University of Virginia Library

'Bullit,' 'B & C' At Cinema

'The Reivers' Can't Be All Bad!

By Carl Erickson
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Mark Rydell's "The Reivers" is a
sentimental, nostalgic glimpse at a
young boy's maturation into adolescence.
The innocent boy, played
by Mitch Voyel, accompanies the
not-so-innocent Steve McQueen to
Memphis along with McQueen's
black friend played by Rupert
Crosse. It is through McQueen that
Vogel becomes acquainted with the
sleazier side of life.

A well-equipped pimp, an obese,
obnoxious sheriff (must all
Southern cops be portrayed in such
a manner? A sarcastic "thank you"
to Mr. Steiger.) and many beautiful
whores rub shoulders with young
Lucius, revealing an ole standard-type
of sadness and humor, Simon
Lagr-like wickedness, and honest
racism only cloaked by its unnatural
resolution.

'Candy' World

The cold world which Ryder
presents is a candy coated sphere
dripping with sweet innocence and
charm. Providing an occasional
contrast is the stereotyped evil,
personified by the brothel master
and the nigger-hating sheriff who

Lucius can unfortunately smell
even after he is gone. Unfortunately,
Rydell's sentimental interpretation
of Lucius's unfamiliar world
can only inhibit any attempt at
presenting a true maturation of the
young boy. It seems that Lucius
must sever the innocently mischievous
McQueen's apron strings if he
wishes to capture an honest image
of life. Mark Rydell's reins could
use some cutting as well.

Celebration Of Past

However, Rydell's licorice stick
charm which falsifies any interpersonal
relationships which he
may wish to portray actually lends
to the film's overall entertainment
qualities. "The Reivers" is ultimately
a celebration of the past, of
the time when you could drive the
newly-invented automobile over
lush fields, when you pulled doorbells,
when people still sang
"Camptown Races." Rydell's
joyous involvement with a bygone
era is typified by a comfortable
outdoors feeling. He is very much
at ease in director of out-of-doors
scenes. He returns there as often as
he is allowed to and always with
eager anticipation. It is not so
strange then that his one inspired
moment occurs in the horse racing
scene in which one can feel the
luxuriating excitement of the
director. Nor is it unusual for
Rydell to film the final tearful
scene in a basement crowded with
barrels of apples and jars of
preserves.

As a nostalgic knick-knack,
"The Reivers" succeeds with visual
splendor. As a portrayal of a boy's
spiritual development it is a failure
complete with sugary sentimentality.
People have dubbed "The
Reivers" as a "nice" movie. Perhaps
this is because life is very sentimental
at times. Anyway, any film in
which a young boy reforms a
delightful prostitute can't be all
bad!

* * *

This week the Cinema presents
an unusually excellent (for this
theatre) double feature: "Bonnie
and Clyde" and "Bullit" Peter
Yates' "Bullit" is a brilliant
example of what can be done with
a cops and robbers film, a genre
which has always pretended to be
suspenseful but which has consistently
failed in this respect. Yates
has successfully filled this gap, as is
especially evident in his hotel and
airport scenes not to mention the
classic chase scene.

"Bonnie and Clyde" is clearly an
American classic, even if its
director, the notable Arthur Penn,
is stylistically European. His delicate
balance of comedy and brutal
tragedy is flawless. I know that
many have grown tired of my
never-ending praise of Mr. Penn but
"B and C" is simply a confirmation
no more, no less. If you have seen it
before, see it again.