THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
I.
rodsk 's
poetry
By EILEEN LOEHER
Despite the cold drizzle that
fell yesterday afternoon, students
and faculty poured into the Mo-
dern Languages Bldg. for a poe-
try reading by Joseph Brodsky,
33 year-old poet-in-residence at
the University.
The Russian-born poet left his
native country in the summer of
1972 at the "invitation" of Soviet
officials. His poetry has never
been published in the Soviet Un-
ion.
Listening to Brodsky relate his
poems' in Russian was a unique
experience. Interpreter Tom Mac-
Intyre did an excellent job of
reading the English translations.
Yet, it was Brodsky's song-like
recitation (He did not read any
of his works from print)that was
most striking.
Most of the works which were
read came from one of Brod-
#~ sky's newest books, Joseph Brod-
sky, Selected Poems. The poems
were not at all of a political na-
ture, but were rather of a per-
sonal and frequently religious
nature.
In his poetry Brodsky looks
deeply into himself and the mean-
ing of life. Frequently he high-
lights death in his works. In
"Nature Morte" the poet con-
trasts the life of people w i t h
the barrenness of things.
S "What then shall I talk about?/
Shall I talk about nothingness?
Shall I talk about days, or
nights?/ Or people? No, only
things,/ since people will surely
die."
CK Death is not treated hopelessly
in all of Brodsky's works. In
"Nunc Dimittis" Brodsky speaks
of the moment of transition be-
tween the Old and New Testa-
o fe rs
ment when the old man Simeon bri
sees the Christ Child. si
"He went forth to die," Brodsky list
says. Yet adds finally, "The old ris
man's torch glowed and t h e T
pathway grew wider." eve
Although born a Jew, Brod- con
sky has turned increasingly to or,
ideas of Christianity in his poems. tur
He also writes vividly about my- wh
thology as his poem, "Odysseus ofl
to Telemachus" indicates. A T
confused Odysseus is portrayed '1
in a manner relevant to our sy
times. rec
ofl
"I can't remember how the thi
war came out; fic
even how old you are -- I er
can't remember." oft
Such themes as death, 1 o v e, T
passion, and suffering weave sky
throughout Brodsky's poetry. His wh
complex works do not, however, ine
'Last,17t
figh ts cc
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) --Ber- gu
nardo Bertolucci, the man who B
directed Marlon Brando in Last to
Tango in Paris cannot see his Ro
own X-rated picture in Italy. wa.
The film has been branded the
pornographic by the Italian gov- to
ernment and is banned in Greece, bu
Brazil, Portugal and Spain.T
It is considered such a hot to
item in Brazil that the govern- en
ment won't allow even the cen- his
sors to see Brando and M a r i a do
Schneider cavort around in +he i
nude, muttering off-color dialo- fin
challen ge
ng themselves down to
mple level. They require
tener or reader to attemp
e to the poet and his wo
The poetry is not based
eryday experience. Much o
,mes from antiquity, the Bi
deep insights into human
re as does his poem, "Lov
ich reveals the guilt and
passionate love.
Througiuout his works B
:y seems to be attempting
concile himself with his vi
life and death. It is basic
s which makes his poetry
ult to understand. The lis
needs to identify with m
the situations Brodsky rela
The final question that B
y leaves with his listener
ere is life leading? Deat
vitable but what it itsc
ingo
?nsors
e.
Bertolucci, however, is g
court for the fourth time
ome to try to beat the rap.
as sentenced to two month
e pokey, suspended, and sta
see the negative of hisi
rned if he loses his legal fi
The young (31) director c
Hollywood to search for
t for a new picture. Du
s stay he failed to contact B
"I haven't seen him since
ished the picture," Bertol
id in halting English. "I he
om mutual friends that he li
e film, but he has never
essed his feelings to me.
"I wanted Brando for the1
om the beginning. I had ni
ard his voice in my life.
pictures are dubbed inl
n.
'We spent a day together
aris and he agreed to play
rt without ever seeing t
ript. Then I spent 15d
th him in Hollywood gttin
ow him, seeing how ne c
the sequence? In "Nature Morte" he
the cries,
t to "Dust is the flesh of time/
rld. Time's very flesh and blood."
on In his final poem, "Nunc Di-
f it mittis," Brodsky seems to have
ble, found some answer in Simeon's
h opefulness after seeing Christ.
joy "And Simeon's soul held the
form of the Child-
rod- its feathery crown now envelop-
to ed in glory-
ew aloft, like a torch, pressuring
ally back the black shadows/".
dif- Perhaps this is the hope he
ten- has found for himself. In the
any final analysis only the poet him-j
tes. self really knows. Yet, Joseph
rod- B r o d s k y's poetry contains
r is thoughts and language which can
h is both puzzle and enchant the Ps-
con- tener.
dir1ctort
incourt.
invest his character into t h e
oing role.
e ;n "I think the picture is a docu-
He mentary in fiction form of Bran-
s in do. I feel shy about seeing him
nds now because I think I violated
film him artistically. I took things
ght. from him he has never given
ame before."
tal- One element of Brando ca
ring exorcised was the famed Marlon
ran- mumble.
"For the first time in a move,
we p e o p 1 e can understand what
ucci Brando is s-aying," 13ertolucci
Bard said triumphantly. "I don't ur,-
iked derstand English so well. When
ex- I couldn't understand him on the
set I made him repeat his line
part until I knew what he was say-
ever ing."
All The volatile Brando, acco-d-
ial- ing to his director, did not blow
his stack.
r in "I found Brando a complicat-
the ed man, but ours was the easiest
t h e relationship I ever had with an
day3 actor," Bertolucci said. "I am
g to told he can be difficult. But I
ould never saw the bad side of him.'
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ,UN" 'ERTY PLAYERS
OPEN AUDITIONS FOR
UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS
SHOWCASE PRODUCTION:
BRAVE
LITTLE TAILOR
(a children's theatre production)
FridayJkn. 25, 3-5 p.m.. 7-9 p.m.,
Rm. 2518 Frieze Bldg.
(Production dates: March 28-30)
SHOWCASE PRODUCTION:
THE CRUCIBLE
Friday, Jan. 25, 3-5 p.m., 7-10 p.m., Saturday,
ian. 26, 2-5 p.m., Rm. 2528 Frieze Bldg.
(Production dates: April 10-13)
For further information call 764-6300, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Daily Photo by DAVID MARGOLI
Joseph Brodsky, Tom Maclintyre (left)
Local drum troupe instills spirit
i j
By SARA RIMER
"Gimmee some drums," calls
Vera Embree. Congo Phil breaks
into a toothy grin, hits his drums,
and the beat begins. For the next
hour the Third Stone From the
Sun, formerly the Afro-American
Drum Troupe, gives Embree's
African Dance class a pulsating,
rhythm to follow.
Only an occasional "cool it,"
from Embree halts the music's
flow. It is just as Congo Phil
says, "We're, giving energy to the
dancers, and they're giving it
back to us."
The group, composed of horn
player Vaulx and conga drum-
mers Lowell Thompson, George
Martin, Congo Phil, and S t e v e
Grisham, plays for Sylvia Lam-
bert's jazz class in addition to
the African Dance class.
A fricai
Congo Phil explains his begin-
ning with Embree's class. "I 1
just sorta fell into it about three I
years ago." After the class, hot
summer days found him elec-
trifying a crowd on the Diag with
his catchy drumbeat.1
The group has also played the
Blind Pig, Primo, Free Park Con-
cert, and some dorm parties. +
Embree comments on their de-
velopment, "Creativity is I i k e +
that. If you've got it, it springs l
forth wherever you are. It snow-
balls, and picks up momentum
and gathers other people into it."
Continuing to. gain momentum,-
the group hopes to play formal ;
concerts, eventually incorporating
their own concerts into the group. I
Phil states their prime interest,
"We're working on being con-
cert musicians."
dance classes
Vaulx writes the tunes on which
the group improvises and jams.
He cites Charlie Parker and John
Coltrane as influences. He de-
scribes his composing. "We play
what we see as we live from day
to day. That's how I compose.
I take a melody and improvise
it, creating many structures to
extend the music."
Vaulx refuses to be p i n n e d
down to a concise explanation of
his music. He says impatiently,
"I don't like to phrase it up.
Just listen to it. Form your own
idea."
Certainly, the dancers, progres-
sing through their movements
with growing spirit and energy,
understand Vaulx's tunes. When
Congo Phil flashes that contag-
ious smile and gets into his mu-
sic, words become superfluous.
At one point in the class E
bree points to her chest, d
claring "All movement starts
the center of the body." ' h,
accompanying music seems
M -
de-
at
me
to
sa
fro
the
pre
fro
he,
his
ian
Pa
pa
sc
S wi
kn
J
spring from the same source.
Congo Phil feels that "a lot
of people can relate to conga
drums from Santana. It appeas
to everybody. The drums have a
different feeling in themselves.
About his listeners he says, "Il
like a responsive audience --
essential for a musician." The
dancers, matching the group's
beat in intensity and joy fit the
description well.
The group doesn't like to talk
about the black appeal in their
music. Vaulx believes, "A 11
creativity can mix and blend
when people blend. It's every-
body's music."
Discarding jazz as an archaic
label, the group prefers to term
their style, "new, black, classi-
cal music." But, Vaulx empha-
sizes, "That's not a racist term
whatsoever." He elaborates fur-
ther, "We're getting away from
Western ideas. "We're going back
to pre-Church mode days."
Another broad grin from Congo
Phil, and the beat takes over
where the words leave off. As.
Embree says, "Creativity is like
that.
______ U CAl IN DAR
FILM-Cinema Guild features D. W. Griffith's Way Down
East at 6:30 only in Arch. Aud. and Birth of a Nation at
9:30 only; Ann Arbor Film Co-op presents Siegal's Dirty
Harry in Aud. A at 7 and 9; New World Film Co-op offers
Gavras' State of Siege in Nat. Sci. Aud. at 7 and 9;
Picasso is 90 in W. Lounge of S. Quad at 10.
MUSIC SCHOOL-Thomas Hilbish conducts a Faculty Cham-
ber Concert at 8 in Rackham Aud.
ATTENTION
GRAD STUDENTS AND TRANSFER STUDENTS
If you are anxious to share your experiences with
student governments at other schools, the Regents
Commission on Student Governments is anxious to
hear from you.
CALL: LINDA SILVERMAN-764-7567
Rt &CIE
603 E. Liberty
L I-p=1 N0,I
D.W. GR IFFITH'S
WAY DOWN EAST at 6:30
Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess star in Griffith's masterful adaptation of o
popular melodrama into moving story that ends with the famous rescue on the ice }
(actually done by the stars).
BIRTH OF A NATION at 9:30
The film that created an industry, established an art, made Griffith famous and
started protests and demonstrations is still a controversial but great look at the
civil war and reconstruction. The twist-the KKK comes to the rescue.
CINEMA$GUILD$1 for ARCHITECTURE
CIE AGIDeach show AD
Daily Photo by DAVID MARGOLICK
DIAL
OPEN DAILY
12:45
SHOWS AT 1,
3, 5, 7, & 9
Starts Friday
Woody Allen's
'SLEEPER"
DIAL6
1214 South
University
SAT., SUN.,
WED.
SHOWS AT
1, 3, 5,
7, 9 P.M.
MON. & TUES.
AT7&9
ONLY
OPEN DAILY
12:45
SHOWS AT 1,
3, 5, 7 & 9 P.M.
668-6416
RO-
I
Drum troupe
THE
PRIMo SHOWBAR
PRESENTS
WED &THUR JAN 23 & 24
LE
- .
BOB
SEGEuR
I
I , 11
*
231 S. State
I
L
______ ____- -
El