Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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EVENTS "Die Zauberflote," or "The Ma ic Flute," Mozart's operatic ma terpiece. 7:30 p.m. today and t morrow, Drayton Hall. Tickets: $ and $15 for adults, $5 for studenl Friday, January 22, 1999 'The Thi liii O Lights, B a OnmAMA j uamcia, r~\ Reaction ttttt Out of four stars**** Starring Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, John Cusack, Ben Chaplin, Jim Caviezel and Dash Mihok. Written and directed by Terrence Malick. by Pete Johnson Gamecock Critic * If you're looking for another "Saving Private Ryan," don't bother seeing "The Thin Red Line." Director Malick's first film since 1978's "Days of Heaven" has already been widely acclaimed and misunderstood by critics and moviegoers alike. Special to The Gamecock Jim Caviezel stars as Witt in "The Thin Red Line." Opera at debuts M 4T<1^ iiic ivia? by Rob Lindsey Features Editor "Die Zauberflote," Opera at USC's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," opened Wednesday at Drayton Hall. The opera, apparently set in ancient Egypt, follows the exploits of the heroic Prince Tamino and his true love, Pamina. At the opening of the opera, the ladies of the Queen of the Night rescue the prince from a monster. They show him a picture of the queen's daughter Pamina, and he falls instantly in love. At this point, the queen appears and beseeches him to rescue her daughter from the apparently evil Sarastro. The three ladies return and give Tamino and his comedic sidekick Papageno a magic flute and magic bells, respecA m _ 1 uveiy. In the course of his quest, however, Tamino discovers that Sarastro is actually a wise and benevolent ruler, the sun in opposition to the queen's night. He chastises Tamino for succumbing to the queen's lies and entreats him to join their order and become a real man dedicated to wisdom and reason. Tamino and Papageno begin the trials of the order and take a vow of silence. They rebuke the queen's three ladies, labeling them gossips. At one nnint T Q m 1 T, r, nirAn a! aa i nC Pam]n!l xuiuiiiU CVC11 UClliec X uniinu. The Queen of the Night gives her daughter a dagger with which to murder Sarastro, but instead, Pamina attempts to kill herself, only to be stopped by three benevolent spirits who claim that those who truly love will be spared by the gods. The three spirits guide Pamina to Tamino just as he's about to undergo the two remaining trials. Despite the incredible danger, she asks permission of the order to join him. The order allows it, and thanks to the power of the magic flute and the power of love, the couple triumphs over the night. Despite the outmoded misogynistic theme of much of the opera ? woman as the evil, irrational deceiver ? the story remains quite moving because, in large part, of the fabulous music. The power of the main message ? that true love will always triumph ? is diminished, however, because of gLS ;o10 ts. in Red L The film, adapted from the novel by James Jones, follows the men of the Cfor-Charlie army rifle company during the battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific islands. The action moves slowly throughout the film, but the war isn't the focus. Instead, the film concentrates on the fragile psyches of the men. Choppy narrating and lucid flashbacks pull the viewer into the gradually maddening minds of the young soldiers. The film includes leading roles and bit parts from several veteran actors, but it's the young, unknown actors who steal the show. Pvt. Witt, marvelously portrayed by Caviezel, has the most memorable role in the film. He appreciates the simple pleasures of being alive, and his strong ties with religion leave him unafraid of dying. He's the only soldier in the company who has kept the spark inside of him that war normally ravishes. Witt remains an enigma throughout the film. Pvt. Doll (Mihok) is confident on the exterior, but he's really just as scared as his fellow soldiers. He desperately wants to be a hero, but just as many of the young soldiers in the film, Doll almost snaps in the heat of the battle. 1st Sgt. Welsh (Penn) is a courageous, cynical leader. The war doesn't phase him as it does most of the young soldiers. He has been through the rigors of war and knows what to expect. Nolte plays the uncompromising, stubborn Lt. Col. Tall. He's willing to risk the lives of all of his men in order to gain strategic ground. Malick's cinematography is incredible. The camera glides above endless ~r4.?ii n : i..~i guably the most diriicult ana ot the opera. Her voice has a sheer power missing in some of the other performers. USC's opera orchestra, conducted by Donald Portnoy, was solid ? too solid at many points, as they tended to drown out Holmes. The set design ranges from piecemeal, as in the scenes in the caves, to spectacular, as in the final scene at the temple of wisdom. The costuming is adequate, tending more toward the cartoonish than the realistic. Despite the opera's bothersome, outdated message berating women, its use of two languages where one would suffice and Holmes' irritating Tamino, the opera manages to entertain quite enjoyably, thanks in great measure to Guinn and Thompson, the stunning set design and, of course, the great master Mozart. Even in an uneven production such as this, his unmistakable genius shines through. ueiufc ui urn, liuwmg giabfc uii lusn iiiuuiitainsides, swirls up toward the treetops in dense forests and still manages to capture tender moments throughout the film. Besides Malick's outstanding camera work, he uses helter-skelter narratives from an array of characters throughout the film. "The Thin Red Line" shouldn't even harbor any comparison to "Saving Private Ryan" because they are two completely different films. It's a movie about use lozart's ;ic Flute' the muddled way in which this version of the opera is presented. The performers sing the arias and sections of recitative in German with subtitles projected to a screen above the stage, while all of the unsung dialogue is spoken in English. No doubt, director Talmage Fauntleroy decided to present the opera in dual languages to avoid confusing the audience with more subtitles than necessary, but the lack of grace in switching between the two tongues is more jarring than anything and detracts from the beauty of the opera as a whole. As for the cast, Toby Guinn as Papageno and Christina Thompson as Pamina absolutely shine. Papageno primarily functions as the comedic relief, but Guinn invests the character with more charisma, depth and power than the ineffectual and unconvincing Tamino (Phil Holmes). Thompson takes Pamina, a character who, in other hands, could fall to trite subservience as the damsel in distress, and gives her an emotional range unmatched in this production. At several points during highly dramatic scenes, including the scene in which Tamino denies her, she actually incorporates sobs into her arias. Also Misty Brinkley as Queen of the Night admirably performs what is ar E The G ine' sho madness and nature and, to a much lesser extent, war. "Ryan" was an incredible film in all aspects, but "The Thin Red Line" is rooted much deeper within its characters and its plot. by Katy Evans Gamecock Critic 1/2 "The Thin Red Line" is a film not so much about war, but about humanity. The story is devoted to portraying the soldiers' hopes and fears. Pvt. Witt, played by Caviezel, narrates throughout much of the film; he questions the whole idea of war and asks why we have to lead such futile existences. He has seen another world, an island paradise where there's no war and no hostility, a place where the community lives together in harmony. The film is successful in portraying both sides of war. You not only see the mental torture the American soldiers go through, but you also see how equally afraid the Japanese are when they're captured. Cusak plays Capt. John Gaff, who heroically offers to lead one of the more dangerous assaults. Although they're successful in attacking the Japanese, the realization that they have just taken human life is too much to bear. The best part of this film is not its content but its artistic qualities. Beautiful sunsets of red, orange and pink are used to frame scenes. Shots of wild animals and plants and trees are juxtaposed with dying soldiers, almost as if nature is looking on in disbelief. As one young private dies, he looks up at the sun shining through dappled leaves, and as others die, the sun shines brightly, turning the grass golden. The underlying message of the story is not just that war is wrong, but that nature will prevail, no matter what we do to each other. Three n< n * Q Sound J w ^ Advice Out of four stars by Marcus Amaker Gamecock Critic Jewel, Spirit: Jewel has to be om the most unlikely success stories recent music history. Her first albi Pieces of You, was at times unfocus self-righteous and boring. Even J< el admits that she hates her fi CD. But even though Pieces of You wasn't meant to be heard by a mass audience, it went on to sell millions of copies, catapulting Jew- Hfifr el to superstar status. After a long hiatus, Jewel returns with her second album, Spirit. And surprisingly enough, it's pretty good. Her self-righteous t dencies are still intact, but there's denying the beauty in songs 1 "Hands," "What's Simple is True" ? "Barcelona." The whole album, exc for one song, was recorded wit' full band, giving Spirit a deeper, ri er sound than Pieces of You. The fi single, "Hands," sounds a lot lik Black Crow n Sound J ,o ^ Out of four stars v by Pete Johnson Gamecock Critic "It might sound like a disaster. ( you make this thing go faster?" pie; front-man Chris Robinson to his be mates in "Go Faster," the opening tr on the Crowes' fifth studio albu Frustrated by depleting album sa since the band's 1990 debut, She Your Money Maker, the Crowes en ,a rock 'n' roll rebirth on By Your Si tc. amecock >ws diffei . I A / ?&>. ^ wmmmm W^m^kArn. '^1 1 Ben Chaplin as Bell, John Cusack as Fox's "The Thin Red Line." by Kevin Langston Gamecock Critic Now that the surge created from "Saving Private Ryan" has subsided, Hollywood is delivering another World War II movie. This film, however, is not a conventional war movie. Sure, "The Thin Red Line" delivers plenty of blood and bombshells, but if you think the movie's only conflict takes place on a hill in the Pacific islands, you're mistaken. "The Thin Red Line" not only portrays the physical hell that is war, but it's the first war movie since "Apocalypse Now" to dive so deeply into the sw CDs ge Sarah McLachlan song, but it's one oi the best songs Jewel has ever recorded. Other highlights are "Entei From the East," "Inno- . cence Maintained" and the future hit "Down So Long." Though it's un- jjfl likplv that Snirif will nrn- m mM duce something as over- mX, | played as "You Were -* Meant For Me," it's still ^Bj||g ? a solid effort from Jewel e 0f and one that shouldn't be Girl Brc . jn overlooked. Rating: 1/2 un, ;e{j Girl Bros., Girl Bros.: The name "Girl 3W_ Bros." probably isn't familiar to a lot rsj- of people, but the names Wendy and Lisa are. Wendy Melvoin I Revolution, have been on Br MM their own fpr a long time. ^ ing on other people's CDs. such as Sheryl Crow, Sea] HI and Joni Mitchell. ProbJewei ? spirit ably because they were tired of articles like this en_ one, always mentioning their associ. n0 ation with Prince, they decided to relke lease an independent CD under the m(j name Girl Bros. ept Girl Bros, is an amazing album, h a What many people have never realgjj. ized is that Wendy and Lisa are twc [rst of the best all-around musicians in the e a business, which is why so many artists r/2*c mr'Gntiir^ r i^^apiuiL v. After their breakthrough onto the rock scene, expectations were high to repeat the success of their debut. But with their apparent disappointments, The Southern Harmony and Music Companion as well as Amorirn and Thrpp Snnkps Kb ack attitude that defined B,ack Crow< irn. Shake Your Money les Maker as one of the most successful ike rock albums of the early 1990s, joy The band has undergone a face lift de. since its last studio album. Robinson and his brother, Rich, the band's lead guitarist, orchestrated the firing ol rE OF THE PAY zine specializing in humorous short fiction. Lttp://www.chickenhead. com Page 5 of war * / VV 11/11 111C UXOUVIIUX XXX CUtCX XXX^, XVI/. T f xtt (Caviezel) struggles to make other people find his belief in the afterlife, Pvt. Bell (Chaplin) allows his thoughts to carry to his wife and Capt. Staros (Koteas) worries about the safety of his men in this cruel pageantry of war. Throughout the film, the cameras create a contrast between the beauty of nature and the wrath of war. The battle takes place on a remote hill in the Pacific islands. The soldiers cont positive : f take advantage of their talents. On this CD, they played every single instrument except for guitar on one song. The songs sometimes dabble in folk, pop and rock and experiment with hip-hop-influenced beats. Their voices are as strong as ever, bringing back memories of classic Prince and the Revolution records, such as ,s. _ Girl Bros. Parade and Around the World in a Day. Much of the album deals with I the death of Wendy's brother, Jonathan ; Melvoin, who died while touring as I -the Smashing Pumpkins keyboard t player. It brings a somber mood to songs like "Bring You Back," "I've Got i a Big Bowl of Cherries" and l "Jonathan." All of these tracks passionately convey Wendy and Lisa's feelings of loss. It also displays an honesty that is lacking from many major 1 label releases. It might be hard to find, but buys ing this CD would be well worth the ; search. Rating: 172 Busta Rhymes, Extinction Level ! Event: The Final World Front: Busta Rhymes is far removed from his days with Leaders of the New School. Back then, only hip-hop fanatics knew > of his talent as one of the most unique i rappers in the industry. Starting with ; his guest spot on A Tribe Called Quest's )ld sound on i ! several band members and brought in i replacements to obtain a greater focus on the new record. The band's days of endless partying and drug binges a seem to be behind tent on making music. on their last three The album delivers a S ? By Your Side yery gimj]ar in.y0urface Southern rock sound to the one that helped thrust the Black Crowes into stardom years ago. i The album still hangs tough to several Black Crowes trademarks, which : haven't been lost throughout the years. Sll Eh rent side :M * V * Ar t, r m * . m L*: S&* a Sf . 41 Gaff and Jim Caviezel as Witt plan th human psyche. With a series of inner monologues offered by many characters, the audience walks the line with the infantry. Sgt. Edward Welsh (Penn) grapples xxn+Vi V?ie in oftnrlifn Pirt Wiff * f f * IP1-* B '*^^2 I^ShbSSu! Special to Tlie Gamecock eir next move in Twentieth Century stantly hide behind their fortress of grass. Director Malick uses the tall blades of grass like a poet uses words. The blades shred the sun's light just enough to expose the terror in the faces of the infantrymen. The beautiful vision of nature combined with the powerful inner ramblings of combat create a moving film. Malick doesn't rely on the gruesome scenes of the battle to carry the film. He moves above and beyond this with a strong cast, flawless from top to bottom, and an extraordinary screenplay. It is refreshing to see a war movie that only uses the war to supplement a higher theme. reviews "Scenario," the world started to pay attention, too. And he took advantage. His first two solo albums, The Coming and the superior When Disaster Strikes, firmly planted Busta's place in the hip-hop community. renter Extinction Level Event. I his album blows away anything he's ever done before, with more tight lyrics and some of the best hip-hop beats on the planet. ELE is the third in a trilogy of albums dealing with the end of the world in the year 2000, relating it in a "survival of the fittest" attitude. Busta sees the end of all things as a way for him, and his crew to rebuild from the "underground up." It's the force behind such bass-heavy tracks as "Against All Odds," "Everybody Rise" and "Where We Are About to Take it." The first half of ELE deals with these issues. Just as he senses the audience might get tired of hearing about destruction, Busta flips the album in to a party, beginning with "Gimme Some More." It's a smart move because the rest of ELE has some of the best hip-hop party anthems of the year, such as "Do the Bus a Bus" and "What's it Gonna Be," featuring Janet Jackson. Extinction Level Event should spawn hit singles for a long time. It's Busta's world, and we're all along for the ride. Rating: 1/2 lew album Brother Rich's guitars still have the same fury as they always have, but it has been tuned up a bit from past releases. It seems to follow every line with a kick into overdrive. Chris Robinson's soulful, raspy voice never falters, and it resonates witn passion throughout the album. He seems to channel his frustrations from past failures into a gritty attitude on By Your Side. Soul singers moan and wail in Robinson's wake, echoing his sentiment. I dare you to try and find an R&B singer with more soul and fire than Robinson. It probably can't be done. "I've been over the hill and back. Survived every kind of attack. It's been a few years at that, as a matter of fact," wails Robinson on the title track. Who can argue with that kind of attitude?