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Show of the humdrum days ahead. DAY OF THE LOCUST was a little novel, too long to be a short story, but too short to be really called a novel. But its short, deep look at the deteriorating Hollywood it dealt with left lasting memories. The 1930's were the time of magnificent mag-nificent movies, ripe in decadence dec-adence and escapism to take the public away from the depression de-pression and impending war in Europe. For all the glitz and glitter on the screen, the backstage action was paudry. and tacky, with everyone waiting for that big discovery, and those who made it playing the nouveau riche. Nathaniel West took the lives of the insignificant people there in Hollywood and mingled them with the successes. He painted a picture pic-ture of futility and doom, with the system bringing about its own demise through its immoral character and its gross attitude toward the Enough can never be said for Woody Allen's new film. LOVE AND DEATH. Playing at the Opera House this weekend, the film is a delight de-light to see: one that can be enjoyed many times. Allen Al-len is at his best lampooning lampoon-ing the Russian novel, offering of-fering not only funny one liners, but a consistently bouyant film, carrying the viewer through its duration without a lag. Allen has always had an irreverent attitude toward the great philosophical ques-ions, ques-ions, but tackling the two largest ideas (love, and, of course death), he offers himself him-self a view huge enough for his talents. Dealing with his unrequited love for his cousin, cou-sin, Diane Keaton, he bumbles bum-bles his way through war and peace into an assassination assassin-ation attempt on Napoleon. Here we have his little man caught in circumstances, somehow managing to come up on top almost always. The film has that wonderful won-derful absurdity that Allen so admires, mixing true and realistic images with the idiotic id-iotic to create that feeling of chaos so familiar to his work. Thus we can have the huge, romantic war landscape land-scape with bloodied bodies and bursting cannons interspersed inter-spersed with shots of Allen 'fading the Russian cheering squad. Images remain for weeks after viewing this film, causing mild puffaws and chuckles in the middle public. The sheep were not always to be led by the movie moguls, but often were. But Hollywood, built on dreams, could not readily handle the realities that it had created, as well as the dreams. West's characters are often of-ten types, but just real enough to be above caricature. cari-cature. To translate them onto the screen has proven difficult at times, but comes off successfully. For those who never read this short classic, the film may prove confusing or not worthy of all the attention it has generated. gen-erated. But to convey West's atmosphere is an accomplishment, accom-plishment, and to carry out his statement is to be applauded. ap-plauded. Don't look for a blockbuster to match the movie posters, for this tiny, intimate novel becomes a small filmic reflection into his Hollywood of the 1930's. |