KUBRICK'S HUE! CUSS C
‘The Killing’
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray,
Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Joe
Sawyer
★★★★☆
By Lisa Griffing and Rebecca Wilson
Oregon Daily Emerald
Gangsters, machine guns, pan
cake makeup and a hyperactive
poodle contribute Mafia excite
ment and a nostalgic charm to this
week’s Forgotten Film. We decided
to deviate from the usual reper
toire of cheesy ‘80s flicks and go
all the way back to Stanley
Kubrick’s 1956 thriller, “The
Killing.” It’s a far cry from “Dr.
Strangelove” or “Eyes Wide Shut,”
but Kubrick’s sixth film is great en
tertainment nonetheless.
Rebecca — I’m glad Mason did
n’t get to pick this week. I like hav
ing cinematic diversity.
Lisa — Now we don’t have to
discuss ‘80s lingo or talk about
movies nobody would ever dream
of watching.
Rebecca — Heehee. Yeah, this
movie is actually worth seeing,
even if it doesn’t change your life.
The story begins auspiciously
with a notorious gangster’s release
from Alcatraz. Johnny Clay, played
with sinister perfection by Sterling
Hayden (“The Outsider” and the
Godfather movies), returns to his
hometown of Chicago and to the
woman who loves him, faithful
Fay. Johnny has paid his debt to
society and wants to make a new
life for himself and his woman.
But rather than taking the con
ventional route and getting a job,
taking night classes or finding
God, he plans an elaborate heist to
rip off $2 million from a local race
track.
Rebecca — Some people never
change.
Unfortunately, Johnny can’t pull
off the heist by himself. The plot
thickens when spineless bookie
George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr.) re
veals the shady plan to his devious
wife Sherry (Marie Windsor). Of
course, Sherry immediately spills
the story to her handsomely greasy
boyfriend.
Rebecca — Big mistake.
Lisa — Ahhh ... how I love the
stereotypical evil woman who ru
ins it all.
Rebecca — Now, now, Lisa.
Maybe all women really were evil
in 1956.
Lisa — Yes, that must be it.
A cast of bizarre plot twists and
characters make this seemingly
typical mob story a cinematic gem.
Bryan Dixon Emerald
For example, the requisite hitman
is hired to shoot a horse, not a hu
man; a thug hired to create a diver
sion at the racetrack is really a
Russian chess master; and in the
end, it all comes down to poor ol’
George Peatty and his bad aim
with a machine gun.
Lisa — And don’t forget the cra
ziest thing of all: All the people
working at the airport are men!
Rebecca — Umm ... I think that
was normal in the 1950s.
Lisa — Oh.
Rebecca — But the poodle on
the runway was definitely not nor
mal.
The machinations combine with
the gangster lingo and several out
bursts of classic lines such as: “ If
people didn't have headaches,
what would happen to the aspirin
industry?”
Lisa — My personal favorite is,
“This is a bad joke without a
punchline.”
The mobsters thought they
would get away clean; like the Ti
tanic, the heist was supposed to be
unsinkable; an infallible plan
where “no one gets hurt.”
At first everything goes smooth
ly. Then, slowly but surely, things
start to disintegrate. But don’t wor
ry, we won’t give away the ending
because you’ll definitely want to
see it for yourself.
Rebecca — Just remember, never
refuse a “lucky” horseshoe.
“The Killing” is worth watching. ^
The complicated plot line is sur
prisingly easy to follow, even with
the nonlinear time sequences —
think “Pulp Fiction.” The ener
getic, faceless narrator adds humor
and cohesiveness to the story by
giving frames of reference: “Earlier
that day ...”; “At 10 o’clock that
morning ...”; “Half an hour earlier
Most importantly, “The Killing”
doesn’t require mental gymnastics.
The story isn’t particularly intense,
which allows for a full apprecia
tion of Kubrick’s innovative writ
ing and directing techniques. And »
at only 85 minutes, the film won’t
consume your evening.
We are giving “The Killing” four
well-deserved stars. So this week
end, we recommend you rent this
movie and sit back and relax with
your fedora, malt whiskey and fa
vorite sawed-off shotgun.
Guarneri del Gesu sells for $3.5 million, no strings attached
NEW YORK (AP) — Who says
you can’t buy anything for $3.5 mil
lion anymore?
That’s how much 15 investors
spent on Monday on a rare violin—
tut hi st ncTiwi or Tin: year
tm5£S3Sutm
Tiger,
Hidden Dragon
Shows Nightly at 5:15,6:10,7:45,8:35 &
10:15pm - Sun Mat 2:45 & 3:20pm
Evening Prices
Thurs.-SatAdults$6.0CSun.-Wed.$4.50
Starting Soon:
House Of frlirtH
Before Night Falls
BIJOU LateNite S3 TH-SA/S2 SU WE
Nicolas Cage & Tea Leoni ..
Fatmly Ma«aJ1:00pm
a 1735 Guarneri del Gesu. Violinist
Robert McDuffie, who found the in
strument five years ago and will get
to play it, organized the purchase.
“I had fallen in love,” McDuffie,
42, told The New York Times in
Tuesday’s editions. “It was more
than an extension of my body. It was
an extension of my musical person
ality.”
The violin was in perfect condi
tion, with previous players includ
ing 19th-century virtuosos Nicolo
Paganini and Ludwig Spohr. The
only problem was that it was a tad
pricey.
So Dietmar Machold of Machold
Rare Violins, who owned the instru
ment, allowed McDuffie to play it
while he looked for a way to buy it.
It was difficult and it took a while,
but he found 15 investors, each of
whom paid shares of $100,000.
They call themselves 1735 del Gesu
Partners L.P.
“As one family member said to me,
‘It’s going to be hard to convince busi
ness people in America that a piece
of wood costs $3.5 million,’” he said.
Limited Student Tickets Available!
$5 for Thursday 1 /18, $7 for Sunday 1 /20
Pearl stein
1506
Lord Leebrick Theatre Company
540 Chamelton, Eugene
“And that turned out to be true.”
An established violinist who has
performed extensively around the
world, McDuffie won’t pay rent —
he just has to play the violin so it can
keep its tone rather than gather dust
in a museum. He also must pay for
its insurance and maintenance,
which he estimated at $15,000 to
$20,000 a year. In 23 years, Mc
Duffie must return the instrument
to the investment group, which
plans to sell it.
Bead It!
a ® o Beginning & Advanced
i Beading
Classes
Stop by & check out
our class list or
visit our website:
hariequinbeads.com
arlequin
Beads & Jewelry
1016 Willamette ♦ 683-5903