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The Citizen, 1995-05-31, Page 22Timothy Findley vissebtoMy By John Schedler Legends of the Fall "1/2 (Columbia/Tristar) is certainly spectacular in scope with its stunning western scenery hinting at an equally epic human story. Anthony Hopkins plays a disillusioned U.S. Cavalry officer, who retires to a ranch in the foothills of the Montana Rockies where he raises his three sons played by Aidan Quinn, Henry Thomas and Brad Pitt. All is well until the youngest returns from the east with his fiancé (Julia Ormand), a sensual young woman who stirs a passion and rivalry among the brothers that will change their lives forever. Unfortunately, after a fine start the film turns into a long winded and contrived bore. (Rated R) What sparked my interest in Ghost Brigade "1/2 (Turner) was director George Hickenlooper whose superb documentary Hearts of Darkness about the making of Apocalypse Now wowed movie audiences a couple of years ago. Needless to say Ghost Brigade falls well short of his previous work but, this Civil War story about soldiers returning from the dead to do battle does have its moments. (Rated R) If you've been wondering how they did all those great special effects in Jurassic Park then The Making of Jurassic Park *** (MCA/Universal - $12.95) is for you. This account covers the various production stages of the highest grossing movie of all time from early pre-production, to shooting, to state of the art post production: I found this documentary to be highly entertaining and informative. On April 14, 1912, shortly before midnight, the "unsinkable" Titanic struck an iceberg. In less than three hours, it had plunged to the bottom of the ocean, taking with it 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers. Over the ensuing years this tragedy continues to fascinate people with numerous books, television shows and feature films speculating on what actually caused this mighty symbol of early 20th century technology to go to the bottom of the sea on her maiden voyage. Interest heightened even further when the remains of the Titanic were found in 1985 by an expedition led by Dr. Robert Ballard and later explorations by French fortune hunters and a joint Russian and Canadian dive which resulted in valuable information being discovered as well as the production of a giant screen IMAX movie. But, before 1985 the most accurate information on the Titanic disaster came from Walter Lord's book A Night ts) Remember and the subsequent spectacular British film version starring Kenneth More which made a lasting impression on me when it was released in 1958. Now the Criterion laserdisc collection gives A Night to Remember **** (Voyager - $124.95) deluxe treatment. In addition to a new digital letterbox transfer this disc features an informative secondary audio commentary by Don Lynch, author, and Ken Marshall, illustrator, of Titanic: An Illustrated History as well as a 60 minute documentary, The Making of a Night to Remember featuring producer William MacQuitty's rare behind the scenes footage. A videocassette version minus all the extras is available from Paramount Home Video. You might also like to check out Titanic an A & E documentary as well as Titanica produced by IMAX, both of which can be had on laserdisc from Lumivision. • video FA.X. IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY J.R.'S GAS BAR & TAKE OUT LTD. BRUSSELS 887-6951 NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK Legends of the Fall, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Richie Rich, Speechless, The Professional, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The War, Terminal Velocity, Puppet Masters, Forrest Gump, Double Dragon, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption, Silent Fall CHILDREN'S MOVIES 996 REGULAR MOVIES $1.49 NEW RELEASES $2.49 Enjoying the sunshine While the students of Grey Central Public School participated in track and field events last Friday, Melanie Lefor, left, Vesna Milinkovic and Ashley Halley, hidden, fill some spare time with a game of tetherball. PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1995. Book review Findley novel reflects upheaval of an era By Jerry McDonnell Findley, Timothy The Piano Man's Daughter. Harpercollins, Toronto. c1995. ISBN 0-00- 224379-2. Timothy Findley writes many- dimensioned, multi-layered novels and this one is no exception. At the same time, the stories are easily accessible and lead the reader on from one incident to another. This novel covers the time period from the 1860s to 1939 and reflects the upheaval of that era. Societal relations, morals and manners all changed a great deal but it was still different from the late 20th century in many ways. The piano man gives a small- town demonstration of his company's merchandise and has a one-night affair in a field with Edith Kilworth, the daughter of a local family. Before he 'knows that Edith is pregnant he is killed in a traffic accident and we are introduced to the problem of absent parents. Lily is born in the field where she was conceived and inherits the family tendency to epilepsy. These two causes mean that she will always be an outsider. Society, which is the family, finds her an embarrassment and she suffers from the absence of parents to the extent that she is unbalanced. Fire becomes the method she uses to communicate and her son becomes her guardian from an early age. Fire sends forth a siren call to Lily and it is enticing, but it is one of the things she must escape. Absence, in fact, is one of the main themes of the story. James Kilworth, Edith's father, is absent although always present. Edith' leaves when she marries and Lily is cast aside by the new husband. Lily drifts in and out of another kind of absence from her son and Charlie is forced to be the parent. All of these family relationships are askew and can never be righted. Some are more acceptable to society than others but all are problematic. Complications come in the form of aging parents, incarceration and failure to communicate in ways that other people can understand. Lily's brother, Liam cannot connect with the rest of the world, her stepfather, Frederick, is a tyrant whose only concern is climbing in society and Edith's father-in-law is a misan- thrope, Relationships with nature are also under examination. Lily has an obvious connection with the field. This is explored in her obsession with ants and in jumping in the hay with Lizzie Wyatt. To Lily, the ants have a perfectly organized society and when their king is killed by her brother, Lily encases the body and keeps it until her own death. She tells Charlie how ants touch, communicate, taste each other and all work with the same purpose. She let one large black ant climb onto the palm of her hand and showed it to me. "You must never kill an ant," she said. "You must never step on one or pick one up and pinch it. If you pick one up, you must look at him and let him go. These are the wonders of the world, Charlie - all these creatures here..." She laid her hand on the earth - and the ant walked away. For Lily all of nature sings whereas people do not. The communications between people break down and they are left to live in isolation. No one knows how to deal with Lily's mental and physical problems. Her stepfather locks her away when there is company. Her son tries to protect her and is loathe to admit that there is an increasingly serious problem. Even when there are fires he cannot admit the danger. Many people in the story see little difference between epilepsy and mental illness - not surprising considering the time frame. The only people who seem able to cope on a continuing basis are servants and the only people who seem to understand are the walking wounded from World War I. The only real companions Lily has besides her son and her lifelong friend Eleanor are Ada and. Neddy, who are themselves outcasts and misfits. We know that Lily is fascinated with fire. She hears voices emanating from flames and uses fire to send messages. After her half-brother kills the beloved ants, she sets fire to everything in his closet. Her death is by fire in a mental institution and Charlie spends a good deal of his young life hiding matches from his mother. Throughout most of his life Charlie tries to get Lily to tell him the name of his father. She comes close at times but always drifts off and leaves the impression that she does not know for sure. Eventually, however, the mystery is solved for Charlie and the reader from an unexpected corner. What does all of this agony add up to? This is a very good and very moving drama of families which work only on a surface level but which are irrevocably connected by physical, mental and spiritual bonds. One can leave but one can never get away. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder but neither does it ever mean that one can let go. Unlike the ants, families and the society of humans fail to touch, to communicate and to sing. They do not respect personal boundaries and drain the life out of each other. They intrude and harm other people even when they are trying to help and protect. There is precious little warmth. Most family members do not nurture each other but they do appear in emergencies. This novel is excellent. The reader feels sorry for Charlie and Lily but also appreciates their inner strength. These are people who endure - who survive and usually surmount incredible odds. They find support where they can and make the best of everything including the absence of those whom they need. The writing sings. Even when I hated much of what was happening and found it Gothic, I could not stop reading. The plot threads which seem unconnected at first, come inexorably together. the conclusion is satisfying and inevitable. The book is recommended to fans of Timothy Findley and to those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading his work. E The news from thel Icomoted 14 tables at euchre Fourteen tables of euchre were in play at the Ethel Hall Monday evening, hosted by Brenda Boyer, Helen Dobson and Dorothy Dil- worth. Winners were: high lady, Helen Dobson; high man, Adrian Ver- stoep; most lone hands, Roberta Simpson, Harold Metcalfe; hidden number, Margaret Crowe and Bob Bateman; lucky table, Freda D'Arcey, Jim Smith, Isabel Gray, John Subject; tally card, Bill Craig, Jean McNaughton, Keith Tumbull, Iola Subject, Bill Dobson, June Jacklin, Aileen Mann. The next euchre is June 5. Sympathy is extended to Carol and Barry Jacklin and family on the recent loss of Carol's morn Leona Wick of Listowel. • Better results can be achieved by retiring the scale and measuring success by regular activity and healthy eating habits.