I^ovember 17, 1969
From most traditional stand
points, this is a poor film. The
acting ranges from exceptional to
abortive, the direction is certainly
not what one would expect from Arthur
Penn {Bonnie and Clyde)^ and the
screenplay itself is not particularly
strong (the dialogue, in many places,
is downright embarassing). Yet,
Al-iae's Restaurant stands as an im
portant, evoking film.
Perhaps the best of a "new wave"
of American films {Easy RideVj Medium
Cool, Putney Swope, and Midnight Cow
boy, to some extent), Alice's Restau
rant succeeds largely because of its
honesty and refusal to cop-out. It
is becoming a practicing life-style
among many young artists to "get it
together" and "tell it like it is".
Subsequently, many standard criter-
ions of critical judgement have to be
discarded or lessened in importance.
This is not to say that we
should now be unaware of our tradi
tional values. To the contrary, we
should even be more cognizent of them,
because they are being drastically
tampered with; and the danger in this
is obvious. "Alice" makes it because
its honesty and integrity overcome
its many weaknesses. However, a total
disregard for such standards will
produce only more horrendous epics as
Wild in the Streets, certainly not an
honest film or great art. Indeed, we
must be careful.
As a story, "Alice" can be con
fusing. It moves along in almost
montage fashion, depicting the lives
of some pretty spaced-out people.
Basically, it relates the story of a
communal attempt with many side-trips,
exposing much of the hypocrisy and
stupidity which is a part of this age.
Fortunately, however, the makers re
alize that both sides of the "genera
tion gap" are at fault.
DOnT LliS€ JUBS”-'
(Cont. from page I)
Sandman, who while at Prince
ton wrote a book on differences
between girls at various colleges,
now has a book out called The Una
bashed Career Guide.
"Stuffed Shirts"
'^he book dwells on the dreary
daily details of what life is really
like in the working world, making ob
servations such as:
"There are two personality types
who are ideally suited to a law firm
career: bookworms and stuffed shirts."
Or, "The routine of teaching can
kill a mind and deaden a spirit as
fast as any activity known to man."
"Bartenders rank at least as
high in social prestige as reporters
and get about the same pay." Or, "If
you don’t know what you are looking
for, you'll probably find it in in
surance."
The N.C. Essay
hiKe. fBranson
Arlo Guthrie is no great actor.
But he possesses an endearing natural
quality and a wealth of mannerisms
which make is performance charming
and witty. He reminds me most of Bob
Dylan's early Chaplinesque stage ap
pearances. Arlo has a sense of under
standing and feeling which overrides
his deficiencies as an actor. His
draft board scene is a classic. In
short, he's a delightfully poor actor.
As Alice, Pat Quinn comes off as
a bit much. She isn't entirely be
lievable all the time and has a ten
dency to overact. Yet, her greatest
weakness is a killing passivity dur
ing many of the film's most signifi
cant moments. Arlo could get away
with it; Pat Quinn cannot. James
Broderick, as Ray, is brilliant. His
final scene is one of touching des
pair and lonliness. He is a pro and
his performance saves "Alice" from
being irrevicably amateurish.
But what of the film itself, why
is it so relevant? Because of its
realism and honesty, Alice's Restau
rant focuses in on the "Woodstock
generation" and their activity in this
country today. It doesn't offer a
particularly good picture of us either;
it suggests, rather, that there may
be trouble in paradise. And through
out it is implied that it's time to
"get it together".
"Alice" has many beautiful
scenes. Those with Arlo and his dying
father are rare portrayals of a
strange, but intimate father-son re
lationship. Arlo's draft board scene
is great black comedy, a searing com
bination of humor and horror. The
burial scene, in which Alice's lover.
Shelly, is laid to rest, touches one
with its sad eloquence. And the film's
final scene, the dispersion of the
commune, is stunning, and leaves be
hind feelings of rage against and
pity for the commune and its broken
illusions.
(Cont. on vaae S)
As evidence of changing atti
tudes, Sandman points to big-city
post offices full of college gradu
ates seeking fulltime jobs as mail
sorters. Unions are having trouble
with ex-collegians who want to be
craftsmen.
The chapter on careers in the
military is one sentence: "You must
be kidding."
Teacher Exhausted
"A teacher arrives home mentally
exhausted, but a carpenter is frsh
for the activities that really in
terest him," Sandman says. "He still
makes enough bread to support his
life style."
Sandman points to surveys show
ing students put money far down the
list of what they want from their
jobs. One survey indicates 81 per
cent would sacrifice their occupation
if it conflicted with their private
Page 4
The Essay would like to correct
a mistake which appeared in our last
issue due to a typegraphical error.
Mr. Barry Boys will return on Monday,
Dec. I, instead of Nov. 10
OPI”i^ A
(Cont. from page I)
>
Among the plays which she has
designed for the school are: Romeo
and Juliet, Ghost Sonata, House of
Bemada Alba, and Camino Real,
She also designed costumes for The
Nutcracker ballet, which will be
performed here in December for the
fourth consecutive year.
Costumes for Don Pasquale have
been designed by Linda Rogers, faculty
costume designer. Lighting and
staging is under the supervision of
the Department of Design and Pro
duction.
The opera cast includes:
Don Pasquale, John Cheek of Wil
mington; Dr. Malatesta, Johnny Will
iams of Raleigh; Norina, Joanne Greene
of Augusta, Ga.; Ernesto, Vincent
Lonergan of Rose Creek, Minn.;
Notary, David Perry of Minneapolis,
Minn.; Maid, Carol Rolandi of Spar
tanburg, S.C.; Servant, Don Cranfill
of Raleigh; Housekeeper, Mary Gaebler
of Madison, Wis.; Cook, Christine
Scott of Seabrook, Md.
In the chorus will be:
Ellen McLain of Franklin, Tenn.;
Marise Ettesen of Mt. Olive, Martha
Chapman of Silva, Sharon Moss of
Burlington, Cynthia Winkler of Lenoir,
Kay Lowe of Durham, Elizabeth Herrick
of Richmond, Va.; Dan Triece of
Kannapolis; Neal Schwantes of Mon-
treat, Kent Bowen of Walnut Cove,
Richard Buckley of Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla.
life, and he says, "Twenty years
ago I'm sure it would have been the
other way around."
The collegians. Sandman says,
doubt that careers seriously pur
sued provide intrinsic satisfaction.
They don't want "to play the ambition
games, ago games, the conformity
games" required.
Sandman's advice is to dabble
with jobs, keep them for short
term challenges and then get out.
These attitudes of youth, who
never knew a depression, are born of
a faith in what they believe the
world will be like in the 1980s.
They are convinced more and more
material goods will be available for
everybody, and automation will make
work unnecessary for most people.
U.P.I. News Release