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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1994)
J James Mebsling/DN ‘Big Empty’ is full story “The Big Empty” James Luceno Del Rey Books A secret mission during a war goes awry, and the ship carrying its elite crew is de stroyed. Years later, one of the few who managed to escape, living on a low-tech world, is summoned to appear before a vet erans' disability board for evaluation. Thus begins a chase and a race against assassination and interstellar war in “The Big Empty,” James Luceno’s third novel from Del Rey Books. Aksum Muse is acybemetically-enhanced soldier, whose implants allow him to listen in on the electronic signals of artificial intellingences. To escape the constant, mad dening clatter, he moves to a low-tech planet without computers. All is fine until he begins to have recurrent nightmares, driving him to deface a local burial mound. This, in turn, draws the attention of the veterans’ affairs committee, which calls him in for an evalu ation. Muse sets out for the planet where the board is located, but along the way strange things happen—someone wants him dead. Muse was a survivor of a failed mission at the height of an interstellar war between humans and the XelFem. A war is again looming between the two empires. Muse holds the real key to the coming war. A defense contractor put out of business by the peace is seeking to re-ignite the war by producing a holo film about the late war to inflame passions against the enemy. The plot is a bit stretched, but Luceno carries it off in grand style with a fast flowing style. Luceno also throws in a few barbs at the conduct of modem warfare and statecraft. A component of the book is the apparent abandonment of religion by hu mans and its adoption by artificial intelli gences. The parallels drawn between sacra ments and interfaces is cleverly done, and is one reason that SF exists in the first place— giving one a new view (not always orthodox) on the familiar. “The Big Empty” is highly recommended. — Sam Kepfield French movie explores collision of two cultures Many films are easily classified in a specific genre: comedies, romance or action films. Director Regis Wargnier’s Oscar-winning film“lndochine” defies such simple classifica tion. “Indochine” is the story of what happens when two cultures collide. The story takes place in 1930 in what is now Vietnam. Most of the action revolves around a rubber tree plantation where members of the working class are rebel ling against French rule in their country. Catherine Deneuve gives a spectacular per formance as Eliane, the French owner of the plantation. Eliane’s personality is a complex one, which sways from the cold businesswoman to the passionate lover. Camille, Eliane’s adopted Vietnamese daughter, struggles with the two cultures, which are both very much a part of her life. She loves her country but has problems accepting its custom of arranged marriages and preference to male children. She also loves her French mother and Jean Baptiste, a French naval officer, but she sympa thizes with her country’s struggle for indepen dence from France. The other characters are equally complex. Jean-Baptiste and Eliane are extremely impor tant influences for Camille, and yet they are also often unsympathetic to those who fall under them professionally. Tahn is a Vietnamese student who was kicked out of Paris for protesting French colonialism. Originally intended to wed Camille, he leaves to help lead the communist rebellion. Tahn never forgets, however, that it was not his own culture but the French culture that taught him the concepts of individual freedom and choice. The complexity of this film goes deeper than the individual characters. The plot takes more turns than a downhill skier at Lillehammer, Norway. Eliane and Jean-Baptiste have a love affair before Camille meets him. Her naive, love-at first-sight relationship is considered dangerous by Eliane. Eliane uses her power to have Jean-Baptiste transferred to a remote station, where he looks over what is, in essence, a slave trade. Camille and Jean-Baptiste are reunited when Camille arrives at this hideous market as a “volunteer.” After an action-packed escape, the two are hidden by a sympathetic communist. They travel to China with Etienne, their newborn son, hoping to avoid being captured. As this unusual chase scene unfolds, the viewer finds that Eliane is retelling the story to an adult Etienne. The setting is now France in 1954. Camille is involved in the negotiations at the Geneva talks, which have acknowledged her country’s independence. Neither Eliane or Etienne have seen Camille since Etienne was a baby. The film’s mysterious beauty comes from an epic storytelling style. The numerous complex characters weave a plot that touches on all basic human emotions. The mythic proportionsof the characters and their stories are made real by the historical base. “Indochine” is a moving portrayal of how individuals were affected by French colonial ism. It is a French film which strives to see things from a Vietnamese point of view. In doing this “Indochine” captures some of the positive and negative aspects of both cultures. More than that, it shows that it is possible, at times, to transcend cultural barriers to find love, hope and knowledge. “Indochine” will show on Sunday at the Mary Ricpma Ross Film Theater. Screenings arc at 3,6 and 9 p.m. — Malcom Miles Courtesy of Columbia Artists Management Inc. The Orchestra National De France performed at the Lied Center for Performing Arts Wednesday night. Student Travel 1-800-777-0112 —SE/i The world's largest student & youth travel organization STA TRAVtL THE WHY HOMEZ„‘ UPCOMING WORKSHOPS! •3/12/94 "Traveling a Road Called Success" with Sandra Corbitt, M.S. •3/26/94 "Nutrition & Healing For the Whole Person" with Dr. Jane Garbarini, Naturopath •5/21/94 "Crystal Workshop For Beginners" with Peg Johnson, Reiki Master Hours M-F: 10-7, Sat. 10-5, Sun. 12-5 3231 SO. 13lh In the Indian Village Shopping Center 421-1701 "SINCE 1986 YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR INTERESTING MUSIC & BOOKS" COMIC W®RLD A world of games, comics, Japanese animation, books and the largest non-sport card selection in Lincoln. Between Target and Super Saver 233 N. 48th Street French orchestra comes to Lied, gives ‘fantastique’ performance By Paula Lavigne Senior Report*-_ From the opening blasts of the timpani to the ending chords of the full orchestra, the Orchestra National Dc France played a sea-faring voyage through emotional hallucinations at the Lied Center Wednesday night. The orchestra’s overture, “The Corsairc, Op. 21" by Berlioz, started offwithaforcede’ triumph and swayed from soft subtle melodies to powerful roaring musical attacks. "La Mer,Three Symphonic Sketch es” by Debussy was a voyage through rolling waves and calm waters. From an ocean to a mountain stream, this musical tidal wave threw a trance over the audience, bringing them from peaceful bliss to shocking alert. The orchestra remained stationary for the entire performance but was visually pleasing. Charles Dutoit, musical director, threw himself about like a surly penguin on thin ice. Like a flock of wild geese, the strings section flipped pages as their strings flew up and down like beaks on a whooping crane. The intensity of the entire orchestra was clearly visible. Their ending piece was Berlioz’s musical interpretation of, literally, an opium trip combined with his obses sion for an Irish actress. “Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14” started with “Dreams; Passions; Lar go; Allegro agitato e appassionato assai” and ended with “Dream of the Witches Sabbath: Larghctt; Allegro” From drowsy wooziness to a heavy musical tirade, this piece was simply “fantastique." Even though a large section of the orchestradoesn’teven speak English, the Orchestra National De France spoke the international language of music to everyone. m^ Dauid Mamet's Rmerican Buffalo Mamet's Obie Award-winning drama uses the coarse and often profane language of the street to create a gripping and eliciting play. March 10,11,12 & 15 thru 19,1994at 8:00 pm A University Theatre Lincoln production Studio Theatre - Third Floor Temple Bldg - 12 & R Sts tickets: $9 General Public, $6 Students and Senior Citizens Group Rates Available Box Office: (402)472-2073 hours: Noon to 5pm and three hours before curtain