Superstars: The Extended Version

Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen


            Tevye (Topol), the philosophical village milkman, explains the customs of the Jewish people and their lives in the Russian shtetl of Anatevka in 1905, where life is as precarious as the perch of a fiddler on a roof ("Tradition"). At Tevye's home, everyone is busy preparing for the Sabbath meal. His sharp-tongued wife, Golde (Norma Crane), orders their five daughters, Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris), Hodel (Michele Marsh), Chava (Neva Small), Shprintze (Elaine Edwards), and Bielke (Candy Bonstein), about their tasks.Yente (Molly Picon), the village matchmaker, arrives with news for Golde. Lazar Wolf (Paul Mann), the wealthy butcher, a widower of Tevye's age, wants to wed Tzeitel, their eldest daughter. Tevye must be persuaded to meet Lazar to arrange the marriage. The two middle daughters, Hodel and Chava, speculate excitedly about what their mother and the matchmaker were talking about, but Tzeitel warns them not be so hasty. They are poor, so their parents will have no choice but to take whatever husband Yente brings ("Matchmaker"). Tzeitel is not eager to have a match found for her, as she is already in love with the tailor, Motel Kamzoil (Leonard Frey), her friend since childhood.Tevye's horse is lame, and he must pull the milk cart himself. He asks God, who it would hurt "If I Were a Rich Man?" The men of the village confront Tevye, as he is late delivering their milk and cheese. Avram (Alfie Scopp), the bookseller, has news from the outside world about pogroms and expulsions. A student from Kiev, Perchik (Paul Michael Glaser), newly arrived in town, hears their conversation and scolds them for doing nothing more than talk. The men dismiss Perchik as a radical, but Tevye takes a liking to him and invites him home for the Sabbath meal, offering him room and board in exchange for tutoring his two youngest daughters. Golde tells Tevye to meet Lazar Wolf after the Sabbath but does not tell him why, knowing that Tevye does not like Lazar. Tzeitel is afraid that Yente will find her a husband before Motel asks Tevye for her hand. But Motel resists: he is shy and afraid of Tevye's temper, and tradition says that a matchmaker arranges marriages. Motel is also very poor and is saving up to buy a sewing machine before he approaches Tevye, to show that he can support a wife. The family gathers around for the "Sabbath Prayer."After the Sabbath, Tevye visits Lazar Wolf. Teyve assumes that Lazar wants to buy his milk cow. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, Tevye agrees to let Lazar marry Tzeitel. With a rich butcher, he knows that his daughter will never go hungry. The two go to Mordcha's inn to seal their agreement with a drink. Many of the villagers are there, including a group of non-Jews. All join in the celebration of Lazar's good fortune; even the Russian youths at the inn join in the celebration and show off their dancing skills ("To Life"). Outside the inn, Tevye bumps into the Russian Constable (Louis Zorich), who has jurisdiction over the Jews in the town. The Constable warns him that there is going to be a "demonstration" in the coming weeks (a euphemism for a minor pogrom). The Constable has sympathy for the Jewish community but is powerless to prevent the violence.The next morning, a hungover Tevye delivers the news to his family that he has agreed that Tzeitel will marry Lazar Wolf. Golde is overjoyed, but Tzeitel is horrified and pleads with Tevye to reconsider. Motel arrives and gathers the courage to tell Tevye that he and Tzeitel gave each other a pledge to marry. Tevye is outraged at this breach of tradition, but Motel argues that even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness. Tevye is impressed when the once-timid young tailor stands up for himself and, moved by his daughter's earnestness, gives his assent ("Tevye's Monologue"); but he worries about how to break the news to Golde. An overjoyed Motel celebrates with Tzeitel ("Miracle of Miracles").That night in bed with Golde, Tevye has an inspiration: he tells Golde that he has had a nightmare ("Tevye's Dream"). She offers to interpret his dream, and Tevye "describes" it. Golde's grandmother Tzeitel (for whom their daughter is named) returned from the grave to bless the marriage of her namesake, but to Motel, not to Lazar Wolf. Lazar's formidable wife, Fruma Sarah, also rises from her grave to warn, in graphic terms, of severe retribution if Tzeitel marries Lazar. Tevye's superstitious wife is terrified, and she quickly agrees that Tzeitel must marry Motel, much to Tevye's secret relief.On the road outside of town, Tevye's middle daughter, the bookish Chava, is teased and intimidated by some Russian youths, but one of them, Fyedka (Ray Lovelock), protects her, dismissing the others. He offers Chava the loan of a book, and a secret relationship begins.The wedding day of Tzeitel and Motel arrives, and all the Jews join the ceremony ("Sunrise, Sunset") and the celebration ("The Wedding Dance"). Lazar gives a fine gift, but an argument arises with Tevye over the broken agreement. Perchik ends the tiff by breaking another tradition: he crosses the barrier between the men and women to dance with Tevye's daughter Hodel. The celebration ends abruptly when a group of Russians rides into the village to perform the "demonstration." They disrupt the party, damaging the wedding gifts and wounding Perchik, who attempts to fight back, and wreaking more destruction in the village. Ever practical, Tevye advises everyone to clean up the mess.Months later, Perchik tells Hodel he must return to Kiev to work for the revolution. He proposes marriage, admitting that he loves her, and says that he will send for her. She agrees ("Now I Have Everything"). They tell Tevye that they are engaged, and he is appalled that they are flouting tradition by making their own match, especially as Perchik is leaving. When he forbids the marriage, Perchik and Hodel inform him that they do not seek his permission, only his blessing. After some soul searching, Tevye finally relents; the world is changing, and he must change with it ("Tevye's Rebuttal").Tevye explains these events to an astonished Golde. "Love," he says, "it's the new style." Tevye asks Golde, "Do You Love Me?" She admits that after 25 years of living and struggling together and raising five daughters, she does. Other events are moving apace. Yente tells Tzeitel that she saw Chava with Fyedka. News spreads quickly in Anatevka ("The Rumor"). Perchik has been arrested and exiled to Siberia, and Hodel is determined to join him there. At the railway station, she explains to her father that her home is with her beloved wherever he may be, yet she will always love her family ("Far from the Home I Love").Weeks pass, and Chava finally gathers the courage to ask Tevye to allow her marriage to Fyedka. Again Tevye reaches deep into his soul, but marriage outside the Jewish faith is a line that he cannot cross. He forbids Chava ever to speak to Fyedka again. When Golde brings the news that Chava has eloped with Fyedka, Tevye wonders where he went wrong ("Chava Sequence"). Chava returns and tries to reason with him, but he refuses to speak to her and tells the rest of the family to consider her dead. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading of the Russians forcing Jewish villagers to leave their villages. While the villagers are gathered, the Constable arrives to tell everyone that they have three days to pack up and leave the town. In shock, they reminisce about the miserable town, and how hard it will be to leave what has for so long been their home ("Anatevka").As the Jews leave Anatevka, Chava and Fyedka stop to tell her family that they too are leaving. Her mother and sisters are afraid to talk to her with Tevye present. Although Tevye does not speak directly to Chava, he mutters, "God be with you." As Tevye and his family leave the village for America, the fiddler begins to play. Tevye beckons with a nod, and the fiddler follows them out of the village.
    

Fiddler on the Roof


            
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Life and Times

The Hurricane

And Justice for All


            The camera pans across a landscape of desert hills dotted with stone ruins ("Overture"). A plume of dust in the distance resolves into a red and white bus that stops and disgorges a troupe of actors. The actors unpack costumes and props, including a large wooden cross. They dance around Ted Neeley, who will play Jesus, and dress him in a white robe. The actors, some still dancing, deploy themselves around the ruins of what might have been a temple.As Jesus talks with a group of followers, Judas (Carl Anderson) watches from a distance and worries ("Heaven on their Minds"). He's afraid that Jesus is beginning to believe what people are saying about him -- that he's God. He's also afraid that Jesus' followers will turn on him when they find that he isn't God, and that the Romans who occupy Judea will come down on them if they perceive Jesus' growing following as a threat to their rule.In the cave where Jesus and his followers are staying, the apostles ask when they're going to Jerusalem ("What's the Buzz?"). Jesus puts them off ("Don't you try to think ahead / Save tomorrow for tomorrow / Think about today instead"). Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman), seeing that Jesus is hot and tired, tries to soothe him by bathing his face with cool water, which Jesus appreciates ("She alone has tried to give me / What I need right here and now"). Judas steps in to say he thinks it strange "that a man like you / Can waste his time / On women of her kind." Jesus responds angrily ("Who are you to criticize her?") ("Strange Thing Mystifying").Caiaphas (Bob Bingham) the high priest discusses Jesus with his associate Annas (Kurt Yaghjian). Like Judas, Caiaphas believes that Jesus' popularity will bring down the wrath of the Romans. He mentions talk of crowning Jesus king. They agree to take the matter to the priests' council ("Then We Are Decided").Back at the cave, Mary sings to Jesus to relax him ("Everything's Alright") and rubs ointment on his head and feet. Judas interrupts to scold Mary for wasting money on expensive ointment when it could have been used to help the poor. Jesus points out that they can't help everyone ("Surely you're not saying / We have the resources / To save the poor from their lot? / There will be poor always, / Pathetically struggling. / Look at the good things you've got!") He adds that he'll soon be gone, a warning that no one but Judas seems to notice.In council, Caiaphas tells the other priests that Jesus is a danger to the nation, concluding "Like John [the Baptist] before him / This Jesus must die" ("This Jesus Must Die").Jesus is carried into Jerusalem by cheering, palm-waving crowds ("Hosanna"). Caiaphas advises Jesus to disperse the mob because they're too loud. "Nothing can be done to stop the shouting," Jesus replies joyfully; "If every tongue was stilled the noise would still continue / The rocks and stones themselves would start to sing."Later, in a big dance number, followers led by Simon Zealotes (Larry Marshall) tell Jesus how much they love him; at first he smiles at the crowd and laps it up. Simon urges Jesus to "Keep them yelling their devotion / But add a touch of hate at Rome" ... "You'll get the power and the glory / Forever and ever and ever" ("Simon Zealotes"). Jesus loses his smile while Judas looks on anxiously; this is the sort of thing Judas most fears. Some Roman soldiers march up and stop to watch, but Simon and his crowd are too wrapped up in their hero worship to notice. In a somber mood, Jesus tells the people -- and Mary, who kneels at his feet -- that none of them understand power and glory, and "To conquer death / You only have to die" ("Poor Jerusalem"). Simon is deeply puzzled.Pontius Pilate (Barry Dennen), a Roman official, sings of a dream in which he met "a Galilean, a most amazing man. / He had that look you very rarely find, / The haunting, hunted kind." Pilate foresees that he'll be blamed for the death of the Galilean in his dream ("Pilate's Dream").Jesus visits the temple, which is like a modern-day flea market with modern-day merchandise (postcards, hand grenades) -- plus money lenders, of course. And prostitutes. Becoming angry ("My temple should be a house of prayer / But you have made it a den of thieves!"), Jesus runs around dumping tables and knocking over stalls ("The Temple"). Judas, again, watches in dismay. The vendors and customers flee. Jesus walks off into the hills, perhaps to calm down, but is accosted among the rocks by a crowd of the blind, halt, and sick, who beg to be healed. At first he reaches out to them, but he's unable to help them all and the mob seems to swallow him. He finally screams "leave me alone!"Meeting Jesus as he walks back to their camp, Mary wraps him in a tattered blanket and sings to him as he lies down under a tent ("Everything's Alright (Reprise)"). As he sleeps, she muses about her love for Jesus, which confuses and frightens her ("I Don't Know How to Love Him"). "I'm the one / Who's always been / So calm, so cool / No lover's fool ... I never thought I'd come to this."Judas seems to be agonizing over something; he squats in an empty landscape, letting sand run through his fingers. When a row of Roman tanks appears over the crest of the hill and bears down on him, he runs to the temple. He's there to betray Jesus, but tries first to explain his motives to the uninterested priests ("Damned for All Time/Blood Money"). All they want to know is where the soldiers can find Jesus at a time when he's not surrounded by crowds. Caiaphas offers Judas a fee ("We'll pay you in silver / Cash on the nail"), which Judas turns down ("I don't want your blood money") until Caiaphas points out that Judas can give the money to the poor -- he knows exactly which buttons to press. Judas takes the bag of money and says that Jesus will be in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night.In the Garden of Gethsemane, the apostles are feeling mellow ("Look at all my trials and tribulations / Sinking in a gentle pool of wine") and Jesus is feeling sorry for himself -- not without reason, given what he seems to know is about to happen to him. "For all you care, this wine could be my blood," he says. (His petulance is a brilliant way to explain the rather odd, cannibalistic ideas behind the Eucharist.) He goes on to predict that "one of you here dining" will soon betray Jesus and another will deny knowing him. Judas exchanges some bitter words with Jesus before going off to bring the soldiers. The remaining apostles fall asleep and Jesus asks, "will no one wait with me? Peter? John? James?" ("The Last Supper").Jesus goes for a walk to commune with God ("Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)"). He asks whether he has to go through with his death, and asks to know the reason for it ("You're far too keen on where and how / But not so hot on why"). If God replies, it's not evident.Judas comes back with soldiers and identifies Jesus for them with his famous betraying kiss. Peter and the other apostles wake up and offer to defend Jesus ("Hang on lord, we're gonna fight for you"), but Jesus tells them "it's all over" and to "stick to fishing from now on" ("The Arrest"). The soldiers march Jesus back to the city, attracting a crowd as they go. Curious bystanders and journalists question him as he walks ("Do you think that you may retire? / Did you think you would get much higher? / How do you view your coming trial?"). Jesus doesn't answer. The soldiers take Jesus to Caiaphas, who asks if he's really the son of God. Jesus doesn't deny it, only replying "that's what you say." The crowd demands, "take him to Pilate!"Peter, Mary, and another disciple stop at a camp along the road for water. A woman, a soldier, and an old man all recognize Peter ("you were with that man they took away"), but each time Peter claims not to know Jesus ("Peter's Denial"). Mary says sadly, "It's what he told us you would do. / I wonder how he knew."Jesus is frog-marched into the presence of Pilate, who makes fun of him, asks him if he's really king of the Jews, and dismisses his case to Herod ("Pilate and Christ"). King Herod (Josh Mostel), surrounded by wildly costumed, dancing courtiers, twits Christ in his turn. In "King Herod's Song (Try It and See)", he offers to let Jesus go if he'll perform a miracle. ("Prove to me that you're divine -- / Change my water into wine!") When Jesus fails to respond, Herod declares him a fraud and sends him away.Mary Magdalen and Peter, standing on a stark mountainside overlooking the desert, wish for things to go back to the way they were before Jesus was arrested ("Could We Start Again, Please?"). They're backed by a crowd of followers. Jesus (who isn't really there, of course) turns and walks off into the desert.Soldiers throw Jesus into a pit, where Judas peers down at him until he's pushed away by a guard. Judas goes back to the priests to complain about how badly Christ has been treated, saying he'd save him the suffering if he could. Annas and Caiaphas tell Judas that events have unfolded just as he predicted, and "What you have done / Will be the saving of Israel." Judas isn't comforted and continues, in a song that includes a brief reprise of "I Don't Know how to Love Him," to berate himself for the betrayal. Overcome with remorse, Judas hangs himself from a tree ("Judas' Death").Jesus is taken back to Pilate, where the priests ask that Jesus be sentenced to death ("We need him crucified / It's all you have to do"). Pilate resists, saying Christ has committed no crime worthy of death and asking Jesus to defend himself. The crowd gets so agitated that Pilate agrees to flog Jesus ("Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)"). But it's not enough. Faced with an incipient riot and Jesus' insistence that nothing Pilate can do will prevent his death, a frustrated Pilate says "die if you want to, you misguided martyr!" and washes his hands.In another fantasy sequence, Judas descends from a star (lowered by a visible crane) to speak to Jesus, who is alone in the amphitheater where the trial was held. Judas points out that Jesus could have spread his message more easily if he'd come today ("Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication"). He asks Jesus why he chose "such a backward time / And such a strange land?" ("Superstar.")On a hilltop where two men have already been crucified, soldiers are pounding nails into something on the ground. They raise a cross on which Jesus is hanging, crowned with thorns. They jeer, but Jesus asks God to forgive them. A few of Jesus' followers, including a grief-stricken Mary, watch from below. The soldiers raise a ladder and nail a board to the cross above Jesus' head. It's just possible to make out the letters INRI on the board; they stand for Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum -- Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews. Jesus asks, "my God, my God, why have you forgotten me?", and says "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." He dies.As the film ends, the performers, out of costume, reboard their bus. Last come Yvonne Elliman (Mary) and Carl Anderson (Judas); there's no sign of Jesus. Ted Neeley stripped away his costume and disappeared into the cast beforehand. The bus drives off. The final shot shows the empty cross against a setting sun, as a shepherd and his flock cross the hillside ("John 19:41").
    

Jesus Christ Superstar


            Louisiana, 1944.In her nightclub, Big Mary's Catfish Ribs and Liquor, Big May (Patti LaBelle) is belting out a blues tune. The club is filled with black soldiers from a nearby segregated Army base. Sergeant Waters (Adolph Caesar) stumbles out of the club. He staggers down the street, past black soldiers, civilians, to the edge of town and into a wooded area. He looks up at the camera, and pleads with a hoarse, drunken cackle: 'They still...hate you! They still...hate you!' A semi-automatic handgun goes off, blowing him on to his back. Seconds later, a second round is fired.At the Army barracks, Captain Taylor (Dennis Lipscomb) has the troops searched. He doesn't want anyone going into Tynin, the nearby town, looking for rednecks. The men are convinced the Klan murdered Sergeant Waters.Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.), a graduate of Howard University Law School, is called in to investigate the murder. He arrives in Tynin on an interstate bus. He is wearing aviator sunglasses and is asleep in the back, behind the white passengers. 'Hey, wake up, boy! You said Tynin, didn't ya?' says the driver. Corporal Ellis (Robert Townsend) is standing by his Army jeep, waiting for Davenport to disembark. He is shocked to see a black officer, but is also proud. He collects Davenport's bags and drives him back to base.Colonel Nivens (Trey Wilson) gives Davenport the Waters file. Nivens has doubts about Davenport's investigation. He doesn't want outsiders like the NAACP, the Negro Press, nor 'the paper-shuffling desk jockeys in Washington' involved. He instructs Davenport to complete his investigation in three days. He also expects Davenport, the first black officer the men ever saw, to be an 'example' to the colored soldiers.Captain Davenport is ushered in to see Captain Taylor, who commands the racially segregated Company. Taylor is shocked when Captain Davenport enters. Taylor inquires about Davenport's background. 'Had I known you'd be e a Negro I would have requested the immediate suspension of the investigation. These local people aren't going to charge a white man in this Parish on your say-so...Will you take off those damn sunglasses?' 'I like these,' says Davenport, 'they're like McArthur's.'Davenport is at the enlisted men's barracks. Ellis tells Davenport that Taylor had questioned two white officers who were on the road the night of the murder. Captain Davenport interviews his first soldier. Private Wilkie (Art Evans) gives a summary of the all-black Company. The soldiers were recruited from a baseball team in the Negro Leagues. As for Sergeant Waters-he was a veteran of the First World War, 'all spit and polish.' Waters had taken Wilkie's Sergeant's stripes-demoted him to Private-- because Wilkie was found drunk on duty.Davenport asks about Water's relationship with his men. Wilkie replies Waters didn't like the Southern men, except for C.J.-probably because C.J. was the best ball player on the team--and he could sing, too. 'Boy could he sing.'Flashback to C.J. playing his guitar and singing the blues at Big Mary's club. Big Mary joins him onstage, and the soldiers are enjoying C.J.'s tune, 'Low Down Dirty Shame.' After the song Waters and Wilkie approach C.J. Memphis (Larry Riley). Waters asks him if he's from Mississippi. 'Yessuh.' Waters tells C.J. he reminds him of Blues singers from Mississippi, and of a club in France during the First World War-the 'Café Napoleon.'Present day, Davenport's interview with Wilkie: The Sarge was a 'good' man, Wilkie says. Good to his men, wrote home to his wife every day. But, his attitude could change in an instant. 'Two people, sir. Mr. Warm and Mr. Cold.' Wilkie asks Davenport if it's true that when Sergeant Waters was found his stripes and insignia were still on his uniform. Yes. 'Something's wrong, ain't it, sir? 'The Klan boys can't stand to see us in these uniforms. They usually take the stripes and stuff off before they lynch us.'Private First Class Peterson (Denzel Washington) enters. He called Sergeant Waters 'Stone Ass'-no offense.Flashback: A baseball game between the soldiers and a white team. C. J. excels on defense-catching a long fly ball-and on offense, hitting a monstrous home run. Captain Taylor is ecstatic over the performance of his black players, to the chagrin of his fellow white officers. They win the game, then go to the mess hall to celebrate. The soldiers are laughing and drinking; C.J. sings another of his songs. Captain Waters enters and tells the men to 'knock it off. We don't need no more of that guitar-picking-sittin'-around-the-shack music today, C.J.' They've got a work detail, painting the lobby of the officer's club. Private Smalls (David Harris) asks: Why can't the officers paint their own damn club? Waters: The reason for issuing an order is none of your business. Waters is up in Private Small's face: When I give you an order, I want it done! As Waters leaves, Peterson asks: What kind of colored man are you? 'I'm a soldier, Peterson. The kind of colored man that don't like lazy, shiftless Negroes.' Peterson replies 'You don't have to call us names.' Waters: the Germans call you names too, you going to complain to Hitler? C.J. says they couldn't do too much to the Nazi's with paintbrushes. 'Are you mockin' me, C.J.? Whatever an ignorant low-class Geechee like you has to say ain't worth payin' attention to. Is it!' 'I reckon not, Sarge,' says C.J. Peterson: You're a creep, Waters! Waters: If it wasn't for you Southern niggers, white folks wouldn't think we was all fools. Peterson: Where are you from, England? The men nervously retreat from Peterson. 'Looks like we got us a wise-ass Alabama boy here.' Waters gets up in Peterson's face and pushes him. Peterson pushes back. 'Get your...hands off me!' Waters dares Peterson to hit him. Just then Captain Taylor enters and congratulates the team on their victory. Only seven more games and they'll be the first colored team in Army history to play the Yankees. He gives them the rest of the day off. After Taylor leaves, Waters promises Peterson he'll teach him a lesson, and demands Peterson fight him. Peterson accepts and Waters leaves. The men warn Peterson Waters will fight dirty. Outside the barracks, the two men fight. Peterson is winning. Down on his face Waters scoops up a handful of dirt and throws it in Peterson's eyes. Peterson is unable to see. Waters delivers a flurry of vicious punches and knocks him out.Present day, the interview with Peterson: Peterson says he never reported the incident. Waters left him alone after that so he 'just played ball.' 'I appreciate your honesty, Peterson,' says Davenport. 'Did you see Waters the night he was killed?' 'Uh, no sir. Smalls and I had guard duty.'Night. Davenport is typing his report. Taylor visits. He is submitting a request to have Davenport's investigation terminated. Taylor is emphatic that Davenport will not be able to get the truth on Waters' murder. Davenport asks Taylor why the file he received from Nivens did not include any mention of the two white officers who had an encounter with Waters the night he was murdered. Colonel Nivens had ordered it not included, Taylor says. Waters was killed with two .45 caliber slugs, Army issue. If the black soldiers had found out, there would have been a slaughter. Lt. Byrd and Captain Wilcox were the officers. 'Tell me what they told you,' says Davenport. 'Look, hotshot. They're not gonna let you charge those two men.'Flashback: The night Waters was murdered. Byrd and Wilcox are in their vehicle, in a wooded area approaching a bridge. They come across a drunken Sergeant Waters. 'I'll be damned. If it ain't the white boys,' says Waters. Though Waters is obviously drunk, Byrd is incensed that he won't salute. Wilcox implores him to let it go. Byrd refuses, insists Waters come to attention. Waters won't do 'nothin' white folks say to him, and starts crying. 'I've even killed for you.' Byrd knocks him to the ground and starts kicking him repeatedly. 'White men are killing for you, nigger. Good men are dyin' for you'. He cocks his pistol.Present day, Taylor and Davenport: Taylor: they claimed they left Waters at 23:10 and were back at the barracks by 23:30 and neither left until the following morning. Davenport replies: That's just white officers protecting their own. I'm arresting both of them, and you can consider yourself under arrest pending my charges against you. Captain Taylor: Colonel Nivens is part of their alibi. Nivens and other white officers were playing pool with Byrd and Wilcox until three in the morning.Davenport visits Colonel Nivens and requests authority to arrest Byrd and Wilcox. Nivens refuses, but does give Davenport permission to question them, provided a white officer is present.Davenport interviews another soldier, Private Henson (William Allen Young). Henson didn't like Waters on account of what he did to C.J. In fact he doesn't like officers at all, and doesn't want to talk to any officers, black or white. Davenport threatens to put him in the stockades unless he talks. Henson: There was a shooting. It happened last year at the end of the baseball season.Flashback: Waters barges into a darkened barracks with Wilkie, while the soldiers are sleeping. A colored soldier shot a white M.P., and he was chased down to the Army base. 'We got us a vicious, low down murdering piece of black trash in here somewhere-and a few people who helped him.' Waters has the barracks searched. Wilkie 'finds' a pistol under C.J.'s bunk. The men vouch for C.J.'s innocence. Private Henson says he saw someone sneaking into their barracks. Corporal Cobb (David Alan Grier) says C.J. was asleep before he, Cobb, went to bed. Waters is undeterred, and shows open contempt for 'C. J. Memphis' - 'cotton-picker', bowin', scrapin' in white folks faces. 'This man undermines us. That "yasser-boss" is hidin' somethin,' and jabs C.J. in the chest. With one punch, C.J. knocks Waters to the ground. Waters has C.J. arrested and taken away. Peterson gets dressed. He's seen the likes of Waters before: White man gives him a job as a servant, when the boss ain't lookin' ...he acts like the new boss...he can't look good unless he's standin' on you. Peterson leaves to tell the M.P.s that C.J. was in the barracks all night.Present day, the Davenport and Henson interview continues. Davenport asks Henson if Wilkie was the only one out of his bunk the night the white M.P. was killed. Henson: I guess...but I was a little juiced that night.Davenport questions Corporal Cobb about his best friend, C.J. Cobb tells Davenport C.J. was a 'country boy' and that jail cell started closing in on him in solitary.Flashback: Sergeant Waters visits C.J. in solitary. The charges are changed-he's now charged with striking a superior officer. They're talking about giving him five years. 'Why you doin' this to me, suh?' 'Don't feel too bad, C.J.. It has to be this way....The black race can't afford you no more...there used to be a time when we'd see someone like you singin', clowinin', yasser-bossin'..and we wouldn't do anything. Folks liked that. You were good. Homey kinda nigger. When they needed someone to mistreat...they paraded you. Reminded them of the good old days. Not no more. The day of the Geechee is gone, boy, and you're going with him. We can't let nobody go on beleivin' we're all fools like you. Waited a long time for you, boy, but I got ya.' Waters says he's already put three Geechees in jail, 'now, I've got you...one less fool for the race to be ashamed of.' Waters leaves. Tears stream quietly down C.J.'s face.Present day, Davenport and Cobb: Two days after speaking with Waters, C.J. was found hanging from the bars of his cell. The players protested C.J.'s suicide by throwing the last game of the season. After that the baseball team was broken up. The Sergeant 'started actin' funny, was drunk all the time.' Cobb gives Davenport the time he got in the night Waters was killed. And Peterson and Smalls? They were the last ones in--they had guard duty.Davenport interviews Lieutenant Byrd (Wings Hauser) and Captain Wilcox (Scott Paulin), the white officers who encountered Waters the night of his murder. Captain Taylor is present. Davenport: When did you last see Sergeant Waters? Lieutenant Byrd says it was the night he was killed-'I should have done it myself, the way he spoke to Wilcox and me...The goddamned nigger was disrespectful, no way a colored soldier speaks to a white officer like that.' Davenport challenges Byrd, 'You beat him up...and you shot him.' 'You get out of my face, boy, 'fore I kill you.' 'Like you killed Waters.' 'No!' Captain Wilcox says their weapons were turned in and cleared ballistics. Byrd adds: They were short of .45 caliber ammo. They were for M.P.s and special duty people only. 'No one on the bivouac was issued .45 caliber ammo.' Captain Taylor does not believe their stories. Why wasn't he told, he asks the officers. Wilcox: Nivens felt Taylor would go to Washington with it. Taylor: 'Consider yourselves under arrest, gentlemen. The charge is murder.' Davenport orders them released. Taylor: They're as guilty as hell. Charge them, I'll back you up. Davenport replies he does what the facts tell him, 'not you.'Davenport and Taylor are on the bridge near where Waters was killed. Davenport: I think Waters tricked the kid into attacking him.Davenport questions Wilkie again. Wilkie is seated in the barracks and wipes his sweaty palms on his uniform. He can't understand why Davenport wants to speak to him again. 'No, Waters was not a nice guy,' Wilkie says. Waters' demoting him made him mad, all the things he did for Waters. Davenport: You were his boy. You took care of the team. You ran his errands. You policed his quarters. You listened to his stories. You put the gun under C.J.s bunk. Wilkie: No! It wasn't me. It was Sarge who ordered me to do it. He said I'd get my stripes back. The Sarge just wanted to scare him; put him in jail for a few days, but then C.J. hit him, then he had C.J. where he wanted him. Waters despised C.J., but he hid it because everybody like C.J., but underneath there was a cray kind of hate, sometimes you could just feel it.Flashback: C.J. is singing in Big Mary's club. Waters is at the bar with Wilkie watching him. 'This kinda boy seems innocent...White boys envy his strength, his speed... He can't talk. Can't barely read or write his own name... he don't care. He'll tell you they like him. Colored folks ain't supposed to have so much sense. You know the damage one ignorant Negro can do?' He shares with Wilkie an incident that took place when he was in France during the First World War. 'We had won decorations. The white soldiers told the French gals we had tails. They found an ignorant colored soldier and paid him to tie a tail to his ass and run around half naked making monkey sounds...They put him on a big round table in the Café Napoleon. .. made him eat bananas in front of all them Frenchies. How the white boys danced that night...Passed out pictures with that boy's picture on it. Called him "Moonshine", "King of the Monkeys." And when we slit his throat you know that fool asked us what he'd done wrong? ...My Daddy told me we got to turn our backs to these kind, Wilkie...We are men. Soldiers. And I don't intend for our race to be cheated out of its place of honor and respect in this war because of fools like C.J. You watch everything he does. Everything.'Present day, Wilkie and Davenport: 'And I watched him,' says Wilkie. Davenport: Why didn't Waters pick on Peterson-they had the fight. Wilkie: Sarge liked Pete. Pete fought back. He was going to promote Pete. After C.J. died 'Pete' put together the protest that lost our last game. Then he kept to himself, or with Smalls.Outside a flare gun goes off. The soldiers are celebrating, and more flare guns are fired into the night sky, like fireworks. The men are shipping out; they are finally going to get a chance to fight. Davenport places Wilkie under arrest.Smalls goes AWOL but is caught. Davenport interrogates Smalls. Davenport: Peterson knew that I'd find out the two of you killed Waters. Smalls: It was Peterson, sir. It wasn't me.Flashback: Peterson and Smalls are walking across the bridge. They come across Waters, drunk on the ground. Peterson: I'm gonna enjoy this. He offers Waters a hand up, and then kicks him back down. Waters starts crying: C.J. could never make it. He was a clown. A clown in blackface. 'You got to be like them. But the rules are fixed.' In a high-pitched voice he sings a line from C.J.'s tune 'Low Down Dirty Shame' - the tune everyone loved. Then he says 'it doesn't make any difference...They still... hate you.' Peterson draws his weapon. 'Justice, Smalls. For C.J. For everybody.' He shoots Waters in the chest, knocking him on to his back.Present day: Davenport asks Smalls, 'And you call that justice?' Peterson is brought in, in handcuffs. He stares at Smalls. 'You told him, didn't you.' He laughs and turns to Davenport. 'I didn't kill much. Some things need getting rid of. Man like Waters never did nobody no good anyway, Cap'n.' Davenport: Who gave you the right to judge? To decide who is fit to be a Negro-and who is not? Who? Smalls and Peterson are taken away.Davenport is leaving the base as the soldiers are rolling out. Taylor, in aviator sunglasses, and Ellis, pull up alongside in a jeep. Taylor: So I guess that's it. You got your man. I was wrong. Davenport: So was I. Davenport, laden with bags and an overcoat, says to 'Charlie,' he could do with a lift. Captain Taylor offers Davenport a hand as he climbs into the back. 'I guess I'm gonna have to get used to Negroes with bars on their shoulders, Davenport. You know, being in charge.' Davenport puts on his sunglasses. 'Oh, you'll get used to it, Captain. You can bet your ass on that. You'll get used to it.'
    

A Soldier's Story


            Thirty-seven-year-old Loretta Castorini (Cher), a Sicilian-American widow, is an accountant in Brooklyn Heights, New York, where she lives with her family: her father Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) who is a successful plumber, her mother Rose (Olympia Dukakis), and her paternal grandfather (Feodor Chaliapin, Jr). Her boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) proposes to her before leaving for Sicily to attend to his dying mother; she accepts, but is insistent that they carefully follow tradition as she believes her first marriage was cursed by her failure to do so, resulting in her husband's death when he was hit by a bus. They plan to marry one month later, and Johnny asks Loretta to invite his estranged younger brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to the wedding. Loretta returns home and informs her parents of the engagement. Cosmo dislikes Johnny and is reluctant to commit to paying for the "real" wedding Loretta insists on, while Rose is pleased that Loretta likes Johnny but does not love him; she believes that one can easily be driven crazy by a partner whom one loves.The next day, Loretta goes to see Ronny at his bakery after he refuses to speak to her on the phone. He reveals that he has a wooden prosthetic hand, and he explains that he blames Johnny for the loss of his hand and his own fiancée; Ronny became distracted while talking to Johnny as he cut bread for him, his hand was mangled in the slicer, and his fiancée left him. Loretta insists that they discuss the matter upstairs in his apartment, where she cooks for him and then tells him that she believes he is a "wolf" who cut off his own hand to escape the trap of a bad relationship. Ronny reacts furiously and passionately, kissing Loretta (who responds to his kiss) and then sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her to his bed where they make love.That evening, Rose's brother Raymond (Louis Guss) and his wife Rita (Julie Bovasso) join Rose and Cosmo for dinner, and they all wonder where Loretta is. Raymond recalls that when he was a boy and Cosmo was courting Rose, he thought that a particularly bright moon one night was somehow brought to the house by Cosmo because of his love for Rose. That night, Loretta remains at Ronny's apartment and sees such a moon; Raymond sees it as well, and it leads him and Rita to make love. The next morning, Loretta tells Ronny they can never see each other again. She slaps him when he claims to be in love with her ("Snap out of it!) and he agrees to never see her again if she will attend the opera (his other great love) with him that night. She agrees. After closing out the cash register in Raymond and Rita's store, Loretta impulsively has some long-neglected beauty treatments, including having the gray removed from her hair, and buys a glamorous evening gown. She then goes to church and confesses her infidelity. She unexpectedly sees her mother there, and Rose tells her that Cosmo is having an affair; Loretta is doubtful, but Cosmo is in fact dining with his mistress Mona (Anita Gillette) at that moment and giving her jewelry.Loretta and Ronny (wearing a tuxedo) meet at Lincoln Center, and each is impressed with the other's appearance. Loretta is deeply moved by her first opera, Puccini's La bohème. But as they leave, Loretta sees Cosmo and Mona, and she confronts her father. He sees that she is with Ronny, and he suggests that they simply agree that they didn't see each other at all, but Loretta is conflicted. Loretta then intends to return home alone, but Ronny leads her back to his apartment where he passionately and desperately persuades her into another tryst. The same night, Rose dines alone at a restaurant and sees a college professor, Perry (John Mahoney), being dramatically dumped by a female student, a similar scene having played out with a different girl the night Johnny proposed to Loretta. Rose invites Perry to dine with her, asks him why men pursue women, and then shares with him her belief that men pursue women because they fear death. Perry walks Rose home and tries to convince her to invite him in; she refuses, citing the fact that she knows herself. Later, Johnny unexpectedly returns from Sicily after his mother's "miraculous" recovery and goes to Loretta's house; Rose explains that she's not there and then asks him why men chase women. He tells her it may be because they fear death, and Rose realizes, as she had suspected before, that he is right. After this exchange he leaves, planning to return in the morning to see Loretta.In the morning, Loretta returns home in a reverie but is then distressed to learn from Rose that Johnny will be there soon. Ronny then arrives, and Rose notes their matching "love bites" and invites him for breakfast over Loretta's objections. Cosmo and his father emerge from upstairs, and the older man cajoles Cosmo into agreeing to pay for Loretta's wedding. Rose then confronts Cosmo and, after he acknowledges in response to her questioning that she has been a good wife, demands that he end his affair; he is upset but agrees and, after insistence from Rose, also agrees to go to confession, and they then affirm their love for each other. Raymond and Rita also arrive, concerned and seemingly reluctantly suspicious, to find out why Loretta didn't make the previous day's bank deposit; they are relieved to learn that she merely forgot and still has the money. When Johnny finally arrives, he breaks off the engagement, superstitiously believing that their marriage would cause his mother's death. Loretta, momentarily offended by his breaking the engagement, chastises Johnny for breaking his promise and throws the engagement ring at him. Seizing the moment, Ronny borrows the ring and asks Loretta to marry him; she accepts. To Rose's chagrin, Loretta declares that she loves Ronny. The family toasts the couple with champagne and a befuddled Johnny joins in at the grandfather's urging, as he will now be part of the family after all.
    

Moonstruck

Tell Them Who You Are

The Landlord

Agnes of God


            It is the year 2018. There are no wars, poverty, or violence on the entire planet Earth. People get their frustrations out by watching and attending Rollerball games.The Houston team plays against Madrid and wins, with their star player Jonathan E doing most of the scoring. It's an extremely violent game, but the players thoroughly enjoy it. After the game, the men shower and the corporate executives, led by the pompous Mr. Bartholomew are congratulated. Jonathan E is requested by Bartholomew to come visit him the next dayHouston, Texas in the future resembles a prosperous western European city from the late 20th century. Jonathan comes to visit Barthlomew and is informed he needs to retire, per Energy Corporation executives, but Jonathan resistsJonathan comes home by helicopter just outside of Houston in the piney woods of East Texas to a young lady provided to him by the corporation and his friend/trainer Clete. The lady leaves for Indianapolis on a whim.Jonathan is training the Rollerball team players, plus some newbies introduced.Jonathan and Moonpie visit a library hub in downtown Houston, because he's wanting to get information about the Energy Corporation. A library clerk reveals she cannot issue the books he's wanting because they are classified.Jonathan is back on his ranch and meets another young lady Daphne, also issued to him by the corporation.The Rollerball team is informed of the changes of the rules to the game of no penalties. Despite their objections, they are all reminded they are bound to a contract. All this is mainly due to the fact Jonathan refuses to quit.Jonathan is in a television studio being interviewed by a computer over the upcoming Rollerball game and his history of playing it. He is supposed to be following a script and the show is about his announced retirement. It is revealed that Bartholomew has been behind this interviewThe Rollerball team is exercising in a fitness room with a coach from the Tokyo team there to warn them about the karate and hapkido techniques they use, but the players shrug him off and declare their team as number one.Jonathan and Daphne attend a lavish cocktail party at a mansion in the piney woods of East Texas. No longer an area of hick towns and backwoodsmen, but a prosperous area catered to the wealthy. The guests are beautifully dressed and slightly drunk and strung out on aphrodisiac pills. Some guests overheard that the players are actually robots. Jonathan is warned once again by Bartholomew to quit and he still resists. Some of the party guests are outside shooting pine trees with a laser gun for fun.Jonathan is back at his ranch packed and ready to go. He wants Daphne to come along, but the Energy Corporation wants her back and she tells him he won't be back. Jonathan threatens her with his spiked glove that she better leave and not come backThe players are now in Tokyo. The Tokyo team is beating all of them half to death. Moonpie takes a blow to the head by a spiked glove by one of the team members and is in a coma. A Japanese doctor tries to persuade Jonathan to sign for Moonpie to be removed from life support, but Jonathan refusesBartholomew is on a televised video conference with various executives from the Energy Corporation about having Jonathan E removed from the game and for Rollerball to go back to its intended meaning and effort. All the men concurJonathan is now in Geneva, Switzerland at the worlds largest computer bank to get information about the corporate wars and the decisions made by corporate executives. The computer malfunctions and fails to give him any straight answers.Jonathan's ex-wife Ella, whom the corporation removed from him, comes to visit him at his ranch. Ella tries to reassure Jonathan that the corporation took her away for a good reason and it was all over the game. She also tries to convince him to quit and that he'll die if he doesn't, with the new set of rules. Jonathan erases all video footage of he and Ella together and Ella leaves.The Rollerball team is now playing New York City. No substitutions, penalties, or time limits. Half the players end up knocked out or dead and Jonathan scores. The crowd chants his name and Mr. Bartholomew is furious. Jonathan skates endlessly, then the frame freezes and the credits roll.
    

Rollerball

Only You

The Statement

Dinner with Friends


            In New York City, Lawrence "Larry the Liquidator" Garfield (Danny DeVito), president of Garfield Investments, expresses his love for donuts and money, especially "other people's money." Lawrence receives daily updates from his computer, Carmen, as it tracks the rising stock value of New England Wire and Cable (NEWC).Meanwhile, NEWC chairman Andrew "Jorgy" Jorgenson (Gregory Peck) elicits cheers from his employees as he announces the increased value of their stock, unaware of Lawrence's plan to gain control of the company. After Lawrence arranges a visit to the NEWC plant in Seymour, Rhode Island, company president Bill Coles (Dean Jones) warns Jorgy of Lawrence's intentions. Jorgy proudly reminds Bill of the hardships his family-run business has endured since 1910, and promises to prevent its liquidation. Lawrence estimates NEWC's net value at approximately $100 million, with no debt or outstanding liabilities, then outrages Jorgy by advising him to close the failing wire-and-cable division, as it drains funds from more profitable divisions. Realizing he cannot reach an agreement with Jorgy, Lawrence proceeds with a hostile takeover.After the meeting with Lawrence, Jorgy's personal assistant and longtime companion, Bea Sullivan (Piper Laurie), asks her daughter, corporate attorney Kate Sullivan (Penelope Ann Miller), for advice. Kate comes from New York City and offers several innovative solutions, but Jorgy balks, believing his traditional methods and twenty percent ownership of the company are adequate protection.The next day, Kate goes to Lawrence's office and threatens him with a lawsuit while flirting with him. Lawrence is infatuated with Kate, and agrees to not buy NEWC stock for two weeks, until she can determine a course of action. Certain that Kate is acting in bad faith, Lawrence continues buying stock in the name of "OPM Holdings," an abbreviation for "other people's money."Kate advises Jorgy to buy stock through an out-of-state broker, using borrowed funds if necessary. Jorgy refuses to incur debt or take his business out of state, so he buys through a local broker using company funds. Kate returns home to find a delivery of flowers and donuts, with a note from Lawrence, asking, "Are you as hungry as I am?" In the morning, Kate confronts Lawrence with information about "OPM Holdings," declining to comment on her own treachery. After they argue their disparate views on capitalism, Kate spends the night researching Lawrence's business practices, and discovers an indictment from his past. Although the charges were dismissed on a legal technicality, Kate uses the information to place a temporary restraining order on Garfield Investments. At the office, Lawrence berates his 17 attorneys for failing to stop the injunction, then happily agrees to a dinner meeting with Kate.That evening, Lawrence is giddy with anticipation of Kate's visit, but uninterested in her offer to buy his NEWC stock. He counters by proposing a night of lovemaking, prompting Kate to leave. Lawrence telephones later that night, offering his shares in exchange for the wire-and-cable division, followed by an inept performance of "I'm In The Mood For Love" on his violin.In the morning, Kate flies to Rhode Island to consult with Jorgy, who rejects the proposal as unfair to his employees. Exasperated with Jorgy's stubbornness, Kate declares that he deserves to lose his company. Jorgy also dismisses advice from Bill Coles, who fears losing his job without compensation for his years of service.At Thanksgiving dinner, Jorgy and Kate agree to put the takeover to a vote at the annual shareholders' meeting in late December. During a dinner date at a Japanese restaurant, Kate convinces Lawrence to accept the deal, he realizes that they share a passion for winning, regardless of the stakes. Kate kisses Lawrence, further enticing him with the promise of making him a laughing stock among his peers.Later, Lawrence secretly meets with Bill Coles where he promises the disgruntled man half a million dollars for his support, but refuses Bea Sullivan's offer of $1 million to abandon the takeover. Realizing he will never see Kate again following the vote, Lawrence interrupts her date with another man to propose marriage. Although Kate is sympathetic, her silence discourages Lawrence.A few weeks later, shareholders gather at NEWC, while factory workers and their families picket outside in support of Jorgy. However, Jorgy believes he may lose, and expresses doubts about his ability to compete in the modern business world. He addresses the stockholders, describing Lawrence as a force of destruction, and receives a standing ovation when he states that NEWC cares more about people than money. Lawrence's address is greeted with derision, but he gradually convinces the shareholders of the company's imminent demise, and promises them a fair return on their investment. Although Lawrence wins by an overwhelming majority, he is uncharacteristically distraught and saddened over losing Kate as a result of this latest victory of his.In the final scene, a few weeks later, Kate telephones Lawrence with news that a Japanese automobile company has offered NEWC a long-term contract to manufacture airbags using stainless steel wire. On behalf of the employees, Kate proposes buying back the company, and makes a lunch date with Lawrence to negotiate a purchase price. Lawrence is ecstatic with anticipation and exclaims, "We're back in business!"
    

Norman Jewison

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