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Show Etc. April 27, 1997 Page 5 Familial estrangement, raponcns0 are themes of The Substance ofFire 4 thie By MISHA BERSON ‘THe SeaTTLe Times and their sister Sarah (Sarah Jessica tl J t The SubstanceofFire is a literate, thoughtful but stubbomly muted film that inspires respect more than excitement, cool admiration but not heated engagement. A substantial reworking of screenwriter Jon Robin Baitz’s more satisfying play of the same title, the film marks the cinematic debutof longtime Seattle Repertoty Theatre artistic director Daniel Sullivan. Parker), a children’s TV performer, to support him in publishing an uncharacteristically upbeat work of ‘ fiction \s the film progresses, the chil- ry dren disappear and a deeply depressed Isaac submits to a mental ompetency evaluation by a social worker Thefilm spends more time onthe kids, and descent into on Isaac’s detailed financial ruin, familial estrangement and the mental disinthat tums him into a raging (but well-tailored) Low-budget but beautifully photographed with a sleek design, The Substance of Fire scrupulously conjures a posh upper-Manhattan world of antique-filled brownstones, private parks, tony restaurants and pompous e he originated onstage, Rifkin er xdies Issac authoritaly uncompromisingly, down to the soft Euro-accent and bemused sneers. But the fiim pares iway Isaac’s one sympaths*ic trait: his cloquent distaste for the cheap trivialization of modern culture. Rifkin’s co-stars alse have sketchy figures to fill in. Goldwyn makes an intent, blandly ggy Aaron. Parker is. an aioaty intellectual bullies. ditzy (and achingly skinny) Sarah, with a chip off-the-old-Daddy lover (played with nastyrelish by Roger Rees). And it’s hard to tell much froma Hutton watts alongas the cipher- this narrow-cast study of a martinet Holocaust survivor father and his three wary adult children about Sullivan’s prospects as a filmmaker, once his accomplished tenure at Seattle Rep ends in June. Low-budget but beautifully pho~+ son who comes home .o care for Isaac (out of duty? guilt? anger?) while offices, private parks, tony restaurants and pompousintellectual bullies. tographed (by Robert Yeoman), with a sleek design (by esteemed immediate family died in the Nazi concentration camps. He escaped the same fate by hidingin a relative’s attic Still cursed with a severe case of survivor's guilt decades later, the 60ish Issac devoteshis company’s dwindling resourcesto printing such tomes as TheArchitectureof the Holocaust and a four-volume opus on Nazi medical experiments. It is the world ofIsaac Geldhart (Ron Rifkin), the recently widowed, autocratic chief of asm: New York publishing house, whorules his roost with an acidly abusive wit. From brief prologue and a fewlines of dialogue, we discern that the European-bredIsaac’s theater designer Robert Lee Beatty), The Substance of Fire scrupulously conjures a posh upper-Manhattan world of antique-filled brownstones, wood-paneled stoically hiding his own suf- fering Substance of Fire ends with an abrupt family reconciliation in the midst of grief. !saac’s turnaround is a curious surge of sentiment the play avoided an emotional effect thal, like much of this dour tale of intergenerationai angst, fires at too high a temperature to really Tony Goldwyn (lett), Ron Rifkin and Sarah Jessica Parker star in Daniel Sullivan’s The BESEaCS of Fire. (Ronny Graham plays that book’s cranky at akvetchy comic foil to Rifkin’s imper wus I As in theplay, the movie's first half rises to a compelling conflict between Isaac and his chil dren, over their ailing family enterprise Aaron (Tony Goldwyn), whohelps run the business despite Isaac’s withering ridicule, urges his older brother Martin (Tim Hutton), a teacher, burn. ‘Martin’ bowingoutafter five seasons on Fox he is quotedas saying. “Right now, I'mgoing By TomJicHa SUN-SENTINEL, SOUTH FLORIDA z a as career. Lawrence’s reachedandshe 4 to returnto finish this season. _Inthe finale, Martin and Gina (Camp: show aheadache for Fox. Last year, he bell) each get offers of alluring new jobs was taken into police custody while wandering aimlessly on a busy Hollywoodstreet. The episode wasattributed to exhaustion. Earlierthis season, his co- in Los Angeles, so they decide to leave Detroit. Lou Rawls, George Clinton. Tommy Hearns and Lisa Leslie will makeguest appearances. 042. 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