Daumier featured at Portland Art Museum
By Kristi Blackman
Of The Print
Magdelana Ladd’s first
and second year French
students visited the Portland
Art Museum last Tuesday,, to
view the exhibition òf Honoré’
Daumier. ;
Damier’s display, of artistic
impression became well known
to many Frenchmen during the
19th century because of the
many, caricatures he had
published in newspapers. By
this he was an inspiration to im
pressionists such as Picasso,
Rouault and Monet.
Daumier’s talent in
lithography began when he
was a child, when he started to
sketch figures-with charcoal. At
fourteen years of age Daumier
began selling his lithography to
local newspapers, it was there
he could communicate through
caricatures his view of the en
vironment and political figures
as he perceived them.
Daumier’s technique was
relatively new during the 19th
century, his works spoke to the
audience with such a directness
that the viewers fail to have an
immediate response?
“You might say he cap
tured the essence of a piece,”
stated Ladd, regarding
Daumier’s caricature of, slain
men, women and children after
the building in which they were
PARLEZ^ VOUS FRANÇAIS? Feb. 1, French students went to the Portland Art
Museum to view the special collection of the caricatures by Honore’ Daumier.
“Nadar Elevating Photography To The Height of Art,” is one of Daumier’s most
famous prints.
living was stormed by soldiers.
This piece escaped cen
sorship due to it’s stare in the
face realism.
Daumier’s masterpiece Is
the caricature of Nadar, the
photographer trying to capture
a photo of the city. The draw
ing is entitled “Nadar elevating
photography to the height of
art,” and was a very real event.
The explosure needed to
be ten minutes, so he let peo
ple who were on the streets
walk out of the picture; the final
photo is. of a somewhat
deserted city.
Daumier was not only a
talented artist but a gifted
sculptor. While serving a
sentence in jail for his graphics
of political dignitaries, he
sculpted busts of legislators.
Later he drew the legislators as
they were in session.
He was a man who lived
under censorship most his life.
He enjoyed sketching and
drawing the theater and its
spectators, and social com
mentaries.
This exhibition of some
4,000 pieces of Damier’s work
was made possible by the Ar
mand Hammer Foundation.
After having left the
museum, students went to the
Crepe Faire to try a lunch of
French cuisine. One student
claimed “It was so rich and so
good, I couldn’t finish it!”
Filmreview
Impressive cast accelerates ‘Venom’s’ potency
By Thomas A. Rhodes '
Of The Print
Animals running amok
have been given a great deal of
attention and money from the
film industry.
Ever since King Kong
made his mémorable climb to
the top of the Empire State
Building in 1933, animals of all
sorts have raged war-paths
through man’s territory. Ex
cluding the Japanese monster
films of the 60’s, animals such
as bears, bats, rats, rabbits,
piranhas, tadpoles, alligators,
and killer whales have been the
prime evil in many films.
At last, a film arrives that
makes nd attempt to copy
“Jaws” or “The Birds,” yet re
mains on its own two feet as a
thriller in the same vein.
The film is “Venom.” It
boasts an enormous amount of
talent both behind and in front
of the screen. The cast is unlike
those previous bits of schlock.
A film with a stellar cast in
cluding Nicol Williamson,
Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed,
Sterling Hayden, Sarah Miles,
and Susan George, has an im
mediate jump on the other
killer snake movie, “Ssssssss.”
* At first, the snake isn’t
even a walk on (slither on?).
The first 20 minutes deal
primarily with Howard Ander
son (Hayden) and his grandson
Philip (Lance Holcomb). As
Philip’s mother (Cornelia
Sharpe) leaves, the time is at
hand for the maid (George)
and the chauffer (Reed) to
fulfill their plans, which are to
kidnap Philip for a large ran
som.
.
>
They have first hired a
man with international connec
tions (Klaus Kinski) to assist;
them in the ploy.
The carefully structured
plans bust when Grandpa
sneaks Philip out to purchase
an African House snake for his
small zoo. Philip is inadvertant
ly give the wrong snake, an
African Black .Mamba, which
was intended to go to the Lon
don zoo. The mamba happens
to be aggressive, extremely
paranoid, and the deadliest
snake in the world.
When Philip arrives home,
he is immediately dragged
upstairs to pack for his journey.
Grandpa, who was tricked to
leaving the house, arrives
home, only to be taken hostage
by the three terrorists, who
shoot a constable while frying
to leave. During all of this, the
crate containing the snake is
opened, leaving the prospec
tive kidnappers with two adver
saries.
The second adversary is
Commander William Bulloch
(Williamson), who is notorious
for being a cold-blooded killer,
himself. The police receive a
call from Dr. Marion Stowe
Wednesday, February 10, 1982
(Miles) who was originally sup
posed to, receive the snake.
She informs them of the. mix-
up. When she arrives to help,
Stowe is tricked into becoming
a hostage.s
What
immediately
separates “Venom” from
“Ssssssss” is pure tenacity and
talent. Under Piers Haggard’s
fleet-footed direction ' and
Michael Bradsejl’s tight editing,
the film moves not unlike the
black mamba itself, swift and.
aggressive.
Another plus is tfie;
breathless photography of
Gilbert Taylor (“Star Wars” and
“Dracula”). The mixture of in
tense angles and extreme
close-ups almost suffocate the
viewer. Another plus is the
screenplay by Robert Carr
ington, who adapted “Wait Un
til Dark” so ingeniously to the
screen. Although the second to
last shot reeks of contrivance, it
harms the film only slightly. But
harm it does, as it puts a dent in
the overall feel and adds a
scent of triteness where none
previously existed.
Still the . good outweighs
the bad as thé performances by
the highly touted cast are
above average. Nicol William
son, who is now on Broadway
in the flawed production of
“Macbeth,” has always been a
joy to listen to. His heavy
Welsh accent adds zest to trivial
lines such as “I want him (Kin
ski) to think it’s just me and him
alone on the damn moon.” His
verbage is an additional plus.
The great Klaus Kinski,
who has blessed such Warner
Herzog films as “Nosferatu”
and “Aguirre: Wrath of God,”
makes a strong impression as
the international criminal. The
rest of the cast fares well,
especially Lance Holcojnb,
who makes his silver screen
debut at ten. Although born in
Hackensack, New Jersey, he
has a bright future ahead of
him. Holcomb is Currently stu
dying at the Lee Strasberg Ac
ting Studio in New York.
Oh, if it weren’t for that
ending! It really sticks with you
in an awful way, which is a real
pity. The film is rated R,mostly
for the first snake attack.
Show Her Y ou Love Her e
give her a
Wedding Ring
or
Promise Ring
?
1
* difllKEHS
332 N.W. 1st
Canby. Oregon Oregon 97013
266-4031
358 Warner Mine Rd.
Oregon City. Oregon 97045
657-5020
page 7