African Caper

By J.C.

THE WILBY CONSPIRACY

Directed by RALPH NELSON Screenplay by ROD AMATEAU and HAROLD NEBENZAL

Among more pressing issues ad dressed in The Wilby Conspiracy is the matter of how Sidney Poitier, shackled by handcuffs, manages to . . . well, relieve himself. Mr. Poitier often finds himself in dilemmas of this kind. You will recall, for example, that in The Defiant Ones (1958), where Poitier ran about chained to Tony Curtis, Director Stanley Kramer was too busy fretting over the human condition to attend to mundane matters of nature. No such constraints apply to the people involved with The Wilby Conspiracy, which features a proper white engineer (Michael Caine) and a black revolutionary (Poitier) dashing about South Africa with a cache of hot diamonds. Director Ralph Nelson (Lilies of the Field) and his writ ers evoke mocking memories of The Defiant Ones by giving Poitier his custom ary handcuffs and a weak bladder to go along with them. This combination of circumstances results in a certain amount of anguish, requiring the reluctant assistance of his unfettered friend (the exemplary Caine).

Such odd, frivolous moments make The Wilby Conspiracy a surprisingly breezy diversion. The fugitive pair are pursued by a racist cop (played with excellent wit by Nicol Williamson). A reasonable level of satire is maintained throughout, even while everyone clowns.

One of Poitier's colleagues in the underground is an incompetent Indian dentist who is described as "deeply committed." Comments Caine with a resigned sneer: "A deeply committed Indian dentist? That sounds like all the people I hate at cocktail parties."

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