HAWKS DIRECTORS, 4 EDItION of the others The brothers and their s is almost always focused upon the two Donovan in the lead role and singer P J. Harvey as Mary Magdalene). des toward their father, or their confusion But whatever directions Hartley pursues, one may expect his work about women: the women are rarely seen apart from men observing still to feature a curious balance of artifice and passion, melodrama them; the talk is very often macho, though at one point the two and cool wit couples and another would-be lover preposterously launch into a discourse about madonna and modern women's*'control over the -Joseph Milicia exploitation f their own bodies. Amateur, more or less commissioned by Isabel Huppert, who stars in it, is yet more melodramatic, featuring an amnesiac(Donovan again), evidently a sadistic criminal in his former life, who HAWKS. Howard befriended by an ex-nun who wants to write pornography-the pair of them having to flee various crazed and criminal types. Here the Nationality: American Born: Howard winchester Hawks in Goshen, themes of trust and the knowability of a mysterious person's past are Indiana, 30 May 1896. Education: Pasadena High School, Califor- developed through the most lurid situations. Flirt is equally about nia, 1908-13: Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, 1914-16: love and betrayal, but is also an experiment in structure: Hartley arnell University, New York, degree in mechanical engineering fth feature is actually a trilogy of short films, each using some of the 1917. Military Service: Served in U.S. Army Air Corps, 1917-19 ame dialogue and following the same dramatic trajectory, but with Family: Married 1)Athole( Hawks), 1924(divorced 1941); 2)Nancy different settings(New York, Berlin and Tokyo)and gender relations, Raye Gross, 1941(divorced), one daughter; 3)Mary(Dee)Hartford ccording to whether the character accused of flirting-i.e, being (divorced), two sons, two daughters. Career: Worked in property unwilling to commit-is straight or gay, male or female. Some critic dept of Famous Players-Lasky during vacations, Hollywood, 1916-17 found the film boring and pretentious because of its schematic nature designer in airplane factory, 1919-22; worked in independent pro- and extreme self-reflexivity (in the tokyo .o f ground a can of of story dept. at Paramount, 1924-25: signed as director for Fox, ent the director duction as editor, writer, and assistant director, from 1922; in charge himself plays a character named"Hal"who a film called"Flirt). However, those content to enjoy some very 1925-29; directed first feature, Road to Glory, 1926; formed Motion itty variations on the first segment's patterns, and to savor contrasts Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, with Borden of locale-e. g, the Tokyo is unexpectedly in a dance-studio with Chase, 1944. Awards: Quarterly Award, Directors Guild of America, performers in white makeup and gauzy outfits-may find Flirt Red River. 1948/49: Honora delightful( though with the usual disturbing edge of violence), even if filmmaker whose creative efforts hold a distinguished place in world lacking‘ profundity Henry Fool features the Hartley style on what he himself has called a more"epic'scale, beginning with length(it's more than a half hour longer than any of his other features). Once again we have a man with a mysterious criminal past ("An honest man is always in trouble, Simon. Remember that .. I've been bad Repeatedly. But why brag?"), dead-end blue-collar lives, a contrasting pair of pals (like the brothers in Simple Men), sudden violence(more vicious, less stylized than usual), themes of trust and betrayal, and splendidly non- sequitur dialogue from characters who take themselves very ser ously. (Henry looking through Hustler: I refuse to discriminate between modes of knowing. )A parable with an ambiguous mes sage, the film is initially less focused upon Henry than upon Simon Grim, a despairing garbage man whom Henry encourages to write down his thoughts. The poem Simon comes up with has profound but unpredictable effects on everyone who reads it: a mute Asian clerk at World of Donuts begins to sing; his mother commits suicide; many nd it obscene, but Camille Paglia(as herself) loves its"pungent, the authentically trashy voice of American culture; Sweden gives him the Nobel Prize for Literature, while Henrys much talked about" confessions"are rejected as bad by Simon and his publisher. Henry Fool must have more moments than any film in history in which people read intently, their lives changed by words on a page. Hartley could be accused of conde sending to his often pathetic Queens characters, but the film shocking than and certainly as funny as any of his previous work. All of Hartleys films call attention to their own artifice, most typically through their stylized dialogue and distinctive manner of cting. The Book of Life, an hour-long work commissioned by French television for an end-of-the-millennium series, pursues some new Howard Hawks(center), John Wayne, and Joanne Dru on the set of Red score for a Second-Coming tale of Jesus in Manhattan(with Martin RiverHAWKS DIRECTORS, 4th EDITION 422 of the others. The story is almost always focused upon the two brothers and their attitudes toward their father, or their confusion about women; the women are rarely seen apart from men observing them; the talk is very often macho, though at one point the two couples and another would-be lover preposterously launch into a discourse about Madonna and modern women’s ‘‘control over the exploitation f their own bodies.’’ Amateur, more or less commissioned by Isabel Huppert, who stars in it, is yet more melodramatic, featuring an amnesiac (Donovan again), evidently a sadistic criminal in his ‘‘former life,’’ who is befriended by an ex-nun who wants to write pornography—the pair of them having to flee various crazed and criminal types. Here the themes of trust and the knowability of a mysterious person’s past are developed through the most lurid situations. Flirt is equally about love and betrayal, but is also an experiment in structure: Hartley’s fifth feature is actually a trilogy of short films, each using some of the same dialogue and following the same dramatic trajectory, but with different settings (New York, Berlin and Tokyo) and gender relations, according to whether the character accused of flirting—i.e., being unwilling to commit—is straight or gay, male or female. Some critics found the film boring and pretentious because of its schematic nature and extreme self-reflexivity (in the Tokyo segment the director himself plays a character named ‘‘Hal’’ who carries around a can of a film called ‘‘Flirt’’). However, those content to enjoy some very witty variations on the first segment’s patterns, and to savor contrasts of locale—e.g., the Tokyo is unexpectedly in a dance-studio with performers in white makeup and gauzy outfits—may find Flirt delightful (though with the usual disturbing edge of violence), even if lacking ‘‘profundity.’’ Henry Fool features the Hartley style on what he himself has called a more ‘‘epic’’ scale, beginning with length (it’s more than a half hour longer than any of his other features). Once again we have a man with a mysterious criminal past (‘‘An honest man is always in trouble, Simon. Remember that. . . . I’ve been bad. Repeatedly. But why brag?’’), dead-end blue-collar lives, a contrasting pair of pals (like the brothers in Simple Men), sudden violence (more vicious, less stylized than usual), themes of trust and betrayal, and splendidly non￾sequitur dialogue from characters who take themselves very seri￾ously. (Henry looking through Hustler: ‘‘I refuse to discriminate between modes of knowing.’’) A parable with an ambiguous mes￾sage, the film is initially less focused upon Henry than upon Simon Grim, a despairing garbage man whom Henry encourages to write down his thoughts. The poem Simon comes up with has profound but unpredictable effects on everyone who reads it: a mute Asian clerk at World of Donuts begins to sing; his mother commits suicide; many find it obscene, but Camille Paglia (as herself) loves its ‘‘pungent, squalid element. . . the authentically trashy voice of American culture’’; Sweden gives him the Nobel Prize for Literature, while Henry’s much talked about ‘‘confessions’’ are rejected as bad writing by Simon and his publisher. Henry Fool must have more moments than any film in history in which people read intently, their lives changed by words on a page. Hartley could be accused of conde￾scending to his often pathetic Queens characters, but the film is more shocking than and certainly as funny as any of his previous work. All of Hartley’s films call attention to their own artifice, most typically through their stylized dialogue and distinctive manner of acting. The Book of Life, an hour-long work commissioned by French television for an end-of-the-millennium series, pursues some new directions, experimenting with digital video and a prominent musical score for a Second-Coming tale of Jesus in Manhattan (with Martin Donovan in the lead role and singer P.J. Harvey as Mary Magdalene). But whatever directions Hartley pursues, one may expect his work still to feature a curious balance of artifice and passion, melodrama and cool wit. —Joseph Milicia HAWKS, Howard Nationality: American. Born: Howard Winchester Hawks in Goshen, Indiana, 30 May 1896. Education: Pasadena High School, Califor￾nia, 1908–13; Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, 1914–16; Cornell University, New York, degree in mechanical engineering, 1917. Military Service: Served in U.S. Army Air Corps, 1917–19. Family: Married 1) Athole (Hawks), 1924 (divorced 1941); 2) Nancy Raye Gross, 1941 (divorced), one daughter; 3) Mary (Dee) Hartford (divorced), two sons, two daughters. Career: Worked in property dept. of Famous Players-Lasky during vacations, Hollywood, 1916–17; designer in airplane factory, 1919–22; worked in independent pro￾duction as editor, writer, and assistant director, from 1922; in charge of story dept. at Paramount, 1924–25; signed as director for Fox, 1925–29; directed first feature, Road to Glory, 1926; formed Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, with Borden Chase, 1944. Awards: Quarterly Award, Directors Guild of America, for Red River, 1948/49; Honorary Oscar for ‘‘A master American filmmaker whose creative efforts hold a distinguished place in world Howard Hawks (center), John Wayne, and Joanne Dru on the set of Red River