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^"^r
II Buf One Edmonton John Wright's Visitor' Has First
lun Rated Excellenl iir^.^^iir.^ •
EDMONTON-^niy one film failed to
Unreeling iH
i/ xl ^
Voncouver Theatre
into the "excellenf' status in Edmonlineup.
"Magnum Force." which is in
\ANCOU\LK - C.ui.idi.in lihnni.il^cr Nea^.n. Alicr thai, he expects to start his
week at the Paramount, received J^^" Wrights first feature motion picture, next feature, again in Alberta That accordvery
good" rating while all others, "'he Visitor,"
in- was world-premiered Friday ing to Wright, is a movie that is 'so comig
Tango m Paris' Top Newcomer
'^'" 8° «" "ia*^'ng movies. 'I want to make turned him down, he borrowed money from
Cfctlgary First-Run Features \',s any way I can make them,' he said, a bank and not $31,000 from a private
^CALGARY — "Last Tango in Paris" ^ " ^''^'^ '^arve them on wood if neces- source. That was enough to shoot the movie
into the Calgary first runs with an ^^^V' and get it into the can. Michael Spencer
-^ ""^^ rad'o actor, with a B.A. of the CFDC 'kept being encouraging with-
^''''8^
>t Tango in Paris" '''''"i
was the only new
'he University of British Columbia out being able to give any encouragement
in the "excellent" bracket. Still go-
^"'' ^ master of fine arts degree from Stan- is how Wrieht put it.
strong were "The Way We
University,
Were" Wright at used to be
'^'i"'''
artistic Eventually, the CFDC kicked throueh
Odeon, "American Graffiti" at the
''"'ec'or of the Playhouse Theatre Com- with $2,CJ00 and later, after seeing a rough
le Cinema, "The Sting" at the Uptown P^"^ ^ ^'^S^ ~- "« ^as directing at the cut of the film. Spencer okayed another
/heatre at the Gallery in Saskatoon about $48,000 for Wright to finish the 16mm low-
^ "Serpico" at the Calgary Place II.
new films were "Siddhartha," "Jesus
Superstar" and "Busting."
"''. >'^"" ^^o when he realized he was budget feature. All told the movie cost
'"o^'"? 'o^ard film directing. 'You could $97,000. with the actors buying shares in
'he Stage, he said.
'pioce,rseroic„;p V,H
^^;^ «-^
A, ^ struggling filmmaker in .
Canada,
k-5u%,l/rBTFD^Yn°^w'^'"'^.v/;;'iilr^
Script Rejected
^"S*^' ^^^'^^ ^' '^ "^^ "'^ '° 8« hack to
on'AbLdiA.trnirsth-. ?'°5 ..r ^ , '*'=*'°'''
''' '^'"''^ '^°''e directing (he's 36),
Day of the'^iphi;, '*" *^ '^"^
'
^ater. at Calgary University, where he although he believes there should be a center
-kewo^'^we Were (Col) .6tiiwk-Exceiiem
uperdod (BVFD), 2nd wk Fa"?
""^^ 'eaching acting, he started shooting in Canada where filmmakers could train.
scenes in a studio and then, committed to The CFDC. he feels, hasn't created an
'''"'"^''^'"g-
-Americon Graffiti (Univ),
^^""'". .'"".'.'^.^.''
Very Good
he took a practice run at fea- industry and, if money is to be injected into
'ures With a documentary on convicted the film of country, must life this it be in
1—The sting (Un,v)/9thwk. ...;.Ixcli'iem
'""'"dercrs. With teaching behind him, production. 'We need money so we can
'^'" '"^''
l-Bia?kTeii"jo°„« ^" °'^" ^''^ '^ompanv. Sent compete with the slick,
(w'^B) 2nd slick'
wk"'^'!:'.";
stuff coming
— ^ script along to the Canadian Film De- into our theatres from the U.S. and we must
velopment
ig Grossers Corp.
in Vancouver
and was rejected. be able to sell our films so we can survive,'
The aged; Business Spotty
"^^ wasn't his script. first writing of Wright thinks.
^'''Sh' himself was the story and screen- "He has survived many jobs before filmno
^^^
houses reported bad
albusiness
^ "^ *°'' Visitor,' which is about a making. He used to drive a cab here but
ere excellent while others were bare-
?^''""^ student who suddenly finds herself quit after an expectant mother had her baby
.'^'"?. ^^^^ '" 'he past and not know- in his arms her to
while he was carrying The big grossers were
'€ average. .
iged. The five films
'"^
wifh "excellent"
"^ ^^^^ ""^ '^ ^^^ '^ dreaming. 'I the taxi. He collected
I^
unemployment inwere
"The Sting." ".Serpico" "Pa- ?,'; i,°"' ^'"'' '^'"'^ ' ^'"'^ writing.' broom.
bright
"The 'and I had definite actors in a truck with six Exorcist" and "American
girls selling
^''"^ explained,
surance. He chased ostriches with a
He toured
in mind
a set himself but
all the time except for two parts.' encyclopedias: bought
VANCOUVER—Business was spotty,
isting (UA), 2nd wk Averoge "O"^ °^ 'hose parts is played by Van- could never bring himself to getting pros-
'^^t;^r« "L''4)'.''3rh''vli''*'- •fxlllienJ
'^°"''^'' '"'""' P'^ Shandel. in the title role pective customers to sign on the doited
"^^w ^ '^^'' ^"^ *'"
w "w"*
^°°'^ °^ "^^^ Visitor.' Others in the film include Ime. And he even was a plumber's assistant
..''^
.V"^''.^°."'
Very Good
'^""' "ylands, a Vancouverite now doing carrying a lot of bathtubs. They're really
c''SClstaMu:iv,-36thwk'''"GoTd
"'°'' his
^
acting in the U.S. and Calgary heavy.' he remembers,
Excellent
e Exorcist (WB), loth wk '""^'or ^''"-' Peterson. "Much heavier than shooting scripts and
'lasro^t'^iiT^o'iri^'d li"'. :*.^.
.'':^.1i'oT'"ig «"' '^d flying back.' said Wright. Van Adult Motion Picture Film Club
''"d 'wo children to Vancouver. He will be bership fee would be eligible to enter the
rr^r n
°' ?"'""'! directing two episodes of CBC-TV's 'The establishment. Members
(Continued 'Jh'"'*'
would
on
pay
next page)
"dues"
Beachcombers' in June and July for next everytime they attended the club
ICE :: March 25, 1974
K-1