CO fes of
by Steve Kadel
Numbers have always been a
big part of Mark Wilson's life.
Before he graduated from the
University of Missouri last
spring he was very concerned
about things like four-minute
miles and 1:50 half-miles as a
member of the varsity track
team.
but today the most
significant thing a visitor
notices when he enters Wilson's
Lincoln apartment is a small
square of paper with the
number 21 written on it tacked
to his bedroom wall.
Underneath is another paper
bearing the number 20, and so
on until number I is reached.
THE NUMBERS stand for
the remaining months Wilson
must work in Lincoln as the
result of winning CO
(Conscientious Objector) status
from the Douglas County Draft
Board.
Wilson likes to call it his
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sched ule of subservience, for if
he had his choice he would not
be living in Lincoln. But, he
readily admits, there are worse
places-and Army basic training
camp is one.
The rules for obtaining CO
status are hazy at best, Wilson
says. But basically, a man must
object to all wars instead of one
specific war, and his
convictions must be deep and
sincere. His belief must be the
prime motivating factor in his
life.
WILSON LANDED a low
draft lottery number and was
clearly headed for military
service. He failed in his first
attempt for CO status, but
tried again shortly before
graduating and won.
"The biggest thing they
wanted to know was why 1
filed so late in my college
career." he said. "I explained
to them that college is a time
when people try on different
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philosophies of life and decide
which is best for them. Once I
found mine I filed for CO right
away."
For his CO Wilson must
work for two years in a
nonprofit organization
dedicated to public
improvement or charity. He
was able to find a job in
Lincoln with the Nebraska
Center for Children and Youth
as a counselor for boys
between 12 and 17.
THE BOYS LIVE in the
YMCA and Wilson works to
find employment for them. He
also has a room in the YMCA
where he is on duty whenever
someone has a problem he
wants to talk about.
"It's the kind of work I
might be doing anyway."
Wilson said. "The only bad
thing is the irregular hours.
Sometimes I work until
midnight then sleep here and
am back on duty at 6 a.m."
He has to hold another job
at Brandeis to make enough
money to support himself and
pay back some of the debt for
his education.
WITH LONG BROWN hair
held in place by a cord
headband, round wire frame
glasses, and conservative business
suit, Wilson is a picture of
incongruities when he hops on
Hired Hand-allegorical montage
Review by
Alan Schuster
Peter Fonda has created a
visual allegory with Tlie Hired
Hand. He has found a way of
transfering the descriptive
power of a novel to the screen
by the use of brilliant
photography and effective
montage.
The montage work, when it
is not over-done, has the ability
of enhancing reality. A reality
in the sense of a Mathew Brady
photograph. Fach frame gives
you a sense of watching
history.
The photography, with its
prismatic views of the actors,
aids in expressing their
characters. In fact, it is how
the actors look and move that
makes this film, not the
dialogue.
This in itself, may turn
many people off. but if one
allows oneself to watch with
your imagination (in the same
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his bicycle and pedals to work.
But he has never
second-guessed himself or his
decision.
"I knew that even if I went
into the Army I could end up
with a pretty good job,
probably some kind of a desk
job. But the point is, that
would have meant going along
with a system that I'm
completely opposed to and I
just couldn't do it," he said.
AND WHAT ABOUT the
future? Will the conscientious
objector tag be an obstacle to
good jobs later on?
"I don't think so," Wilson
said. "I think when I apply for
a job the employer can see
what kind of a person 1 am in
the interview, and if he won't
hire me because of my beliefs
sense you read with it) tne
picture will succeed for you.
The directing is artful and
effectively light. Fonda
obviously knew his actors and
let them choose to play their
own points.
Fonda, had to establish the
mood of each scene and try to
get the actor to carry it over
to the screen without using
dialogue. Luckily he had three
fine actors to work with.
Of the three. Fonda's own
character, the hired hand, is
the closest to type, and
perhaps the most allegorical.
The character is played as a
tragic hero the hero of the
great American myth. tall,
handsome, a man of few
words, good with a gun and he
rides a horse.
His dialogue is
unfortunately stiff at times,
however his performance is
good because he supplys you
with a stereotype and never
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then I don't want to work for
him anyway."
A history major at Missouri,
Wilson had to turn down an
attractive teaching job at
Columbia High School.
"IT WAS A NEW school
with a fantastic resource center
that I really liked," he said.
"And they had liberal attitudes
on hair and dress and the
whole bit. Everything was just
right but I had to turn them
down because I have to work
here for two years."
It was a difficult decision,
probably the hardest Mark
Wilson has ever had to make.
The consequences won't be
completely evident for many
years, but little by little he is
learning what it's like to live a
conviction.
distracts you from its
believability.
Verna Bloom is excellent as
Fonda's abandoned wife. She
creates the character of a
woman approaching middle-age
with the fear of being left
along, but with this is coupled
the fear of being hurt if she
forms too close of a relationship
with someone. Her portrayal is
one of sensitivity and polish.
Warren Oates plays Arch,
Fonda's friend, and is the best
"new" aclor I've seen since
Jack Nicholson. It is Oates'
portrayal that makes the
picture real. His visual acting
created the mood. This
performance should make a
star out of Oates.
The movie succeeds as an
entity of . visual images. The
simplicity and ah sen so of
dialogue may bother some, but
Oates' performance and the
superb photography make this
a great picture.
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PAGE 6
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1971