St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 43

spectator January 26, 1979 7J) ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 5 7 -Sl'. 'ur-; ftJss h-k, ii Starry-eyed Rebecca York in "Baxter's Beauties of 1933." Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullman play mother and daughter in Ingmar Bergman's brooding "Autumn Sonata." At right, Lynn-Holly Johnson plays a once-champion skater aided in a comeback by Robby Benson. Skater's Waltz Hits Thin Ice er, Harry Hamlin. It probably didn't hurt, either, that the screenwriters of "Movie, Movie" Larry Gelbart and Sheldon Keller helped write the pilot for the television series, "MASH," just to mention one of several comedy writing hits that have had the Gelbart or Keller touch.

It was Gelbart who decided that spoofing just one film from the '30s would not work it would take two separate, parodies of the species to do the trick. Said he: "From a production standpoint, I knew that two movies could be made much like the major studios did during the 1930's, utilizing the same players, facilities, props, sets and the like wherever possible." To some extent, "Movie, Movie" flirts with being another "The Cheap Detective," last summer's spoof of 1940's private-eye mysteries." But Stanley Donen's loving tribute to the old double feature is a much more ambitious film than "The Cheap Detective," and less of a slapstick effort. However, there is a certain risk in trying to describe "Movie, Movie." On paper, it can look absolutely ludricrous. Believe me, it's not. The double features of "Movie, Movie" are really takeoffs of old Warner Bros, poor-but-decent-folks-make-good themes, cinematic melodramas where ingeneousness triumphs over evil.

"Dynamite Hands" is a black and white, rags-to-riches film; nice boy turns to prize fighting to buy an eye operation for his younger sister. But there's much more to it than that. (This, you'll notice, is a variation on the time-worn nice girl becomes a strip teaser to send her brother through medical school plot.) "Baxter's Beauties of 1933," the second feature presentation (in color), is part Busby Berkeley musical, part nice girl from upstate New York makes it big on Broadway after all seems lost. For just a taste of what to expect, I'll give you one Eli Wallach line. Wallach, in the first feature, plays a marvelous heavy the duplicitous and thoroughly rotten, Vince Marlowe.

He says to our fighting hero, in a moment of truth, "Kid, ya want to spend the rest of your life watching your sister walk into walls." Boo. Hiss. Pass the Jujubes. (Running Time, 1 hour, 5 minutes. Rating PG.

At the Woodsmill, Lewis Clark, Sunset Hills and BAC Fairview beginning Wednesday, Jan. 31.) JOHN M. McGUIRE at the movies By Joe Pollack Of the Post-Difpateh Staff pIce Castles' Like any other novice at the rink, "Ice Castles" needs a pillow for its posterior, because it falls often enough to ture) that bridges the first and second feature. Maybe four, if you add George Burns' appearance, which, as he explains, has nothing to do with the movie. But who cares.

I get hysterical watching five minutes of George Burns smoking a cigar and making smacking gestures with his mouth. So "Movie, Movie" is three or four parts wonderful nonsense, with a serious groaner thrown in here and there. It is a splendid showcase for the large talents of George C. Scott, his wife, Trish Van Devere, Eli Wallach and movie newcom 7f i develop serious bruises. The film is a perfect example of "less is more" because it tries to do so much that it is much like a hit by the spring thaw.

Johnson skates well and is quite attractive, and Diane Reilly is bright as another skater who tries to teach the newcomer the ropes. Benson occasionally clenches his jaw to show emotion, but most of the time he acts as though he's been in sub-zero weather too long. The skating is lots of fun, and the climatic scenes are completely unbelievable and totally awful. (Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes. Rating, PG.

At the Cross Keys, West Port, Des Peres, Ronnies Six, Esquire, BAC Fairview. fAutumn Sonata' If Woody Allen was influenced by Ingmar Bergman when he made "Interiors," well, now the shoe may be on the IIIHIII1 1 ncHilxco OTKSS WLIAU TWIN -1051 ST. CHMUS IOCK ROAO ST.AM1-TEUrHON Mt-2822 between them sometimes is tiring, but the acting of Bergman and Ullmann is masterful. "Is the daughter's tragedy the mother's triumph?" asks Ullmann, who blames her mother for every moment of sadness in her childhood, and the guilt trip is heavy. But Bergman has an inner strength and, in the final analysis, is far more interesting and vibrant than her daughter.

As usual with Bergman and his regular cinematographer, Sven Nykvist, there are penetrating closeups, and long, lingering shots that hold mercilessly on the emotions of the actresses. One memorable scene, in which Bergman triumphs absolutely, shows her watching as Ullmann plays not too well a Chopin prelude, and the continuing flow of emotions across the face of the older woman is brilliant and effective. Halvar Bjork is Ullmann's husband, a country minister who serves to introduce the action, and Lena Nyman is the bed-ridden sister. Both are excelllent in support. Flashbacks are used to show moments from the mother-daughter relationship in years past, with Linn Ullmann, daughter of Bergman and Ullman, portraying her mother as a child.

"Autumn Sonata" is typical Bergman, which means that it is moody and heavy and sometimes difficult to watch, but an outstanding example of motion picture direction and acting. (Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes. Rating, PG. At the Brentwood) 'Movie, 3Iovie' "Movie, Movie" comes dangerously close to being an overdose of schmaltz. But that's the Tlw Greats tf "tUO" Story Ir, It lodtl WALT DISNEY'S "LOVE BUG" Hi "OLIVER STORY" 3:55 7:35 pfi "MAGIC" ra 2:00 5:40 9:20 LJ.

1:30 3:30 5:30 7:30 9:30 MATINEE EXC. SUN. A HOIS. other foot, because Bergman's latest effort, "Autumn Sonata," could be construed to show the influence of Allen. 1 "SUPERMAN" I 4SJI IMWiStt uTshlV.

I ST. LOUIS p' 4:20 7:05 9:45 in. fisherman who tosses out lots of lines, gets them badly tangled and then just drops the whole mess overboard. If it took just a few of its many themes and carried them through development to denouement, there's a good movie in there somewhere. But "Ice Castles," attempts, for example, to provide a young love story, a maturing father-daughter relationship, a crotchety widower-more croche-ty widow romance, an explanation of competitive figure skating, an expose of media hype, a glorious overcoming of handicaps and several other ideas, too numerous and unimportant to mention.

For the first half of the movie, or thereabouts, director Donald Wrye juggles his armful of ice skates in pretty good fashion. Then, reflecting the fact that this is his first picture, he drops most of them, resulting in severe injury and pain to himself and to his audience. So let's talk about the first part, wherein Lynn-Holly Johnson, young to most of us (about 17), but old in terms of figure skating, comes out of a small town, thanks to Colleen Dewhurst.and is developed into a champion, thanks to Jennifer Warren and David Huffman. Dewhurst, always a standout, is a mean, bitter delight as a former skater now running a combination rink-pool hall-bar, who spots the potential talent in Johnson. She turns the teen-ager over to Warren, a professional coach who knows that more than sheer talent is necessary.

Enter Huffman, a television sports type obviously constructed of plastic-covered plastic, who listens to Warren and builds a television special, some of it shot on the ice and some in the bedroom. Somewhere, during all this, there has been Robby Benson, who is the theoretical star of the film. He's Johnson's high school sweetheart, who drops out of college in favor of pro hockey, then drops out of pro hockey in favor of just hanging around, or something. Wyre doesn't spend too much time with Benson except when he's in the act of dropping out, but he shows up in Colorado to watch Johnson skate and sees her with Huffman. Showing an insight he's never shown before, Benson realizes that his sweetie is sweet on someone else, and he stamps away in a huff (which is not a small Huffman).

Johnson wins a title, then discovers that Huffman was more interested in the story than in her and from that moment on, "Ice Castles" is NOW SHOWING! i. 1 i'liliH 1 I I Mill 9:00 I I MAT. SUN. 1 0 1:20 I PLUS 2nd FEATURE "HUNGRY" FOR LADIES GENTLEMEN OVER 18 PARK FREE ON OUR GUARDED LOT beauty of this delightfully wacky takeoff of a 1930's double feature, it never quite reaches the LATE SHOW FRI. 1 1:00 I OAIIT 7:00 ISMOWI 00 SHOWN SUN.

00 ONIY mm 1854 N. 40th (CORNER OF WAVERLY) EASTST.LOU.S(.U.(618) 374994 st.lonts(314) 271.5925 And, interestingly enough, they "Autumn Sonata" follows "Interiors" into the Brentwood Cinema. After an unsuccessful attempt at another type of film with "The Serpent's Egg," Bergman returns to his standard style, a look at a family relationship in turmoil but, for the first time, he is working with that wonderful actress, Ingrid Bergman, whose performance makes the film worthwhile. The Bergmans are not related, and it is rewarding to see Miss Bergman, so outstanding in so many films so long ago, back in a work that stretches her, that uses her talents completely, and she is dazzling. Miss Bergman and Liv Ullmann are mother and daughter, respectively, seeing one another after a seven-year absence, a time span that has included several traumatic experiences in Ul-lmann's life, including the birth and subsequent death, at the age of 4, of a son, and the taking in of an invalid sister.

The sister is suffering from a disease that is never delineated, but which has made her unable to walk or to speak coherently. Allen dealt with a mother and three daughters in "Interiors," with a couple of other family members, but Bergman concentrates on the Bergman-Ullmann relationship. The mother is a concert pianist who drifted in and out of her children's lives when they were young, and who visits because the recent death of a long-time lover has left her alone and lonely. There is ambivalence in the relationship, and a host of long-buried animosities, all of which come out during a late-night conversation. There are times when the women wallow in self-pity to the point of revulsion, and the battle Ml 1:10 1:10 7:109:10 1 :00 3:00 5:00 7: 1 3 9: 1 3 I I LATt SHOW SAT.

1100 UTt SHOW HI A SAT 1 1:1 I point of "enough, enough." Of course it helps to have George C. Scott, Eli Wallach, Art Carney, Red Buttons and Trish Van Devere in your repertory company, playing such diverse roles as a grandfatherly fight manager; a dandified musical comedy producer; an Oil Can Harry gangster; an Oil Can Harry World War I flying ace; a slightly punchy prize-fight corner man; Pop, the stage door watchman; a heart-as-pure-as-gold-librarian and a sultry, tempermental, but fading Broadway star. It also helps, in my opinion, to have Ann Reinking glittering-up the place. This is her first movie part, and the dancing sensation of the musical, "Chicago," plays a steamy-blonde movie vamp the eqifal of Mae West or Jean Harlow. "Movie, Movie" is divided into two parts; actually three, if you consider the previews of coming attractions segment (a World War I aces of the air adven 0090000 0 0 00000000000000 0 0 0 0 0 yourself GO! 0 0 0 0 0 Post Time 7:45 p.m.

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