Pag
o10
Thursday, May 3, 1934
Daily Ncbrcskan
'Icemom ' comeih, bm not saMsjymg
Review by Ward W, Triplett III
At some point in the making of
Splash director Ron Howard figured
out that a farce about a mermaid in
New. York probably wouldn't wash in
the computer age. So, he had his main
character play it seriously, thus res
training the overall effect of an other
wise good movie.
Along those same lines, sometime
during the filming of Iceman the direc
tors decided that a comedy about a
caveman in modern society also
wouldn't wash very well these days. So,
they split it halfway, hoping to make
some sort of "serious" film with a light
touch. It didn't work.
Iceman's problems are mostly in its
presentation and self-image. It begins
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with the finding of a frozen creature in
an arct ic glacier. With the Russian dis
covery of a frozen in-tact Wooly Mam
moth, the creature will be America's
answer to the new science.
But, the creature turns out to be a
prehistoric man, with an age estimated
at 40,000 years. The plan is to dissect
him, remove his organs and see how
man has evolved. However, the Iceman
comes to life again on the operating
table.
The Iceman is placed in an experi
mentally controlled wildlife center at
the base, his existence hidden from the
press and an anthropologist and a lin
guist are called in to determine the
Iceman's background.
As the anthropologist, Timothy Hut
ton has what should have been a bet
ter role. He convinces the scientists not
to kill Charlie (the name Hutton derives
from the caveman's growling), and
attempts to "understand" the former
way of life by spending time with the
outsider. But Hutton, like the other
"civilized" roles in the film, is never
really in the picture. The movie reveals
little about its supporting cast nor why
the Iceman is so important to them. It
rarely tips off what, if any, motivations
anyone in the film has. That's a picky
point, but in the movie it appears
they were trying to make, some under
standing behind the characters' actions
(other than what they just say) is
, somewhat important.
On the other hand, John Lone, who
plays Charlie, is nothing less than fas
cinating, particularly in thcMiscovery"
stages of the film where he is learning
about Shepard (Hutton) and they, in
turn, are trying to learn about him!
The best part about Lone's charac
ter is that he acts and reacts to the
changes around him about as you'd
expect any person unaware of modern
technology would. In other words, he
doesn't piny it as a buffoon, although
that would have been east to do.
In fact, Lone's wild-eyed Charlie saves
Iceman by doing just what Tom Hanks
did in Splash. Lone, however, succeeds
where Hanks failed. By playing his role
straight, Lone keeps the film from
being unintentionally funny. The whole
unbelievable idea lends itself to some
laughs by itself, and had Lone been
anything less than the enigma he pres
ents, Iceman would have been easy to
laugh at.
As it is, once the plot makes it
obvious that one way or another Char
lie will have to die by the film's end, the
movie dies as well. While Charlie is
prancing around looking for his child
ren, or singing (?) "Heart of Gold" with
Shepard, the film projects a warmth
and sincerity.
Once the ending is obvious, however,
even Lone can't prevent Iceman from
getting boring and a little mundane.
Iceman would have been more satis
fying with deeper characters, some
more plot twists and a little more of
the Caveman's exposure to the new
world. As it is now, it's just a yes for
Lone, but a no for the movie.
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The Nebraska Director's Theatre production of
Measure for Measure begins tonight at the NDT
theatre, 421 S. Ninth St., Suite 112. The play was
adapted from the William Shakespeare play by Cha
rles Marowitz. The play is directed by UNL MFA
student Timothy Mooney. The curtain goes up at 8
p.m.
The final performance of Don Winslow's latest
theatrical effort, Tlie Struggle for the Vote, will take
place tonight at the Lincoln Indian Center, 1100
Military Road. The performance is a historical pers
pective on the problems faced by women, blacks and
native americans trying to gain the power to vote
and be represented in the American electoral pro
cess. Winslow obtained his master of arts degree at
UNL. The production begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open
1 to tne public.
f AROUND TOWN
H a mi n i , ....
i ne uvs.a aance oana witn a soul teel, will be at
Bill's Saloon, 1042 P St.lonight. The cover charge is
$1.
Jim Jacobi's Crap Detectors will appear tonight
at the Drumstick, 547 N. 48th St. The cover charge is
$2. Jacobi, incidentally, will be represented in an art
exhibit opening Saturday at the Eleventh Street
Gallery, 305 S. 11th St.
Outstanding films end
Sheldon !s semester
Sheldon Film Theatre's second semester season is
coming to a close, but not before three outstanding
films are reeled off.
The Mom in the Gutter, a stunning thriller by
Jean-Jacques Beniex, the director of Diva, is show
ing today through Saturday. Gerard Depardieu and
Nasstassia Kinski star. Admission bC3.
Academy Award winner Tender Mercies is return
ing to the Film Theatre during finab week The film
played earlier this semester, and was brought back
because of the excellent response it received. The
film will be screened at 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday through
May 13. There is a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday. There will
be no screenings on May 1 1 . Admission is $3.
Finally, The New York&ct&ol, a documentary film
by Michael Blackwood, is being screened May 12 and
13 in conjunction with the American Abstract
-Expressionist Paintings exhibit, which opens May
1 1 and runs through July 29 in the Art Gallery.
written and narrated by art critic Barbara Rose,
The New York Zctxwl includes contemporary foot
age showing artists at work in their studios talking
about works in progress.
Te 5m features Adolph Gottlieb, Arshila Gorky,
Phulip Guston, Al Held, Hans Hofraann, Franz Kline,
wmem de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell,
Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pol
lock, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Ciyfihrd Still, Jack
rworkovand critics Clement Greenberg and Harold
Rosenberg.
Hie New York School will be screened at 3 p.m.
fuay 12 and 13. There is no admission charge.
