4The Daily Tar HeelFriday, March 23, 1984
Film festival to feature
classic 30s musicals
Film Night lets students see
work of would-be directors
By ED BRACKETT
SUff Writer
The Union Film Committee will pre
sent three classic musicals from days gone
by and a controversial one made just a
couple of years ago in its "Musicals of the
1930s" film festival, which begins this
weekend.
The first of these, to be shown Satur
day at 7 and 9:30 p.m., is Gold Diggers of
1933. Stars Ginger Rogers, Dick Powell,
Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell, along
with a legion of chorus girls, perform an
array of lavish musical numbers under the
expert choreography of Busby Berkeley.
Songs include the now-familiar "We're
in the Money" and the somewhat racy
"Pettin in the Park." The latter pro
bably would have been excised from the
final product had Gold Diggers not been
made before the era of Hollywood cen
sorship under the guidance of the Hays
Code, which took effect in 1934.
The next film, San Francisco (1936),
stars Jeanette MacDonald as an opera
singer living and performing on the Bar
bary Coast shortly before the 1906 earth
quake. The musical also features, of all
people, Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy,
relative strangers to the genre who are
better-known for their work in dramas or
comedies.
San Francisco will be shown March 3 1 ,
at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Fred and Ginger (Astaire and Rogers,
of course) strap on their dancing shoes
for the next film, 1937's Shall We
Dance?, featuring songs by George Ger
shwin. The songs performed by the duo
include "Let's Call the Whole Thing
Off" and the Academy Award
nominated "They Can't Take That Away
From Me."
Shall We Dance? will be shown April
4, at 7 and 9 p.m.
The last film of the series, 1981's Pen
nies From Heaven, though not filmed in
the 430s, is nevertheless a definite com
ment on the musicals of the period. A
highly stylized movie, Pennies From
Heaven almost defies description: It is at
once a tribute to, an affectionate take-off
on, and a scathing indictment of the '30s
musical.
Steve Martin plays an unsuccessful
sheet music salesman in mid-1930s
Chicago who, put off by his frigid wife,
gets involved with a timid but beautiful
school teacher played by Bernadette
Peters. Unfortunately, she becomes preg
nant. From there the story gets increasingly
depressing.
Eventually, the only happiness the two
"-!!... .f v.v . .-.---yiw
o
i A
Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters croon in 'Pennies From Heaven.'
...This 1981 film is a controversial comment on musicals of the 1930s.
can obtain comes from their fantasies,
which are fueled by popular tunes and
musicals of the day. Meanwhile, in the
real world, the depression and the
Depression continues. It is this type of
escapism, so prevalent in musicals of the
'30s, that scriptwriter Dennis Potter
reveals and examines.
EXPERIENCE ENqlANd AT WROXTON CoIIeCjE
iN The he art of sIiaIcespeare country
Spend a semester or a summer session basking in British literature, art and
drama or absorbing England's history and its contemporary social, economic and
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Wroxton Abbey. Courses conducted by resident and visiting British scholars, under
the English lecture and tutorial system, are offered to undergraduates year-round
and to graduate students in summer sessions. Independent study opportunities,
wide-ranging weekend trips, and attendance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre all
make the time spent at Wroxton a lively learning experience, full of England's past
and present. The program is conducted under the auspices of a fully accredited,
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the Wroxton experience over the years. To find out how you can carry on their tradi
tion, fill out the coupon and mail to: Overseas Programs, Fairieigh Dickinson University,
Rutherford, NJ 07070.
Pennies From Heaven will be shown on
Sunday, April 8, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. u
For an interesting, lyrical glimpse of
the past, check out the "Musicals of the
1930s" Film Festival. After all, how often
does one get to see Clark Gable sing? Or
Steve Martin being serious? Or Fred
Astaire roller-skating?
Glee clubs sing
the UNC Men's and Women's Glee.
Clubs will present their annual spring
concert on April 8, at 4 p.m. in Hill
Hall.
Under the direction of Michael Tamte
Horan, the concert will feature a variety
of choral works for men's, women's and
mixed choruses including 16-20th century
motets, German Romantic part songs and
American folk songs, sea chanteys and
spirituals.
The concert is free of charge and open
to the public.
By STEVE MURRAY
Staff Writer
No limousines, spotlights or furs are
expected, but fun should be abundant
Sunday at 7 p.m. as the Union Film Com
mittee presents Student Film Night in the
Union Auditorium.
. Designed as an outlet for any UNC
students who want to screen their movies,
Film Night is characterized by variety.
Hobbyists and RTVMP majors alike
have entered films originally meant to
fulfill project assignments or just made to
idle away a Sunday afternoon.
The only restriction on entries is a 12-to
13-minute running length. Otherwise,
anything goes.
Traditionally, a festive mood pervades
the presentation. Technical blunders
on screen and in the projection room
are expected to contribute to the rowdy
spirit of the evening.
Bur Sorien Schmidt, chairperson of the
Film Committee, pointed out that not all
the films are meant to be funny. In fact,
in past Student Film Nights, some serious
entries were buried by audience merri
ment. Running that risk Sunday night will be
Welcome to Carrboro, a 10-minute
documentary made by Sharon Anton,
concerning Carrboro's problems of black
unemployment and alcoholism.
Anton, a graduate student in English,
made the film in the fall of 1983 for an
RTVMP production class. She herself
teaches a movie criticism course and was
quick to point out that her movie, a first
'effort, has flaws.
She also admitted' that the title fools
some people. It sounds like a satire or
travelogue, but the film, Anton said,
"focuses on the poor black community
. of Carrboro, a side nobody pays any at
tention to. Most people are surprised by
what they see."
Asked if she were nervous about Sun
day night, she gave a flat "No."
Schmidt, thinking back on previous
student film nights, recalled that most
students showing their films kept their
cool at least till the last moment. "I've
seen some totally fall apart," she said.
No wonder. For some entrants the
presentation will be the first time anyone
but friends has seen their work. "It's ex
cellent opportunity to see how audiences
react," Schmidt said.
John Paul Middlesworth, an RTVMP
graduate student, has already shown his
film, The Big Party, to a Duke audience,
by whom it was "well received," he said.
Middlesworth made the, 2-minute
animated short last spring as an experi
ment. He spent six hours maneuvering
and shooting cut-out figures to produce
what he called "a scathing attack on col
lege party life" in which "a couple of
dozen generic students have a generic par
ty." Like Anton, he denied any opening
night jitters. In fact, he was only sorry
that the film would be screened just once.
"To catch all the nasty little things that
happen in it, you need to see it several
times," he said.
Graduate students aren't the only ones
showing films Sunday. Sophomore David
Palmer's movie Photogenic is neither
documentary nor satire, but what Palmer
called "Twilight Zone or Hitchcockian."
Palmer made his film "just for the
heck of it," When asked about ner
vousness, he seemed as untroubled as An
ton and Middlesworth. Palmer already
has shown three films on previous Stu
dent Film Night programs.
Documentary, comedy, mystery
these are just three offerings in an evening
promising diversity.
Student Film Night has been called
UNC's little Cannes. But there is no judg
ing, no competition. The purpose of the
event is to give student filmmakers an
outlet to an audience, and to give that au
dience the first view of a new Hitchcock
or Spielberg's nascent work.
PalmeY, Middlesworth and Anton all
plan to be in the Union Auditorium Sun
day night. Whether they arrive by
limousine or bus, draped by furs or
sweatshirts is like their films yet to
be seen.
Spotlights aren't important. What
counts is that flicker of life onscreen. .
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From page 1
the year, because the student body
treasurer has been inclined to go by the
spirit of the law, and SAFO is always go
ing to go by the letter of the law," he
said. "This is just the biggest of the con
flicts, but it's not the only one that's oc
curred through the course of this year.
"Many times in dealing with other stu
dent organizations, the SBT and FCC
would find that the Treasury Laws are
very restrictive," he said. "In many cases
what the SBT and FCC would attempt to
do is work around those Treasury Laws
and grant exceptions to those laws.
"On the other hand, SAFO will follow
the very letter of the law. That's where
you get your conflict." - c i ,
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story by NEAL ISRAEL & PAT PR0FT screenplay by NEAL ISRAEL & PAT PR0FT and HUGH WILSON
; produced by PAUL MASLANSKY directed by HUGH WILSON
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