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Endir 4U,W., TV, M MUiy I c horror fi By David Baker Film Critic Vernon Zimmerman's "Fade to Black is, fo.' twothirds of its length, one of the most imaginitive movies to play Columbia in several months. It tells the story of Eric Binford, a mentally confused movie buff who loses his sense of reality and begins recreating famous screen murders The film attempts to be both a character study and a horor movie, an admirable desire, but one which eventually leads to the movie's downfall. Dennis Christopher, his hair shorter .J :y ^ Dennis Christopher cont ' T Dl^^t* ' ' # ?71/ cr IU uiaun. 'Annec recreat By Jim Poindexter Staff Writer In 1527 King Henry VII asked Pope Clement VII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to permit him to marry Anne Bolevn, one of the Queen \ maids of honor. Catherine had given birili to live children, but only one. Mary, had survived. Henrv wanted a son and he turned to Anne Boleyn to produce a hale heir to the throne. The pope refused the marriage of Anne and two years later Henry dismissed Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, his chief minister. Henry denied that the pope had authority over England and he secretly married Anne in 1533. THOMAS CKANMKK, Henry's choice for Ar chhishop of Canterbury declared the marriage of Henry and Catherine null and void. Anne was then crowned Queen of England. Anne bore Henry another daughter, Elizabeth, who would later become Queen Elizabeth I. Henry, still without an heir apparent, had Anne beheaded on a charge of unfaithfulness in 1536. Maxwell Anderson's historical drama of the relationship of King Henry VII and Anne Boleyn, ANNE rrur tu^ai ic a wn r ? a vc v;r i iijd i iiwuoriiii/ jun i o, opened Friday night at Town Theatre. The production, directed by Emmalee Robbins, is ig hin rror\4With Ims not wo and darker than in "Breaking Away" gives a wonderfully bizarre performance as Krir hut hp rnn not rescue the movie from the jaws of its preposterous climax. The picture's early scenes are quite effective, especially those dealing with the emotional problems of the leadinbg character. We seee Eric living a dismal life at home and an absolutely hellish one at work, so it's easy for us to believe that Eric would seek solace and sausiacuon irom the movies. His withdrawal is completely understandable ~ if;->14 ;vif-: r. RBfe* a * m ^' ' BfcST ^ w ^ ^ |M|^H ; / pU ?,*^> T rtmaai && : Wl<l* MMI > WvKvfeW emp/ates his bizarre role in \f lhe TV es 16th i scheduled to run through Feb. 6. THE PLAY opened on Broadway in 1948 and starred Rex Harrison and Joyce Redman. A film version was later made, starring Richard Burton and uenevieve Bujold. Hobbins firmly believes in the idea of the theaioi is a teaching medium A direi *or for 20 years, she is excited I v the rise of th 'at- in sch'.m. curriculums. "One of th<> most impor'an: aspee's of the thei < is to each. It has been proven Uii>l we see first and hear secoui. The best way to learn about history is to see it acted out," she said. "I believe the theater is too often shackled. I feel the w a > I classics, S'*:?kespeare etc., have ed is proof that the l. s a wonderful way to tea^i, she added. KOBBINS feels Maxwell Anderson, playwright of three historical dramas. strove for an awareness to historical drama She also warns against amateur attitudes towards theat : work. "If we are tea( ii? theater, then we luk v uccu amateurs. We need professional attitudes. Theater work lies somewhere between art and design, and I abhor a nonprofessional attitude," she said. "ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS" ders '1 out Warniru >rth admissi as long as Zimmerman keeps the accent on realism. in me nnai w minuies, however, all logic flies out the theatre exits. IIEKE, ERIC begins spending exorbitant amounts of money, the origin of which is never fully explained, to set the mood for his murder attempts. And, like in so many of today's horror movies, the desired victims go out of their respective ways in order to play right into his waiting hands. What with one such ridiculous plot turn and another, the last third of "Fade to Black" is a biger fantasy than "Heaven Can < 1% I ^ & | n'^nnr - &&&&&& ' Wv the movies in the thriller lousand century features lavish costuming, provided by Boykin Exum and Varion Brandon. Each member of the cast is dressed in the rich colors of the 16th century. The many costumes of Henry VII (Bob Bock) and Anne Bolevn " (Inga Dennis) were particularly good. The set for the production was minimal, involving only a series of arches with steps leading up stage. Chairs and laoies were aaaea wnen needed. EACH MEMBER of the cast handled the 16th cen- . tury English very well. Robbins stated that the lines did present a problem. "We naturally had a problem with the lines. There are no colloquialisms to fall back on," she said. A colloquialism is an expression relating to informal conversation. The strong willed Anne n_i * ooieyn is piayea Dy Inga 1 wm I WAREHOUSE I m West Cola 9 til t> Mom Sat I [^1 "It's more than |ust [: . i j | another Jewelry Store" | ] Fadet 3'are other on price Wait" and "Star Wars" combined. The only scene in which the fantastic elements of the movie blend into its realistic base is the one in which Eric, dressed as Count Dracula, stalks a young hooker, be< >\)u < terrified when she falls ^ i accidentally impales herself, then ever-sohesitantly decides to make his fantasy a reality by drinking her blood. In this scene, Eric is at once frightening, alluring and pathetic. And if the rest of the movie measured up to these few moments it wouli truly be an astounding accomplishment. Whatever its many failings, "Fade to Black" is still light years ahead of the other horror movies in town. "Holy Terror, which will be opening within a week, is being heavily promoted as Brooke Shields latest staring vehicle. It is, however, a movie that was made five years ago, long before Brooke sprouted her infamous "bubbles." IT FAILED when it was released in 1976 under the title "Communion," it failed when it was re-issued in 1978 under the title "Alice, Sweet Alice," and it will fail again this time around, just as soon as word gets out that Brooke is killed in the movie's opening scene and is onscreen for a grand total of less than five minutes. For the record, that which follows Brooke's strangulation is a run-of-the * L/uys history Dennis, co-host of P.M. Magazine. Boisterous and self-assured Henry VII is played by Bob Bock. Bill Cannady provided comic relief as the ill fated Cardinal Wolsey. mmmmmmrmn bbhhhmhbwi PROFESSIONA Complett \ \ THESES,! ^?SAMED 4508 St Andrews Office Suite 1 6, Columbia. S C. EARN MO Urgently need Mononucleosis Research. If you the past 2 weel qualify for $100 hours of your tin fi more intormatic Serologicals < Suite 105, 2\ Columbi :o Bla< dj^l^SHpifiil Linda Kerridge portrays Monroe in "Fade to Black. mill killer-on-the-loose movie in which every line of dialogue rings false and every scene of bloodletting is all to obviously faked. Even worse than "Holy Terror" is "Withnuf War. ning," a movie that is without redemption. Written without thought, acted without conviction and directed without any discernable point-of-view, it is, without doubt, one of the worst movies I have ever seen. And since I am without space to condemn it further, I'll simply warn you to do without it. I14K Gold 1 Heart with [I ienuineRubyl $6.95 H P.S. Saphires, tool I JEWELRY WAREHOUSE I "it $ more than lust another M ^^^^jeweirvstore_^^^^f I L TYPING SERVICE ? Office Service'' rERM PAPERS 5UMES AY SERVICE Park (803) 798 1 502 29210 ?? EXTRA NEY led people with to aid in Medical haira r\r? 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