Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1986)
Thursday, December 11, 1986 Daily Nebraskan Page 9 ft 9 3 r? fi 0 ft , "r cq r- -i ;-v --''-,' -TV's : d M f".-y t M m i; i l t; r 'J ! h 1 I! V; Ml mrm them WFM O r r& V f 0 There I was on Thanksgiving Day, parked on my sofa watching "Mir acle on 34th Street." After piles of turkey and stuffing the slothful feeling was beginning to set in. Santa Claus had an orange face. Now, it's been years since I believed in the little bugger, but never in my 26 years of existence do I recall Santa's face being orange. His face had a glow, Dave Meile his cheeks were rosy, but he was never orange. When Santa (Edmund Gwenn) eventually stood trial, I observed a ver itable sea of orange faces. It was ugly. WTBS, Ted Turner's superstation from Atlanta, and a computer colorization company, Color Technology Inc., are turning old black-and-white films into color films. It would be different if WTBS and friends wore their greed and callous ness on their sleeve; we Americans like a good greedy business. But the colori zation folks are so much more imagina tive. Jack Petrick, executive vice pres ident and general manager of WTBS, said recently on CNN's Larry King Live: "Let's allow the people to decide about whether film is art on your own whether they like colorization." This time) is now an interactive, communal sounds uncharacteristically democratic for a television executive. It is more like Ronald Reagan's glazed-over press conference look; the answer sounds good but avoids nearly every conceiva ble issue. Every colorizing advocate has mir aculously left out the details. All are experience, uo aneaa ana paint your picture or sculpt or make a film. But now, under the Petrik model, we can change whatever we want. The man himself, Ted Turner, is not nearly so shifty. His is the attitude of a spoiled 10-year-old millionaire, who Appalled actions It worries no one at WTBS that the film industry is appalled at their actions. Famed director John Huston, after suffering through the first seven minutes of his own film "The Maltese Falcon" likened colorization to a con spiracy. Jimmy Stewart, when remark ing on the desecration of the beloved film "It's a Wonderful Life" was straight- latest nightmare has me perched in front of my Zenith at age 75 when the announcer blares: "Tonight, for the first time in 30 years, the original black-and-white version of 'Citizen Kane', 'Dracula,' 'Psycho,' etc." You fill in the blank. Yup, there's more impor tant issues in the world. Just don't be misled by lies and deception. Coloriza tion is simply another instance of guilty of omitting the fact that colon- after buying tn.e Mona Lisa cuts m forward and undeniably logical: "The smugster rich boys in suits clawing for zation is nothing more than a new idea to make money. You and I know this, and WTBS is arrogant enough to think we don't. It was all cut and dried a long time ago. The superstation execs prob ably had their meeting with corporate sponsors and wrung their hands be cause only 12 people watched "Allegh eny Uprising" last week, and they were all from the Allegheny mountains. "Something must be done," was the likely reply from an executive in a Brooks Brothers suit. Some techno- nprH" whrt'c etnrHoH nnlnrc all hie lifo hits on the idea of colorizing new films, raie was "i man. wno eV. her nose to see if he can get a rise out of people. "Last time I looked they were my films," said Teddy, who now owns many MGM and RKO studio films. This says a lot for art and creativity. There is no art. Art is now a commodity like stocks, cattle or slaves. I own it, and I have no responsibility to anyone else, not even those who create it. This is arrogant, insensitive and dis respectful, but it is hardly surprising, coming from a man whose idea of mak ing a national TV network more accu- and thus wooing the younger viewers who find black and white films archaic. Colorizing cretins If we all believe Petrik, art (argue con people into Deneving mat nis baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, is "America's Team." You really have to stretch your immagination to believe that Americans would identify so much with such consistent losers. color doesn't have a place in the story. The colorization advocates have failed to justify the possible colorization of films in which the use of black and white, shadows, etc., is an integral part. Nor do they seem disturbed that when one scene dissolves into another, the color tempora i)y vanishes. Appar ently their worm o us technology has not found a cure for that. Ugly precedents Surely there are problems more important than the colorizing of old black-and-white films apartheid, the arms race, the homeless. But on a personal level there are some big im plications and some ugly precedents being set here. Call me paranoid if you like. Tell me I'm overreacting. My more at the expense of the intentions, hopes and creativity of artists and viewers alike. The only thing new and improved will be Ted Turner's mansion. It is technology from hell. Lord knows what swill will be colorized and hyped in the name of hipness and cool ness. What the Turner gang fails to realize is that they are toying with peo ple's feelings of sentimentality, imagi nation and reverence. Let them monkey with our feelings, because I believe their efforts will quietly shrivel and die. Nonetheless, their greed will not, and it makes me mad as hell. Though this diatribe is in black and white, my face, unlike the computerized orange face of "Miracle on 34th Street," is purple with anger. J An L TL-;o 111 ii t. o r.ts not just cr.s cf c " -;. Lcr music per formed ij UM in Wcst . brook Recife! Hall this week. .Because cf the-number cf stu . dents who . will participate in the recital and th3 large number cf works to be performed, recitals will be held in Westbrook at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Both recitals will be open to the public .without charge, - station, KHNU-FM, INL's puV.lc rzilo will c.rry the Texcco- Bellini's "I Puritani" on Saturday. Live coverage will begin at 1 p.m. on KENU-FM, 90.3 on the FM did. The performance will feature Joan Sutherland in the role of Elvira, with Black Rockwell as Arturo, Sherrill Milnes as Eiccsrdo and Samuel Ramey as Giorgio. Wis Q f i .1 L) The Wait Is Over. Men of Nebraska 1987 Calendar Women of Nebraska 1987 Calendar AVAII ARI C Anii 4 tn Wherever fine calendars are sold. . n j . . -r i f-. .1 ,rt"ri Trtl T'LIP On ATT1 r- r . -X tH 3 I J if )WBr' - i M-V" 0ZM St i iSum 9 STREET, UNCOLN, NE 68508- & viiAlii liiliMy J U UJ1 Vil 1L Now you can save money on a PC and still get IBM quality. Because we're selling the original IBM Personal Computer complete with two diskette drives, monochrome monitor and adapter at our lowest price ever. So if you're in a crunch for a computer, stop in. We've got your numbers. v i 1 7 f 2 r ' ( ' - - J" to I ' i-,,,-, J-i-.. ., .j:;'TT'rjMi- i '-r Tcriri ....,1 Last chance for graduating seniors to buy at student prices! UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE COMPUTER SHOP Nebraska Union Lower Level