Initial reaction critical
Film 'Peejpiiaj
Tom' reexamiiie'
By DOROTHY KOMPAI.SKK
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The critical scorn that met the release of the film Peeping Tom
in 1960 destroyed director Robert Powell's reputation and left
him unable, to find funding for future projects. The reviews were
so harsh that Peeping Tom was quickly withdrawn from circula
tion, leaving Powell wounded financially and emotionally.
Now, more than twenty years after its original release, Peeping
Tom is being reexamined by enthusiastic audiences and critics.
They are finding it to be a taut, well-acted psychodrama and a
darkly clever comment on the nature of filmmakers and their
fans. Many people are amazed at the initial critical reaction to the
work.
At the time of Peeping Tom's initial release, the previously
floundering British film industry was enjoying a popular and
critical revival with a series of "angry young man" films like
Room at the Top and Look Back in Anger. These movies offered
naturalistic views of the struggles of the British lower-class. Such
films could be enjoyed by the more affluent British or American
film goer and critic who could sympathize with the problems of
the working class from the comfortable seat of his local movie
theatre.
Powell's film ignores this naturalistic approach. Peeping Tom
features obvious studio sets and a modernistic film within a film
message that disturbed its complacent viewers. The movies
aren't real, but the audience enjoys imagining they're watching
reality and a fascination with filming or watching someone
else's life, Powell implies, is the fascination of a voyeur.
Powell's movie is clearly not a bitter one. It's sympathetic to
its hero Mark Lewis, a shy young filmaker sensitively portrayed
by Carl Boehm. In Leo Mark's unique screenplay, the hero was
stunted as a boy by a scientific father who filmed the terrifying
experiments that he conducted on his son in a effort to provide a
complete record of the "reactions of the nervous system to fear
especially fear in children."
As a result of these experiments, the adult Mark is unable to
function socially or sexually without the aid of his camera. He is
never without it. As one character remarks, the camera seems to
be his "extra limb." Mark's sexual release comes from commit
ting and photographing murders and then watching the films he
has made of his victims' deaths. He records their fear as his father
recorded his fears as a child.
Mark sets out to complete his father's record by filming his
autobiography. He films the murders he commits and the police
investigations of them.
The young man's only opportunity for salvation comes from
his neighbor Helen, a warm young woman who is writing a
children's book about a magic camera a camera that photo
graphs adults as they appeared when they were children. Anna
Massey, as Helen, offers a performance as fine and understated
as Boehm's. The entire cast of this movie is excellent.
Powell has called Peeping Tom, "a film about cinema from
1900 to 1960." Indeed, this work is filled with historical,
aesthetic and philosophical allusions to filmmaking. The ex-
plosive climax of the movie, in which Mark films the action with
an elaborate set-up of carefully-timed still cameras, is a tribute
to the very origins of cinema
Peeping Tom will be shown at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday in the
Union Auditorium.
I derive all my
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he intellectual
The Campus Y is scheduled to sponsor
Discussion-Dinners throughout the
semester. The informal dinners offer stu
dents a chance to dine with Co-chairman
Phil Galanes and other campus notables
in the homes of faculty and administra
tion members.
"It's an opportunity for students and
faculty to get together in a more casual
situation than the classroom affords,"
Galanes said Wednesday.
The first dinner is scheduled for 5:30
p.m. Sept. 11 in the home of Associate
Vice Chancellor James Q. Cansler. Dr. J.
Sitterson, former chancellor of the
University, will discuss his reflections on
the University in the past ten years.
The second dinner is scheduled for
5:30 p.m., Sept. 25 in the home of Dr.
Kenneth Reck ford of the classics depart
ment. Dr. Weldon Thornton of
the English department, will discuss Yates
and the occult.
Students and faculty will share a pot
luck dinner and conversation. After the
brief faculty talk, there will be time for
questions and more discussion.
Sign up sheets for the dinners will be
posted in the Campus Y Building one
week before the scheduled dinners. The
Dinner-Discussions committee hopes to
plan several more, throughout the
semester, Galanes said.
' Friday. September 4, 1981The Daily Tar Heel3
enatar performance
.eft audience satisfied
By LORRIE DOUGLAS
1)111 Slafr W riter
On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the audience in
the Greensboro Coliseum witnessed an
energetic display of talent by Pat Benatar
and her band.
David Johanson, who recently released
the album "Here Comes the Night,"
opened the show. He performed with a
style reminiscent of the Rolling Stones,
and was well-received.
When the lights came up a second time
to reveal Pat Benatar, the audience went
wild, cheering and flicking cigarette
lighters. Dressed in a gold leotard, black
tights, and black boots, she looked sexy,
but not overdone or gaudy. She resembled
a cat when she walked because of her
small features and her sleek, deliberate
steps. Benatar moved suggestively, but was
never vulgar. And her voice carried the
same shrill tone and emotion that comes
across so well on her albums!
" She opened with a strong, fast song,
"No You Don't," and never lost momen
tum during the concert. She had an in
credible amount of energy and was in
almost constant motion. She seemed to
get involved mostly in the songs "Heart
breaker" and "Hell is for Children", as
well as the cuts from her latest album,
"Precious Time."
She unselfishly shared the spotlight
with her band members, who seemed
eager to put on a good show. They built
up involvement by prolonging their solos,
keeping the tantalized audience guessing
when each solo would end. .
The show sailed through on talent ra
ther than the cheap stunts like fireworks
that are common to rock concerts. Benatar
came out for two encores, leaving the au
dience satisfied, yet willing to take more.
No bus service on Labor Day
Chapel Hill Transit will not operate bus
service on Monday, Labor Day. Full service
will resume Tuesday. Additional infor
mation concerning bus scheduling may be
obtained by calling Chapel Hill Transit at
942-5174.
WHY DO THE HEATHEN RAGE?
Psalm 2:1 and Act 4:25
The following quote is from a Municipal Court Judge of another city: "A girl
in her third year of college, twenty-one years of age, was picked up for shop
lifting. She stole a seventy-nine dollar coat." It appears that "education" may
not be the cure for her crime! God says His Word will cure it.
The heathen rage to get rid of God's Commandments and their restraint.
Consider God's 8th Commandment: "Thou shalt not steal."
The 7th chapter of The Book of Joshua tells of God's terrible judgment
upon an unrepentant thief, his family and possessions, his nation and
country! Have you stolen something? And never repented; never made any
restitution? Note especially the last paragraph of this article!
"A heathen is one who does not believe in The God of The Bible." If a man
really believes In "The God of The Bible" he will not only quit stealing, but
turn back and make restitution of what he has stolen to the uttermost of his
ability! And he will be jealous and zealous to stop every one else from
stealing that he possibly can! Aachan and family's judgment so far as we
know was temporal. They were stoned to death, and it was their lifeless
bodies that were burned. The New Testament tells of thieves who failed to
take advantage of the offer of forgiveness in Christ Jesus, being "cast alive"
Into fire where "The worm dleth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mock, if
you so desire, but as for me and my house let us "Fear the Lord and depart
from evil!"
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His
Commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it
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