■ Underneath the perfection of
suburban life, a complex tale of
beauty emerges
“AMERICAN BEAUTY” '&&&&&
By Sara Jarrett
Oregon Daily Emerald
Beauty.
The sense of it can spill over a movie
screen and softly flutter in the air like loose
rose petals caught in a slight breeze. The
way a small, plastic bag might dance with
fall leaves on a windy day.
In Dream Work s latest film “American
Beauty,” the word personifies the supple
ness of a blonde teenage girl, the first sweet
touch of a lover realizing there’s more beau
ty inside than out and the glossy mask of
perfectness that sticks to suburban life with
a permanence that’s visibly unscrapable.
This motion picture is America in all its
glory.
As the movie becomes more textured and
the word “beauty” takes on a plethora of
meanings, our minds can’t help but search
for the balance between our physical urges
and the boundaries that society places on
those concepts.
Alan Ball’s script is marked as the first to
lure Sam Mendes, who directed both
Cabaret” and “The Blue Room,” out of the
theater realm.
“I was so gripped when I read it, I imme
diately read it again,” Mendes said in a
press release.
“American Beauty” takes place in a tree
lined neighborhood where the hairdos and
lawn arrangements each display perfect
manicures, and the most normal relation
ship is one between two men who each an
swer to the name Jim.
The most magnificent part of this film,
though, is in the complex weaving between
comedy and depression. We laugh not be
cause we feel uncomfortable but because
it’s funny. There’s a certain therapeutic
quality to watching these families fall apart.
.Hi 1 Kevin Snacev and
Snip, snip. Annette Bening stars as Carolyn Burnham in “American Beauty ”
J Annette Bening deliver
apathetically brilliant
performances as hus
band and wife, Lester
■ and Carolyn Burnham.
Thora Birch (“Patriot
Games”) and Mena Su
vari (“American Pie”)
each turn in equally
impressive perfor
mances. Birch plays
the Burnham’s only
(child Jane, and Suvari
is the sweet young
thing who drives Lester
into taking control of
his life. That transfor
y mation includes
pumping weights, pur
chasing a new Firebird and imbibing in ge
netically-engineered marijuana.
The most pleasant surprise, however is
newcomer Wes Bentley, who plays next
door neighbor Ricky Fitts. His dark, intrigu
ing personality and obsession with filming
the beauty of the world, wins both the audi
ence and Jane’s heart. Do men like this real
ly exist?
Director of photography Conrad L. Hall
works with three distinct camera shots to
portray the different segments of the film
During everyday life, the camera moves
steadily and slowly with an undercurrent of
tension. During the fantasy scenes, the cam
era creates more fluid, sweeping motions, as
it the characters inhibitions have complete
ly been forgotten. Then, during Ricky’s per
sonal camera shots, the filming takes on a
more jerky, amateur-type feel while retain
ing a high level of sophistication.
American Beauty” has a timeless quality
to it with more symbolism than you can get
in one sitting. The movie pushes you into
your seat, and when the credits roll, you
wish there was at least one more scene left.
AND PREMIERING
Silk and Steel
Silk and Steel is a
work about free
association and
exploration of the
fluid lyricism of
silk and the cool,
polished quality of
steel. This new
Pimble original
explores the uses
of these two j
mediums with the
full company of
dancers, who, \
themselves,
reflect movement
qualities of both.
Skinwalkers is a
powerful and riveting
dance work featuring Toni
Pimble's cutting-edge
choreography inspired by the
painting of Native American
Pueblo painter Helen Hardin.
Innovative lighting and striking
set and costume designs make
this production a visual feast.
An all-Pimble evening
October 24, 2:30 pm
Hult Center 682-5000
Use your Duck
Buck for 25%
off tickets!
www.eugeneballet.org
EUGENE BALLET
TONI PIMBLE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
007364
Great Stuff for your Halloween Fun
'782 Ub
(8th f- yUmr/ie)
The p/ac.e to chop for new and used rdothincj, giftB,
and costumes great for theme parties.
Come experience the fan!
Cafe Paradiso
fl coffee house in the European tradition
Corner of Oliue 6 Broadway on the downtown mall • 484-9933
Relax
on our couches to study or chat tv/ friends.
musicians. Open mic, Monday nights.