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THE WHITE DEVIL. The decisive motion of John Webster's bloody tragedy is a plunging dagger, but the determining mood is an obsessive sense of evil. In this revival, an authoritative cast headed by Frank Langella and Carrie Nye propels the play with a controlled drive and fury.
RECORDS
Hit Singles
THUNDERBALL (Parrot). John Barry's theme for the new Bond movie seems to be zooming off just like his Goldfinger. The excellent voice belongs to Tom Jones, a Welsh miner's son.
I GOT YOU (I FEEL GOOD) (King). James Brown, a regular on the rhythm-and blues honor roll, has some good instrumental backing in the Famous Flames, but he does not need it; his voice has its own banked fires.
TURN, TURN, TURN (Columbia). The Bible, set to rock 'n' roll, produced December's biggest hit. The words ("To everything there is a season") are from Ecclesiastes, the music is by Pete Seeger, and the performance is by the Byrds, pioneers of folk-rock.
I CAN NEVER GO HOME ANYMORE (Red Bird). The Shangri-Las teach a stern object lesson. The girl ran away with the boy, but all she could think about was how her mother used to tuck her in at night. Meanwhile Mother sickened and died. The Shangri-Las' advice: Kiss your mom and tell her you love her.
EBB TIDE (Philles). Few white singers can sing rhythm and blues like the Righteous Brothers ("blue-eyed soul," it is called), but for the moment they seem swept away by Wagnerian passions. In fact, the singing is all but drowned out by a symphonic surge apparently recorded in an ocean cave.
OVER AND OVER (Epic). The Dave Clark Five, who arrived in the first wave of the British invasions, are still sledgehammering their drums and getting lots of attention. They sing, "Ah said it over and over and over again/ This dance is gonna be a drag." And it more or less is.
HANG ON SLOOPY (Cadet). At the forefront of this jazzy fragment is Ramsey Lewis' piano, accompanied by the intoxicated squeals of his fans and a bit of distant chanting, "Hang on, Sloopy." Slurpy.
ENGLAND SWINGS (Smash). Roger Miller (Dang Me, Do-Wacka-Do, You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd) can pull a hit out of a hat. He recommends taking the family to England, because England swings, what with Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and "bobbies on bicycles, two by two."
1-2-3 (Decca). Len Barry is the new wavy-haired, high-tenor hitmaker from Philadelphia who specializes in puppy-love lieder. Falling in love, he explains, is as elementary as 1-2-3, or ABC. Another of his hits, Like a Baby, is about a youthful couple. "When you smile, you're so adorable, so infantile," he croons. Seems she smiles just like a baby, feels just like a baby in his arms, and makes him cry just like a baby.
CINEMA
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. Omar Sharif in the title role and Julie Christie as his Lara head an impressive cast in Director David Lean's thoroughly romantic version of Boris Pasternak's epochal bestseller.
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. In this taut, tasteful version of John le Carré's bestseller about a burnt-out British secret agent, Richard Burton gives his best screen performance.