Friday, July 5,1935
Paga 6
The Nebraskan
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By Tom Mockler
Staff Reporter
Through the end of July, the Sheldon
Film Theater will continue a retrospec
tive of films by Ranier Werner Fass-
RBVIEW
binder and Douglas Sirk. The series,
which began June 13, runs until July
28.
'Br el is alive
and playing
By Cindy Rohren
Staff Reporter
Few American musicals choose to
probe deeply into the psychological
aspects of life. Fewer deal with the
frustrations of having to mold into
society-dictated roles. Seldom do they
manage or even attempt to surpass
flimsy lyrics, over-orchestrated scores
and gaudily-dressed characters.
Whether it's because the music hails
from France Instead of 42nd Street or
perhaps just because it written by
Jacques Brel, "Jacques Brel is AJive
and Well and Living in Paris" usurps
tradition bravely and effectively.
The UNL Music Theatre production,
playing at Kimball Hall until July 13, is
refreshing yet not light.
"Brel" weaves satire and sarcasm
into a quilt of often uncomfortable
honesty. It forces the audience to
examine their lives as they examine
the songs and leaves little room for
fairy tales. It provides entertainment
only in the form of a heightened expe
rience of reality and the sole direction
of escape is inward.
This is not to say "Brel" lacks humor.
Quite the opposite. Brel's compositions
allow us to look at ourselves and laugh;
to examine our methods, motives and
morals and realize how silly they some
times are. He pushes us to look beyond
the masks we all wear, learning that
to love is to be able to pull down our
facade without worrying if ourneighbor
is doing so. His lyrics, though bitter,
are always true; like iced tea without
sweetner or lemon, they are neither
sugar-coated or artificially tart.
The music in Brel, ranging from
vaudeville to pseudo-DeBussey, poss
esses a uniqueness that was enchant
ingly extended by the performers. The
orchestra, a simple piano, bass, drums
and guitar quartet under the direction
of Bill Schmitt, provided a solid back
bone for the singers while displaying
their synchronized independence. The
performers were polished and for the
most part, the foursome carried their
roles with convincing competence.
With only about a dozen spoken
lines, "Brel" relies on the success of its
24 storytelling songs. These are power
ful, powerful enough to hold one spel
lbound even without costumes, scenery
and a lot of stage movement, all of
which are absent in this production.
The sold-out 100-seat enclosed stage
provided intimacy impossible to ac
quire in a large auditorium and the
nearness of the performers caused
Fassbinder was one of the leading
forces in German New Cinema until his
death two years ago at the age of 36.
Fassbinder was amazingly prolific, hav
ing directed over 40 films between the
years of 1969 and 1983.
Even today his films are causing
controversy. Some critics reviled him
for aesthetic reasons, others for politi
cal reasons. Most praised him as an
important counterweight In contem
porary cinema.
' Fassbinder's films are not easy to
watch. Sometimes, they aren't even
enjoyable to watch. If you are looking
and well
at Kimball
Brel's theme to be more real, more
inescapable.
By building a baracade of separation
between the performers and the audi
ence, the singers were able to fade from
view as they faded from performance.
Then, with only a single bench and
occassional caps, capes and misplayed
toy instruments as props, the singers
traded from solos to trios, from unison
to harmony.
Many songs or sets were performed
by only one singer, others by one singer
and a trio. This ever-changing format
provided the diversity lacking in scen
ery and costume changes.
"Brel" uses sarcasm, wit and often
blunt language. The "set-ups" (lines
preceding a song) and lyrics are power
ful if somewhat vague. But lines such as
"Though you may live in town, you live
too far away when you've lived too
long," bring the audience face-to-face
with issues like war and aging, issues
we'd often rather ignore.
Brel the lyricist wrote of the lost
loves, lost dreams and lost lives. He
questioned the morality of bullfighting
in "The Bulls": "On Sunday, the bulls
get so bored when they are asked to
drop dead for us."
He examines growing old in "Old
Folks": "The old folks never die; they
just lay their heads down and go to
sleep one day."
And he writes of fallen marriages:
"My death waits in a double bed."
Brel teases the audience in "I Loved,"
a song in which a woman recalls a
utopic romance, then realizes she can't
remember his name. He uses satire in
such songs as "Matilda", where a man
anguishes over his returning wife, then
reveals his anticipation at her return.
And he spites the audience in "Bache
lor's Dance" by writing about a dream
girl the man hopes to marry as he mim
icks, "No it isn't you."
"Brel" moves from the thematic
statment of "We find we're alone" in
the second song to "If we only had
love" in the last.
His attitude, while examining real
ity, never loses hope. Brel questions
war but esteems peace; writes of pros
titution but clings to love. His charac
ters are completely human: complete
with faults, fears and frustrations. To
understand Brel is to understand Ufa
"Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and
Living in Paris" is directed by Mark
Jolen, a visiting artist from Maryland.
The cast consists of Donna Harler, Kris
Olson, Richard Colla and Steve Andrew
in thoughtfully-executed and well-sung
roles. The remaining show times are at
8 p.m. July 5, 6, 12 and 13 at Kimball
Hall, Uth and R Streets. Ticket prices
are $5 for general admission, $3 for
students and senior citizens and avail
able by calling 472-3375.
coniront dar
for escapist entertainment, I can't recom
mend them. His films are dark, rarely
hopeful, and frequently unpleasant
he confronts us with a reality we would
rather not see.
Some of the films might seem a bit
provincial at first, but their characters
and situations are easily generalizable.
As opposed to the general run of
summer fare, Fassbinder's films are the
type that will stick in your mind after
you leave the theater.
The series allows us to see the pro
gression of Fassbinder as an artist. It
begins with works from 1969 and runs
into the 1980s, roughly in chronological
order.
Another reason for seeing the Fass
binder series is to see Hanna Schygul
la's rise to Germany's leading actress.
Having appeared in some 20 Fassbinder
films, Schygulla emerges as the star in
such films as "Effi Briest" and 'The
Marriage of Maria Braun." Schygulla
almost inevitably plays the "strong
woman", frequently in contrast to the
other female characters in Fassbinder
films. She is a joy to watch, possessing
both a certain beauty and a wealth of
talent.
In conjunction with the Fassbinder
retrospective, there is also a screening
of four films made in Hollywood by
Douglas Sirk. Sirk was a German film
maker who fled Germany in 1937 and
worked in Hollywood for the next 20
years. Fassbinder was a great admirer
of American film, and in particular
Sirk. That apparently is mutual.
While some may appreciate Sirk's
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If
films at face value, they were originally
labeled 'B' films, because of their
melodramatic quality. Underneath the
action, there is a certain style of direc
tion which may be difficult to notice
unless you watch for it carefully. Some
times the films are so melodramatic
you have to feel Sirk was being ironic.
College-age viewers so far have tended
to find them amusing for their camp
quality.
Tony Bays, film critic for Sight and
Soisnd magazine, a publication of the
British Film Insitute, will be present to
lecture on Fassbinder's work and Sirk's
influence upon it following the 7 p.m.
Retrospective schedule
Starring Rosel Zech, Hilmar Thate
and Cornelia Froboess. Screenings
at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
matinees at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 16 through Sunday,
July 21: Lili Marlene Germany
1981, 120 minutes, black and white,
directed by R. W. Fassbinder. Star
ring Giancarlo Giannini, Hanny
Schygulla and Mel Ferrer. Screen
ings at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 23 through Sunday,
July 28: Lola Germany 1981, 120
minutes, color, directed by R. W.
Fassbinder. Starring Barbara Suk
owa and Rosel Zech. Screenings at 7
and 9:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
matinees at 3 p.m.
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Demento flashed on a l&rge
screen on stags.
Yankovic and his Stupid E&nd
performed parodies of popular
songs, the gimmick that has
made him famous, including
"It's Still Billy Joel To Me," a
k r
eality
screening on Sunday, July 7. The film
being shown that evening is "The Mar
riage of Maria Braun" and the lecture
will be presented in the Sheldon audi
torium. "The Marriage of Maria Braun,' is
considered one of his best works. In the
film, he used the story of the heroine as
a metaphor for the defeat, rise, grow
ing pains, and ultimate fate of postwar
Germany. The film stars Hanna
Schygulla.
Admission is 13 ($2 for senior citi
zens, children, or members of the
Friends of the Sheldon Film Theater)
per screening.
Friday, July 5 through Sunday,
July 7: The Marriage of Maria
Braun Germany 1978, 120 minutes,
color, directed by R. W. Fassbinder.
Starring Hanna Schygulla, Gottfried
John and Gunter Lamprecht. Screen
ings are at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday
and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday,
July 10: Imitation of Life U.SA
1959, 125 minutes, color, directed
by Douglas Sirk. Starring Lana
Turner, John Gavin and Sandra Dee.
Screenings at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Wed
nesday matinee at 1 p.m.
Thursday, July 11 through Sun
day, July 14: Veronica Voss Ger
many 1982, 105 minutes, black arid
white, directed by R. W. Fassbinder.
Dtvid BsurfesThs Nebrsskan
parody of "It's Still dock and
Coll To Me." lie also sang "My
Bologna," a parody of The
Knack's "My Sharona," and Ms
most famous parody, "Eat It," a
take-cil of Michael Jackson's
"Beat It."
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