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Show Wednesday, September 4, 1974 CITY Page Books DIDL ' bV Quicksilver" In 1968, Stanley Kubrick made a film called GOODIES 2001: A Space Six Odyssey. years later, six to closer 2001, Stanley years Kubrick's film is being touted as the ultimate trip. PR hype aside, why do some films attract an audience six years after they are released, while others can barely attract an audience sue months after they are first thrust upon the world? What makes a film a classic? There are many different definitions of the word classic. Some people feel that the best way to judge whether a film is a classic is to check the box office tally sheets. By this definition, Gone With the Wind, The Exorcist, The Godfather, and The Sound of Music are the finest films ever made. While the aforementioned movies are great examples of pleasant films (perhaps the word is crowd pleasing . Some of the films on the list are not the pleasant fun films, and are quite a contrast to the others), other people are viewing films that are box office disasters and proclaiming them as true works of art, classic cinema. These two points of view are like east and west, never the twain shall meet. At times, both schools of thought find expression in a common film, but they are always judging a film from a very different standpoint. The one criterion is basically a populist view that the people are the best judge of the films they view. Film is a mass media, and the masses can tell what is good and what is trash. People who see a film tell their friends when they see a good one, and consequently, a larger audience is developed. If enough good reports are filed, the hard-cor- e I only see one or two movies a year moviegoers start to show up at the box office. A financial smash is developed, and a spate of imitators rush to the scene. (Planet of the Apes Godzilla Meets the Planet of the Apes -ad nauseam. ) Films make money because they are good. -- Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are people ranting about a little known film that has just managed to break even. When they are told that the film cant be any good because it hasnt made any money, they bug out EAST by Barbara Clayton their eyes and start babbling about, the cinematography or sane other foreign curse word. When they finally become coherent (if they ever become coherent again), they will point out that the average film viewer sees five films a year at the most. This is not enough to truly judge the quality of a film, for there are quite a few films that one can compare to each other. Another point they might bring up is the relative inaccessibility of a great film. Unless one is in a major metropolis, or close to a cinematically aware college campus, there are some films that are practically impossible to see. Taking Off, The Ex- terminating Angel, Jules- - and Jim, and Intimate Lighting are just a few fine films that have had very little exposure to the common moviegoer. Most Americans have the impression that there is no film industry outside the U.S. A Czech film is beyond their comprehension. This elitist point of view holds that most people are filmically illiterate (if that is a and cant possibly possibility) judge films. This situation is finally reduced to the fact that film is a media governed by economics. When, in the short run, a film grosses $80 million dollars, the Industry (and its a large industry, just like General Motors is an industry) rejoices and heaps honors on the creators. Hows your pastry? If that phrase conjures up visions of golden, tender, flaky pie crust, read no further. However, if what you pictured was a little tough or slightly soggy, here are some suggestions from the experts. Begin with all ingredients at about 70 degrees. Sift flour and salt together. Cut half of the shortening into the flour until it looks like corn-mea- l. Cut in remaining shortening until dough is pea sized. Mark dough into thirds and blend liquid into each section separately. Avoid too much flour (tough pastry) Avoid too much liquid (greasy, crumbly pastry) High altitudes require a trifle more liquid. Handle dough lightly and as little as possible. Chill dough before shaping, preferably in covered refrigerator for 12 hours or more and one hour at room temperature. Roll dough with light, quick strokes, always rolling from the carter out. Patch or pinch tears rather than noi-shin- bet- Heres my recipe based and much keener than its variation Moreover, present-da- y it has pacing. It moves easily from county prison farm to motel to the dusty highways down which the authors lamsters race to their destiny. The flavor and color arent painted in; they ooze out of the dialogue with the directness of a kidnap random note. Little or nothing of the bode has been diminished by the time lag, including the sentiment of a bank robber named 36-ye- ar T-D- ub anyone on the take and the whole square society. Like his contemporaries, Andersoi, writing from those desperate years, took a dim view of respectability. Bank man Masefeld and his colleagues Chi canaw Mobley and Bowie Bowers operate their counterculture in West Texas and Oklahoma in 1935, after having escaped from life sentences in the Oklahoma State Alcatoma. Their Pen style at is racing around the countryside in hot, fast cars, robbing small banks with a touch of cool. The focus eventually narrows to Bowie, a exroustabout and Keechie Mobley, a young girl who throws in with him. And while it might smack a lot of Bonnie and Clyde, An- dersons characters are better drawn and finer boned than the two of movie fame. Among the chases, the getaways, the hideouts and the shootouts, there blooms a love story a love story which derives its strength from its very perishability. And Anderson refines the relationship into irony not chicken fat. According to my father, no one in his right mind would want to relive the thirties. But still, Thieves Like Us is a helluva way to pay a visit. This and other selections are are available at DOLLY'S. thieves like us. One can easily on a But twenty years from now, a pastry recipe that was famous for its excellence. middle-age- d film professor recommends that little known film to one of his brightest students, and, with a twinkle in his eye, says, but thats a little secret between us film lovers. What is a classic? Speaking of economics, I might note that the Opera House has reduced its fare to one show a night. I would have been angry except that I realized that this new development is an alternative to no films at all. Though I will sorely miss Cinema 1 and 2, the present format is much preferred over no cinema. The Opera House might take a financial beating this fall, and it is to the management's credit that tough it out. they plan to those without !$?&! Hopefully, intermissions. . PASTRY 2 cups 2 all-purpo- se flour tsp.salt 2i cup lard or shortening egg, beaten tbs. vinegar Cold water 1 6:00 a.m. until midnight, Mon. thru Fri. 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 1 Sift, then measure, flour; resift with salt. Cut shortening, half at a time, into flour. Place egg in a 1 '2 cup measure; add vinegar and enough water to fill the cup. Sprinkle dough, one section at a time, with about 5 tablespoons liquid. Use only enough to hold ingredients together. (Save remaining liquid for your next pie.) Divide dough in two parts and roll out. Makes one double or two single pie crusts. GO CLASSIFIED BOARDING & TRAINING 4 Rental Horses Available 1 so-call- ed read in druggists, politicians, pre-heate- Unlimited Mountain Riding English & Western Lessons 649-855- cover pressed. The sepia-tone- d photo was bland and coupled with those awful words, Soon to be a major motion picture. As I started to place it back on the rack, though, the words Great Novel of the Thirties caught my eye. Skeptically, I looked inside to note the copyright date. 1937. I didn't believe it. Superciliously believing that I knew all the great novels of the thirties, and Thieves Like Us was not one of them, I started to read. Wham! Thieves Like Us rams through the Depression-blaste- d Southwest like a loaded freight train on a downhill track. And while it may not rank with the greatest thirties novels, it should certainly rank high among crime novels of any period. Its sparse CRooks 101-year-- CAM STABLES 649-934- When I first picked up Edward Andersons Thieves Like Us the other day, I wasnt exactly im- Masefeld that bankers re-rol- l. y Use pie pans for ter browning. d Place pie in an oven to indicated temperature. By 13 The earth cannot be re 5 cycled. Enjoy it! Then leave it as you found it. BREAKFAST -- LUNCH -- DINNER and SERVICE! FAST, TAKE-O- UT Phone 649-99- 34 Closed Wednesday at 3:00p.m. Jim Goo, Prop. , |