REEL UNDERGROUND

FILM REVIEWS
AND CALENDAR
BY PAUL D. GOETZ




'Halfaouine' Unveils the Complexities of Tunisian Life

The Varsity
(4329 University Way NE, 632-3131)

Halfaouine (Child of the Terraces)
October 27-30 One of the high points of the 1991 Seattle International Film Festival, writer-director Ferid Boughedir's richly textured, beautifully photographed Halfaouine (Child of the Terraces) is back for a four day run at The Varsity. A Tunisian native, Boughedir has set his first feature in Halfaouine, the bustling working-class quarter of Tunis. A tangle of curving streets and blind alleys, the city's residential core is a contradiction of insulated courtyards and their adjoining rooftops - an architectural metaphor for the contradictions of Tunisian life. That women still wear the veil and are largely sequestered from and suppressed by the harsh, puritanical posturing of men is starkly contrasted by the brimming humor and tenderness (especially among women) that flows through everyday life. Boughedir's portrait destroys our preconceptions of Arab culture and should be a reminder to Tunisian viewers (the film has had uncensored screenings in Tunis) of the liberating value of humor and eroticism as well as the inhibiting effects of inflexible traditions and taboos.

Through the eyes of 12-year-old Noura (Selim Boughedir, the director's nephew) we witness a sometimes humorous, sometimes painful transition toward manhood. Still young enough to accompany his mother and aunt to the women's Turkish baths, he experiences a sexual awakening amidst the uninhibited naked women. Banned from the baths when his curiosity gets the best of him, Noura is suddenly no longer quite a child among women nor yet a man among men. His position as wide-eyed outsider in both worlds provides us with a balanced look at the inconsistencies of Tunisian life. Selim Boughedir perfectly modulates Noura's eagerness to enter manhood with his reluctance to leave the sweetness of childhood.
Unable to turn to his hypocritical and tyrannical father, he finds a spiritual guide in Salih (Mohamed Driss), a candid and free-thinking shoemaker and charismatic seducer who is being scrutinized by the local fundamentalist police. But even Salih cannot provide Noura with a road map through the many pitfalls of growing up in a society that mirrors his own confused sense of identity.
Boughedir and his cinematographer Georges Barsky make it easy for us to care about all the characters. They have a gift for capturing the soulful expressions only the eyes can transmit. As the film easily transports us to an exotic world beyond our experience, the filmmakers connect us to the characters' universal emotions. In the end, they prove their culture to be not so different from our own.


Satyajit Ray Retrospective
October 13 - November 23 The Varsity continues Merchant Ivory Productions and Sony Pictures Classics' presentation of The Masterworks of Satyajit Ray. Seven newly restored 35 mm films by the great Indian humanist remain on the schedule.

It has been argued that Ray's aristocratic background and admiration for Western culture prevented him from fully plumbing the depths of India's turmoil - that he was, in film writer David Thomson's words, "the projection of 'our' India - not quite India's India." But it must be acknowledged that, regardless of his intentions, Ray's sensitivity to the dilemmas of humanity and his ability to induce genuine revelations from largely unprofessional actors resulted in an oeuvre that transcends national idiosyncrasies and eloquently illuminates universal truths.
The schedule: October 13-19: Jalsaghar (The Music Room) (1959) This film concerns a gentleman unwilling to check his lavish lifestyle even though his debts are piling up. October 20-26: Charulata (The Lonely Wife) (1964) Set in 1880s Calcutta, Charulata and concerns a housewife who becomes fascinated by her husband's intelligent young cousin. October 27 - November 2: Two Daughters (1961) The first of this films two tales is about the relationship between a postmaster and an orphan girl; the second about a student who refuses to marry the woman his mother has chosen, deciding instead to pursue the local tomboy. November 3-9: Devi (The Goddess) (1960) A rich feudal landlord envisions his daughter-in-law as the Goddess Kali in this masterpiece. Pauline Kael once described "Devi" as "the most convincing study of upper-class decadence I have ever seen." November 10-16: The Big City (1963) Calcutta domestic life is explored when the wife becomes the principle wage earner in this tale of a couple's changing relationship. November 17-23: The Middleman (1975) A pertinent drama about an intelligent student who is unable to secure a job after he graduates.


Hemp, Hemp Hooray!
October 17-19 The Varsity is also premiering Anthony Clarke's documentary feature The Hemp Revolution. It's an exhaustive look at Cannabis sativa's history and uses. Clarke has assembled an impressive array of scientists, industrialists, environmentalists, criminologists and authors who persuasively argue the merits of the much-maligned plant. Clarke compellingly asserts that hemp, which was until the late 1800s among the world's largest agricultural crops, has great potential to solve many of our environmental and social problems. He makes it clear that its collapse in the marketplace was as much a result of the rise of the powerful petroleum industry as it was the result of undue paranoia about its mind-altering effects. Its value as a source of paper pulp, textile fiber, feed stock for clean ethanol fuel, seed oil, food, building material, and medicine are explored. He also attacks this country's disastrous "War on Drugs" which has, in effect, created more crime than it has solved.

The film suffers somewhat from lackluster production values. The visual illustrations of marijuana's psychoactive effects recalls bad psychedelic movies from the 60s. One also wonders why Clarke did not interview those who oppose the use of hemp such as the petrochemical industry, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the cotton industry. Their responses would have surely strengthened his case.


The Seattle Art Museum
(100 University St., 654-3121)

Film Noir Fest at SAM
October12 - December 14 The Seattle Art Museum is presenting its Fall Film Series "Shadow Street: The Film Noir Cycle." Curator Greg Olsen has assembled another first-rate lineup. Most will be shown in 35 mm. While series passes sell out quickly, it is usually possible to get a ticket at the door if you arrive early enough. The films will be shown on successive Thursdays at 7:30 PM through December 14, except Thanksgiving. The schedule through November: October 12: Detour (directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945) is a low-budget classic about a hitchhiker (Tom Neal) who gets involved with tough femme fatale (Ann Savage) who could give "The Last Seduction's" Linda Fiorentino a run for her money. October 19: The Killers (directed by Robert Siodmak, 1946) features Burt Lancaster in his star-making debut as "the Swede," a boxer gunned down in the film's tense opening sequences, and Edmond O'Brien as the insurance investigator who unravels the events that led up to the killing. The film also made a star of Ava Gardner. October 26: The Web (directed by Michael Gordon, 1947) is a rousing melodrama about a bodyguard who becomes his boss's patsy after he commits a murder. Edmond O'Brien stars. November 2: Detective Story (directed by William Wyler , 1951) Before being blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, Lee Grant had a memorable debut as a terrified shoplifter in this adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley play about life in a New York City police precinct. Kirk Douglas stars as the embittered detective and Eleanor Parker is his neglected wife. November 9: The Phenix City Story (directed by Phil Karlson, 1955) Karlson was responsible for some of the most competently made crime dramas of the 50s including "Kansas City Confidential," "Tight Spot," "5 Against the House" and this lively drama about an attorney who tries to do something about the corruption he finds when he returns to his home town. November 16: Slightly Scarlet (directed by Allan Dwan, 1956) features terrific late technicolor by the masterful cinematographer John Alton. John Payne stars in this convincing examination of big-city corruption based on the James M. Cain novel.

911 Media Arts Center
(117 Yale Ave N, 682-6552)

Video Showings
911 Media Arts Center presents The Nomad Video Festival October 12 at 8 and 10 PM hosted by local filmmaker Antero Ali. According to 911, "This west coast touring festival shows non-commercial alternative media works culled from around the country. As always, you can count on a surprise mystery performer to break the video trance." October 20 at 8 PM the Center will present Pete Brown's documentary Stonedance. "This documentary explores the history and personalities of the sport of rock climbing and alpine mountaineering. Shot over the period of a year, 'Stonedance' investigates the dramatic, passionate and sometimes tragic tales told by some of the best climbers in the world." October 27 at 8 PM 911 will present Two Travelers, the film and video works of Lynne Sachs and Mark Street. Their works have had screenings at the Museum of Modern Art, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Margaret Mead Film Festival. A variety of their works will be shown including Lynne Sachs' Which Way is East.



[Home] [This Issue's Directory] [WFP Index] [WFP Back Issues] [E-Mail WFP]

Contents on this page were published in the October/November, 1995 edition of the Washington Free Press.
WFP, 1463 E. Republican #178, Seattle, WA -USA, 98112. -- WAfreepress@gmail.com
Copyright © 1995 WFP Collective, Inc.
Goetz