The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 17, 1994, Page 10, Image 10
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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
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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
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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
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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<
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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?"
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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
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