STN Entertainment

'The English Patient'

'Don't Call It Night'

Amos Oz (Hartcourt Brace & Company, $22)

Rated R

I

c

'Among My Swan'

Mazzy Star; Capitol Records

Mazzy Star, which
consists essentially of
myth of the American South has singer Hope Sandoval
been a source of fascination — musi- and guitarist David
cally and thematically — for countless Roback with a chang-
non-American groups, from the Rolling ing host of guest mu-
Stones to Australian Nick Cave
sicians, is oft
and Canada's Cowboy Junkies. IlleMp compared to
On Among My Swan, the third
the aforemen-
full-length disc from Britain's
tioned Cowboy
Mazzy Star, the group continues this trend Junkies. Indeed, both
with their graceful, moody, country-tinged groups utilize gauzy
female vocals and languorous tempos
PoP.
along with the requisite slide guitar and
Christopher Ciccone is a Detroit-based
lots of C major key, but where the Junkies
freelance writer and failed musician. He use country stylings for an economy of

is

not rPintPd to Nfrifinnnn

PHOTO BY PHIL BRAY

A

nthony Minghella
(writer and direc-
tor of the beautiful,
rattling love story
Truly, Madly, Deeply)
has taken on the intim-
idating task of translat-
ing to film Michael
Ondaatje's award-win-
ning novel, The English
Patient. In keeping with
the book, Minghella has
succeeded in making a
film with a scope both
panoramic and inti-
mately detailed. Yet,
fans of the book might
find the story a little too
condensed and Minghel-
la's control over the
complex characters a bit
inconsistent.
Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas star in Anthony Minghella's The English Patient,
In the waning days of adapted from the Michael Ondaatje novel.
World War II, a young
Canadian nurse played by Juli- ducing its guests to shed their de-
At times, however, the film
ette Binoche (Damage, The Un- fenses.
seems overloaded with charac-
bearable Lightness of Being)
Eventually, as his nurse reads ters, leaving barely enough time
attends to an Englishman
to him from his only pos- to explore the relationship at the
(Ralph Fiennes of
session — a book of an- story's center. And aside from a
MOVIES
Schindler's List, Quiz
cient history — the standout performance by Angels
Show) in a half-destroyed
man's own mysterious and Isect's Kristin Scott Thomas
monastery in the Italian coun- history begins to unravel. What as Katherine Clifton, the mar-
tryside. The war has moved on emerges is a love story: the pas- ried woman of the patient's de-
without them; the English pa- sionate affair of a married sire, much of the acting, even
tient, his face and body burned woman driven to dangerous in- Ralph Fiennes', seems unfortu-
beyond recognition, claims to re- tensity amid an equally passion- nately average.
member nothing of his past. ate backdrop of northern Africa
Despite its deficiencies though,
Their situation — of healer and at the brink of World War II.
director and screenwriter
patient — seems an ordained re-
The film's best moments are Minghella has achieved an ef-
prieve from the tumult of war, here. Beautifully photographed fective and sensual piece of film-
with the strange calm of Italy in- and meticulously detailed, the making and storytelling.
color and heat of the place itself
seem to rise up through the
Jeffrey Hermann is former
O
lt. 40t,
lovers, retaining the poetry of the
editor of Film Threat, an L.A.-
novel itself.
based film magazine.
—Jeffrey Hermann

f you ask Americans to close - tire world is woven. A large cast
their eyes and imagine Israel, of characters revolve around
they see Jerusalem. But in Theo and Noa and their very dif-
that tiny country, a huge ferent reactions to the possibil-
world exists that does not ity of the drug rehab facility
always face east. Amos Oz, the coming to Tel Kedar.
Aside from the many intrigu-
Israeli writer, formerly of
Jerusalem and now living in ing human characters, the
Arad, focuses on a particular Negev desert itself is more than
place in that huge world in his just backdrop. In Oz's mind, the
desert is alive: "From the east,
new novel, Don't Call it Night.
from the mountains, comes
Tel Kedar, a develop-
a gust of piercing desert
ment town in the Negev
BOONS
wind. Like a cold sharp
Desert, is the home of
scythe. The wilderness is
Noa, a high school liter-
ature teacher, and Theo, a civil secretly breathing." The border
engineer. They have come between the inhabited and un-
together to Tel Kedar after years inhabited landscape is porous
and fluid.
of separate
The drama of
journeys, and
this story is
the book's nar-
played out far
rative alter-
from the more
nates between
familiar conflicts
their voices. As
of religious ver-
Noa describes
sus secular, of
them, they are
Israeli versus
"a pair of teach-
Palestinian. This
ers with no chil-
novel, inhabited
dren, correcting
by conventional
each other all
characters, could
day long." Their
be set anywhere
relationship is
in the world. But
even more com-
it is Oz's won-
plex than that
derfully detailed
telling state-
writing that ar-
ment, though,
ticulates each
and the alter-
character's indi-
nating voices
allow us to see this complexity viduality, as well as the specific
from two strongly felt view- place in which they live and love
and misunderstand each other.
points.
Don't Call it Night is woven
The plot revolves around the
mysterious death of Noa's young out of wire. Beautiful, intricate
student and the drug rehabili- and strong.
tation facility his father wants
to erect in his son's memory.
— Lynne Avadenka
From this story fragment, an en-

for a more Gothic
sheen.
Musically,
Among My Swan
has more of an or-
ganic sound than
their previods al-
bums, and, while
never a loud band
by any means, they
are quieter and sub-
tler than ever. Vio-
lin, brushed snare
drum, organ and
harmonica con-
tribute softly to the
mix, while San-
doval's breezy, in-
trospective vocals interplay well with
Roback's slow arpeggiated guitar. Think
of Claudine Longet singing the Stones'
"Moonlight Mile."

ML.

: - 1 - :11 .1 -

: :

slack pace without meandering or trailing
off. Lyrically, the group continues to mine
themes of romantic longing without sound-
ing maudlin — not an easy trick consid-
ering the excesses possible in their chosen
musical idiom. Overall., Among My Swan
marks for Mazzy Star growth not by de-
parture from, but refinement of, their style.
Recommended.

1.)
. *
— Christopher Ciccone

Bagel Barometer

1®O
®vc*)

sO)

Outstanding

Very Good

Good

Fair