Movies
Coppola has hit with “Cotton Club”
Caught up in the middle of gangster feuds, Vera Cicero (Diane Lane) and Dixie
Dwyer (Richard Gere) fall in love but have problems getting together in Francis Cop
pola’s “The Cotton Club.”
By MARCY BASILE
Movie Reviewer
One of the best movies to
come out within the past few
months is Francis Ford Coppo
la's “The Cotton Club.” Set in
the late 1920s, “The Cotton
Club” intergrates the violence
of the period with the growing
unrest of Harlem’s black pop
ulation.
The Cotton Club was an ac
tual Harlem night club owned
by Owney Madden, a mobster
supreme who used the Cotton
Club as a front for bootleg al
cohol. (His own, of course.)
During its reign, the Cotton
Club offered the best in black
perfomers, but to an all white
audience. That racial code was
strictly adhered to: blacks on
stage and whites in the audi
ence. Rumor had it that the
name Cotton Club was derived
from the clubs racial policy;
sort of a subtle reminder that
the blacks were there to per
form for the whites just as they
did on Southern plantations.
“The Cotton Club” stars
Richard Gere, Gregory Hines,
Diane Lane and Lonette McKee
as fictitious Cotton Club per
formers and/or customers who
become involved with the
gangsters and celebrities who
call the Cotton Club home.
Dixie Dwyer, portrayed by
Gere, is a cornet player who
plays in Harlem nightclubs. Af
ter the conclusion of a set,
Dwyer saves the life of Dutch
Schultz, a mobster bent on cor
nering the Harlem numbers
racket. Grateful for Dwyer’s ac
tions, Schultz hires him as a
“go-fer,” thus entangling
Dwyer in the world of violence
that men such as Schultz
thrived on.
In and amongst all the
shoot-outs, Dwyer begins a love
affair with Schultz’s mistress,
Vera Cicero, played by Lane.
Cicero, a cocky teenager, is
looking to get more out of
Schultz than love — she wants
her own nightclub. (See guys,
liberation is not a recent en
deavor.)
Meanwhile, Sandman Wil
liams, played by Hines, and
Lila Rose Oliver, played by Mc
Kee, begin their own romance
as they glide through the rou
tines of the Cotton Club. Wil
liams, who tap dances, falls in
love with Oliver, who is one of
the showgirls. When Oliver
quits the Cotton Club to per
form at Vera’s Club, Williams
follows her and eventually
meets up with Dwver who is,
by this time, a Hollywood star.
Amazingly amazing.
The original Cotton Club
showcased some of the best
jazz performers ever. Cab Cal
loway, Duke Ellington and Bil
lie Holiday were all Cotton
Club performers. The shows
were elaborate and the danc
ing superb. Coppola effectively
uses the on-stage performances
to compliment the off-stage ac
tion.
Along with being one of the
best, “The Cotton Club” is also
one of the most controversial
movies to come out in a while.
It is rumored to be the most ex
pensive film ever produced
(approximately $50 million),
and was reportedly rewritten
more than forty times during
production.
Despite these few setbacks,
Director Francis Coppola fin
ished the film only a tad be
hind schedule. Pretty awesome
considering the work that went
into editing and just the basic
overall photography. Coppola
directs violent death well. Even
people who cried at “Bambi”
can handle most of the shoot
out scenes without any prob
lem. Coppola also changes sto
rylines in odd and unusual
ways. By utilizing wipes and
masks, Coppola moves the au
dience from scene to scene
without the awkward blank-
screen syndrome so often seen
in movies.
Music
By WALTER SMITH
Music Reviewer
Bronski Beat
The Age of Consent
MCA Records
Dropping this disc onto the
turntable, I sit back and won
der why Bronski Beat decided
to name their first album “The
Age of Consent.” Endless pon
dering while I wait for the sty
lus to lock into the lead-in
groove.
My thoughts are shattered by
a shrill a cappella voice ad
amantly demanding “Tell Me
Why?” Immediate regression to
childhood’s confrontations
with mother.
I snap to reality as the song
evolves into a catchy dance
number, complete with all the
necessary synthetic gadgetry.
The music is good but the ly
rics are confusing. Why, oh
why, would this person be la
beled an “illness” and a “sin”
by others simply because of
kissing the man she loves.
Revelation to follow.
Further examination of the
record sleeve reveals lyrics to
additional songs, proper credit
to those who assisted, and an
odd chart listing the age of
consent for lawful homosexual
relationships in 32 countries.
So that’s the reason for the
huge pink triangle and the Na
tional Gay Task Force’s tele
phone number.
Final revelation. She’s a he.
Jimmy is credited for the lead
vocals; whether or not he uses
a falsetto for the effect is indis
cernible. Last names are miss
ing for drummer Steve and
keyboardist Lariy as well.
The opening song and
“Smalltown Boy” are the two
most dance-oriented cuts, at
least in the vein of neo-disco.
But if one is partial to tapdanc
ing, then “Heatwave” should
be delightful. “Need A Man
Blues” is the best song for dem
onstrating Jimmy’s wide vocal
abilities.
The diversity of their original
music wanes when compared
to the material they have bor
rowed. George and Ira Gersh
win’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So”
and Donna Summer’s “I Feel
Love” are just two examples.
“The Age Of Consent” is an
exciting album from a prom
ising group. The question re
mains, however, as to whether
or not the American record
buying public is willing to push
aside prejudice in the name of
art.
Alison Moyet
“Air
CBS Records
When singing lead vocals for
Yaz (Yazoo, if you’re from the
other side of the Atlantic),
“Alf’ seemed to be of neutral
gender. This person of manly
stature belted out songs in a
tenor that could please even
the most picky of Pavoratti
fans; but why would “Alf’ be
singing odes to boys.
“Alf’ still looks and sings the
same, but now we know which
restroom she would use at Mc
Donald’s; she now goes by her
norn vrai, Alison.
On “Alf,” her first solo ef
fort, Alison Moyet heart-wren-
chingly delivers one song after
another with a spirit and pas
sion unseen in most popular
performers.
Whether she’s singing dance
songs like “Love Resurrection”
and “Honey To The Bees,” or
slow ballads like “Where Hides
Sleep” and “Invisible,” she ex
udes a certain essence that
shows how intimately personal
this music is to her.
Although her true musical
loves are jazz and blues, this
intriguing combination of
Moyet and machine should ex
cel, even in America.
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