further coaching? It seems unlikely. Yet this is a small oversight, and a forgivable one at that. Marshall’s film is a fine, funny, engaging work that gently captures the pain of growing up. “The Flamingo Kid" is one of the surprising marvels of the Christmas Season. By Sean Axmaker 1 FREE soda plus 10* OFF any slice Offer good Monday-Sunday 11:30-Midnight, Mon.-Fri. 3:30-Midnight, Weekends 1211 Alder on Campus 686-9598 ^ Sy s New York Pizza M«.CUP COUPONM.a. Twilight Dinner Specials *1.00 off All Pasta Dishes 5-6:30 p.rn. Across From The 5th St. Public A larkct 259 East 5th Avenue • Eugene, Oregon • 14^-8488 clubs, and the dark underside to the music and gaiety; the under world executions and deals that are decided in the back tables. Dixie is caught between both and cannot free himself from either. Granted, “The Cotton Club” isn’t a perfect film. With such a rich mosaic to work from, Cop pola’s exuberance to showcase all the minor characters leaves Dixie and Vera sorely underdeveloped. Diane Lane compounds the problem with a lackluster performance as the cynical flapper Vera. After a promising first few scenes, Lane somehow loses the life that defines her character. All in all, Coppola is in top form as he puts this package together. Working with almost completely bravura perfor mances, spectacular musical performances and alarmingly violent executions, the director draws the disparate elements together with masterful camerawork, editing and staging. By Sean Axmaker COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON It’s at Track Town. Look for details in Wednesday's ODE. COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON The Ultimate Kabob Buy One Dinner Get Another For $1 New from The Branding Iron, The Ultimate Kabob. It's a delicious Combination of marinated Top Sirloin thunks. Chicken Breast and Prawn skewered and broiled with fresh mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. This delicious new din ner entree is served with rice pilat or french fries, homemade soup or tossed greens and bread. 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