The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 08, 1980, Page Page 8, Image 8
Ameri<
By David Baker
Gamecock FMm Critic
Look through the theatre section
of any large city newspaper.
Chances are good that a hefty
percetage of the movies playing
will be R or X rated. Sex sells. It
always has and probably always
will.
BUT IF YOU look at those advertisements
a second time, you'll
realize that all of them exnloit onlv
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women's bodies. There hasn't been
a major film dealing with the
exploitation of a man since Billy
Wilder's Sunset Boulevard thirty
years ago. And since the exploitation
of the William Holden
character wasn't of a distinctly
sexual nature, Paul Schrader's
American Gigolo can be regarded
as the first film to explore the
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An intimate momer
Sha Na r
By Ed Herd
Gamecock Staff Writer
There are many groups whose st
often as the year, but this is certair
with Sha Na Na. During their many
they have refused to conform to the c
music and have continued to offer tl
Hock n' Roll. At the Coliseum Tue
screaming crowd demanded this a
responded with a stunning night of mi
THE OPENING GROUP, Sam and
at best a mediocre performance,
quickly forgotten the moment that 5
the stage.
. During the first half of their pe
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Rum
Members of Sha Na Na perfori
at the Coliseum.
:an Gig
inner workings of a male
prostitute.
Of course, Schrader's gigolo is
no run-of-the-mill hustler. Julian
Kay (Richard Gere) is supremely
handsome, well-mannered and
polite, but he also speaks, he says,
five or six languages, and he
arrives for his $1,000 tricks driving
a black Mercedes convertible and
wearing clothes by Giorgio Armani.
AND THE TRICKS which aren't
arranged by Juilan's madam, he
plcksup in only the best of places:
Chasen's, Ma Maison and the Polo
Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Indeed, the finery of Julian's
<m\. ^ m
"'in 3
m mP - i
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ttin 'American Gigolo'
Va brings
songs played we
. . with very few tl
yle changes as ticipation. Song:
V not he Cfse Goes My Bab .
years together Hote,.. Jvere ^
Hanging naes 01 was only a sign
ne same sound . Bowser provoke
sday night, the with his foolish ?
nd Sha Na Na excellent stage s
isic. One of the th
Dave, provided "Monster Mash
but they were Frankenstein an
Sha Na Na took 0f the Silvery
production took
rformance, the where Sha Na N
of excellent cho
like "Chantilly
"Summertime"
top forty today.
THE LAST /
famous "Dane*
participation cai
as three local
n with feeling JgJEEBfi
and their fans, H(
the show, Sha ]
olo' sat
surroundings alone is enough t
make the more materialisti
among us (myself included) war
to see American Gigolo severa
times.
But Schrader has been shrew*
enough to realize that not everyon
is interested in watching a paradi
of designer clothes or a travelogu*
of famous Hollywood watering
holes. For that matter, there aren'
a great many who'll pay $3.50 t<
watch a gigolo at work.
With those facts in mind,
Schrader, who wrote as well as
directed the film, placed Julian in
two very sticky situations, both of
which make-for good dramatics: 1)
He's falling in love with the wife of
a legislator (Lauren Hutton), and
2) he's being framed for the brutal
murder of a former (and very
kinky) trick.
WITH SEX FLAYING sucn a
vital part in the scenario, Schrader
also realized that the film was
going to need a good bit of nudity to
hold on to the people who came
only to see such, but that the nudity
could not be crudely done, for it
would then be out of place and
would probably alienate more
viewers than it would titillate.
Thus, flashes of skin are
sprinkled throughout the film, hut
none of the shots are of a sleazy
nature. Few are even erotic, as
Schrader discreetly cuts away
oeiore a great deal of sexual
tension has time to build up. His
treatment of sex in such an elegant
manner may very well lead to a
wave of glossily-produced softcore
films to take the place of those
smarmy exploitation pictures that
one usually finds playing at driveins.
; back gc
re done in a purely musical manner
leatrics and minimal audience par?
such as "Yakketv Yak " "Therp
' "Splish Splash," and "Heartbreak
;eived with typical cheers, but this
of things to come. It was not until
;d the audience to become involved
mtics that the band exploded with an
how.
iree major productions played, the
Medley," included an appearance by
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u jlti <tv;uict ctnu a soio 01 ny me L.ignt
Moon" sung by Igor. The second
. the audience to New York City,
a had their beginnings. With the help
reography, this medley made songs
Lace," "RCin Around Sue," and
come alive as if they were still on the
iNI> MOST enjoyable set was the
b Contest" medley. The crowds'
me to a climax during this production
women got the chalice to become
1 dance with Donny, Denny and
ner of the contest, a 1969 graduate of
High School, won an embarassing
ather heavyset Lenny.
i Na Na's music is melodic, the
lost of their songs seems to be the
plied by the drummer, Jocko, and the
Chico. The rhythmic beat found in
"Teen Angel" and "Stand By Me"
lol a mot'
rv
>ui Mi?iiv/o|iiicic in wniuii uenny snu
most of their response from the
ee. Although most of the people inype
of response were young, older
in bobby socks, pony tails and letter
heir tact and weight advantage to
of various items that Sha Na Na's
out during the concert.
fOMENT of introduction to the final
ident that Sha Na Na's fans could be
stinct groups: the screaming high
per who idolized the ten-piece band,
ged adult who came to the concert to
o the golden days of Rock 'n' Koll.
es and a rush of people onstage after
Na Na certainly provided an enhat
does indeed take you back to the
by socks and grease. For Sha Na Na
>ck 'n' Roll is here to stay.
11 9
0 film (he previously directed Blu<
c Collar and Hardcore, as well ai
it writing the screenplays for Tax
il Driver and Obsession, and in sucl
a brief career,, his stylisti<
d precision is quite shocking.
e
e THE COLOR SCHEME of Gigolo
e continually changes from one rich
1 hue to another, but Schrader keeps
t them intertwined by his use of light
> passing through, of all things,
Venetian blinds (one such shot
makes up the film's poster and ad
campaign).
The only real problems in the
film are concentrated near the
end. Just as in all of Schrader's
works, he gets so wraoDed ud in
telling the story well that he
Richard Gere and Lau
Aden agt
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The infamou
idience
2 doesn't give himself enough time
s to get his characters out of their
i respective predicaments with
l much believability. Hardcore was
3 destroyed by its shot-in-the-dark
ending, but Gigofo's denouement is
not so unbelievable, as several of
the plot's angles and many of
Julian's convictions point to it well
in advance. What's disorienting is
that the ending seems to have been
telescoped down from an hour's
running time to about 15 minutes.
But since the rest of the film is so
faultlessly executed, I'm not going
to take issue with the quickie ending.
Honestlv. I can't rwoll o
v , - ? wuii ? A lilt I
wherein every technical aspect fit
so well together and so well with
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