Film Experts Take a Shot in the Dark

A theater made the difference at the Academy Awards preview staged by USC’s Orange County Planning and Development Council.

Unlike last year’s event, held in a hotel ballroom, Monday night’s benefit unfolded at the Art Deco-style Edwards Lido Cinema in Newport Beach.

So, instead of having to sit on unforgiving chairs to watch film clips, guests settled back in cushy seats with their popcorn and soft drinks.

It was a bash worth battling rush-hour traffic for (the reception and Mexico-themed buffet began at 5:30 p.m.).

For starters, on hand to address the strengths of the films nominated for Best Picture were film editor Walter Murch (an Oscar winner for “Apocalypse Now”); Lawrence Turman (producer of the Oscar-winning film “The Graduate”); Mark Harris (who won an Academy Award for his documentary “The Redwoods”); and former Times arts editor Charles Champlin, an assistant professor at USC’s School of Cinema-Television.

During the reception, the four movie experts shared opinions on which film--nominated are “Beauty and the Beast,” “JFK,” Bugsy,” “The Prince of Tides” and “The Silence of the Lambs”--would snag a statuette for best flick. Said Champlin: “It’s the hardest year to call that I can remember in a long time. But I think everybody is going to be divided on four of the pictures, so ‘Beauty and the Beast’ will sneak in and get the award.

“I loved it--the sophistication, the superb animation, the delicious music. Disney has come of age--it’s the first animated film to be nominated.”

Turman, a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, said he was reluctant to commit to a favorite, since he hadn’t seen all of the films. But he agreed with Champlin that “Beauty and the Beast” had a good chance.

Harris also said “Beauty” was the likely favorite. “All of the other films have faults,” he said, declining to elaborate.

Murch was “going out on a limb,” he said, to predict “JFK” would get Best Picture. “But Oliver Stone took an extremely difficult topic and made an entertaining film,” he said. “So I think the voters’ pencils will hover over the other nominees, and vote for ‘JFK’ in the end. The film represents a great bit of movie making.”

Murch called “JFK” a film of the “political trauma” genre. Other examples are “Mississippi Burning,” “Missing” and “All the President’s Men,” he said. “They all represent unresolved issues . . . where the film is digging around in the dark, trying to come up with answers.”

Some party guests expressed opinions of their own about the film industry. Said USC alum Don Starling of Newport Beach, a film director and editor who helped make “It Happened One Night” starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable: “When I was making movies we had great stories and great casts. They didn’t need to use dirty words. The films were good , not a bunch of trash.”

Murch, who edited “Ghost” and is working now on “House of Cards” starring Kathleen Turner, had this advice for students aspiring toward film industry careers: “There is no one path into the movie industry. Don’t be put off when there doesn’t seem to be a way and you have to climb a wall to get in.

“That’s good. It teaches you to overcome obstacles. If you become adept at climbing walls, you will do well.”

Among guests: event co-chairmen Shannon Tarnutzer and Scott Burnham; development council co-chairmen Hyla Bertea and Don Shaw; Lillian Fluor; Jim and Patty Edwards, and event emcee Elizabeth Monk Daley, dean of USC’s School of Cinema-Television.

Tidbits: Adele Faulkner Quinn of Sunset Beach was the guest of honor on Monday night when supporters of Interval House Shelters--havens for female victims of domestic violence--celebrated the opening of their new facility, Quinn Residence (named in honor of Quinn and her late husband, journalist William Quinn) in Midway City. Helping celebrate the opening of the new facility was Orange County Supervisor Harriett Wieder, who, at Quinn’s recent 80th birthday party in Huntington Harbour, presented her with a proclamation for her tireless community volunteer work. . . . Orange County philanthropists John and Donna Crean of Santa Ana Heights were honored by the City of Hope when they received the prestigious Norm Crosby Goodwill Ambassador Award at the Regal Ball held on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The Creans and their pals came to the affair by chartered bus. Among well-wishers were Gus Owen and Kathryn Thompson Owen. . . . Bill Magnuson and Ulf Strandberg, owners of Gustaf Anders restaurant at South Coast Plaza Village, cooked up the fare (filet of beef with Stilton cheese-flavored wine sauce) in La Jolla recently when supporters of the Swedish America’s Cup Challenge Team partied at the home of Veryl Mortenson. Among guests were Renee and Henry Segerstrom and Anton Segerstrom.