Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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'Sizwe By Jeffrey Charney Assistant Entertainment Editor As I awaited the opening of Siz we Banzi is Dead, I experienced feeling of uncustomary anticipation. I was about to see a play of which I was basically unfamiliar, and like much of the audience, did not know what to expect. As the play unfolded, I realized that Sizwe Banzi is Dead was more than just an excellent performance, but proved to be a powerful, moving experience. The play, cleverly written by South African playwright. Athol Fugard, grasps the audience early, beckoning them to become involved with the action on stage. Surprisingly, the cast was made up of only two men, with the ungjpjjPl STYLES [ ^ ''^ f'HOTOGRftPHIC }01 BIS fc-.r. , ijlfflH 1 '' ' '' 'W,<W'nS'- '/ffmB f? V* Daryl Edwards, Director Gen II T W Werner r you can't I By David Baker Gamecock Film Critic When 20th Century-Fox first put up the money for director Werner Herzog to make Nosferatu, the Vampyre, it was on *he condition that he would make an English language version in addition to a version in his native German. Since the film was scheduled to be released last spring, hopes were high that Herzog's art-house Dracula would draw first blood from the milions of viewers who were waiting to see the summer's herd of vampire films (Love at First Bite, Nightwing and Dracula). At its San Francisco premiere in March, however, Nosferatu nlinifaH mArn lonffUc fKon r?nt?/\o vnvitvu iiiv/i 1UU5110 man ovi cauio from the audience, thus sending Fox executives into a quandary. Eventually, they decided that the _ :M * >' : ^y "'!fec' '-H M ' i , i 1 ii ii 1 ',' ?,';1 I 11 '' Isabella Adjani risei jgSBTTSnSSfii nSIIWHHLi Banzi9: common task of portraying four characters. Each having their viewpoints on life and the system in which they live. Styles, the confident photographer,and Buntu, the cynical textile worker, provide a sharp contrast to the innocent and timid Sizwe Banzi. The fourth character, Robert Zwelinzima, is an alias which Sizwe takes on during the course of the play. As the play opened, Styles entered and engaged in a person to person conversation with the audience. During this monologue, Styles recalls several stories of his past experiences, as well as perceptive comments on President Carter and the present Russian conflict. His stories were comical, vet touching and as he began his im nuumiu e Lesser, \ Charles Grant-Green lerzog's 'N roon nruvi \V/V/p U reason for the laughter was Herzog's wooden English dialogue. With that, plus the fact that the German version was winning rave reviews in Europe, in mind, the executives pulled the English version from its impending distribution and decided to release the German version, with English sub-titled. Unfortunately, this took a great deal of time to accomplish, so Nosferatu didn't officially open in America until the fall, and then only in a very limited release pattern. In its handful of 1979 engagements, the picture received quite a few favorable reviews and did rather well at the boxoffice, : considering all the other vampire > f Jga: ,-^>v> >-^MyBHHB [ imui?WP-. , ds /ji ? through a trapdoor. _ ____ * ?- ?< struggl discussion of Sizwe Banzi, the lowkeyed and casual tone of the play was set. Sizwe Banzi was a black tribesman, and so he had to carry a book identifying himself, as well as state where he could live and work. Unfortunately, Sizwe's book did not have the correctly stamped approval, so he was given option of either return home, where there is no chance for advancement, or be arrested. Sizwe meets Buntu who cannot resolve his sorrows, but introduced Sizwe to the art of drinking. At this point the audience became increasingly involved, almost to the point of being as drunk on happiness as Sizwe himself. The carefree mood was suddenly in the past, as the inebriated pair came upon a dead man's body. They exchanged books and iHontifimtinn thorohv oivirt* Sizwe the new name and new start in life of the dead man, Robert Zwelinzima. This scene was dynamically and sympathetically felt by the audience as Daryl Edwards gave a flawless performance in the role of Sizwe Banzi. Edwards is a professional in the true sense of the word, as proven by his phenomenal performance, something rarelv experienced by a Columbia audience. At one point in the performance, Edwards even received a round of applause for a comical and yet stunning facial expression. In the role of Styles and Buntu was Charles Grant-Greene, who is also a well-seasoned actor. Porosferatu': man down films had been released before it. So it was with great anticipation A. 1 A. T A. A. a ? /? * mai i weni 10 see me 111m in Columbia Monday night. To my surprise, however, the print I saw was not the subtitled version that has been unspooling in New York and other cities, but the dreaded English version that I thought had been destroyed. If only that it was so. The dialogue in this English version of Nosferatu is everything I'd heard and worse. Not only do me sentence structure ana cnoice of words sound false to the ear, but the European accents of the actors are so heavy that the vast majority of their lines are, at least partially, indecipherable. Ten minutes into the film, I wanted the projectionist to turn off the sound altogether and let me watch the film as if it was a color version of the F.W. Murnau silent classic, Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horrors (the film which serves as Herzog's model). 1 wanted to watch the film because visually, it is anything but a washout. It lacks the technical polish of most American films, but many of the images Herzog has captured are as striking as anything I've seen in the past several months. In particular, one shot ? of Klaus Kinski as Dracula, bending over the bed where he has drunk the blood of Bruno Ganz' Jonathan Harker ? looks as if it were a painting by a master. Kinski's genuinely frightening make-up, along with the expressions on his and Ganz' faces make this brief, silent shot into something extraordinary. This one image conveys as much about life, death and vampirism as many films esford 'm^TmS^SSSS^E^^ j wsmwmmL^I traying two roles is an enormous undertaking, but Grant-Greene made the transition with little sign of difficulty. He was the true catalyst of the play, which exhibited an uncanny liveliness, without losing its casual tone. This expert acting by both Edwards and Grant-Greene made director Gene Lesser's fine job much easier. The scenic design, lighting and costumes were only mediocre, but this basically went unnoticed, for superb acting and story can always compensate. With such vigorous intensity, many would think that the play was only a one night performance. This is hardlv thp fnr thp ?.. ... ????J?I Ballroom performance was only the first stop for the play which will The vampyre, Klaus Kinski, a have done in their entirety. Likewise, the wordless shots of rats (enough to keep every cat in America occupied for months) i i? ?. uvtrn uuuing me iowii, uringing plague, are almost poetic in their economy and in their intensity. Most of Nosferatu's remaining images are powerful, but, as I said earlier, the dialogue and the actors' accents reduce their effects greatly. IL's hard to judge the acting in the film for the same reasons, and also because most of the performers are treated rather like props ? they're there for decorative purposes only. Kinski's portrayal of Dracula, however, i- . i i f. i i. y * . ignity begin a rigorous tour spanning 10 Southeastern states. Stage South, the state theatre of South Carolina, as well as the USC Pan Hellenic Council should be commended for their hard work and first class production choice. Sizwe Bartzi is Dead was a moving, joyous and painful experience, expertly drawn together into one play. The climatic conclusion offered an affirmation of the existing courage and optimism of human beings and a keen insight into the real meaning of human dignity. As stated earlier, a play of this caliber is a rare treaty for a Columbia audience, and the crowd showed their appreciation with a rousing ovation. nd his victim, Isabot/o Adjani. can be appraised. It's a most interesting interpretation, quite different from what we've come to expect after seeing Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and Frank Langella flex their wings. Kinski's Dracula is a frail, pitiful, animallike creature that would rather die than live, but who has managed to avoid that fate for several centuries. If only he and the rest of the cast members could utter words that would not seem instantly ridiculous, I'd urge you to rush out and see the film. But as it is, I'm afraid that you'll walk out of Nosferatu thinking it to be nothing more than a silly, cheap and totally useless rehash of one of the world's most popular legends.