The Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, December 6, 1985 Page: 4 of 8
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Features
The Rattler
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Dudley Moore tries out the Patchmobile in “Santa Claus: The Movie.”
chine.
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One of the best ethnic restaurants in town
Closed on Sundays
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St. Mary’s Univ. (BME, 1963)
ARE YOU A COLLEGE SENIOR
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A great way of life.
magnificence of the Kirov com-
pany, it is limited by the Soviet
Ministry of Culture as to what
it may perform. This excludes
the works of such Western
composers and choreographers
as Ballanchine, who are con-
sidered anti-social or decadent.
White Nights is not the
average 65-day take feature
film. It took longer. It cost in
the teen millions to make, and
it involved a "‘one-chance-to-
COPY SHOP
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SITAAR RESTAURANT
“The Only Place”
pb
*
thought would hit “too close to
home,” the effects, and even
the music. As in all of Taylor
Hackford’s films, music played
a big role.
Rodchenko uses it to goad
or distract Greenwood, and as
a vital part of his escape at-
tempt. It is also how we get
what Gregory Hines named
‘Tap Improvography’. That’s
right, his entire first scene at
the studio was mostly im-
provised, nothing more than
talent.
White Nights opens in San
Antonio tonight at the Nor-
thwest Ten theaters. I recom-
mend that you see it. Without
giving away the storyline, here
are few more things you might
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December 6, 1985 -400,
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want to take notice of:
Baryshnikov’s series of
pirouettes, they were shot into
a mirror so that you get the
whole 360 degree effect; the
rubles —they’re real; the
stunts—performed by the stars
themselves; the street scenes in
Leningrad — where’s
Baryshnikov?; the footage of
the young Rodchenko dancing
at the Kirov—it’s the real stuff
of the real Baryshnikov. And
those are just a few.
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Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines mix dance styles in “White
Nights.”
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Claus
The idea goes back for
generations all over the world.
It began with a feeling, a
touch, a giggle, and a twinkle
that every child knows to exist
in only one set of eyes-those of
Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Jule
Nissen, St. Nicholas, Father
Christmas.
But for producer Ilya
Salkind, the idea began ten
years ago: the idea to make
“Santa Claus: The Movie.”
Joining with his father, Alex-
ander Salkind, and colleague
Pierre Spengler, Ilya saw his
idea come to life.
“What appeals to me
about ‘Santa Claus: The
Movie’ is the universality of
the subject,’’ says Spengler.
“It touches everyone.
Children, obviously-but even
the most sophisticated adults
react to this story. This film
brings back childhood in-
nocence.”
Spengler and the Salkinds
know about child’s play.
Besides producing “The Three
Muskateers” and “The Four
Muskateers,” they are also
responsible for the three
“Superman” movies. In mak-
ing “Claus,” they joined up
again with the writer of those
three, David Newman, and the
same director of visut 1 and
miniature effects, Derek Med-
dings.
“We thought ‘Superman’
was difficult-making a man
fly. We didn’t realized how
easy that was ’til we tried to
tackle reindeer,” said Med-
dings.
Twenty of the antler-
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LUNCH
Mon - Fi.
11:30- 2 p.m
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Despite the
• Holiday Movies:
BY ELLEN KISSLING
FEATURES EDITOR
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Nights
Eyes strain and squint as
hands try to shield them from
the penetrating sun. It is
unbearable, but it is expected.
After all, it is 4 a.m. and this is
a white night.
He throws his body onto
tables, across buildings, never
flinching never missing. His
moves seem to break the laws
of physics; they are awesome.
But after all, he is
Baryshnikov.
Scenes such as these and
more are found in Columbia
Pictures’ new release, White
Nights, starring Mikhail
Baryushnikov and Gregory
Hines. It is a movie for
everyone; it is not another
dance film. It is a film about
dancers, and there is a dif-
ference.
Mikhail Baryshnikov (Tur-
ning Point) stars as the Rus-
sian ballet dancer and defector,
Kolya Rodchenko. Unex-
pectedly, he finds himself drop-
ped back into his native coun-
try when his plane crash-lands
in Siberia.
Rodchenko is unable to
hide his identity from the
KGB, and they attempt to
make him an example of the
repentant, returning defector.
Placed under the supervision of
another dancer, American ex-
patriate Raymond Greenwood,
(Gregory Hines, Cotton Club)
and Greenwood’s Russian wife,
Darya (Isabella Rossellini),
Rodchenko is forced to prepare
himself for an opening dance
gala at the Kirov.
Their rehearsals plus two
brief performance numbers at
the beginning are the only dan-
cing we get to see, and ,
although exhilarating, those
hoping for more dancing will be
disappointed. But then, this is
not a dance film.
It did, however, begin as
one. Director/producer Taylor
Hackford who first conceived
the idea of bringing the two
dancers together, remembered
a news item about two Soviet
defectors who found
themselves in similar situa-
tions. Both defectors went
undetected. however.
Hackford sent screenwriter
James Goldman to research
what would happen to a defec-
tor who wasn’t so lucky.
Goldman discovered that
defection from the Soviet
Union is considered criminal;
defectors are tried in abstentia
and sentenced to prison terms
if they return.
He also found that after
the Viet Nam war, ot the ap-
proximate 90,000 G.I.s who
deserted, most were black, and
according to the Pentagon, at
least two percent fled to
foreign lands.
Because the Soviet Union
was North Vietnam’s most im-
portant ally during the war, it
is possible that a black ex-
patriate would elect to go
there. After being exploited by
the media, he would, on all
likelihood, encounter racial pre-
judice. This was the basis for
Hines’ character.
Despite the political
nature of the film’s
background, the intent of
White Nights was not political.
“To me, the film is about
artistic freedom,” commented
Eric Hughes, associate screen-
writer.
As Rodchenko states it, in
America he can dance Ballan-
nodding, sleigh-pulling
creatures were hand-picked
from the 35° below zero Arctic
Circle in Norway; enough for
two teams and four extras.
Director Jeannot Szwarc
called the movie, “the chance
to touch the child in every
human being.” According to
Ilya Salkind, it worked both
ways. “When we see those
reindeer, we all become six
years old again.”
One of the cast members so
touched was Dudley Moore,
the star for whom the part of
Patch, the perky elf, was
created.
“It’s quite a difficult
character, because one doesn’t
have experience of elves,” says
Moore. “On the other hand,
it’s very nice, because it’s got
childlike elements of innocence
and eagerness which are very
attractive to play.”
Most of the other 250
“elves,’’ all standing between
four foot eight and five foot
three, were found through
newspaper advertisements.
Moore remarked, “I have never
experienced anything like it in
my life-250 grown men, my
height-all on the set at one
time-it was a remarkable
sight!”
Though the part of Patch
was created especially for
Moore, and Burgess Meredith
was a shoe-in for the role of the
Ancient Elf, the producers an-
ticipated difficulty in finding
an actor to play Santa. As
director Szwarc explains it,
“He’s got to be a myth.”
Actor David Huddleston
became that myth. After his
first screen test, Szwarc knew
“he was it,” but he still had to
clear him with the producers.
The next morning, Szwarc
remembers, David came on the
screen before everyone. “He
just turned and smiled and
said, ‘Hi, I’m Santa Claus.’
And that was it. I never tested
anybody else after that.”
Besides Dudley Moore,
Burgess Meredith, and David
Huddleston, “Santa Claus:
The Movie” also stars John
Lithgow, Judy Cornwell, Jef-
frey Kramer, and twelve-year-
olds Christian Fitzpatrick and
Carrie Kei Heim. It’s playing
at the Northwest, Galaxy,
Westlakes, and Century South
theaters, and promises to be
the delight of the Christmas
season.
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get-it-right” plane crash, as
well as locating a setting
somewhere outside of Russia
that appeared to be straight
from the heart of it.
According to Gilmore, the
solutions were easy. “You
always spend too much money,
no mater what. Besides, it’s
Coca-Cola’s money.” The
plane crash they got right;
Finlands white nights doubled
superbly for Siberia’s; a Por-
tugese theater worked well for
the Kirov, and studios in Spain
did well for almost everything
else. But don’t be fooled.
There is some actual footage
from the Soviet Union,
although Baryshnikov is not a
part of them.
Gilmore wanted the film to
be as real as possible. This
meant that each cast member,
except Baryshnikov, took a
week-long visit to Russia. For
Gilmore himself, it meant
almost living there for two
years.
Gilmore, who also worked
with Hackford on An Officer
and a Gentleman, and Against'
All Odds, praised Baryshnikov
highly. “He has great
discipline—the most disciplin-
ed person I’ve ever worked
with—Debra Winger decides
she wants to cry this morning,
not shoot.”
A lot of discipline went in-
to this film from all angles, the
melding of two vastly different
dance forms, the portrayal of
characters that producers first
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St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.). The Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, December 6, 1985, newspaper, December 6, 1985; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1523026/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting St. Mary's University Louis J. Blume Library.