Arts & Entertainment
---^——
Mediocre film falls short of importance
_I
Tom Gallagher Daily Nebraskan
Magorian hopes two novels will expand readership
By John Payne
Staff Reporter
“38: Vienna Before the Fall,” is a
film with its heart in the right place,
but one that doesn’t quite realize its
potential.
Sadly, the powerful subject matter
is buried in a rather dull love affair.
As the title would indicate, the
movie takes place in a then-free Austria,
shortly before the Nazi invasion. Carola
moinj&D -
Hell (Sunnyi Mellcs), Vienna’s most
popular stage actress, spends her time
pursuing her two great loves -- theater
and a talented Jewish playwright named
Martin Hoffman (Tobias Engel).
Deeply in love, the two are oblivi
ous to the political turmoil develop
ing in Europe. Martin, a Jew, is well
regarded among social sophisticates
in Vienna. However, the city, known
for its diplomacy and acceptance, is
becoming increasingly anti-semitic,
and the relationship of Carola and
Martin is in jeopardy.
Hitler’s thirst for European con
quest looms ominously over not only
their lives, but over the lives of all
Austrians. “38: Vienna” does a good
job of conveying that sense of fear,
but the movie simply takes too long to
develop. The idea that these two lov
ers would be so blind as to be apart
ment hunting and hosting a New Year’s
Eve party at a time of such grave
danger is a bit implausible, to say the
least
The scenes of young Viennese Nazis
marching through the city streets are
unquestionably powerful. But direc
tor Wolfgang Gluck doesn’t give the
audience enough of these moments to
maintain interest.
Quite frankly, the central charac
ters are not nearly as interesting as the
film’s gripping backdrop. Engel and
Melles make no glaring errors, but we
are never given a reason to want to
see more of them.
The film should have done a better
job following the rise of Austria's
anti-semitism and the panic that
engulfed Vienna upon Germany’s
invasion in March 1938.
The grandeur of Vienna is cap
tured occasionally, but again,these
scenes arc all too brief. The absolute
enormity of the Nazi takeover of
Austria is a story that cannot, and
should not, be contained to the lives
of two very ordinary lovers.
“38: Vienna Before the Fall”
certainly isn’t the worst foreign him
made, but it misses several opportu
nities to be an important one.
“38: Vienna Before the Fall ” will
play at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday at the
Sheldon Film Theater.
Lincoln author writes to satisfy himself in lonely held
By Biyan Peterson
Staff Reporter
His poetry is studied in UNL classes
and his books can be found in many
local bookstores, but Lincoln writer
James Magorian still is somewhat a
mystery.
Local booksellers know the name
but very little about Magorian him
self.
“I’m kind of a loner,” he said.
“Writing is by nature a lonely work.”
Magorian docs not make public
appearances or conduct workshops as
do many local writers. He lives and
works in seclusion, writing or editing
every day and publishing dozens of
works through small presses.
Two of Magorian’s novels are
awaiting publication. All of his previ
ously published works arc children’s
books or collections of poetry.
“I am probably better known on
the East and West coasts than in Lin
coln,” Magorian said.
He does not sell his own books
locally, and the small presses which
print and distribute Magorian’s works
are located in places like San Fran
cisco, Denver and Vermont.
Magorian said he would like to
have more readers — his poetry and
children’s books should have more
The Metal Duck in a Carnival Shoot
ing Gallery
I keep returning to certain
situations despite the suffering
that always repeats itself.
I must be on some cosmic
conveyer belt, robbed of free will
and returned to disaster
on schedule like a metal duck
in a carnival shooting gallery.
Magorian
exposure if his novels are printed.
Even if his novels break into a
national market, it is unlikely that
Magorian will become more visible.
“1 write to satisfy myself,” he
said. “I don’t go out and promote
myself or my books.”
Surreal, slapstick, satire . . .
Magorian uses all these words to
describe his poetry. Virtually any
thing can serve as a poem for Mago
rian.
“You can get ideas from anyplace;
just go with them,” he said.
Magorian sometimes includes
photographs, charts and drawings in
his collections of poetry.
“The visuals are for my own
amusement and their satiric implica
tions. They tell us whatsociety values
or put something in an unusual light,’’
he said.
“When I do that, I am more a
philosopher-artist than a writer. They
are put there whimsically, a result of
lapping into subconscious flows.’’
Such pursuit of subconscious flows
marks much of Magorian’s poetry.
Often the poems seem like incom
plete thoughts or have titles longer
than the actual poem (“The Red
Haired Librarian’s First Poem: Over
due”).
Magorian’s poems have appeared
in more than 250 publications, in
cluding The Lamplight, Milkweed
• A
Language is no barrier to enjoyment
of French trio’s innovative music style
By Brian Meves
Staff Reporter _
The Young Gods
“L’eau Rouge-Red Water”
Wax Trax
Say “oui, “oui,” “oui” to The
Young Gods.
The much awaited debut album
from the French, industrial-noise trio,
“The Young Gods” proves to be a
listening experience to say the very
least.
Be forewarned, though, the entire
album is in French. But you don l
have to be a French major to enjoy the
ever-changing music style.
On “L/eau Rouge (Red Water),
the listener is introduced to two dif
ferent versions of “The Young Gods.
First of all, there is side one. The
first song, “La Fille De La Mori
(Daughter Of Death),” sounds like
carousal music with the lead singer
singing a beautiful French song in a
Julio Iglesias-typc voice. Then a rag
ing symphony crashes in, climaxing
the song.
Blending in nicely is “Rue Des
Tempetes (Tempest Street),” which
relies heavily on electric violins and
guitars and rough, demonic vocals.
The last song on side one, “Char
lotte,” is a funny song with little
kiddy music. The song makes you
want to stand up and sing and clap
along.
The opening song on side two,
‘‘Longue Route (Long Route),” takes
a complete 360 degree turn from the
music on side one. Loud, fast guitars
join in to conjure up a whirlwind of
noise from beginning to end, which
iriay cause a migraine if listened to
with headphones. The hundreds of
different sounds bounce from speaker
to speaker in an almost nauseating
manner.
The album’s hottest track, “Crier
LcsChicns (Screaming The Dogs),’’
continues with the musical onslaught.
Electronic drums arc added, along
with many other strange synthesized
sounds, creating a totally relenting
sound. Many times throughout the
song it sounds like your tape player is
screwed up - but no need to worry,
this is how the song was produced.
The last song, “Les Enfants (The
Children),’’ is a revolutionary march
ing song. It combines marching drum
beats with a symphony sound that
relaxes the listener. It does an excel
lent job of drawing the album to an
end.
“L’cau Rouge (Red Water),’’ is a
very innovative, interesting album that
will keep you guessing from song to
song.
Chronicle, Nebraska Review and
Rolling Stone.
‘‘I would submit them to literary
magazines and journals,” he said. ‘ T
did a lot of that, to get my foot in the
door.”
Hit-and-Run Driver Lying Awake at
Night While the Police Fondle The
First Three Numbers of His License
Plate
With the room's version
of vicious moths at stake,
the kegs of dried shadows
lend credence to old high
school yearbook prophecies.
Magorian
Magorian docs not solicit his po
etry anymore with so many othci
projects going.
The Nebraska-born writer’s chil
drcn’s books often arc more like
pamphlets but have a charming ap
peal which must lure unsuspecting
readers into Magorian’s sometime!
twisted world.
They are nothing at all like tradi
tional children’s literature, being filled
with the craziest talcs only the most
inventive children could imagine.
The stories often retell familiar
tales with new twists and simple draw
ings, as in “Griddlcmort and the
Beanstalk” or “The Three Diminu
tive Pigs.’’
At the other extreme is “The
Hideout of the Sigmund Freud Gang,'
a mammoth collection (almost 1,0(X)
pages) of Magorian’s work which
brings several of his shorter btxiks
together.
It is an enigma, full of short, quirky
poems which alternately draw praise
and bewilderment from the reader.
They are tight bursts of whim which
seem to cry out, “Just try to say this
isn’t poetry.”
All manner of poetic, prose and
diagrammatic offerings fill “The
Hideout of the Sigmund Freud Clang.
Magorian said the entire book satires
See MAGORIAN on 10
