Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310150372
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The songs are sing-alongable (and some of the questionable lyrics concerning the Arabic justice system have been changed for video); the pace is quick; the stylized animation is up to the studio's high standard; Robin Williams provides the kind of quick-witted humor you don't normally expect in a Disney picture; and, for those of us who notice such things, Princess Jasmine is a real babe.
``Aladdin'' is not the only video that takes audiences to faraway places. Note these new releases:
Despite the semi-salacious box art, the title and the promotional copy, ``The Naked Country'' is not particularly erotic. In fact, it looks like it might have been made for Australian television with a pace that's geared toward regular commercial breaks and typically overdone TV music. That said, this story, based on a Morris West novel, is about an intense clash of cultures between aboriginal Australians and the ranchers who intrude on their land.
It's 1955 in North Queensland, Australia. Lance Dillon (John Stanton) is having a lot of trouble with his ranch and hopes that an expensive new bull he's brought in will cure his financial problems.
Dillon's not getting along with his wife Mary (Rebecca Gilling) either, and doesn't understand why she's so unhappy. He also has an unstable relationship with the local tribesmen. He is supposed to share the land with them, but things aren't working out as they should.
Sgt. Adams (Ivar Kants) has some experience in such matters, but he also has a problem with booze and can't offer much help.
Then the tribe resorts to magic and ritual murder to settle its own problems, and those spill over into the white world. That's when the film turns into a fine and surprising tale of wilderness survival.
To their credit, filmmakers Tim Burstall and Ross Dimsey don't take sides. Neither the ranchers nor the aborigines are sanctified or demonized. Both are selfish; both make mistakes; both struggle to survive. The action is violent, particularly in the second half, but it's never exploitative.
For a fast-paced outdoor adventure, ``The Naked Country'' is a winner.
``The Last Hit'' sticks closer to home and isn't nearly as enjoyable. This one, too, looks suspiciously like it was made for cable TV, and never does much with an intriguing premise.
The setting is the New Mexico mountains. Michael Grant (Bryan Brown) is a sniper/assassin whose career goes back to Vietnam. But when his boss Nordlinger (Daniel Von Bargen) assigns him to an apparently innocent retired lawyer (Harris Yulin), Grant finds that he can't carry out the job. Instead, he falls for the scenic landscape, decides to stay and buys a house from a widow (Brooke Adams). They're all set to close when he finds that his intended victim is her father.
From there, the plot really gets ridiculous. At no time, though, does the story really examine the details of long-range shooting or the inner conflicts of a sniper. On a simpler level, the pace is poky, and there's never any spark between the leads. ``The Last Hit'' is a flash in the pan, and a small flash at that.
``Close To Eden,'' a 1992 nominee for Best Foreign Language Oscar, is a comedy that will be difficult for many Western viewers to appreciate. The setting is Mongolia where, after a slow and confusing introduction, a shepherd and a Russian road builder become friends. Though the performances are very good, the cultural differences both between the characters and between the characters and American audiences are so vast that the humor is hard to catch. I, for one, pretty much lost interest when a sheep was slaughtered, skinned and cooked on camera.
Yes, I admit there's a certain hypocrisy at work when a carnivorous video columnist objects to watching the reality behind his own lunch, which he happened to be eating at the time. But the death of an animal is not entertainment and there's nothing in either the box art or copy, or the rating (PG!) to indicate that the film is going to be so graphic.
\ THE ESSENTIALS:
Aladdin: *** Disney. 90 min. Rated G.
\ The Naked Country: *** Hemdale. 90 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language, mild sexual content, incidental nudity.
\ The Last Hit: * MCA/Universal. 93 min. Rated R for strong language, some violence.
\ Close To Eden: * Paramount. 109 min. Rated PG for on-screen animal slaughter, strong language, sexual content.
by CNB