TAKE 5: WHAT'S HAPPENING : FILM.

Showing `Contempt': The wide-screen, polished color cinematography and stylish '60s sweep of Jean-Luc Godard's ``Contempt'' were the French rebel director's defiant response to critics who lashed out at the dreary ambience of his previous film, the black-and-white anti-war allegory ``Les Carabiniers.''

The 1963 ``Contempt,'' which stars Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance, is a drama about the collapse of a marriage, but it's also a tragedy that examines the relationship between cinema and reality.

``Contempt'' tells the story of a woman (Bardot) who develops an overwhelming contempt for her husband (Michel Piccoli), a screenwriter who is beset by doubts when he is hired to doctor the script for a new film version of ``The Odyssey'' and is caught between the demands of the director (played by German master Fritz Lang) and the producer (Palance).

The first third of the movie concerns itself with the breakdown of the marriage in a remarkable flowing sequence set in the apartment of the couple. Palance brings an imposing presence to bear on the fascinating proceedings.

Presented in a re-release by film buff Martin Scorsese with Strand Releasing and Rialto Pictures, the 1963 French classic is, according to Scorsese, ``one of the key modern films - brilliant, romantic and genuinely tragic. It is also one of the greatest films ever made about the actual process of filmmaking.'' ``Contempt'' (unrated and in French with English subtitles) is playing at the NuWilshire theater at 1314 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, [phone].

?13- Amy Dawes

theater

Cinderfella: Imagine how the Cinderella story might have turned out if the two ugly stepsisters had been men. No, wait - you don't have to imagine it, because Ben Stevenson already has.

In Stevenson's off-the-wall choreography, it's not unusual to find damsels sporting 5 o'clock shadows or vampires whose sartorial tastes suggest Prince more than Bela Lugosi. Earlier this month, L.A. audiences got to see Stevenson's erotically charged version of the Dracula legend, which he created for his innovative company, the Houston Ballet. An encore of sorts is on view this week as the American Ballet Theatre arrives at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for six performances, including four of Stevenson's gender-flopping ``Cinderella.'' Set to Sergei Prokofiev's music, the production (Aug. 1-3) will alternate with an all-Tchaikovsky program (July 30, 31) including choreography by James Kudelka, David Blair, George Ballanchine and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. Tickets are $15 to $60.

For information, call [phone]. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at [phone] or visit the Music Center box office at 135 N. Grand Ave.

?13- Reed Johnson

art

Puppet masters: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow puppet knows.

Heroes and villains, of course, are the stock characters of Asia's ancient puppet dramas, those luminous concoctions of history, Hindu philosophy and eerily beautiful entertainment. In the exquisite shadow theater of India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, delicately carved figures act out the great epics of Hindu culture, casting shadows fine as spider webs. Peppered with thousands of individual perforations, these unique creations give new meaning to the phrase ``tripping the light fantastic.''

A new exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History lets you look behind the screen at these hand-held forerunners of Hollywood entertainers. (And believe us, some of these puppets are a lot more expressive than the average sullen starlet.) ``In the Play of Shadows: Puppets From Asia'' draws from the museum's own Southeast Asia and oceanic collections, many collected by UCLA theater professor Melvyn Helstein. Located just west of Royce Hall on the UCLA campus, the museum is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and until 8 p.m. Thursday. The exhibition continues through Jan. 5. Call [phone].

?13- Reed Johnson

music

True blues: Established in 1986 to provide financial help to blues artists in need, the Big Joe Turner Musicians' Assistance Fund will benefit from the fifth annual Big Time Blues Festival on Sunday.

Before his death in 1985, Turner - singer of ``Shake, Rattle and Roll'' and ``Fine and Mellow'' - expressed a desire to find a way to help his fellow musicians in times of need. Some blues fans were inspired to take action.

Sunday's daylong festival at Gemmrig Park in Long Beach features West Coast pianist-singer Charles Brown, guitarist Smokey Wilson, lap steel player Sonny Rhodes, singer-pianist Deanna Bogart, vocalist King Ernest, ax 'n' harp duo Doug MacLeod and John (Juke) Logan, plus the Fatt-Back Bluesman & the Jook Joint Crew.

Texas-born blues great Brown, now in his 75th year, continues to put on commanding shows as a keyboardist and singer. His 1946 hit, ``Drifting Blues'' (recorded with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers), virtually defined the West Coast sound. Other hits include ``Black Nights,'' ``Fool's Paradise'' and, of course, his standard ``Merry Christmas, Baby.''

From his home base at downtown's Pioneer Club, Wilson became a hero of the Los Angeles blues scene. His latest album is titled ``The Man From Mars'' (Bullseye Blues).

Gemmrig Park is at 7390 E. Carson St., Long Beach. Show time is 11 a.m., and advance tickets are $20 or $23 at the door. Kids 12 and under admitted free. Information: [phone].

?13- Fred Shuster

dining

Cool java, cool wheels: The classics will be present at the 17th annual Beverly Hills Charity Car Show and specialty coffee show called Coffee Classic '97, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Beverly Hills High School, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills.

Some 200 classic, hot-rod and celebrity cars will be on display for the event, which usually draws around 8,000 people.

And coffee and tea competitions called the Best Cool Blended in the West and the People's Choice Tea Award will take place with the current Miss USA, BrTandi Sherwood, presenting awards to the winners.

Admission is $15 ($5 for children under 12). Food and drink samples are priced from $1 to $3 and can be purchased with scrip available on the premises.

Proceeds will benefit the Blind Children's Center of Los Angeles, the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, DARE programs and Beverly Hills CPR programs.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1) Brigitte Bardot stars in the re-release of the 1963 French classic ``Contempt,'' at the NuWilshire theater in Santa Monica.

(2) ``In the Play of Shadows: Puppets From Asia'' lets you look behind the screen at classic hand-held puppets in shadow theater.

(3) John Selya, left, Guillaume Graffin and Julie Kent star in Ben Stevenson's gender-flopping version of ``Cinderella.''

(4) Brown.