Friday, November 22, 1985
Daily Nebraskari
Page 9
Arts
.hois
mumeef
Nicaraguan problems
documented in series
By Tom Mockler
Staff Reporter
This weekend the Sheldon Film
Theater features a series of six docu
mentaries about the problems in Cen
tral America.
I had the privilege of seeing three of
the films, and I have to say there is
much variety in the offerings.
Movie Review
"Nicaragua: No Pasaran" is a good
documentary that traces the problems
of the present Nicaraguan state. Aus
tralian director David Bradburg appar
ently had a detached enough perspec
tive to treat the subject with surprising
even-hand edness and insight. We see
old black-and-white footage of U.S.
representatives mingling with Somoza
while "Managua, Nicaragua" plays in
the background. We see women in the
marketplace debating the source of
shortages.
The film leaves one clear message:
The Nicaraguan people seem intent on
preserving their independence and will
not go down without a fight.
However, "Nicaragua: Report from
the Front" falls into the trap of being
"politically correct" and quite dull.
Supposedly an examination of the
Sandinista-Contra rebel battle from
both sides, it clearly is biased toward
the Sandinistas. Although it has a few
bright moments, I was glad it lasted
only 30 minutes.
"In the Name of the People" is
somewhat better, but lasts 75 minutes.
This U.S. film, narrated by Martin
Sheen, tells the story of a group of
rebels in El Salvador. Its premise is the
argument that the civilian junta led by
Jose Napoleon Duarte is impotent and
that the real government is in the
hands of the army and free-roaming
"death squads."
The interesting element in this film
is that it follows individuals around for
about 18 months. However, the film
New hit song released
Allen finds inspiration in braces
After my seventh or eighth beer, i
can't remember which, I decided I
could write a song better than the one
on the radio. Its lyrics said something
to the effect of "bang your head,"
"whip it good," "stub your toe" or "barf
on me," but I'm not quite sure. It was,
after all, after my ninth beer.
Bill
Allen
Of course, I needed someone to write
my song about. Acting on sudden inspi
ration, I called Cristina Sherman, UPC
Foreign Films Committee chairwoman,
and asked her if I could write a song
about her.
She said that if I did, she would sue
me for everything I own. I told her that
would be like suing Howard Cosell for
his hair.
She laughed then, and said it was
OK to write a song about her, as long as
I didn't use her name in it. So I didn't.
We did a profile on Cristina and the
foreign films awhile back, in case
you're wondering why I chose her to
immortalize. We took a picture of her
then. I have it hanging on the wall of my
office, and I tell everybody that she is
my girlfriend.
And Cristina is a good sport about it,
especially since I've never told her I do
this.
"fit
shows that even the life of a rebel can
appear dull.
While I admire the crew members
who obviously risked their lives filming
the last two documentaries, I can see
why Dan Rather chooses to run only a
few minutes of such material at a time.
I guess I have a hard time understand
ing why people would go to such
lengths to dramatize something when
few people are going to want to watch
it.
"Nicaragua Was Our Home" is an
hour-long film that reports on the
plight of the Miskito Indians and
builds a case against Sandinista policy
toward them. Miskito villages have
been razed, and they have suffered ter
rible human loss as a result of "mis
takes" now admitted in Managua.
"The Good Fight," which is 98 min
utes long, actually has nothing to do
with Central America It documents
the story of 3,200 Americans who
fought on the side of Loyalist Spain in
the Spanish Civil War.
"Witness to War," which is 30 min
utes long, takes place behind rebel
lines in El Salvador and follows Dr.
Charlie Clements' journey of con
science from being a soldier in Viet
nam to being a doctor in El Salvador.
The documentary schedule:
O Today: 3 p.m. "Nicaragua:
No Pasaran" and "Nicaragua: Report
from the Front"; 7 p.m. "In the
Name of the People" and "Witness to
War"; 9 p.m. - 'The Good Fight."
O Saturday: 1 p.m. "The Good
Fight"; 3 p.m. "In the Name of the
People" and "Witness to War"; 6:30
p.m. "Nicaragua Was Our Home"
(Director Lee Shapiro will be present
for a discussion after the film); 9:30
p.m. "Nicaragua: No Pasaran" and
"Nicaragua: Report from the Front."
O Sunday: 3 p.m. "In the
Name of the People" and "Witness to
War"; 5 p.m. "Nicaragua: No Pasa
ran" and "Witness to War"; 7:15 p.m.
"The Good Fight"; 9 p.m. "Nica
ragua: No Pasaran" and "Nicaragua:
Report from the Front."
No, really, after drinking a 12-pack
you can see from the picture that Cris
tina is perfect to write a hit song about.
She has sensuous brown eyes, long
beautiful hair, a gorgeous smile and
perhaps most important. . . she wears
braces.
Since I want this to be a hit song, I
obviously have to gear it toward 13-year-olds,
like the Thompson Twins do.
Besides, braces are as American as
General Motors. Braces seem to be say
ing, "We are an orthodontist's way of
taking over where nature screwed up."
With philosophical lyrics like that, my
hit songs could hail me as the next Bob
Dylan.
After 14 beers, I sat down and
started on the lyrics. I decided that
since this was my first effort, I had
better use words that people expect to
hear in hit songs. You know them: Blue,
Tears, Crying, Fool, Hurting, Broken,
Missing, Pain, Heartache, Gut-wrenching
and Gonorrhea
Songwriting is so uplifting.
I started tapping my fingers against
my 15th beer and the words started a
comin'. . .
You stand smiling in thesun
Sunlight reflecting from your
BracesAnd making me sweat
Like a pig.
Catchy, I thought, but just not sad
enough. I want to melt hearts like Air
Supply does. I decided to use some of
my key words:
I'm a lonely lover Crying like
a blue foolVduse I miss your
kiss And cutting my tongue on
yourBracesI love girls with
Chinese pianist Heng Li
follows in father 's footsteps
By Kris Leach
Staff Reporter
Heng Li, a Chinese graduate stu
dent studying piano at UNL, is con
tinuing a family tradition of educa
tion at UNL
His father, Laurence Chai-Lu Li,
studied piano here from 1948 to
1950.
Li began to pursue his dream of
being a fine pianist when he was 6,
he said. At that time, he was taught
by students of his father, who was
chairman of the piano department
at the Shanghai Conservatory of
Music.
However, the Cultural Revolution
that began in 1986 put a stop to his
piano playing. All Western instru
ments and music were banned un
less the music was used for political
purposes.
Li said that for four years the two
family pianos were sealed up and no
one was allowed to play them.
In 1970, the laws became more
lenient and Li began to study the
piano again this time under his
father's tutalage, he said.
It was shortly after this that Li
entered a piano contest completely
unprepared and won first prize. Li
said this contest opened up many
doors for him, such as the opportun
ity to play for an orchestra in Peking
for eight years.
Li said he returned to Shanghai
in 1978 as the cultural revolution
ended and the university system
was reinstated. He began school
again and earned his bachelor's
degree in music. He was awarded a
graduate honor for being the out
standing student in 1980, 1981 and
1982. Upon earning his degree, Li
was appointed as an instructor of
music at the Shanghai Conservatory.
In 1982, Li applied to study abroad.
A year later, Li came to UNL, spon
sored by his father's 1950 UNL
classmate, James Bastian.
Braces.
I was almost in tears after that verse,
as you can imagine. The word "braces"
would be drawn out and mournful each
time, with just a hint of a tear rolling
from the singer's eyes in the hit video
I'm sure they will make from the song.
I drank a toast to my imminent suc
cess, finishing my 17th and 19th beers.
I had to add a personal touch:
The way you smileMakes me
glad to seeBits of food dangling
from yourBracesWhen you
smile with thoseBraces.
Then, of course, another beer and a
bit about losing someone you love:
When you took off your braces
I hurt real-real-real badLike a
construction ivorkerWho fell
from from the ninth flooronto
hot concreteand lived.
I could feel that line and sang it to
myself while finishing the esse.
Then I wrote the big finish, a la
Lionel Richie:
You make me want braces,
tooSo we cou Id lock ourselvesIn
a lifelong kissJust you and
meSimple and freeWith our
BracesjLock me up, baby, in
ourBraces.
I rushed the lyrics off to a record
company this morning. Stay tuned to
MTV to see it played. I hope that cute
Martha Quinn announces the video
premiere. I'll remember you all when
I'm rich and famous.
And thank you, Cristina I'll bet you
don't smile all day.
I was so happy with my impending
success that I decided to get drunk.
Li
Li plans to complete his master's
degree in May 1986, then go to Bos-
ton with his wife Man-Hua, ctao an
accomplished singer, until she fin-
2
-.
Sherman braces
X
Andrea HoyDaily Nebraskan
ishes her studies,
They plan to return to China,
where Li said he wants to teach and
perform piano.
and beer
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Dan DulaneyDaily Nebraskan
herself for a hit song.