To Die in Madrid, a documentary on the Spanish Civil War made in 1965 by Frederic Rossif, is playing tonight and tomorrow in the Science Center. The movies is largely a compilation of fact-film footage taken during the war between the Loyalists and the Nationalists. There have been a lot of film essays on the war in Spain, the most famous of which is Hemingway's The Spanish Earth; Rossif's covers the most ground of any of them. Sir John Gielgud and Irene Worth narrate. This is the third in a series of political movies to be presented by the Greece Action Group to help raise money for the junta's victims, and while Rossif's movie isn't as directly relevant to the fight against the Greek dictatorship as Z was, the connection between what went on in Spain 35 years ago and what's going on in the Mediterranean now is anything but farfetched. Spain marked the end of a peculiar epoch in modern history, a time when intellectuals dared to commit themselves to political causes, to believe passionately in them and to fight for them. It was an heroic era, and Rossif's film is in part a memorial to that heroism. Showings begin at 7 and 9:30, admission is $1.50.
The Hostages is finishing off its week at the Harvard Sq. Theater, and without a doubt it's the best new movie around. The plot centers around three French thieves who take a judge hostage when their legal situation becomes hopeless. A very exciting and sympathetic portrait that gets better and better every time you see it. It's playing with another wonderful film about French criminals, Borsalino. Jean Paul Belmondo gives a marvelous performance as an up-and-comer in the Marseilles rackets.
Chinatown, Roman Polanski's homage to 1930s detective movies, is one of the few really good films playing in Boston this week. Jack Nicholson is no Humphrey Bograt, but he does make an extremely convincing badass private eye. When Faye Dunaway is good, she's very good, and in this one she's excellent. The plot is fun but ultimately insignificant. Worth traveling out of Cambridge for, Chinatown is playing at Cleveland Circle.
Monkey Business and Coconuts are going to be taken out of circulation for a while because of the re-release of Animal Crackers, and if you haven't seen either of these yet and you need some cheering up, head over to the Park Sq. Cinema. Both films are classics, and the only movies that are any funnier are other Marx Bros. comedies.
The 400 Blows, Truffaut's first great movie, stars a 12-year-old Jean Paul Leaud and you can see it for free if you got a t.v. It's playing on channel 5 tonight at 2:10 a.m.
Port of Call (1948) is being shown at MIT tonight as part of a six week Bergman festival. Shows are at 7:30 and 9:30, admission is $1. Remember we've got other Bergman playing around. Persona is at the Brattle and it's not too bad. The Touch is playing with a decent Wedding in Blood at Central Sq., and it stinks.
Midnight at the Welles features two baddies. Pink Flamingos is stupid, trashy, and disgusting. You'd be better off staying home and watching the radio than seeing this. Zachariah, campy version of the cowboy movie, features Josh Rubenstein (son of Arthur), Country Joe and the Fish and the Firesign Theater. Cute, but not very. Boring, and how.
