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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1986)
Friday, October 17, 1986 Daily Nebraskan Pago 7 Arils 'review by -Stales Lcurcnso OK Southern C: .IllerrJi&nd scS-ccrs the hca k::;"."?, v.i'Ji a h:r:o,i LI! cf ocerjrt tiizziz cr.tarecp:t:.I sun:.:.t, tl:t?:r:tb:! ir.'j v.i'M dirk ether. With tzo rauch tlT.s t think, with errs tr. i U;: strJf. z ter!r:.;t Elr:3 iiks treai&g pils-. ley. Whri emerges ere rcups like' Edn pTds, 3 O'CIcck, Wire Train (frcn Gs::i0 Theory's new hose, Saa Frdsco) J the fr;.;;!?, ferret fcut.ll 3 of r.iicdy that i3 Gonie Thccry. .'.: .i r ': "i i yr', It h tlis dl i: -.?' i:.ric f r r ; : ' - l- ! . v - " . . r'S-'f'-'-"- ' V V'1'-"'' -w r- . . - A f v- ''If'' O w A A ... V '..... n. tip tc . j . .. . , ' exinr.i'j I'' pc;f .-" ' Act:. : r I il : r O'C'L . L . . . C jT. -vk:t - -1 .it ,w r H ft '1 i i (IX the mC .y k 1 L.:. . il"..t sc:uCtl...:3 r.rr t' . ; c ' I. 'r peers. r.Tsist , . !. c . i aj th i'rc-;l.:t t.' f cptir.j for a I ' ..iv ir hooKy, - Liii.. ,v ... j . ,J Fere Ut u ci 1 ' ; t . , ; ;;ti . ::x that the s -, ; i :t t'l K! a thc-n-c . " . '::,:, series is fascinating glimpse at Africa By Stew Magnuson Staff Reviewer "The Africans," PBS. In Dakar, Senegal, all types of people walk down the dusty streets. Some men and women dress in Arabic garb; others wear brightly colored tribal robes. A lanky black man strolls down the sidewalk in a three-piece suit while he car ries his briefcase. Tube Talk This scene, from PBS's new nine week documentary series called "The Africans," best shows the odd mixture of Islam, traditional African culture and the relatively recent Western in fluences. The series shows how these three forces influence modern Africa. It takes a lot for me to turn the channel from my beloved "Hill Street Blues" on Thursday nights, but I've always been fascinated with the Afri can continent. Still, this fascination wasn't enough to make me turn the channel. When I found out the Reagan admin istration had labeled the documentary "anti-western" and "propagandist" in nature, I knew the show had to be good. I had watched PBS documentaries for years about Africa's wildlife. There are so many of these wildlife shows that focus on the mating habits of the Sud anese whooping loon or whatever, that . test ; iT . , . .... i .. I , ? w - . ( - . . . - , , 1 1 Srrtt !! " : tM c" ,::r " j ;. i r.v. j 1" f a ! ' - . . ..... J ..... I i....... t :i f.r f:-nv: i, fcr ; . t: contain thrrr.- With 1; I . II . : t:.w : i : I :ct in LI r.::r "I, it's L' ; I f-;r : .its sdv;..1 :ni3 at,.; - : I wondered if any human beings lived on the continent at all. Now PBS has responded to that criticism by spend ing millions of dollars on one of the most comprehensive TV series on Afri can culture. By the end of the show, I wasn't sorry I skipped "Hill Street Blues," but even I began to see the Reagan administra tion's points. The show is written and narrated by Ali A. Mazrui, the descendant of Mom basan kings, who left his predomi nantly Islamic country to study in the West. Like Africa itself, Mazrui is influ enced by Islamic beliefs and Western cluture, as well as traditional African culture. His tone is definitely anti-Western, though, which is just fine with me. I've studied some African history. Afri cans have every right to be anti-Western. But sometimes Mazrui goes a little overboard. At one point in the program he stands on the bank of the Suez Canal and asks why a bridge couldn't have been built over the Red Sea to link Arabia instead of using the canal to separate Africa from the Middle East. Well, I would think of quite a few reasons. Mazrui is my only complaint about this show. I don't mind him it's great to have a knowledgeable narrator who can relate so many interesting personal experiences and incorporate them into the documentary. He's far better than having a faceless voice simply tell us what is going on in Africa. ) . . f '.-r,. i " ft '' .... .. .V-N ., '. ' . v 7 T ... 1 f r i'"? v .y H' ;i tl t .;t't t- . .1 i ....... :. vi..:i tl 2 kir.d's cil to Sar. Frercrro, a ri roir i k:. ir.rj oriy C v .aaCji A..i 1- vlMl btij O ...... v co,;.;;! ;tc-Iy i ' ::f".ctcry chrcs in fVi- fT,."-i- e ". .m, ' : , .. v.'ic;' I". (. ri. Ti:',ct .-2 C 5, But he's the only voice. Mazrui doesn't interview fellow Afri cans to get their point of view; he doesn't show us individual Africans beyond glimpses. His slant against the West was fine, until I realized that his was the only slant I would hear. Just look at the images of Africa and ignore Mazrui's comments if you want. Watch a semi-truck roll along an ancient road through the desert where Arabic caravans used to trek. Watch Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of inde pendent Kenya, address a crowd with as much charisma as John F. Kennedy. Watch white Kenyans play croquet on their plush green lawns. Watch a Saharan sand dune slowly creep up on a forest. Nature is still the most powerful force on the continent, Mazrui said, and when I saw Ethiopians march on a seemingly endless trail to find food during a drought, I believed him. Africa is a complex continent with complex problems, Mazrui said. My one complaint isn't bad enough to get me to start watching "Hill Street Blues" and it's rehashed plot lines again. I'm going to run home Thursday nights to satch Mazrui like I ran home to watch Captain Furrillo and the gang. Watch "The Africans" and learn. It's better than seeing Lieutenant Bilker bite some poor criminal on the nose for the 200th time. "The Africans" shows at 9 p.m. Thursday Nights on PBS Channel 12. The Judge' hands down trash, sordid verdict By Mark Hain Staff Reviewer "The Judge," channel 3 3:30 p.m. weekdays As anyone who listens to any TV evangelist knows, the blame for Ameri ca's apocalyptic moral decline lies squarely on the shoulders of the break down of the family unit. As anyone who's seen "The Judge" knows, this is probably true. It is probably more than coincidence that "The Judge" directly follows "Divorce Court." Together they make up one full hour of really tacky, blat antly overacted, delightfully melodra matic courtroom hullabaloo. The only flaw in all this fun is these shows tend to take themselves too seriously. The credibility the viewer gives to shows such as "The Judge" is what classifies them as either a modern-day morality play or a hilariously far-fetched exploi tation of human foibles. Although "The Judge" is obviously aimed at people who live in mobile homes and believe that The National Enquirer is gospel truth; with the right attitude, anyone can get a good laugh out of the Ameri can televised judicial system. Tube Talk And speaking of The National En quirer, "The Judge" seems to be avideo version. Well, actually, The Enquirer is too literate for this comparison; "The Judge" is really more of a video Weekly World News. The "gripping family dra mas" featured on the program have titles such as "My Daughter the Prosti tute" and "Mom is a Bag Lady." No fooling. Have these broadcasters no shame? Let's hope not. Despite all the nasty, sordid things that take place within this TV cour troom, the producers try to soften the impact. The judge himself is far more benevolent and cuddly than the Divorce Court's Judge Keene or even ol' Judge Wopnar. The Honorable Robert J. Franklin comes off as a cross between God, Santa Claus and Grandpa. This image is achieved in part from the scene that introduces us to Mr. Wond erful: The opening shot pans to a man tlepiece and scans a vista of photos of the Judge throughout his years. Oooh, he was a soldier; what a good American. And then he walks into view, adjusting his suspenders (what, he's stylish too?) Some of our legal officials might be in it for the money or prone to corrup tion, but not this guy. "I chose the law as my way of serving my fellow man," he informs us as he begins his busy day. Yes, it's a kiss goodbye to the lovely wife (an incredible Barbara Billingsley simulation), a quick romp with the dog on the painfully perfect lawn and a Compiled by Stew Magnuson Staff Reporter At the Zoo: Charlie Burton is a Lincoln legend, but surprisingly, he rarely plays in his hometown. This weekend is a rare chance to see Burton and his band, The Hiccups, play the Zoo. Cover is only $2.50 and the shows Friday and Saturday nights start at 9 p.m. At Kimball Hall: Pianist Charles Rosen will be fea tured at three different events at Kimball Hall starting next Thursday. Rosen, who will be in Lincoln as the featured speaker at the "Collo quium in 19th Century French Stu dies," will also perform an all-Liszt concert on Thursday evening. Rosen will deliver' a speech and demon stration, "Romantic Variants: Bal zac and Liszt," at 1 p.m. Friday for the colloquium and will teach a master class at 3:39 p.m. for UNL State of the Arts wave to the beaming neighbors. Oh, how lucky they are to have such a man right next door. We know Judgey is even a good Christian, because he tells us so. "I pray every day to God to give me the wisdom to always temper jus tice with humility." With that kind of help, how can you go wrong? You can't. Judge Franklin knows his stuff. He can tell an unruly witness to bury himself with more compassion than anyone. And he's smart, too. Take this case, for example. Mom and Dad are divorced, and stepdad is an infor mant on the mob. To keep the kiddies from getting rubbed out by the Horse Head Gang, stepdad and company have to relocate and assume a new identity. But then real dad will never see Billy and Susie again. Oh dear. "The government has no right to change their lives," the dad frantically hollers. (There's a lot of hollering in this court; it's pretty informal. Some times there aren't even any attorneys.) "But at least they'll have their lives," Mr. Cold Government Official responds. The teenage son, who is, of course, his school's starting quarterback, takes the stand and whimpers, "How do you tell a 5-year-old she's never going to see her daddy again?" Cut to a tight close-up of the judge's kindly, concerned, slightly saddened face, (there are a lot of those, too). But mom testifies that she's been sent pic tures of dead babies, and her 5-year-old daughter turned up from a kidnapping wearing a note that said, "I could have been dead by now." What's an ultra wise, super-human judge to do? Don't worry. Things get easier when dad's attorney turns out to be a conniv ing witch (after all, most women in a "man's job" on these shows are). It gets even easier when dad withdraws his custody petition. He loves his family (even his ex) too much to jeopardize its safety. But that's too sad an ending. Judge Franklin has a way of making everything alright. He discovers a way for dad to be smuggled off by the government once a year to see his kids in a secret location. Yea! "It's the bond of life within you all that makes this decision possible," the judge tells the thankful family. Dab those eyes and heave your sighs, once again everything is peachy in TV land. As the closing credits roll, the announcer reports where to write for a list of organizations that deal with the "family issues" seen on "The Judge". (After all, there are debutante sluts and stool pigeon step-dads in every family, aren't there?) But why bother? Even with all that information, no one can ever top Robert J. Franklin. Look to the horizon and shield your eyes from the blinding radiance of the savior of America's morality. They call him The Judge. School of Music piano students. All events will take place in Kimball Hall, and the lecturedemonstra tion and the master class are open to the public at no charge. Tickets for the concert are $10 for the general public and $6 for UNL students and may be purchased at the Kimball Hall box office between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. At Sheldon Film Theatre: I haven't seen "A Room with a View" myself, but everyone I know who has, has been hassling me all week to go see it this weekend. "A Room with a View" is an adaption of E.M. Forster's novel of the same name. Also showing with "A Room with a View" is a short film by director Kenn Summers called "Fingerplay." Screenings are tonight through Sunday. Times are 7 and 9:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a Satur day matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday's showings are at 5, 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Admission is $3.75.