Reversal of Fortune ***
(Wanner Bros.) Rated Mature (at
the Park Royal, Dunbar and Sta-
tion Square cinemas)

OU CAN never be too
rich or too thin.

Although her first mar-
riage left Sunny von Bulow (Glenn
Close} wrapped in wealth, her
weight was a constant battle be-
tween sweets and diet aids. The
war is over now, however. Around
Christmas of 1980, she sank into
an irreversible coma and remains
a welltended vegetable.

But did she slip into this coma or
was she pushed?

Her philandering husband,
Claus von Bulow (Jeremy trons)
was arrested for attempted murder
and convicted of injecting his wife
with insulin, Claus shrewdly hired
Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver), the
Lawyer of The Last Resort, to ap-
peal his case.

Fuelled by a passion for justice.
Alan noticed several flaws in the
evidence and began to methodi-
cally take the prasecution’s case
apart one point at a time.

The case was a snap compared
to his client.

Von Bulow proclaimed his in-
nocence, but revelled in his
notoriety. When he cracked jokes
like “What do you call the fear of
insulin? Claus-tophobia,”’ it’s no
wonder the press painted him as
evil incarnate. Perhaps Claus

film review

believed there is no such thing as
bad publicity.

After all, he wasn’t concerned
with reversing his image, just the
conviction.

Jeremy Irons plays the role like
Boris Karloff, soft-spoken phrases
delivered in a cultured British ac-
cent, but hinting at dire deeds.
This veiled demeanor frustrates
some, like Dershowitz, but also is
undeniably seductive.

As the emotional lawyer from
Brooklyn, Silver makes a perfect
contrast. His energy and openness
electrify their scenes together.
Despite their differences, howev-
er, they share the same theatrical
nature and little compassion for
the women in their fives.

In a novel twist, it is Sunny who
narrates the events. Having a
disembodied spirit take us on a
guided tour gives her character
added scope (peaceful as opposed
to drug-addled and shrewish), but
in the end, she leaves the inter-
pretations up to us. Did she slip,
or was she pushed?

Braindead women tell no tales.

The Crimson Pirate ***
(Warner Home Video) Unrated

Burt Lancaster played dozers o}
bouncy adventure roles in the ear-
ly ‘50s and this is one of his best.

Burt and his childhood friend
and fellow acrobat Nick Cravat
take to the high seas in a rousing,
far-fetched swashbuckler that
mixes comedy and adventure. This
buccaneer is a gymnastic rogue
who charms and outwits his ad-
versaries, including perennial
haddie Christopher Lee.

Don’t forget the pirate’s credo:
‘Believe only whal you see. No,
believe only half of what you see.”
This is the movie playing on TV in
Reversal of Fortune when von
Bulow tells his stepchildren the
family is breaking up.

Hmmm ... draw you own con-
clusions.

Dl
NORTH SHORE VIEWS

West Van Odeon: Henry & June,
Sibling Rivalry, White Palace, The
Tall Guy

Park Royal: Reversal of Fortune,
Ghost, Rocky V, Rescuers Down
Under

Park & Tilford: Child's Play 2,
White Palace, Waiting for the
Light, The Witches, Sibling Rivalry,
Home Alone, Moon 44

Showtime Hotlines: Famous
Players 681-4255, Cineplex Odeun
687-1515

Wednesday, November 21 . 1990 - North Shore News - 47

Sisters perform in Xmas Carol

CHRISTMAS WOULDN'T be
complete without Scrooge and
Tiny Tin. This weekend two North
Vancouver students are helping
celebrate the season carly as they
prepare to star in Mavor Moore's
magicul version of Dickens’
classic. A Christmas Carol.

Grade 7 and 9 students, sisters
Aidan and Kerry Pendleton will
appear as the famed Crachit sisters
in the Carouse! Theatre produc-
tion, which opens at the Water-

front Theatre on Grarwille Island
Nov 24.

The Pendleton sisters have for
years been active on the stage,
appearing in) The Vancouver
Opera Association s 1990 produc-
tion of Werther,

Two years ago they starred in
The Cunning Little Vixen. Both
sing with the Bach Children’s
Chorus, and Carrie is also a
member of the Vancouver Youth
Theatre,

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