The Tar HeelThursday, July 14, 198825
Cinema
Poignant film allows son to say goodbye to father in 'Da'
Durham's Carolina Theatre is
bidding the public a fond farewell
with a film about saying goodbye,
"Da." One would be hard pressed to
think of a more appropriate film for
the grand old theater to close its run
of ait and foreign films.
Friends of the Carolina need not
mourn the loss of this progressive
theater it's just closing for three
years of extensive renovations. Come
1991, the Carolina promises to be
back on the Durham arts scene even
better than before. Those with fond
memories of this movie palace, and
for that matter, those who have never
been there before, may want to go
to the Carolina for a final look at
the place and enjoy a good little movie
in the process.
"Da" is the screen version of Hugh
Leonard's autobiographical play of
the same name. Barnard Hughes in
the title role and Martin Sheen star
in this film about a son who tries to
come to terms with his father's death.
The film bends time and reality in
magical ways to show the viewer a
part of the grieving process which one
goes through when saying goodbye
to a loved one.
James Mills
Cinema
Sheen is Charlie Tynan, a New
York playwright, who travels back to
Ireland for his father's funeral. While
everyone is in the house paying their
last respects, Charlie thinks he sees
his father, or "Da" as he called him,
among the guests. Since no one else
notices Da there, Charlie tries to
shake off this sight.
Once everyone has left, Da appears
in the kitchen fixing tea and offering
some fatherly advice. Later he
appears in his favorite chair smoking
his pipe and giving more advice.
Charlie is so accustomed to seeing his
father doing these things that he;
responds the way he always did j
he argues with him. The fact that he's
talking to a ghost doesn't faze him!
in the least. !
A trip down memory lane follows
as Charlie visits -many of his old
childhood haunts and goes through
Da's belongings. Charlie relives
events from his past and sees his life
in a different perspective. By film's
end, Charlie has a new understanding
of his father and of himself.
Matt Clark directed "Da" superbly.
Through Charlie's eyes he distorts
time and reality constantly, yet never
confusing the viewer as to what is real
and what is imagined. Perhaps that
is because it all is real to Charlie.
Through Charlie's eyes, the viewer
meets many people from his past
some dead and some still living. The
importance of these people to Charlie
and to Da becomes apparent. Char
lie's long-deceased mother (Doreen
Hepburn) comes to life through his
memories. His first employer, Mr.
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Drum (William Hickey), appears
both in the past and in the present.
The viewer even meets an 18-year-old
Charlie, portrayed by promising
newcomer Karl Hayden, who pro
vides a view of what Charlie was
actually like 30 years before.
With unique juxtapositions, the
viewer is treated to some unusual
scenes. When the adult Charlie leaves
the house to go into town, he hears
the voice of his dead mother, turns,
and sees her coming toward him with
a winter scarf to protect him in the
cool, damp Irish weather. Mother
places the scarf around his neck, and
he leaves for town only to realize this
was all an illusion and he has no scarf
on at all.
A touching but humorous scene
finds the adult Charlie in a pub with
Da and the young Charlie. The two
Charlies begin arguing between
themselves while Da tries to mediate.
Finally the young Charlie tells the
adult Charlie that he is not impressed
with the way he turned out, much
to the adult Charlie's anger. But the
adult Charlie, while too proud to
admit it, knows that the young
Charlie is right.
And in another poignant scene,
See "DA" page 26
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