‘2l Hours’ a dull affair

Press, 28 November 1977, Page 13

‘2l Hours’ a dull affair

The advertisements describe “21 Hours at Munich” (Carlton, GY) as "the ultimate suspense thriller of our time,” but as some of the characters point out nothing could be further from the truth. The whole world watched the drama of the Israeli hostages during the; Munich Olympics and any-| one likely to see the film would know they died. How and why they died has perhaps faded from the collective memory but this dramatic re-creation, filmed at the Olympic village, j answers few questions. The , political aspects are glossed over as the director, William A. Graham, concentrates on milking the last ounce of , pathos out of the plight of , the Israeli athletes. Some of the world figures involved, such as Willy Brandt and Golda Meir, are 1 played woodenly by look- ■

AT THE CINEMA

by

Russel Jones

I alikes, while Franco Nero I struggles to bring a bit of humanity to the terrorist leader. One of the few bright spots in a generally dull film is a gritty performance by William Holden, as the police chief who directed the action. Presumably the German authorities gave their blessings to the making of this film but it reflects little credit on them or anyone The only things the Munich film and “The Domino Principle” (Regent, Rl6) have in common are helicopters. Stanley Kramer, who

produced and directed it, maintains a good level of tension throughout and gets a good performance from Gene Hackman as a prisoner persuaded to leave jail to perform an unknown task.

And in this film it is suspense all the way. Neither Hackman nor the audience know precisely what he is doing until . . . but that would be giving the game away. Candice Bergen, Richard Widmark and Mickey Rooney add talent to a film with good dialogue and some startling action shots. For some, “The Devil’s Playground” (Savoy One, Rl3) will reinforce a lot of prejudices against Roman Catholicism while others will be moved by the plight of young boys beginning

their training for a religious life. Fred Schepisi, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film, deals realistically with the sequestered life of brothers and their charges. Using excellent colour photography he evokes the atmosphere of the school; and with sharp dialogue he brings the Australia of 1953 back to life. The quality of the acting is variable and the pace of the film is fairly slow, but enough happens to keep a very mixed' Saturday evening audience entertained. “The Devil’s Playground” is a film worth seeing in its own right, but considering it as an Australian production gives one great hope for that country’s film industry.