The Skin (May 23rd at the Cleveland CInematheque)

[THE SKIN screens Saturday May 23rd at 5:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Set in 1943 Naples as American forces are driving the last of the Nazis out of Italy, THE SKIN shows the lengths regular people will go to in order to survive. For the most part this is shown from the perspective of Curzio Malaparte (Marcello Mastroianni), a pragmatist doing his best to use his position as liaison to the American forces, led by General Mark Clark (Burt Lancaster), to help his own people. When he's not doing that, Malaparte tries to find time to romance Princess Consuelo Caracciolo (Claudia Cardinale). American soldier Jimmy Wren (Ken Marshall) acts as Malaparte's assistant and enjoy the company of Italian women, including a possible real romance with Maria Concetta (Lilliana Tari). There's also an Americna Senator's wife and ace pilot, Deborah Wyatt (Alexandra King), who wants to see firsthand how operations are going. Since General Clark doesn't want her getting in his way, he pawns her off on Malaparte.

8 1/2 (January 12th and 13th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[8 1/2 screens Saturday January 12th at 9:15 pm and Sunday January 13th at 6:30 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

I've been thinking about Alfred Hitchcock lately. This eccentric, brilliant fellow gave so much to the world of cinema and popular culture. His movies and TV program, not to mention book publishing, his own self-titled mystery magazine and spinoffs, generated loads of money - for Universal Pictures especially. And now at least two bio-movies of which I am aware portray him in a fairly sensational light, putting freak-show emphasis on his obsession with blondes, serial killers and his own marriage. Some of it is historically accurate, some is not, and during his own career Hitchcock certainly encouraged coming across as a creepy-uncle type of person. Fair enough. Still, to me it seems a pretty (and typically) ungracious way for Hollywood to

devour one of its own for a few additional box-office dollars. Hitchcock, after all, died decades ago and is in little position to speak for himself.