Page 6 University Daily Kansan, January 26.1982
Spare time
Social questions problematic for films
By MIKE GEBERT Guest Reviewer
ABSENCE OF MALICE
ROLLOVER
*** (three stars)
* Starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Josef Sommer. Directed by Sydney Pollack.
** (two stars)
Starring Jane Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Hume Cronyn, Josef Sommer. Directed by Alan J. Pakula.
Two new social-picture pictures, of the type Jane Fonda is most commonly associated with, opened last week in Lawrence. Both attempt to raise questions about segments of American society and pose questions about the utility of fiction pictures to adequately and fairly raise such questions.
"Absence of Malice" is the story of a reporter, played by Sally Field, who is fed information by a publicity-hungry federal prosecutor (Bob Balaban). The information implicates the son of a long-dead bootlegger in the murder of a union leader; though the information is meager. Field prints it when the newspaper's lawyer tells her that, as they have no real reason to believe it is false, it is as good as if it were true. After all, they only say that he is suspect.
Strictly speaking, yes. But, the effect is the same as if the suspect, Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman), woke up one morning to find the dead man who had killed his life is wrecked and there is nothing he can do.
Field, contrite, tries to help him, but in doing so only makes things worse. Newman's abili is that he was taking an old friend (Melinda Dillon) to get an abortion; naturally he refuses to implicate her even to save his own neck. But, as she had been up on the front page, as she comes from a strict Catholic background, she is so devastated that she kills herself.
The questions that "Absence of Malice" tries to raise deal with the responsibilities of the press—do they have the right to print anything? If not, how can you possibly determine what is true? Michael Gallagher unfortunately falls between the cracks.
There are problems, however, in the treatment. Balan's prosecutor is power-hungry and a louse, yet he is doing important work. Dillon's character is never believable, and the entire subplot seriously damages the film's credibility.
Field's Megan seems a poorly created character too. It is understandable that she prints the story of Gallagher, but printing the one about Dillon's Teresa makes her seem extremely insensitive. She spends the entire film apologizing, and in the end gives up.
Newman's character presents subtier problems, not only because as soon as he appears the movie repudiates the attitudes that led to Field printing the first story but because it is necessary to the film that he be considered above reproach—yet you see him telling a Godfather-type that he won't inform. Even though he has nothing to tell, that's withholding of evidence.
It would be a better film if there were a possibility that Gallagher were involved, or if he
Review
weren't so good and pure. The movie tries so
hard elsewhere to avoid such black-and-white
plitting.
"Follover," unfortunately, has nothing but black-and-white plotting. Like "Absence of Malice," it is attractively and crisply directed; but there's nothing worth thinking about here.
"Rollover" deals with the international money system. The idea is that if the Arabs pulled all of their money out of our banks, the whole world economic system would crash. Around this idea is concocted a plot wherein Jane Fonda, whose husband was killed by a much, and Kris Kristefferson, as a banking whisky-kid, stumble onto this plot while stumbling in and out of one another's beds.
more to lose, having only paper money and oil, they should do it clumsily enough for Fonda to find out.
The problem is that "Rollover" assumes that the system is to "wry" and the economic system which is in question (i.e. have the
Of course, Arab wealth isn't in U.S. dollars; it's in Swiss francs, or more commonly, U.S. stock, farm land and technology. Trading on anti-Arab paranoia, the film-makers portray an Arab world of tents, camels and businessmen in a desert where their wives must be made in the desert. It's far worse than the portrait of the Viet Cong in the "Deer Hunter," against which Fonda protested so hard.
And the romance is unbelievable, mainly because it's both predictable and uninvolving. Fonda has a penchant for chasing low-key leading men, Michael Douglas and Jon Vogt for example. The plot doesn't use the tinge of electricity between Kristofferson and Fonda.
There is a romance in "Absence of Malice" as well, one between Field and Newman; fortunately it is glossed over, but it makes one wonder—do audiences really need that sort of thing in a movie that has more important things on its mind?
Can movies deal with issues like these fairly? Yes, but only if rather than trying to solve the questions raised they illustrate them instead. In the case of "Absence of Malice" there isn't a single answer offered or forced on the audience. The fact that it is being asked in a newspaper as it is well worth the time. In "Rollover," answers are imposed, with the wrong questions being asked in the first place.
on campus
TODAY
THE NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS ORGANIZATION will sponsor a DUTCH LUNCH for members from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Cork Room of the Kansas Union.
JACK LEMON, MASTER PRINTER and founder of the Landfall Press in Chicago, will show recent prints at the Spencer Museum of Art Print Room from noon to 2 p.m.
There will be a THEOLOGICAL SEMINAR
bout the George M. Washington 120 p.m., at the
Bloomington Public Library.
THE LAW SCHOOL REPUBLICANS will present BOB LONDERHOLM, former Kansas Attorney General, at 7 p.m., 108 Green.
THE TAU SIGMA DANCE CLUB will meet from 7 to 9 m. 242 Robinson
WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS will sponsor a JOB SEMINAR featuring Monroe Dodd, assistant managing editor of the Kansas City Times, at 7 p.m., Big Eight
THE JAPANESE FILM Series will present "Drunken Angel," (Yoidore Tenshi) at 7 p.m., Dyche Auditorium.
TOMORROW
A CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER SESSION guided by Thomas Merton will be at 7:45 a.m. at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries Center.
THE MARANATHA CAMPUS MINISTRY will meet at 7 p.m., Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union.
"Times change and we with them, but never in the way of friendship."
interested in requirements and application procedures for
there will be an informative meeting on
Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m.
in the Forum Room of the Union to answer all your questions.
*Representatives from KU Med Center will be in attendance.
UNIVERSITY PLACEMENT CENTER
CAREER EMPLOYMENT WORKSHOPS SPRING 1982
Presentations designed to assist you in obtaining professional employment after graduation. The programs, consisting of lectures, discussion, and videotapes, will help you write your resume and prepare for on-campus interviews.
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ON-CAMPUS
INTERVIEWING
Feb. 2 3:30-4:20
Feb. 3 1:30-2:20
Feb. 4 1:30-2:20
Feb. 8 10:30-11:20
Feb. 18 3:30-4:20
**Feb. 24 9:30-10:20**
**Mar. 3 2:30-3:20
Mar. 8 2:30-3:20
Mar. 11 2:30-3:20
INTERVIEW
TECHNIQUES
Feb. 9 3:30-4:20
Feb. 10 10:30-11:20
Feb. 11 1:30-2:20
Feb. 25 3:30-4:20
**Mar. 4 9:30-10:20
Mar. 9 2:30-3:20
**Mar. 22 2:30-3:20
Mar. 23 1:30-2:20
Mar. 29 3:30-4:20
AFTER
THE INTERVIEW
Feb. 22 10:30-11:20
**Mar. 1 1:30-2:20
Mar. 24 1:30-3:20
Mar. 25 3:30-4:20
**Mar. 30 9:30-10:20
Mar. 31 2:30-3:20
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RESUMES
AND LETTERS
**Feb. 16 2:30-3:20
Mar. 10 3:30-4:20
Apr. 10 1:30-2:20
**Apr. 28 3:30-4:20
CONTACT UNIVERSITY PLACEMENT CENTER 223 Carruth-O'Leary Hall, 864-3624, For Details.
**These workshops to be held in 102 Carruth-O'Leary Hall. (Personnel Training Room)**
ALL OTHER WORKSHOPS will be held in 236 Carruth-O'Leary.
(Second Floor, South Wing, University Placement Center)
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