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\ I Rice sink: By College Press Service Immortality as a theme is becoming increasingly more popular in modern literature. "The Tale of the Body Thief" by Anne Rice embraces and comments on immortality, as well as the fallacy of the human condition. Sometimes, "The Tale" becomes almost comical, other times, shocking. But first, what is the tale about? "The Tale of the Body Theif' is the highly enjoyable fourth book in the "Vampire Chronicles" series by Rice. Those who have read the first three will be familiar with the main characters, the Vampire Lestat and David Talbot of the Talamasca. However, even those who haven't read the previous three books should find this story fascinating. This is one good quality of the book in that, unlike many of Rice's other novels, it stands well on its own and doesn't depend on previous stories to make sense or encompass the whole theme. In the beginning, Lestat introduces himself and describes the events leading to his suicide attempt. Lestat, powerful and nearly immortal, has become tired of vampire life. However, before he attempts suicide, he informs his eldery friend David Talbot that he wants to die. He offers David the "Dark Gift" of immortality, but David refuses. Lestat's suicide attempt fails not from lack of effort but merely because he is too powerful to be killed, even by exposure to the sun, which is sure death for vampires. When Lestat is given the chance to live a new type of life ? to Cycle Center I | -Five Points616 Harden St. I (across from Grouchos, | beside Poor Richards) | ! A -$5 OFF Avwiir IT-T $1000 Anti-theft Gi l I Limit one per custon i | -10% OF ! ThuIeCarTop (Bikes, Snow Skis, Sailbi I Limit one per custon / ? L v\; x s teeth int become human again, to switch bodies with another man ? he does, and trouble begins. The body that is taken over, Reglan James, is unscrupulous, meanspirited and vicious. Lestat, now in the body of a human being, dosen't have a chance against him. Not alone, at least. He and David Talbot finally team up against Reglan James. Although the concept of "body switching" seems to have been used in enough movies and books ("Freaky Friday," "Like Father, Like Son" and the "Phaze-Photon" series by Piers Anthony, to name a few), Rice makes it fresh and exciting. In the tale, what Lestat goes through in his new human body clearly shows the human condition to be a fallacy or at least a nuisance. Lestat wants to become human so he can see beautiful things in the daylight. He wants to know what it's like to sleepAvith a woman or a man. As a vampire, he has forgotten what these things are like. However, Lestat is never able to expierence any of these things. He sees the beautiful fhinos hut thev aren't enough to justify the experience of switching bodies. He eats, but he burns his mouth. He sleeps with two women, one he unwittingly forces, the other an extremely forbidden union (you'll see). Further, David Talbot won't sleep with him, and David is whom Lestat really loves. Each time, the human experience is marred somehow. Also, Lestat's body turns traitor on him when he becomes sick. Lestat as a vampire could control Cycle Center II -St. Andrews2719 Broad River Rd. 9 (across from Bums Factory Outlet) 798-7799 H ^ Mon-I Stuc fflfe Open Si iOck ! S larantee 1 gj I The Ult ier Expires 1-31-94 i L 1 F- ! Carriers j Ms )ards, Kayaks) 1 ier Expires 1 -31 -94 I L r? 'Thief' -JM*. mm A his body completely; as a human being, he is at the mercy of his body. 1 believe Rice to be presenting this as the fallacy of the human condition, that at every moment we are at the mercy of our physical selves. In the book, immortality is something to be desired. Raglan James desires it along with the power that goes with it. Lestat learns to desire it when he loses it and knows he can't, so to speak, live without it. Death is too uncertain. It's true that Lestat attempts suicide, but it isn't so much from disgust with his life as his boredom with immortality. To Lestat, it seems to be exciting to be mortal, but when faced with death and sickness, he becomes afraid. David Talbot and Louis, another vampire, seem to be the only two characters in the book who don't desire immortality. However, David learns to accept and embrace immortality, and Louis, who refuses to bestow immortality on others, doesn't condemn others for their own immortality. Rice makes immortality a desirable characteristic, and compared to the depiction of the human condition in the tale, it is. "The Tale of the Body Thief' is highly enjoyable, and it's also evocative, making the reader think about what it mpono tr? K*"? human Cycle Center III -Spring Valley>003 Two Notch Rd. (Spring Valley Commons Shopping Center) 788-6993 ours Sat 10-6 dents... unday 1-5 <t Points -$5 OFF- | a a I ports Alert icycle Alarm 1 imate Security for Bikes imit one per customer Expires 1-31 -94 1 -$10 OFF- ! tjor Tune-Up ' Reg S45 I I imit one per customer Expires 1-31-94 J Audience in 'Heaven' By STEPHEN BROWN Staff Writer Oliver Stone's "Platoon" shows how American soldiers lost their innocence and became disillusioned as they fought in Vietnam. "Bom on the Fourth of July" deals with how war veteran Ron Kovic replaced his physical and emotional wounds with spiritual triumph. Stone completes his powerful Vietnam uilogy with "Heaven and Earth," an absorbing film that deals with how a Vietnamese woman loses her innocence and attempts to rebuild her life by bridging the gap between the world she has known and the mystery called America. The true life of Le Ly Hayslip provides Stone's inspiration to drive home the themes of suffering, redemption and healing. "Heaven and Earth" can't be summed up in an instant sound bite, and this complexity of narrative is one of the film's greatest strengths. Based on the books "Child of War, Woman of Peace" and "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places," this sprawling film chronicles a woman's miraculous journey through hell and back during and after the Vietnam conflict. Le Ly, incredibly portrayed by newcomer Hiep Thi Le, begins as a teen-age girl with her family in a central Vietnamese village and later is a woman in America with an entirely different family and distant customs. Joan Chen ("Twin Peaks") and Haing S. Ngor ("The Killing Field") play her parents. In her young life, Le Ly endures torture, rape, violence, pregnancy, betrayal and abandonment before she meets a man who promises to take her away from her living nightmare. Stone's circular script leaves little unresolved. Most characters are seen at different stages of their lives and are well developed within the film's context. The screenplay is a little uneven compared to Stone's previous films because of the episodic nature of the storyline. Stone stretches out certain sequences to draw out maximum emotional impact, but he is far more successful in letting subtlety affect the audience without contrivances. For the most part, Stone refrains from throwing his political diatribes into the film's subtext, except for a few lapses such as torture devices proudly displaying HELL continued from page 9 showed. This is similar to the way deciding on a spe France joins every international through the 55ers, coalition against evil, such as at times, but in th World War II and Desert Storm, I believed our av and once the war's over, it around 78, never resumes being rude to tourists. 81. Little did I The first blow to my posse's ambitious antag unity was when my right-hand behind me. man, the VP, the guy in the blue A 30-year-old Camaro, got off at an exit in Blazer blew by r Richmond, Va. I felt betrayed. He with him an Oh could have warned me by putting Nissan, which I si his blinker on 20 minutes ahead of get in front of r time like some motorists are prone slowed down to to do. worse than I had ii Our posse's next problem was My next obsta< All Seniors in career in c.c Commercic FIRST U NATION/ Cordially im attend a re learn more a opportunit banking i Thursday, Janu The Facult 7:00 - 9 g with Stone's trilogy For the most part, Stone refrains from throwing his political diatribes into the film's subtext, except for a few lapses such as torture devices proudly displaying the label "Donated by the People of the United States of America." the label "Donated by the People of the United States of America." The opening scenes display a lyrical quality as they depict the beauty of farming and ceremonial traditions in the Vietnamese countryside. And Stone later has fun creating a pop imagery of American suburbia complete with packaged foods and closet-sized refrigerators. The stunning original seore by new-age group Kitaro is as haunting as die cinematography is breathtaking. Just when I was worried the plot was taking a disconcerting nosedive, Stone jumps to a shocking moment that fuels the film's closing intensity. The love story between Le Ly and Marine Sgt. Steve Butler is a compelling symbol of the relationship between their respective countries. They realize they have different skin but the same suffering, and the two share incredibly dramatic episodes. Tommy Lee Jones plays the embattled war hero who takes Le Ly to America, and he proves once again inai ne is one 01 louay s inosi laiemcu cnaracter actors. His performance, coupled with Le's leading lady, completes one of die best acting teams in recent films. Chen and Ngor are absolutely perfect as Le Ly's parents and wise mentors. Le Ly's struggle presents her with staggering choices, but each decision she makes must ultimately bring her peace. She is caught somewhere between north and south, Vietnam and America, heaven and earth, but she learns that true hope lies in coming to terms with one's own self. Only then can the wounds of life be healed, innocence regained and trust rebuilt. :ed limit. To get highway phenomenon of two cars we had to go 85 going at exact speeds, one in the is time of peace, left lane, one in the right. What erage should be remained of the posse looked to going more than me for advice. I tried each lane know I had an out, but neither felt comfortable, onist two cars Each time I was in one lane, the other seemed to be asking me, radical in a red "Are you better off now than you ne, and he took were four exits ago?" icmnhilp nnri n Thp Npw Tprw?v Tnmnilrp u/iih louldn't have let its three lanes solved the problem, ne. The Nissan 1-95 isn't that bad. There's often 70, and I felt three lanes, the speed limit's usun Richmond. ally 65, and McDonald's is never :le was that fun more than a mile away. terested in a >nsumer or il RnnLinrr INION il BANK /ites you to ception to bout career ies in the industry ary 20, 1994 :y House :00pm fa |