Beauty and the Beast
Can men and women ever be friends? Probably not.
B Y E L E A N O R M A L 1 N
RATE IT X
Interviews with defensive guys
Directed by: Lucy Winer, Paula de
Koenigsberg
May come again sometime to the
Clinton St. Theatre
ate it X received strange reviews,
to the effect that it wasn’t a very
good movie, but fascinating, none
theless. The subject matter revolves around
advertising that “ exploits” women by
showing them as pumped-up, pristine,
blue-eyed blondes, aiming to sell any old
.& *te *«*—
thing to seemingly berserk male customers.
Comprised of interviews with men only,
most of the talk centers around why
women were chosen to dress up ads for
such diverse products as cars and com
puters, and why they were displayed in
such a vulgar way or otherwise trivialized.
No woman is ever interviewed as to why
she appeared in such an ad, and no woman
was consulted as to how she felt about the
French lingerie ad that shows three women
in their underwear being arrested.
The interviewers are conducted by one
or the other director. We hear a voice ask
ing leading questions. We see, occasion
ally, a blazer-and-jeans clad body creeping
in at the edge of the frame, holding the
mike in a gloved hand. The interviewer
always sports eyeshades. Guess this moral
blight is catching.
The message of this movie seems to be
that men are choosing to make these ads to
titillate each other to buy products, even
though there is no logic to draping a blue
eyed blonde over the hood of an expensive
car. A subtler subtext might be that women
shouldn't display themselves in this man
ner, and should know better than to partici
pate in this type of soft-core pseudo-pom
wares peddling.
The type of advertising that appeals to
the libido of straight males apparently
makes thinking women see red. Only the
underwear ad in the movie was geared to
women. But a thumb-through any “ wo
men’s” magazine turns up many ads
depicting women in provocative poses,
using products that are supposed to make
them feel sexy; many of these ads have
suggestive headlines and text. No lesbian
or gay pom or ads were mentioned. Some
Christmas cards with scantily-clad women
were flashed to a group of young men who
all affirmed enthusiastically that they liked
the cards, and didn’t think the women
were demeaned by the depiction. The
cards were not shown to women, and no
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF
'GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS' AMD 'GOING PLACES.'
'O R IG IN A L UNSETTLING,
c r a z i L Y
t FUNNY
beige, paddling the canoe, reading him a
liturgy on the necessity of his mating.
Later she appears at a fast food restaurant,
showing her plastic surgery, inflamed
eyeball, and talking about her fanny tuck.
Toward the end of the film, she has gone
blonde.
Apparently, many women will do any
thing to get on film, including stripping,
talking provocatively, bragging, and ex
hibiting and discussing in gruesome detail
their infirmities. Coyly smiling, flirting at
lens contact, these women at all times are
aware of where their cheekbones and
breasts are in relationship to the camera.
Though McElwe appears on camera,
performing monologues on his relative
hominess and lack of fulfillment (amongst
his harem of available females), often he,
too appears around the edges of frames, as
SHERMAN’S MARCH
do the interviewers in Rate It X. Some type
Interviews with predatory females
of
denial is going on with these interview
Film by: Ross McElwe
ers — some self-effacing defense mecha
Now playing at: Clinton St. Theatre
nism or reluctance to participate. But
recently uncoupled filmmaker gets McElwe and the women interviewers of
Rate It X get what they go for. Straight men
a grant to make a film about Sher
look dumb drooling over anonymous
man’s march. He ends up being
bombarded with eligible young Southern women, and straight women look, to be
charitable, needy when showing off for the
females, some tendered by his family;
camera (anonymous men). Inadvertently
some he encounters randomly; as he gets
into it, some of them he looks up from the hilarious comments are made by inter
past. All are single, and looking for some viewees, and every so often, McElwe slips
thing. All are eager to please, to entertain, in a sardonic one-liner. The choppy editing
and questionable production values actu
and they go to great lengths to attract and
ally add a homespun quality to Sherman's
hold that camera lens. There’s the actress
March, a good documentary approaching
who swims by the boat he’s in; who later
skates for his camera, then, after an intro true folk art.
Surprisingly, by the end of the film, you
duction, demonstrates her cellulite, and
do know a lot about Sherman and his
the exercise that’s supposed to get rid of it.
march. You have learned a lot about mar-
She could do better if she were wearing
riagable females, particularly of the
underpants. (Ohhh-kay!)
Southern
persuasion, and you have had a
There's the linguist, who lives alone by
the seashore, who suns herself in the nude, jolly good time!
talks about sex, mutters gibberish about
Should Rate It X and Sherman’s March
linguistics, and dumps him when he stays
turn up as a double bill, take everyone you
away too long. At one point she is shown
know, load up on popcorn, and kick back
examining her body intently for ticks.
McElwe’s sister transforms herself dur for a trip you’ve not taken before. Just
don ’ t forget the dramamine.
•
ing the film. At first she’s herself, rather
cards of beribboned males were shown to
men or women for comment. I’d like to
know why it’s not demeaning for men to
pose in a little ribbon and some spirit gum.
Clearly, men feel guilty about the enjoy
ment they get from sexy ads, and they
sound incredibly stupid when they discuss
the subject. But, clearly, women must not
all have such strong feelings against such
advertising, or there wouldn’t be so many
willing models.
The political stance of the filmmakers
seems to be that if only men would shape
up, stop exploiting women, selling war
toys and perpetuating that silly macho
facade, the world would be a better place.
Maybe so, but, ladies, it’s going to be a
long wait!
A
Round Midnight
Just the best , that’s all.
•••
IW ASN7 EXACTLY PRERRRED FOR THE DEMENTED DELIGHTS O F MENAGE'
...A FARCE O F BREATHTAKING ENERGY AND DISORIENTING REASON.”
- VINCENT CANDY. NEW YORK TIMES
apartment with Francis and his young
daughter. Berangere. TLC and the youth
Starring: Dexter Gordon
and enthusiasm of Francis and Berangere
Directed by: Bertrand Tavernier
move the musical genius into a better
Dedicated to: Lester Young & Bud Powell frame of mind. Pretty soon he is speaking
Playing at: KOIN Center
more French than, “5/7 vous plait, deux
vins rouges.” Soon enough he’s standing
inematically satisfying; strongly
up to play. Not long after that, he’s got him
constructed. Round Midnight
some sides.
delivers a lovely, emotional filmic
don't have to be a jazz fan to enjoy
experience. The story of a proud but this You
movie.
jazz standards are done
shopworn jazz musician living out the last well; but it is The
story that makes the
months of his life convincingly recounts the movie. It’s so the
endearing,
so human. The
loneliness of a sad genius, vastly talented
simple-seeming camera work is thoroughly
but under-commercialized. Kept, literally, evocative.
There is one shot, when Francis
under lock and key in Paris, where he has
must
hear
news
he has dreaded — the
gone upon the death of his partner, he is
camera pans 360°. Straightforward;
delivered every night to a jazz bistro. The,
at first, curious, jazz buffs rapidly turn into supremely haunting.
a regular and substantial crowd.
The acting is consistently fine. The
At first it seems as though this saxo
young Frenchman, Francis, as mentor, is
phone player will not be able to keep away
profoundly involved in the playing out of
from alcohol. A guest notes, on the man’s the bittersweet proceedings. Berangere,
first appearance, that he can’t even stand
the pubescent daughter, is innocently
up to play.
nurturing and timelessly mature. As the
He meets Francis, a Frenchman, most
musician. Dexter Gordon is beautiful. His
likely his biggest fan. Francis gives him
work is subtle and sensitive. He gives one
support, unabashed love and adulation. He of the best performances of 1986, in one of
even liberates him, moving him into a new the year’s best films.
•
B Y__ E L E A N O R
o film by
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MICHEL
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NOW PLAYING
Just Out 20 February, 1987
MHUPM DUSSAAT SAM
MA L I N