Take One (Nov 1978)

Coasting /Todd Hackett LIGHTS! CAMERA! CRUMPETS! How to explain the softened vowels and clipped diction heard echoing through studio commissaries from Culver City to Burbank? A strain of Legionnaires Disease that causes speech impediments? No; it’s simply that the British are coming, the British are coming. Of course, there has always been—almost from the start—a solid British influence on Hollywood, but the latest influx of limeys can be attributed almost entirely to the efforts of one man. David Puttnam has been producing films in England for years—several early Ken Russell oeuvres, films like’ The Duellists more recently. Then, just over a year ago, Puttnam was imported to Hollywood by Casablanca Filmworks, a fledgling production company generously bankrolled by the profits of Casablanca Records. Since then, Puttnam—while publicly expressing considerable disdain for the film business in Tinseltown—has used the power, wealth and prestige of Hollywood to launch several British directors in a big way. When Puttnam eventually returns to “over ‘ome” (most likely as European head of production for Columbia) he'll have single-handedly brought Britain once more into the filmmaking mainstream. Among Puttnam’s protégés: © Alan (Bugsy Malone) Parker. Puttnam put Parker into Midnight Express, a major project Casablanca had with Columbia. Midnight's been breaking house records in London, and the word from the American preview screenings is equally bullish. Suddenly, Parker is a very hot item. *Ridley Scott, launched by Puttnam with The Duellists, is now making the scifier Alien for Fox. Fox is pleased enough with what they've already seen that they've sprung for more money for really top flight special effects. *Michael Apted, who directed Agatha for Puttnam in England. While Agatha is currently mired in a disagreement between co-star Dustin Hoffman and First Artists over “artistic control,” Apted himself has emerged unscathed. He recently signed with Universal to direct Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn’s autobiography), and—still more recently—with Paramount to direct The Band's Robbie Robertson in Deedee and the Rock Star. eAdrian Lines, director of dozens of glossy British TV commercials (but no feature), has been assigned by Puttnam to direct Jody Foster in a realistic vision of teenage life in the San Fernando Valley — McDonald's and Quaaludes to go. Parker, Scott, Apted, Lines. Puttnam is doing more than anyone since Kitchener to further the course of empire. Parker and Puttnam on location A BOMB IS BORN? Barbra—apparently recovered from her embarrassment at the reviews she got in A Star is Born—will be braving her detractors again in a new comedy that has just started shooting. In Main Event, she plays a chic divorcee who is left with ownership of a boxer (Ryan O'Neal) as part of her divorce settlement. Divorcee and boxer at first hate each other, but— guess what?—they fall in love. Howard Zieff is directing, apparently only after every other director in town refused to work with La Streisand. The project had already gone through two terrible scripts when a young “boy genius” was brought in. Result: Three terrible scripts. But Streisand was so anxious to get rid of her final commitment to First Artists that the film went ahead anyway, with relays of re-writers attempting to inject the desired TracyHepburn sparks. Jon Peters is producing the film. But, more importantly, he has personally cut both Ryan's and Barbra’s hair for their roles. HOTCAKES Paul Mazursky has finished the screenplay for his next film. Willie and Phil will be an American Jules and Jim, tracing the progress of a ménage 4 trois over a span of ten years. For those of you waiting for the Second Coming, get ready for Ellen Burstyn as a suburban housewife who becomes the new Christ in The Resurrection, Dan Petrie is directing. Two years ago Jean-Jacques Annaud won an Academy Award for Black and White in Color as best foreign film. He is now preparing The Quest For Fire, a caveman saga. The film will predate any known language, so will be made in a prehistoric language created especially for the movie. No word yet on subtitles. They said it couldn't be done, but The World According to Garp may be on its way to the movie screens. Warner Bros. has assigned Jim Bridges to the project. He is preparing his own screenplay and will be directing. pal de o tate ats oaicats eri0 4 wide point an Ane pra ¢ Thorpe Published annually, the International Index to Film Periodicals is the authoritative guide to the articles that appeared during the year in the world’s 80 most important film magazines. The Index is divided into three main categories: General Subjects, Films, and Biography. General Subjects include: literature of the film, institutes, festivals and conferences; the economics and production of the film industry; film distribution and exhibition; society and cinema; film education; aesthetics, theory and criticism; and history of the cinema. The film section includes every film reviewed or written about during the year. Specific petsonalities—producers, directors, actors, technicians, etc.—have entries in the biographical section. A miscellaneous section provides source information on mass communication, multi-media, records, and video. Entries include: the name of the author; the title of the article; the name of the periodical in which it appeared; date of issue; page numbers; annotations about the inclusion of illustrations, filmogtaphy, bibliography, etc.; and @ description of the content of the article. This feature enables the researcher to avoid reading repetitious or irrelevant material. Easy-to-use indexes to subjects, authors, and directors, complete the volume. The International Index to Film Periodicals is the work of 25 film archives throughout the world, all members of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) —it can be relied on to be accurate and complete. 512 pp./8% x 11% /August/ Reference /$35.00/ ISBN 0-312-42246-6 Also available: 1974 ed. /0-312/42210-5/$30.00 and 1975 ed. /0-312-42245-8/$30.00 St. Martin’s Press © Reference Department © 175 Fifth Avenue ¢ New York, N.Y. 10010 TAKE ONE / NOVEMBER 1978 7