Tuesday, May 1, 1984
Page Q
Daily Ncbraskan
Childlike wonderment focus
of Italian film at Sheldon
Review by Eric Peterson
The wonder-filled separation of a
child's perspective gives Vie Night of
the Shooting Stars, a Him directed
by Paolo Vittorio Taviani, its special
magic, Vie Night of the SJiooting
Stars showed Sunday and Monday
at the Sheldon Film Theater as part
of the UPC Foreign Film Scries.
The film contains some of the
same stirring appeal for family and
national loyalties, and to a loyality
to humanity in general, that many
post-war Italian films have had
but a careful eye to the potential of
childlike wonderment becomes a
curiously moving and delightful focus
of the film. The narrator at least
the narrator of a frame surrounding
the main part of the film is a
woman relating the events of the
Night of San Lorenzo, 1945, to her
small son.
Shifts in place and time within the
film are crisply made through the
use of a wipe of the screen from the
right; and scenes which actually
occur are intercut with fantasy scenes
which have an odd psychological
power. When a fascist blackshirt
stands before Cecilia in the middle
of a skirmish in a wheatfield, the
six-year-old girl who grows into the
narrator shuts her eyes, repeats a
childhood rhyme of adult resonance,
and what she desperately wants to
see appears on the screen: the black
shirted savage pierced through with
the many spears of Trojan warriors
from Honer's epic, who spring up
magically from the soil. At another
point in the film, a Sicilian woman
runs away from her fugitive band, is
shot by soldiers, and in a dreamlike
sequence sees them turn into Amer
ican G.I.'s, Sicilians from Brooklyn,
who show her a snowstorm paper
weight with the Statue of Liberty in
it . . . one of them agrees to take rfer
to America, and they turn into Ger
man soldiers as she sinks into death.
The coming liberation of Italy by
American forces is just such a fan
tasy, anticipated several times before
it happens at the end, and much too
late for many characters. The chill
of death hangs over all actions in
the film, especially the most humane
and fulfilling; a risky marriage is
performed for two young lovers near
the start as the little girl watches,
"as much fascinated as afraid;" the
wife indeed dies when the cathedral
in which she takes shelter is bombed
vindictively by the German authori
ties. The tension of death is shock
ingly expressed when shortly after
an air attack, a square of cloth set
tles completely over the head of a
man who is also later killed
and he runs supported by his family
through the streets, crying like a
baby.
The scene of the destruction of
the cathedral of San Martino is
ghastly and powerful. Inside, fami
lies who have taken refuge there
share their bread n a communal
mass; outside, blackshirts are shown
fastening the doors shut on the unsus
pecting people. Several tense seconds
pass as the cathedral is shown in a
frontal view, its bells clanging; these
sounds become chaotic as the bells
crash from their height into the
cathedral, screams are heard, and
' the doors burst out with clouds of
debris and dust. Survivors of the
bombing stuggle out into the horri
bly peaceful sun.
The rebirth of Italian society is
pictured even in the midst of the
severe shocks dealt it by the fascists.
One strange and troubling se
quence deals with a crazed man
who says he's out for himself and
refuses to share a basket of eggs
with the refugees he runs into; sud
denly sane for a moment, he seems
to realize the need for cooperation
and offers to stay with the little
band; but rushes off again and
strangely dies a little way further on
the road. A woman makes short lit
tle screams of fright and shock at
the death, but nevertheless takes,
the eggs so necessary for survival in
the dangerous countryside.
The political and emotional implica
tions of her country's pain cannot
be understood at the time by the
small girl Cecilia, who sits on most of
the precious eggs, impishly crushes
the ones left intact, and runs joy
ously with a balloon which a soldier
made for her from a prophylactic.
7
Television
All Night Long, starring Barbra
Steisand and Gene Hackman, makes
its network debut tonight at 8 p.m. on
channels 6 and 10. The 1981 comedy,
which deals with Hackman's reaction
to being demoted, was directed by
Jean-Claude Tramont.
At the Lelon
The Tokyo String Quartet will per
form in the Art Gallery Auditorium.-
Poetry...
Continued from Pne 8
Tohe believes there are differences
in Native American and Anglo Ameri
can poetry.
"Native American uses a more nar
rative method, which has a lot to do
with our culture," she said. "I grew up
with stories, whether the creation story
or gossip wre were surrounded by
stories. Even now, when I visit my
grandmother, we all sit down and
shake hands, then she takes me aside
and tells stories. There were always
stories all over the place, and I never
realized these were stories until I start
ed writing myself."
Another difference between Native
American and Anglo American poetry
is the themes they concern.
"Themes of Native American poetry
are similar and recurrent themes such
as alienation, assimilation, and social
problems," Tohe said. Survival is a big
theme in Native American poetry.
"It's a fight to keep your culture
going," Tohe said. "A lot of kids grow up
not knowing the language and not
being able to speak to their grandpar
ents, and the grandparents are there
Tickets are sold out; however, there is
a stand-by list available. The concert
begins at 8 p.m.
Around Town
The Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., has
been the site for an eclectic range of
entertainment, but tonight's spelling
bee may be a first. The cover charge is
$2, and proceeds go to the Lincoln City
Library Foundation.
to teach stories. They have an impor
tant role in the culture."
Sometimes the differences make
people think w. hat they're getting is not
poetry, simply because it may not be in
a style that they are used to, she said.
"I use narrative techniques from the
Navajo culture and I feel sometimes
people don't understand what I'm say
ing. Poetry doesn't have to be confined
to what appears in The New Yorker or
what appears in the Midwest or South
west. Poetry is open and depends on
your style what you say and how
you say it.
"I think poetry should bother you. It
should bite at your conscience or it
should make you stop and look at
something. It can also be something
that can heal you mentally or emo
tionally possibly even physically. In
the Navajo culture, the medicine men
are the poets," she said.
"It's something I know I will always
do, something that's always going to be
part of me, and I want it to mean
something to people. I want it to gnaw
at people and make them realize some
thing that they didn't know before."
tremcaons
Tom: And why not? It would possess
all the same magical qualities because
of being filmed in Lincoln: Bob Kerrey,
Lincoln General Hospital and Troy
Bishop.
Glenn: And they could also drink
lots of cheap, government-subsidized
Falstaff beer. Boy, I can hardly wait . . .
Tom: I predict that they also will
release the long-awaited sequel to Vie
Great Gatsby.
Glenn: I predict that I will win the
Readers Digest Million-Dollar Givea
way, and will never have to work
another day in my life.
Tom: I predict that you will lose the
Readers Digest Giveaway, and you still
may never work a day in your life.
Glenn: Some guys have all the luck. I
predict that Walter Cronkite will acciden
tally be exposed to high levels of gam
ma radiation and become a large green,
monster like the cartoon character
The Hulk.
Tom: That's another stupid predic
tion. I predict that I will last another
four months, and then, and then ...
Glenn: The crystal ball has darkened.
It is now time to return to our tents
and to our dreams. I'm not actually
typing this line Tom is. Tom says
that he is dissatisfied. Me, I'm just
dreaming of what could be.
OK, Lincoln tliio io yoor cliance:
Yon can dance j net like Annie
Now, Lincolnites have
a chance to learn to dance
as well as Annie can.
Gretta Assaly, a visit
ing choreographer from
Wisconsin, is in town ar
ranging the choreography
for the Lincoln Commun
ity Playhouse production
ofthebroadwayhitnnie
While she is in town,
Assaly is offering two
special dance classes.
Assaly will be teaching
dance associated with jazz
and muscial comedy. Two
levels beginning and
intermediate will be
offered. The beginners
class will be held at 1 p.m.
on Saturday. The inter
mediate instruction beg
ins at 2:30 p.m Saturday.
Instruction will take place
at the Playhouse, 2500 S.
56th St.
Assaly teaches dance
at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
as well
as The Theatre School in
Milwaukee. Assaly, a
Canadian, has also per- The classes are $5 for
formed at the Wimbledon one, or $7 for both. Ad
Theatre in London, and vance registration is not
in Paris with Ronnie Field, necessary. For. more in
of Ca baret and Applause formation, call the Play
fame, house at 489-9608.
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r"" financial aid program for students in various -"
fi . eneincerina fields. Both juniors and seniors -
may apply. Find out today if you qualify.
i' Limited program. Contact
Fyw TSgt. Bob Waters (402) 471-5501
Ilk Call Collect AlJ
A grcolwoyof life.
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on 2 Pontillo's Pizzas and a Hot Hoagie.
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pizza
One coupon per pizza
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Plow Through Finals
with 10 Coffee and Tea
(gourmet coffee not included)
SUNDAY, MAY 6 THROUGH FRIDAY, MAY 11
(with Student I.D.)
AT THE CITY AND EAST UNIONS.
Extended hours during finals week:
City Union: Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday
Until 1:00 a.m.
Wednesday, &
'Thursday Until Midnight
East Union: Sunday through Thursday
Until Midnight
nebrsska unions
