Arts & Entertainment
Sheldon to show French Revolution films
By John Payne
Staff Reporter
In commemoration of the bicentennial of
the French Revolution, the Sheldon Film Thea
ter will be showing eight films on the subject
over the next 10 days, beginning tomorrow
night w ith the 1935 British classic “The Scar
let Pimpernel.”
The films range from silent epics like
1921 ’s “Orphans of the Storm” to 1982’s
“Damon.” The screenings will be accompa
nied by lectures from UNL professors well
versed in history and film study.
Sheldon’s lineup and screening times are:
“The Scarlet Pimpernel” (Great Britain,
1935) is the tale of a bold group of English
“commandos” who come to the rescue of
condemned French Aristocrats during the
height of the revolution. The group’s leader,
Sir Percy (a.k.a. the “Scarlet Pimpernel”) is a
wealthy young Englishman and master of dis
guise played by Leslie Howard. The screening
is 7:30 tonight and 3 p.m. Saturday with Profes
sor Nicole Smith as the featured lecturer.
“Madame Dubarry” (Germany, 1919) was
banned in France for five years. It was a water
shed silent film that the French considered an
insult to their history. “Madame Dubarry” is
the story of a young girl’s rise from commoner
to King Louis XIV’s mistress. Screenings arc
at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday.
“Orphans of the Storm” (United Suites,
1921) is D W. Griffith’s silent masterpiece
about the plight of two estranged sisters amidst
the violence of 18th century Paris. Silent
screen legend Lillian Gish stars. “Orphans of
the Storm” drew scorn from various political
factions for its anti-Bolshevik undertones.
Screenings arc at 12:45 and 7:30 p.m. Satur
day. Professor Patrice Berger will be the lec
turer.
“Les Chouans” (France, 1946) depicts
French Royalists, led by the Marquis of Mon
tauran, who plot to reinstate a monarchy in
France 10 years after the revolution. The Mar
quis falls in love with a known spy for the
Republic, but their love affair is soon threat
ened by different political loyalties. Screen
ings are 3 p.m. Thursday Dec. 7 with Professor
June Levine as lecturer and 5:15 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 10 with featured speaker Professor Tho
mas Carr.
“La Nuit de Varcnnes” (Francc/ltaly,
1981) stars the cvcr-elegant Marcello Mas
troianni in this intriguing tale of the flight of
Louis XIV and Marie Anioinettc from Paris to
Varcnnes to join up with French Loyalists
during the upheaval in Paris. Among the pas
sengers on board the coach arc Thomas Paine,
Casanova and several nobles and servants.
Screenings arc at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7
with Smith lecturing, and 7:30 p.m. Friday,
Dec. 8.
“Marie Antoinette” (United States, 1938)
Made at a time when period epics were a
favorite in Hollywood, this version takes a
rather sympathetic view of Louis’s main
squeeze, unlike previous films that depict her
as the main culprit in the royal excess that
stirred the masses. John Barrymoorc and Ty
rone Power star, with Norma Shearer in the title
role. Screenings are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8
and 2:15 p.m. Sunday Dec. 10.
“Danton” (France/Poland 1982), in yet
another socialist allegory, tells the story of the
sensitive French Revolutionary who, upon re
turn from exile, tries to soothe the political
unrest in his country through tolerance and
peace. Screenings arc 12:30p.m.and 7:30p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9 with Professors June Levine
and Berger as lecturers.
Perhaps the largest in scope of the films,
“La Marseillaise" (France, 1937) chronicles
the Revolution in its entirety, from the storm
ing of the Bastille to the execution of the ruling
class by the infamous guillotine. Screenings
are at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 with Levine and
Berger as the featured lecturers and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 10 with Carr as the featured
lecturer.
Tickets are S4 for adults, S3 for senior
cili/ens, children and Friends of the Sheldon
Film Theater.
Clubs to feature local, national bands
Sheldon participates
in commemoration
By Gretchen Boehr
Senior Reporter
On Friday art galleries
across the nation will com
memorate those who have died
of AIDS in “A Day Without
Art.”
The Sheldon Memorial Art
Gallery at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln will partici
pate in the commemoration by
'caving the lights off in one of
its 12 galleries, according to
Daphne Deeds, curator and as
sistant director.
“The bottom line is that the
art world in particular has sacri
ficed an enormous amount of
talent and creativity to this vi
rus,” Deeds said.
“A Day Without Art” uses
the metaphorical title to suggest
the loss to the art community
because of the many artists who
have died of AIDS.
Deeds said she received
posters from Visual AIDS, a
national group of an profes
sionals in New York, with in
formation about “A Day With
out Art.”
The black and white posters
will be displayed at both en
trances to the gallery.
Susan J. Brasch, an artist in
Lincoln, said “A Day Without
Art’ ’ creates a public awareness
of AIDS.
“A painting could be a
metaphor for a person,” she
said. “And when it is no longer
with us we notice a significant
void.”
By Mick Dyer
Staff Previewer
Here’s a rundown of live music ir
Lincoln from today through Dec. 5
Choose carefully.
Alternative:
Tonight, Sawhorse and Leafy
Green things will play at Duffy’s
1412 0 St.
Sawhorse is a bold and unproc
essed Lincoln noise band. With its
roots deep in the punk and industrial
musical traditions, Sawhorse plays
well-disciplined, angst-ridden, criti
cal-mass kind of needle sounds that
really poke audiences in the ear.
Musical methamphctaminc.
Leafy Green Things is a big, hairy
Lincoln alternative rock band. The
Leafy Green Things is unpredictable.
Sometimes it plays loud. Sometimes
it plays quietly. Sometimes people
dance. It’s Bacchic. Mind altering.
Jazz/Blues:
Tonight through Saturday, Matt
Guitar'’ Murphy will play at the
Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.
Matt “Guitar” Murphy is proba
bly best known for his performance
opposite Aretha Franklin in the
highly acclaimed Murphy’s Diner
scene in the 1979 film, “the Blues
Brothers.”
Actually, over the past 20 years
Matt “Guitar” Murphy has per
formed with virtually every great
blues artist, from Muddy Waters to
Memphis Slim. And many blues fans
who have heard him play have her
alded him as one of the greatest guitar
players of our time.
Sunday, The Monks will play
popular jazz standards from the
1940s to the present at Chesterfield's,
Lower Level 245 N. 13th St.
Monday, The Tablcrockers will
play at the Zoo Bar.
The Tablcrockers is the Zoo Bar’s
house band and was voted best Lin
coln blues band for 1989 by Omaha’s
Fastlane entertainment magazine.
With the recent addition of singer
Annette Murrell, the Tablcrockers is
on par w ith any of the national acts
that walk through the Zoo Bar door to
perform.
Tuesday, B and the Hot Notes will
play at the Zoo Bar.
After some personnel and name
changes over the past few months, B
and the Hot Notes arc back together
with its original line-up. Thank good
ness. The group incorporates ele
ments of big-band era swing time
music into rhythm and blues to create
an upbeat put-a-smile-on-your-face
sound.
The band’s strengths are clear and
effortlessly precise guitar work, a
tight light tight rhythm section and
pure soulful makc-thc-hair-on-ihc
back-of-your-neck-stand-up vocals.
Its two-and three-part vocal harmo
nies aren’t bad either. The band’s
weakness is it doesn’t perform live
nearly often enough.
"" IM.' ■■■■■ U w.w ■ ■ ■ ■ in ■■■■■■!
Photo Courtesy of Luciano Vitl
Matt "Guitar” Murphy
Equipment failure forces station off air
ByJMKnPuyae
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An unknown equipment malfunction took KZUM, 89.3 FM, radio
station off the air early Monday morning, a station representative said
Tuesday.
Routine maintenance work on the station’s transmitter apparently
triggered the breakdown, according to Martin Wells, KZUM program
coordinator. KZUM wem off the air at about I a.m. Monday and has
been off ever since.
”We were doing the same sort of maintenance that we’ve always
done periodically,” WcUssaid. * ‘ All of a sudden, something blew,” he
said
* ..*****.***".********.■■****.**...**f -..
‘Cyrano’ closes first half of theater season
From Staff Reports
The Department of Theater Arts
and Dance closes out the first half of
its season with a production of Ed
mond Rostand’s “Cyrano de
Bergerac” which opens 8 p.m. Fri
day at Howell Theatre.
The play, set in 17th century
France, tells of the romantic expolits
of Cyrano de Bergerac, a swashbuck
ling swordsman with a nose of “un
common size.”
His attempts to attract his beauti
I ul cousin Roxane are thwarted by his
grotesque profile. He decides to help
the handsome Christian woo Roxane
by writing poetic verses that Chris
tian will recite to her as his own.
Eventually, the fate of the three
lovers is thrown into disarray when
the jealous Comte de Guiche sends
the two men off to war.
The play runs Friday and Satur
day, Tuesday through Dec. 9, and
Dec. 12 through Dec. 15 and 16 at
Howell Theater in the Temple build
ing.
Contest rewards composers
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Staff Reporter
A recently announced music com
petiuon could put student composers
on the chart to success, a spokesman
said Tuesday.
Ralph Jackson, director of the
BMI Student Composer Awards, said
that BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), the
largest performing rights organiza
tion in the world, is sponsoring the
38th Annual Student Composer
Awards. According to Jackson, the
contest is designed to encourage
young composers in the creation of
concert music.
Concert music is the only category
»n the competition. The organization
awards cash prizes in order to allow
the students to continue their musical
education. The cash awards range
from $500 to $2,000. The number of
awards given will depend on how
many entries the judges feel merit
them, Jackson said.
“We’ve had as few as eight win
ners and as many as 17,’ ’ he said. He
said the total amount of prize money
available is $15,000.
Compositions will be judged on
technical merit. The judges for this
year’s competition will not be dis
closed until after the close of the 1990
competition. Last year’s judges in
cluded experimental composer Paul
‘We’ve had as few
as eight winners
and as many as
17
— Jackson
Sm % , w -' m x
' -X • V K, sss X . X .
Drcsher, music Pulitzer Prize-winner
Bernard Rands and classical/televi
sion composer Lalo Schifrin.
Jackson said the contest usually
has about 10 linal-round judges, as
well as about five preliminary-round
judges.
Contestants must be less than 26
years old as of Dec. 31, 1989, and
must be residents of the Western
Hemisphere. Students must be en
rolled in secondary schools, colleges
or conservatories or must be engaged
in private study with established
music teachers. No limitations will
be placed on the instrumentation,
style or length of the piece. Contest
ants may enter no more than one
composition.
BMI established the awards pro
gram in 1951 in cooperation with
professional music educators and
composers. Since that time more than
350 students, ranging in age from 8 to
25 years old, have been award win
ners under the BMI program’s aus
pices.
BMI represents more than 90,000
composers, writers and publishers of
music. In 1984, it founded the BMI
Foundation to support individuals
interested in furthering their musical
education and to assist organizations
involved in the performance of and
training in music.
hntry blanks can be obtained by
writing to Ralph N. Jackson, Direc
tor, BMI Student Composer Awards,
320 W. 57lh St., New York, NY
10019.
The deadline for submissions is
Feb. 9, 1990.