The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 22

THE ARTS Page Apr. 9, 1 976 Smashing, spellbinding film on Watergate lilllil.lliianiHIII. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiaiiaiasaiiil.lllil ill ajaManaaaam lj.aim.111111 1 HP I tspi I -Att' Next disaster film super bomb at Super Bowl United Press International HOLLYWOOD A blimp settles clown toward the field in Miami's Orange Bowl loaded with explosives that will kill the President of the. United States and 85,000 spectators at the Super Bowl. The voice of producer Robert Evans is heard above the action: "More paperback copies of 'Black Sunday' have been printed by the publishers than were ordered for the paperback of The film clip Is a 10-minute sales reel for "Black Sunday," the suspenseful novel being filmed at Evans' message is clear.

If one great white shark can intimidate a few hundred bathers on a New England beach, just imagine the horror of a thousand pounds of explosives in the middle of a Super Bowl game. It remains to be seen whether audiences will flock like lemmings to "Black Sunday" as they did to "Jaws." Perhaps as interesting as the film itself is the story behind "Black Sunday" and director John Frankenhei-mer's efforts to shoot actual footage during the course of this year's Jan. 18 Super Bowl game between Pittsburgh and Dallas. Not only did Frankenheimer shoot the Steelers-Cowboys game, he shot the entire Miami-Baltimore game Nov. 23 as insurance In the event the Super Bow turned up rainy.

Frankenheimer, whose credits include "French Connection II," "Grand Prix," "The Train" and "The Manchurian Candidate," used long lenses to film his hero, Robert Shaw, running through the crowded stadium to the field. The blimp Is seen almost plunging into the huge bowl. The footage is spectacular. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the doggedly persistent reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward By Stanley Eichelbaum When a film succeeds as well as "All the President's Men," which opens today at the Northpoint, it's hard to know where to begin praising It. Logically, the first one to congratulate is Robert Redford, the uncredited executive producer, who originated the idea of putting Watergate on the screen in a dramatic condensation of the best seller by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporters hose exposure of the pervasive corruption won them a Pulitzer Prize.

Redford's project ran enormous risks, the most obvious stemming from everyone's over-familiarity with the subject and the poor box-office record of political films, including Redford's "The Candidate." Whether or not audiences will respond to this smashing, painstakingly accurate and brilliantly realized film is now the big question. People should enjoy it, since it has the knockout force of an American without the heavy doses of manipulative melodrama. It's eminently entertaining, providing much the same fascination and wry humor as "The Front Page," a romantic treatment of the same aspects of competitive, relentlessly aggressive journalism. The film's brilliance largely emanates from the lean, astringent, compellingly realistic, quasi-documentary style brought to it by director Alan J. Pakula "The Parallax View," etc.) and screenwriter William Goldman.

Like the book, the film has the hypnotic impact of a detective thriller in its sharp, subtle retelling of the involved story of the Watergate break-in and Woodward and Bernstein's role in unraveling the cover-up. Goldman's strong script covers the period from June, 1972, when the two reporters were assigned to investigate the break-in, to the following January, when Nixon was inaugurated in a veil of accusations by the Washington Post that the Watergate dirty work was a national scandal, involving Attorney-General John Mitchell and even White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman. The facts are, of course, well known but the doggedly persistent, frustrating, often tedious drudgery of investigative reporting by the Post staffers is what the film depicts with spellbinding and awesome effect. Their grueling, tenacious pursuit of the big story is made astonishingly real, including their fear (perhaps best appreciated by another newspaperman) that they'd be beaten by, say, the New York Times or CBS.

Redford superbly plays the low-keyed Woodward half of the gritty team that came to be known as "Woodstein." And Dustin Hoffman is perfection as the intense, voluble, pushy Bernstein, without whose crassness the pair would not have gotten nearly as far. When, for example, the partners descend on a Post reporter (Penny Fuller) who's been dating a Republican bigwig and Bernstein cajoles her to help with a lead, she hesitatingly remarks, "I don't have your taste for for the Republican re-election committee. As the Watergate drama unfolds to implicate various officials in the ruthless sabotage of the Democratic campaign, marvelous and ironic use is made of television footage of a smug and self-congratulatory Nixon, or an irate Spiro Agnew berating the press, or an elated Gerald Ford announcing Nixons nomination to the Republican convention amid hysterical chanting of "Four more years!" "DELIGHTFUL!" the jugular. The co-stars not only submerge their own personalities in their roles, but are remarkably convincing newspapermen unkempt, shabbily dressed and slovenly in their note-taking to the point of jotting things down on matchbook covers and cocktail napkins. Both portrayals are admirably thorough and, lest anyone doubt it, authentic.

Somebody, however, should have told Redford and director Pakula that Woodward, or any other reporter, would never pick up the phone and ask for an outside line to make a long-distance call to Minnesota. Newspapers keep very close tabs on such things. -San Frtneltce Chronicle II I I The film ends with a TV shot of the inauguration, which Bernstein and Woodward turn away from as they continue to type out stories. Following this is a chilling coda showing staccato teleprinter read-outs of ensuing events culminating in the resignation of all the President's men and, finally, of Nixon himself. It's a stunning achievement, so well crafted and acted that it could be the best film of the year.

Little Fox Theatre 533 Pacific Avenue Ml "UNQUESTIONABLY THE FUNNIEST LIVE SHOW IN TOWN Jottn I Wassernwn I have no other quarrel with the fastidiously recreated atmosphere which Gordon Willis photographed ith arresting results in Washington locations and in an astonishing studio replica of the Post's gleainingly modern city room. The realism is only compromised by a cloak-and-dagger, jarringly unreal depiction of Woodward's meetings with the still-unidentified, top-level informer, "Deep Throat" (Hal Holbrook), who appears in bluish shadows to offer cryptic dues about the Republican slush fund and other covert facets of the case. The large cast is uniformly flawless, and Pakula exercises his customary skill with character details to elicit particularly fine performances from Jason Robards, as the Post's tough, cautious executive editor; Jack Warden and Martin Balsam as senior editors; and Jane Alexander as a guilt-ridden, talkative bookkeeper Fixing up an Old House? Visit Hom Restoration THNir.HT AT R-lfl 'A ctmwcie J8 SATURDAY 8:00 10:30 m. Olrmir sprwd nightly from 6:00 TICKETS: BOX OrriCh, MACY S. BASS ALL AGENCIhS $6.50 Stuihnt Stnior Citms Discount $tudnt Rufiti RESERVATIONS 982-2343 GROUP RATES Music and dance show Deborah Simon will present a show featuring 982-4763 vat aA wfc t-t w''VKW.

wraavt.a.H "Evolution of the Dances" with Deliverance, the Robotroid Dancers and the Raven Show Band, emceed by KD1A radio personality Jay Sweet, Saturday at 8 p.m. at California Hall, 625 Polk St. Remodeling Show April 8 thru 11 Thursday Friday: 4-10 pm Saturday Sunday: 11 am -9pm The Showplace! 2 Kansas St. (at 8th Townsend) Every answer to your remodeling problems Save 75C: Bring this Ad General Admission Price $2.50 Children under 12 Free FREE: Continuous Seminars on Planning Design, and Do-it-yourself Projects (in person) 1 mmrC m'-! STREET MUSIC upbeat vision the effect is Joyfulness and satlsfac- "0n" Palo Alto Times "Irish Soul A leprechaun's touch San Jose Merc. "Unique presentation A success San Carlos Ertqmr "Something for everyone Free Children Cartoon Hayrnid Doty Review Friday I Saturday 1:00 I 10 30 15.00 Sam's Sttak Houss a Salmagundi Thaatar 321-6175 Palo Alio, Bayahors at Unlvarstty East Tlckats: At BASS, Dial T-E-L-E-T-l-X.

Macy'a. Emporium. Capwail'a i fjs--vm our Vk rta. SEASON TICKET BOX OFFICE NOW OPEN! AT THI CURRAN THE SAN THEATRE i 4 i wm m. tv FRANCISCO rm 17 a 4 mmmmmmmm I Pacific Performing Am and Mel Howard present The Japan Folklonc Arts Eniemble mm odori 0 FESTIVAL OF japan 4 NEW MUSICALS! 'Each for 7 Weeks Opening Tuesday, May 1 1 BROADWAY'S HIT OF THE DECADE! smifiMst a chorus Line The original New York Cast comes to California tor this Created by Michael Bennett Produced by Joseph Papp, New York Shakespeare Festival.

"LdiBtHlDl IS rtf'l WVUIltl Il'ti Visit tljl VtMytjijit III Hit1 tlOtlsK ho id Ttns is an absolutely ijehijdtlul hour Ilul vuh vV'H want to recommend Ut youf friends, ust as I am doing lo yim'" Shmp 2nd Year "Under the Stars" Inside MORRISON PLANETARIUM FRt 7 30 5 10 30 -SAT 4 45 7 30 9 10 30-SUN 4 45 7 30 9 Advance tickets at BASS outlets. Dial T-E-L-E-T-l-X DEVIL DANCES I TEMPLE DANCES DRAGON DANCES RITUAL COMBAT Opening Tuesday, June 29 WORLD PREMIERE ENGAGEMENT with the llrst American stage appearance ol the internationally renowned Singing-Actor mmmmm 40 SENSATIONAL DANCERS. SINuERS AND MUSICIANS Oakland Paramount Theatre Thursday, April 15 at 8:30 PM Japan Center Theatre, 1881 Post, SF April 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at 8:00 PM Flint Center in Cupertino Friday, April 23 at 8:30 PM Tickets available al all Tickelmrl Outlets. Macys. Oakland Paramotxit Theatre Flint Center Box Ottce Emporium and Capwetts stores, and all leading ticket agencies.

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KEYSTONE ORNER 750 VALLEJO 781-0697 based on the French Wm classic "La Femme du Boulanger" David Merrick's new production lor New York's 1976-77 Season APR. 10. 9 P.M. Hilton Inn, SF Airport Top Area Band All Ages $2 Admission SINGLE SCENE AMERICA 13495 Bancroft 111. San laandro 483-6517 info Opening Tuesday, September 14 WINNER OF 7 OUT OF 10 TONY AWARDS Including BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL EXPLORAMA'S (ft fit FU Xoregos FCIUVE NEW FEATURE LENGTH COtOR IHAVEL AOVENtUDE FILM OOCUMENtaml THEUIIZ Tne new musical version of "The Wonderful Wizard ol Oz" ICO, 23 Performing aaaaVjLal Oifmn- nr TENrSTARS THE HSDSnO PLAGE Stanmg JULIE HARRIS EILEEN HECKART ARTHUR O'COMMEU liilioducmg JEANNETTE CLIFT A World Wide Pictures release Sure iipuv bv ALLAN SLOMfEand LAWRLNCC HOLBbN Chartas Waldman's A Duplicate Production presented by Ken Harper in association with 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.

with stars Irom the New York Company. Opening Tuesday, November 2 EASTER ORATORIO Oscar THE BIRTHDAY OF WildS'S TuriMEAMTA APRIL 10. 1116,17,18 23. 24. 29 Produead Narrated IN PERSON by ERIC PAVEL SERRAMONTE SIX 2 Roberta Flack Special Guest Star Herbie Hancock FESTIVAL CINEMA CENTER SIX 1 1990 Hesperian Blvd.

NEW YORK'S MOST ELEGANT 1 NEW MUSICALI The Harold Prince-Stephen Sondheim creation PACIFIC OVERTURES Especially lor the Civic Light Open Season, 4915 Junipero Serra All Parformancal at 8 30 PM ATTIC Thaatrs, 70 Union Straal (at Battery) San Francisco TICKETS 16.00 at door. Macy'a BASS outlats (Dial TEL-ETIX) or Ws-2775 lor marvatlona A Mo Colma Blvd. Hayward I Sludant A Sr. Cltizsn Oiacounta. Vkdavs64'SD9 30 SM CSun I 15 4110 41ti9 Rally I 4-dfl 456O30 the producer inaugurates his National Company 8:15 p.m.

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