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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1994)
I Give it a shot > Flatwater Citrus — This four man band from Norfolk is fresh from high school. Three of its members graduated last spring. The Circus’ style covers just about everything, in cluding heavy rock, country, jazz and Motown. The Circus is in town Sat urday night at Knickerbockers, 901 OSt. __- —---—-—-—-1 Movie reveals beauty in vampire’s world Movie: “Interview With the Vampire” Rating: R Stars: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Christian Slater, Kirsten Dunst Director: Neil Jordan Grade: A Five words: Nfampires bleed with immortal lust By Pula Lavlgns Senior Reporter Blood rushes in the veins of an evil darker than night itself. Immortality triumphs in a world of creatures that roam the blackness, searching for a soul and breeding the Dark Gift. Vampires. Basal on the best-selling novel by Anne Rice, “Interview With the Vampire” exposes a universe unknown to mortal men that is filled with vibrant color, sound, emotion and the power to play God in a world where there is no God. Lestat (Tom Cruise) is a vampire living in 18th-century New Orleans. One day on the street he sees Louis, a man who is in mourning over the loss of his wife and child. Lestat pursues his victim. Louis, after becoming a vampire, has trouble accepting his immortality ami refuses to let go of his human self. He drinks the blood of rats and birds instead of humans — until he finds Claudia. Upon her conversion, Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), with the face of an impish cherub, completes the dysfunctional family of mon sters. Her childish beauty conceals a raven ous passion for blood. TTie movie bums with eroticism, but it is not found in sex. Rather, it is found in domi nation and the power of a vampire's con sul on. e, for example, the scene where Lestat gives Louis the Dark Gift of immortality. As Lestat descends on his prey, his eyes light with fire as his ivoiy fangs pierce Louis* skin. The blood pours freely and Lestat draws it into him, hungrily nursing from Louis’ convulsing body. Their two thundering hearts beat as one Pictured Is a scans at the barri cade In JtheJBreadw ay Musical CMrtan «T Mm PtetWM Lasts* (Tsoi Cndsa), Isft, axptalns ts Ms vasiplrs pvstdgft Laois (Brad Pitt) just whs* It omsiis ts ha undsad In “Intsrvlsw With ths Vasaplrs." as Lestat overcomes Louis and drinks his fill. Lestat pulls away, raises his wrist to his mouth and bites his own veins. Velvet red blood pours forth and slowly drips into Louis’ begging lips. The blood invigorates Louis as his mor tal body surrenders to his vampire one. His skin pales to an ashen white, and his eyes glow a translucent emerald. The human actors give convincing por trayals of their vampire selves. Cruise portrays the cunning Lestat with a cynic tongue and a hunger for vitality. Al though seen as a controversial choice for the part, Cruise injects his own life into the gro tesque beauty of Lestat’s death. The actor’s trademark conceit adds per fectly to Lestat’s divine immortality and be lief that he is all-powerful and indestructible. Both the actor and the character summon a formidable strength. Pitt captures the naiveti of a young vam pire with the cold skin of a monster but the warm heart of a human. Dunst, with innocent fire-breathing eyes, convincingly mixes opposing traits to cre ate Claudia. Antonio Banderas, in a supporting role, makes an excellent vampire with his soul searching eyes and passionate, tremulous voice. The slight deviations from the book are necessary for smooth transitions and actu ally enhance the story line. The ending is a foreseeable difficulty, but one the movie over comes with ease, surpassing the book’s ver sion. And, by transforming the lead role from Louis to Lestat, the movie almost secures a sequel. “Interview” defies vampire stereotypes. It is not a gruesome tale of beasts dressed in black capes fleeing from garlic, crucifixes and holy water. “Interview* is a serious con templation of mortality in the very real world of these mysteriously beautiful beings. Anne Rice fans will be pleased. “Interview” bleeds with a supernatural power. As God kills indiscriminately, so do vampires. And vampires will never die. Action flows well in ‘Les Miserables’ By Paula UdgM Senior Reporter The spirit of a revolution and the plight of one man destined to make a difference erupted in the musical magnetism of “Les Misdrables." The Tony-award winning Broadway mu sical is on stage through Sunday at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater. Backed by a powerful orchestra score and elaborate staging, “Les Mis6rables” evokes a violent spirit within its story and the pas sions of its characters. “Les Misti rabies” is based on the tale of Jean Valjcan, convict No. 24601. Valjean stole a loaf of bread and suffered 19 years of degradation in prison under the hands of the stoic Javert. After his life is transformed by the kind ness of a local bishop, Vbljean pursues a path of helping those cast out by society, but he always is on the run from Javert. Vbljean personifies the universal theme of the underdog. His constant battle against an evil government and his desire to bring goodness to a starved society make him a Cisionate symbol of the constant struggle ween good and evil. Vfaljean’s voice was hauntingly fierce and echoed with a pleading force that reached out for mercy. The presence of Famine, a poor destitute that \bljean saved from ruin, was stronger than that of any other charac ter. She symbolized the sliver of optimism that rested within those hounded by oppres Show: “Les Misirabies” At: Orpheum Theater, Omaha Times: 7:30 tonight, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Tickets: range from $15 to $39.50, available from Ticketmaster sion, as her fragile voice blanketed the au dience with serenity. The most striking scene arose when Javert confronted Valjcan in Paris’ sewers under the ominous glow from the grates above. Since “Les Mis£rablcs” is packed with several such essential scenes, they move along quickly, almost too quickly for audi ence members to catch the meaning. Some of the musical’s most powerful scenes were robbed of what could have been a phenomenal climax. They lost much of their power and at times ended up looking choppy and forced. As a whole, the company blended scenes together with such precision that the action flowed as if in a movie. The rotating stage allowed for this continuity and added a strong aspect of realism. “Les Misdrablcs” will play at 7:30 to night. Additional performances will begin at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, on Saturday and Sunday.