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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2000)
French film, spoof connect, Disney misses “Beau Travail” Director: Claire Denis Stars: Denis Lavant, Gregoire Colin Rating: NR Claire Denis' “Beau Travail” is set in the present-day East African enclave of Djibouti at a French Foreign Legion outpost Loosely based on Herman Melville’s fable “Billy Budd,” which was set in the British Navy in 1797, Denis has cap tured beauty where it would seem most barren - thd military body, and the images that ensue will take your breath away. Denis’ camera sweeps around the well-trained, well-disci plined male soldiers at the peak of physical perfection and makes the audience wonder ‘how’ and ‘why’ they ended up in a military group that seems isolated from die rest of the world. The only part of “real” life we see are brief shots of a disco club and scenes from the present life of Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant) wandering empty-spirit ed in a city that seems foreign to him after living a military life away from civilized mankind. Galoup narrates the film and lets us in on his personal thoughts, thoughts one feels quite privileged to hear. With minimal dialogue throughout, the film forces us to concentrate on the military ballet we see on the screen, and along with Galoup’s narration and die music the effect is just right. There isn’t wall-to-wall here’s-what-you-must-feel-now music, nor complete silence. There is ominous, chanting music when the men are doing their daily stretches that makes you want to lay in the aisle and join them - a nice change from the Top-40 songs that are in so many American movies we see these days. There is something besides die Backstreet Boys out there! Denis matches, with quite an uncanny technique, the atrocity of a magnificent and isolated countryside of East Africa (where the men train) with an impoverished community fur ther inland, where an African woman walks into her shop, and on either side of the dodrway lies a large Coke sign on one side and a Sprite sign on the other, serv ing the audience a touch of polit ical dimension not worth men tioning with dialogue. We know the corporate slo gans are disgusting, mid Claire’s camera can speak a thousand words. —im»c m1 ** r‘nr *— “-*—|-rr^T-* “*? TTTirtrm i rnmmnn fmr ftr alrplaau mi tlw in— rtliiniSSiiB a pitt with bis 8-year-old altar ego, Hasty (Speacer Breslia) la the film Disney's The KM. The story in “Beau Travail” culminates in intensity after Sgt. Galoup gets a taste of jealousy of Sentain for his “patience and openness ” Galoup cannot fath om a man whose selflessness holds him in the eyes of the other soldiers as a model of obedience matched with peace. It’s quite intriguing to see how far Galoup will take his jealousy; he’s only got so much power (There is one officer above him who runs his life.) that plays well with the emotion al restriction the men seemingly are driven by. It’s great to think about whether these men’s emotional calmness comes naturally, because of their lives being spun in an exceptional balance between the physical and mental spirit, or whether the emotion is restricted because of the conse quences of what “letting go” could ultimately bring. The Legion is not easy to get into, and no one wants to find a reason to leave. This film has an unexpected end that definitely makes it worth seeing. Ballet and the mil itary have never been fused so lovingly, and Denis does an exceptional job in bringing the two together on an entrancing level. *★★&> — Karen Brown “Disney’s The Kid” Stars: Bruce Willis, Emily Mortimer, Spencer Breslin Director: Jon Ttirtletaub Rating: PG The music swells and bulges with happiness over the entire action time of “Disney’s The Kid,” echoing as a hybrid of the “E.T.” soundtrack and drippy 1950s musicals. After listening to the oppressively triumphant score of “The Perfect Storm” move and sway to every 100-foot wave, Bruce Willis’ breezy new vehicle hits like a double dose of the wxong medicine. Lest you forget this movie is supposed to be fun! fun! fun!, coronets and snazzy xylophones attempt to drive you right back into the daze. The music is certainly not the only problem with “Disney’S The Kid” (named so out of respect for Chaplin’s similarly titled film), but it audibly stands out as the biggest, attempting to squelch any moment that might resonate otherwise as drama. Here’s a movie that aspires for both laughs and tears (It is Disney) and is likely to get nek ther. The story, about an image consultant (Willis, with hair piece) who meets an eight-year version of himself (Spencer Breslin, who mostly reacts, rather than take a scene on his own), could have been poignant, and considering that the boy is supposed to teach 40-year-old Russ Duritz how to change his nasty demeanor, a teaching tale. There’s a longish setup, an iffy romantic lead from Emily Mortimer (The British accent is all that saves her,) and a thank less supporting role from Lily Tomlin that props the movie up for a few brief moments. That, and shot after shot of an omi nous, swooping red bi-plane, wear the high-concept screen play (written by a new talent, Audrey Wells) thinner than it needs to be. And then there’s the music, which sinks the production like John Carter’s work in “The Perfect Storm.” It has the habit of rehashing the same chorus of music, especially in establishing scenes, which IVirtletaub speeds up for no particular reason. Willis, unlike an understated comic role in “The Whole Nine Yards,” a movie 1 did not like, but admired somewhat, plays over the-top meanness until the famous Scrooge-like switch in demeanor. Breslin is pudgy and cute - “adorable” would be the operative word - and plays the butt of some rather offensive jokes. “Disney’s The Kid” never really solves some of the issues it raises, and, in a late, late plot twist, seems to advocate that fighting is the answer. A subplot with Russ’s father remains a loose end at die end of the movie, as does a question from the 8-year-old, though, as if the movie figured it needed an answer for it, runs it during the credits. Mortimer’s character surprisingly gets the final scenes, though I couldn’t explain why, as this isn’t a romantic film. “Disney’s The Kid” asserts to make it one, however, if only to use the soft, brooding horn music to play over the get together. ★ m — Samuel Please see MOVIES on 10