THE SCREEN

Hour of the Furnaces, An anti-imperialist film analyzing, "with great emotional intensity," colonial incursions into Argentina by Spain, England, and the United States. Part of the Latin American Film Series sponsored by the Chile Action Group, Series tickets are available scheduled for the coming weeks are Blood of the Condor, Lucia, The Traitors, and Mexico: The Frozen Revolution.

An American in Paris. The famous musical made by Vincents Minelli in 1951, and winner of five Academy Awards. Gershwin music, Lerner screenplay, and performance by Gene Kelly, Oscar Levant and Nina Fochs. I find it a little overdone, but some people are into this sort of thing.

The Thin Man. Showing for free. From Dash Hammett's twenties novel, and in the film the script is just as sophisticated and hilarious. Infinitely better than any of the many sequels to it, the original version was made in 1934, of course with William Powell as Nick Charles and Myrna Loy as Nora Charles, both drunken.

My Man Gedirey. Another William Powell picture, where at the beginning he plays a hobo and looks curiously like a late sixties movie hero, unshaven, gritty, and intense. But the burn gets adopted by a decadent wealthy family (one member is Carole Lombard), and Powell turns debonair again as the butler who reforms the family. Made in 1938 by Gregory La Cava. This, along with limitation of Life are showing Friday night (Godfrey at 9 p.m., the other at 7:30 and 11 p.m.) as part of the excellent Hollywood Film Series that's been going on at BU's Sherman Auditorium. Saturday night at the same times are Kiss Before the Mirror and Showbeat.

Easter Parade, With Fred Astaire and Judy Garland--a chip from which was in MGM's That's Entertainment. Why say more. For free Friday at 7:30 at the Brockton High School--you need a car because that's the other side of Blue Hill.

Gabts A Clark Gable triple feature at Gund Hall. It Happened One Night by Frank Capra and with Claudette Colbert is the best. Also Wife vs. Secretary with Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy and James Stewart, made in 1923. And San Francisco with Spencer Tracy and Jeanette Mac Donald, who tries to sing "San Francisco, open your Golden Gate." There's a great earthquake scene near the end.

Death Wish. This really isn't so terrible. I mean it's obviously terrible what with Charles Bronson and everything, especially the slick director Michael Winner, but "fascism" in the picture can be taken in two ways. As always with movies being as frighteningly manipulative as they are, one identifies with Bronson as he walks the streets shooting muggers, or crowning them with a sock full of rolls of coins--you can't help it. And some can say legitimately that yes this is just about some creep who goes around offing poor people while they make a hero out of him. But in another sense one can find a general rebellion against urban life in American here, a man fighting for a decent life. This is only a tiny sliver of an idea, but if you get kidnapped and dragged into this sick movie it might get you through with some degree of sanity.