P547ORACLE 547 Mon10 Feb C4 1711:12  1/4     by Alan Frank THE QUIET EARTH (15) Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge Scientist Lawrence, Routledge and Maori Peter Smith are the sole survivors when a defence experiment beckfires, killing the rest of mankind. It's an old theme, here given an interesting treatment by director Geoff Murphy in a fascinating science fiction drama from New Zealand. More a film of ideas and character than one of special effects, it held me most of the time (apart from a slow central portion) and the opening, when Lawrence finds himself alone and the climax are tense and absorbing. Well worth seeing. more follows BSVs Index - 540 Gig Guide - 548

P547ORACLE 547 Mon10 Feb C4 1711:16  2/4     by Alan Frank DANGEROUS MOVES (PG) Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt. No blood, bullets or overt violence as ageing, ailing Russian champion Piccgli and brash Soviet defector Arbatt battle over the chess board in Geneva for the world title. But I guarantee that you will find their tense encounter just as gripping as any conventional thriller. The compelling mixture of dirty tricks, personal conflict and political point- scoring makes excellent entertainment. Beautifully acted by the two leads, well written and directed by Richard Dembo, it won the Foreign Film Oscar. more follows > BSVs Index - 540 Gig Guide - 548

P547ORACLE 547 Mon10 Feb C4 1703:53 G     by Alan Frank THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (PG) Meredith Salenger, John Cusack Salenger is a 15-year-old making an epic 2,000 mile trek across America during the 30s Depression in search of her father and, since this is a Disney film, befriends a wolf which protects her from various unpleasant encounters. Salenger is fine, conveying feistiness and vulnerability with refreshing lack of sentimentality, and giving the film an enjoyable tough centre. Cusack, too, is good, there's an excellent sense of period and, if rather too long, it is still first-rate family entertainment. more follows > BSVs Index - 540 Gig Guide - 548

P547ORACLE 547 Mon10 Feb C4 1702:31  4/4     by Alan Frank MARLENE (PG) Directed by Maximilian Schell Dietrich refused to be filmed and gave Schell a sound-only interview which he uses as a mordant and often hilarious commentary for his collage of newsreel footage, stills and feature film clips. Recorded in 1982, Dietrich displayed a healthy iconoclastic and frequently tetchy view of her films and life. Her 'Blue Angel' co-star Emil Jannings is called a ham, Fritz Lang is attacked, as is Von Sternberg. A real treat for film buffs and splendid entertainment, well aimed at a much wider audience. more follows BSVs Index - 540 Gig Guide - 548