BATTLE OF THE BULGE Produced and directed by Arlene Hazzan Green Artizzan Films, 1991. VHS cassette, 24:00 min., $250.00 Distributed by International Tele-Film, 47 Densley Ave., Toronto, Ont. M6M 5A8 Grades 12 and up/Ages 17 and up Reviewed by Ellen Heaney Volume 20 Number 1 1992 January The Battle of the Bulge is an acerbic look at one woman's struggle with weight control. But this one woman is surely a metaphor for all women who are at the mercy of fashion and advertis­ing, which exhort us to be our skinny best. The main character in this blackly humorous film is Vicki, who it would appear was formerly overweight. Even now she sees herself as fat. Her alter ego Vanna appears in such likely places as the mirror and across the buffet table, taunting her about her obsession with her size and pleading with her to relax and enjoy herself. The climax is a surrealistic orgy of M&Ms and a destructive game of hide and seek. In the end, the real Vicki is found by the admirer who has been pursuing her throughout. Vicki's problem is entertainingly presented, well filmed and well acted, although there is nothing particularly subtle about the meanings and motives here. It is probable that The Battle of the Bulge was not as funny to me as its publicist's blurb promised because it cut too close to the truth. I suggest that only senior high schools and large public libraries with collections dealing in depth with health and social problems would be candi­dates for the film's purchase, consider­ing the price. Ellen Heaney, New Westminster Public Library, New Westminster, B.C.