ArtsiREntertainment
Film adapted from novel nears perfection
“Howards End”
By Anne Steyer
Staff Reporter
*■’
Looking for a near masterpiece?
Normally the best recommenda
tion would be d ircctions to the nearest
bookstore, but right now the advice is
to go sec “Howards End” (Mary
Riepma Ross Theater).
“Howards End” is the latest film
adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel.
Not surprisingly,director James Ivory,
producer Ismail Merchant and screen
writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala do a
tremendous job — previously they
did two other superb Forster adapta
tions, “A Room With a View” and
“Maurice.”
The heroine of sorts is Margaret
Schlcgcl (Emma Thompson of “Dead
Again”), a thirtysomcihing English
woman who lives in a London
lownhousc with her free-spirited sis
ter Helen (Helena Bonham Carter of
“A Room With a View,” and “Ham- 1
let”) and brother Tibby (newcomer \
Adrian Ross Magenty).
Intelligent, cultured and a bit ahead
of the limes for 19th century England,
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson) and Helen Schlegel (Helena Bonham Carter) appear in
a scene from Howards End.
Lhcir family unit is funny, touching
md more eccentric than most. That is
)f course, what makes them so cn
Jearing. Their interchanges arc witty
ind engaging, as arc the actors.
The emotional core of the movie is
the brief but powerful friendship that
develops between Margaret and Ruth
Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave). Ruth is
the matriarch of a traditional and thor
oughly British family that includes
Anthony Hopkins as her husband,
Henry.
The two women meet after an un
fortunate encounter between Ruth’s
youngest son and Margaret’s sister
Helen. Although Helen moves on to
concern herself with the unhappy life
of a young clerk, Margaret and Ruth
develop a unique relationship that
includes Margaret as heir apparent to
Ruth’s ethereal vision of life and her
family manor, Howards End.
As would be expected with a film
adapted from a complex novel, there
is much more going on — Margaret is
kept from Howards End by Ruth’s
family and later becomes involved in
an unlikely courtship, a family
struggle and emotional turmoil.
While at times the story seems
complicated, it never becomes over
whelmingly so, primarily because of
the ncar-pcrfcction of all aspects of .
the film.
The leads arc sensational. Thomp
son is exceptional and absolutely
splendid as Margaret. Bonham Carter
is also quite good and plays Helen
with as much verve and wit as she did
Miss Honcychurch in “A Room With
a View.”
Although Hopkins and Redgrave’s
roles arc small, they arc pivotal.
Hopkins’ Henry is such a welcome
change from the Hannibal Lcctcr, who
coveted media attention all last year,
and brings into focus the measure of
Hopkins’ talent.
Redgrave is visibly radiant in her
role, even as Ruth lay dying. As Ruth,
she lakes the slu ffy ex istcncc of stub
born and provincial London and trans
forms it into a romantic id perfect
world of cool breezes and brilliant
sunsets at her home at Howards End.
Two hours and 20 minutes may
seem a bit long to some, but the
excellent acting, the stunning visuals,
the enveloping story and the engaging
(and oftentimes humorous) dialogue
make the length matter not a whit.
Fresh Kid Ice fails to inflame
stereo speakers with solo album
Fresh Kid Ice
“The Chinaman”
Effect Records
Fresh Kid Icc, merhber of contro
versial 2 Live Crew, has come out on
»his sob debut with more of the same
kind of music, but lower quality than
ever.
Unlike Luther Campbell’s (Luke
Skywalkcr’s) sob attempt “Banned
in the USA,” Icc decided not to fea
ture the other members of the group
on his album. This album is all Fresh
Kid Icc.
And that’s the problem. Icc brought
in two DJs, DJ Mad Man and DJ Do
main, and a new production team and
took away all the advantages that 2
. Live Crew gave him.
No longer do we sec Mr. Mixx’s
crafty scratching and mixing. We still
sec the sex rap as the predominant
style of rhyming, but Iccclcarly seems
to have been a junior partner in this
company. Apparently, without
Brother Marquis and Luke to help
write, Ice can Tcomc up with any new
twists on the sex rap.
We find Luther Campbell as the
executive producer, but from the way
the album sounds, he must have been
more “executive” than “producer.”
Bass is still a heavy part of this
Miami-based rapper, but even that
has been dampened. In the age of
hypersonic bass and groups that warn
that their album might blow out your
speakers, Ice barely reaches the bass
level of New York City rappers. For a
Miami rapper to lessen his bass is
almost a sin, and to say the least,
embarrassing.
No tracks really stand out on this
album. “Miami Da Bottom” has the
most potential with good bass, but
Ice’s mediocre rhymes and monotone
voice hold this song back. None of the
lyrics arc worth repealing.
Songs like “Dick ‘cm Down,” the
first single, and “Long Dick Chinese”
arc feeble attempts and could never
match the level of 2 Live Crew songs
like “Me So Homy.”
Then Ice tries to sing non-sex raps
with “Dance to the Rhythm” and “I’ll
Be Here.” He docs an even worse job
with these songs lyrically, and based
1 I
Courtesy of Effect Records
Fresh Kid Ice
on what wc expect from Kid Ice,
they’re laughable.
The best points on this album arc,
unfortunately, the guest spots from
other rappers. Newcomers Shake G
and Fat Daddy show promise and give
us a break from the droning sounds on
Kid Ice.
So even if you I ike 2 Li vc Crew sex
rhymes, you probably will be disap
pointed by this album. You probably
won’t even want to dub it.
— (Jreg Schick
Anthology a good read
-POQ»EV|EW
‘‘Bootcamp 3000”
Edited by Charles G. Waugh and
Martin Harry Greenberg
Ace Science Fiction
By Sam Kepfield
Staff Reporter
Charles Waugh and Martin
Harry Greenberg’s anthology is
military science fiction, the third
book in a loosely related scries on
military themes.
“Supcrtanks” and “Body Armor:
2000” arc the first two in the an
thology.
Basic training for future armies
is explored through seven previ
ously published stories by well
known authors. The first, “Hero,”
by Joe Haldcman, is the novella
that was later expanded into his
book “The Forever War.” It won a
Hugo Award in 1976. Haldcman, a
Vietnam veteran, portrays future
war with a gritty real ism bearing an
uncanny resemblance to a land war
in Asia.
Harry Harrison’s “The
Starsloggcrs” looks at training and
first brush with the enemy from a
satirical viewpoint. Kccruitmcnt oy
deceit, brutal training, inedible
meals and menial duly arc carried
to their extremes until the hero
comes full circle at story’s end.
This story and “Hero” alone arc
worth the price of thc.book.
Jack Vance’s “Sail 25” takes
recruits on a light-sail trip past
Mars and Jupiter where everything
goes wrong. Locked in a cramped
ship with an instructor who is cither
drunk, mad or merely resigned to
his fate, they arc pushed to their
limits.
“Test Ultimate” by Christopher
Anvil has a timeless moral drawn
from the transcripts at Nuremberg
and has plenty of action.
Every anthology has ilsclunkcrs,
and there arc two here that just
don’t quite lit the theme. They’re
not bad, just misplaced.
Chad Oliver’s “Transfusion” is
an intcrcstinganihropological mys
tery and a good story, but it’s strain
ing to place it alongside Haldcman
and Harrison.
“The Short Ones” by Raymond
Banks is a bit closer to being a kind
of bool camp, but is still out of
place.
Nonetheless, if one can get past
those faults, the book is a solid
read.
roster children performance
. bringing power to East Union
From Staff Reports
_That well-known hippie flower is
emblazoned upon posters across cam
pus.
It means that the Poster Children
are coming.
They will be performing at 8 p.m.
Saturday in the Great Plains Room of
the East Campus Union.
The four-person band was born in
1987 in a Champaign, III., residence
hall room.
Poster Children’s latest release,
“Daisychain Reaction,” was produced
by Steve Albini, who also produced
Big Black, The Pixies and The Wed
ding Present.
Plan to see Rick, Jim, Rose and
Johnny play hard on stage.
After all, they say that the main
point of their band is power.
They call their performance good
if Rick can wrihg his shirt out, Rose
has bruiscs and Jim’s hands are bleed -
ing.
Now that sounds like powerful
music.
• Courtesy ot Sire Records
The Poster Children are appearing 8 p.m. Saturday at the East Campus Union.