ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
'Sincerely Charlotte' sure
to please casual moviegoer
“Sincerely Charlotte" is stan
dard French film product —
stylish, upbeat and breezy
(much like standard American
him product). A vehicle for
Isabelle Huppert, it marks the
feature film debu* of her sister,
co-writer / director Caroline
Huppert. and as such it is enter
taining if somewhat
lightweight.
Isabelle plays Charlotte, an at
tractive young Parisian woman
Review by
Sean Axmaker
living with a writer of popular
crime stories. The credits open
with her debut as a chanteuse
(she holds her own with the
song, but just barely), but she is
depressed because her lover has
not come to see her. That night
she finds him murdered and she
is the chief suspect.
Niels Arestrup plays
Mathieu, Charlotte's lover of
many years ago. Though
Mathieu has settled down with
wife-to-be Christine (Christine
Pascal) and her young son.
Charlotte turns to him for help.
At first Charlotte is an intru
sion, albeit a welcome one since
his torch still burns for her. but
after sheltering her in his
bungalow for a night and after
she steals the family car to
escape, he can't get her out of
his mind.
Once more the telephone
rings. Charlotte is in trouble.
She wants to cross the border
into Spain and she needs
money. Mathieu leaves and
Christine bears it all stoically.
We've seen this romantic
triangle before. Christine loves
Mathieu. Mathieu loves
Charlotte, and Charlotte needs
help and is willing to use
Mathieu's affection to help her
escape. That isn't to say she's
the bad guy of the situation. A
quick thinker and a survivor.
Charlotte is the one we like to
identify with, while we feel for
poor Mathieu who's only head
ed for another fall and poor
Christine, who loves Mathieu
too much to kick him loose.
Poor, suffering romantic
people.
Caroline Huppert brings a
modicum of panache to the
familiar tale. Like almost all
French features. "Charlotte" is
shot on a budget that wouldn't
feed the technical crew on a
Spielberg picture for a week,
and like most French directors.
Huppert doesn't let this han
dicap her work. Location
shooting, simple but attractive
sets and a long take shooting
style gives the film an identity
without advertising its budget.
It is the actress Huppert.
however, who brings the
amiability to the film. Arestrup
and Pascal are fine as the suffer
ing couple, but their direct
"niceness" is simply not as in
teresting as Huppert's more am
biguous but daring character.
We're not even sure if she's in
nocent of the crime, but her
vitality and quick-wittedness
are enough to get most people
rooting for her.
Perhaps that is what Mathieu
sees in Charlotte and what
Continued on Page 14
ISLAM &
WOMEN’S LIBERATION
BY*
MRS. AMINA ASSIMIMI
The Muslim Students Association invites you on
Thursday, 6th November
7:30 PM
Geology 150
Reception follows
Co-sponsors: Anthropology Dept., Campus Interfalth Ministry,
College of Business Administration, Cultural Forum,
International Studies, Religious Studies Dept. & Women's Studies.
'Soul Man' aimless excursion
"Mark Watson is going to Harvard Law
School on a scholarship. The scholarship is for
a black applicant from Los Angeles. There's a
problem ... Mark is white.”
The aforementioned quotes are borrowed
from the advertising teaser of the newly releas
ed movie. "Soul Man", starring C. Thomas
Howell f" The Hitcher") and Rae Dawn Chong
("Quest for Fire").
Review by
Kevin Ixrag
These quotes summarize a somewhat
dilapidated storyline, aimlessly interwoven
with underdeveloped subplots that, although
very funny sometimes, combine to outweigh
the impact of the main story. Nevertheless,
“Soul Man" does have its fine moments, par
ticularly its sticky circumstances, which
generate many hilarious scenes.
The story begins when Mark Watson
(C.Thomas Howell) receives a letter of accep
tance from the Harvard School of Law. Upon
the arrival of this good news, however, a pro
blem arises. In a discussion with his father
(lame* Sikklng, ’ Hill Street Blues”), Mark
finds out that he. not his father, will have to
pay for his own educational expenses.
Mark is understandably panic-stricken at
first, and close to comatose, when he finds out
that the cost of his proposed endeavors will ex
ceed $50,000.
Without much hope. Mark sets out to ex
plore his options and seems to have exhausted
them all. But. while flipping through a direc
tory for financial aid. he suddenly spots an op
portunity: a scholarship for a black applicant
from Los Angeles.
Posing as a black, with the neip ot tanning
pills and a permanent wave. Mark wins the
scholarship and is ready for Harvard.
Once there, and still in disguise, he meets a
young black woman (Rae Dawn Chong). They
share a class together and gradually become
friends. As time passes by, their relationship
grows and eventually Mark learns of the hard
ships she faces as a self-supported single
mother. Later, he finds out that she would
have received his scholarship had he not false
ly applied earlier.
Feeling more and more guilty about his
Continued on Page 14
Feminist singer to appear tonight
Hunter Davis
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DRINKING AND DRIVING
CAN KILL A FRIENDSHIP
Feminist folk and blues
singer Hunter Davis will make
her first Eugene appearance
tonight at the University.
Davis, who combines folk,
rhythm and blues, and jazz to
come up with her own unique
sound, began her musical career
at age five. Teaching herself to
play the ukelele and guitar, she
continued playing, singing, and
writing through college, when
she released her first album.
Davis released "The Horse
Show at Midnight” in 1977.
followed by ‘‘Girl's Best
Friend” in 1982. Her most re
cent release. "Harmony.” is a
combination of blues and love
songs, and contains lyrics
reflecting some of the most im
portant things in her life: love,
friends, and relationships.
Davis, who grew up in North
Carolina, uses her music to ex
press her background, playing
and performing in a simple and
direct style influenced by musi
cians such as James. Kate, and
Livingston Taylor.
At the age of 30, Davis' list of
credits includes performances
with Harry Chapin. George
Winston. Holly Near. Julie
Homi, and Alix Dobkin. Davis
has played in clubs and cof
feehouses in New York City.
Washington, D.C., San Fran
cisco. Uoston. and Chicago, and
at numerous women's music
festivals around the country.
Currently living in the San
Francisco Bay area. Davis will
stop in Eugene as part of her
tour. She will appear in the
Gumwood Room (adjacent to
the Ballroom) in the Erb
Memorial Union. Tickets are
available at Mother Kali's
Books. 1070 Lawrence Ave.,
and the EMU Main Desk.
Tickets are $6.00.