ARTS The Michigan Daily Sunday, November 20, 1983 Page 5 Benson:Breathless By Chris Lauer ARTISTICALLY SPEAKING, Robby Benson should be demoted to TV movies. His latest film, Running Brave, is just another blatant Hollywood at- tempt at making a profit for the least possible effort. This story about an In- dian long distance runner who dreams of going to the Olympics barely gets past the sappy pun in its title. Seeing Running Brave is like taking a mono-emotional tour through the dramatic devices hall of fame. Meet the protagonist: Billy Mills (Bensen), an Indian, arrives at the University of Kansas with a head full of memories and advice from his dead father. "A man isn't anything unless he wins. You've got to win." His father's advice is apparently a variation of the "you only go 'round once" philosophy, and not to be confused with either of Kant's categorical imperatives. Then meet Coach. "Just call me Coach," he tells Billy. Coach is the most stereotyped of all the characters in the move as exemplified by lines such as ''Everything's a race."~ The year is 1960 and the other boys in the UK sports program don't like In- dians. Bensen faces them down with a ludicrous attempt at James Dean-like coolness. Fifteen minutes into the movie (the plot really moves), meet the love in- terest. In a particularly untouching moment she says, "If you really love me then let's face these problems together." The script is largely made up of lines found in the Harlequin romance series. Three years and five actual minutes later, Billy has second thoughts about being a track star. He quits and goes back to the reservation, but everything is not as it once was and his brother commits suicide. This stab at heavy drama turns out to be just a harsh spot in an otherwise senseless, but harmless movie. The plot is similar to the first two Rocky movies. After becoming a track star and then losing it, Billy gets -his second wind. It is not hard to guess that he ends up at the Olympics. While a boxing match may be a great dramatic climax, a 10,000 meter foot race just doesn't compare. To build excitement, the lead changed about four times every lap. Of course just as it looked as though our hero Bensen was going to lose, he put it into warp speed and won by a nanometer. As much as it would like to, Running Brave makes no social statement. It addresses prejudice only as a means of making the audience feel sorry for Billy, and consequently share in his triumph at the end. But for a movie consisting of about 30 minutes of just Bensen running, and another 120 minutes of poorly executed dramatic devices - the result is that the audien- ce never cares. Don't expect to go to this movie without seeing an incredible amount of running. It is especially bad when Ben- sen runs while the corny banjo music ig cranked up in the background. There will never be a "Soundtrack from Run- ning Brave" album. Even worse is the slow motion running. s For a movie that talks so much about winning, it sure is a loser. Daily Photo by DEBORAH LEWIS Cris Williamson's concert Friday night at the Michigan Theatre was a heartfelt, enthusiastic event. Williamson's innervision By Elliot Jackson T O FRIDAY NIGHT'S crowd at the Michigan, Chris Williamson was more than music and an object of fantasy; she symbolized the right of women to make music, to dream dreams, to express fear or confidence or defiance over the state of the world and personal affairs. She sym- bolized a changing consciousness, and the hope of a changing world - a world in which it is no longer necessary or desirable to look at other women in terms of their relations with men. The first set of Friday's concert consisted of songs by Tret Fure, who played acoustic and electric guitar, piano, and provided lead vocals. On the whole, I found her stuff to be catchy enough, but without a great deal of depth, either emotionally or politically. In particular was "Terminal Hold," a piece about that bane of modern communication - the hold button. This song was amusing, but not enough to ex- cuse its lack of substance. To be put on hold has some in- teresting metaphorical ramifications which deserve ex- ploration, but they were not in this instance. The set was not all bad. Some of Fure's more rockng num- bers got a very energetic treatment, and the band, (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards/viola, and Chris Williamson on piano and back-up vocals) played together with every evidence of enjoyment. The second set belonged entirely to Chris Williamson. With Williamson's wry and revealing comments she won the hearts of the audience before she played any of her material, and the level of enthusiasm was high. In in- troducing one of her songs, she said she hoped that all people would "look into each other, as they do into an artist, and see not just themselves but all things." In a way, this statement could serve as a theme for all her songs -common threads run through them which calls upon us to respect the earth, nature, and each other, and to consider well the similarities of our experiences to the ones which she describes. She performed old favorites from her albums The Changer and the Changed and Blue Rider, with a voice that resonated like the echo of a gong - full, rich, and brazen. Williamson was jubilant and sassy in her more overtly rock and roll pieces, but was capable of conveying terror and wonder as well. In a song like "Colorado Dustbowl Days," a tribute to her mother and the days of her childhood out west, this was especially noted. My personal favorite was a tough-minded piece of whimsy called "Texas Ruby Red," dedicated to Bonny Raitt, fiddler extraordinaire. In it, Williamson imagines her as a bandit queen of the old west, as handy with a six-shooter as a six-singer, and "takin' no shit from nobody.' Audience reaction ranged from quietly appreciative to wildly enthusiastic throughout the concert. The show was a success, and only slightly marred by lyrics which were sometimes unintelligible, and a bass and drum ensemble which at times overpowered the other instruments. To those who came to hear them, the music of Tret Fure and Chris Williamson was indicative of a new and healthy at- titude, not just towards woman's place in music but her place in life. S"THE DAY AFTER" A Nuclear Wara An ABC, two-and-one-half hour, made for television movie TONIGHT, NOV. 20th, 8 p.m. TV CHANNEL SEVEN YOU CAN GO AND WATCH THIS PROGRAM ON TV AT ANY OF THESE CAMPUS LOCATIONS Followed by a discussion led by the Physicians for Social Responsibility West Quad, ask at main desk South Quad, ask at main desk Lawyer's Club, TV room basement Fletcher Hall, TV room basement East Quad, room 126 Stockwell, blue carpet lounge Mosher-Jordan, Jordan lounge Alice Lloyd, 1 st Floor TV room Couzens, red TV lounge Markley, lobby TV lounge Oxford Housing, Seeley House Baits Houses, Eaton House Bursley, snack bar TV room Walden Il Coop, 1504 Gilbert Ct. -Owen House, 1017 Oakland Vail House, 602 Lawrence Joint House, 917 S. Forest Ecumenical Center, 921 Church Lord of Light, 801 S. Forest Wesley Foundation, 602 E. Huron Quaker House, 1416 Hill Symphonic soup and nuts People who want to watch the program in their own places, and then go somewhere to talk about it, can come to Canterbury Loft, 332 S. State, where a discussion will begin about twenty minutes after the program ends. Note: There will be no TV at Canterbury, so do not come there until the program is over. ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21s THERE WILL BE A FORUM FROM 7 T08:30 P.M. IN THE KUENZEL ROOM OF THE UNION TO LEARN HOW TO PREVENT The Day After, with Don Rucknagle, M.D.; James Blaker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Dan Axelrod, Associate Progessor of Physics; Richard Ketai, M.D. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL CANTERBURY LOFT AT 665-0606 By Knute Rife T HE UNIVERSITY Concert Band and Symphonic Band will be joining forces Monday evening at 8 in Hill Auditorium for a joint concert. Robert Reynolds and Larry Richleff, a b recent addition to the Michigan faculty from the University of Connecticut, will be sharing the podium. The concert promises something for everyone, with everything from soup to nuts. The program will open with Men- delssohn-Bartholdy's Overture for Band, an old standby for symphonic bands. Next will be Leslie Bassett's Sounds, Shapes, and Symbols. Bassett is on the Michigan faculty, is currently the Henry Russell Lecturer, the highest honor the University can give faculty member, and has won 'the Pulitzer Prize for music. Next on the program is Turina's The Five Miniatures, a delicate band arrangement of one of his solo piano pieces. The first half of the concert ends with a bang: Fillmore's His Honor, edited by Frederick Fennell. The second half will open with William Schuman's George Washington Bridge. Schuman, founder of the Julliard School of Music, the Lincoln Center, and the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, composed this piece for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. Following this will be Warren Ben- son's The Passing Bell, a memorial piece. Benson is a Michigan graduate currently on the faculty at the Eastman School of Music. Next will be Percy Granger's Irish Tune from County Derry, based on the tune "Danny Boy." Granger himself conducted a Michigan Band performance of this piece in 1950. The band will then perform the American premiere of David Bedford's The Sun Paints Rainbows on Vast Waves. This is a colorful piece that makes use of some odd instrumen- tation, such as tuned bottles. The con- cert will close with Sousa's The Loyal Legion, edited by Don Huntsberger. The Music Department encourages everyone to attend. The concert is free and open to the public. MR,, CAS rA and "Surf n' Sail" separates by Laguna® allow you to lead an active, carefree lifestyle. ;ilkscreen prints on sunshine bright T-shirts team with solid twill pants in navy, royal, grey, white or tan. n/polyester. Sizes S-M-L-XL in our :. Mr. J Shop for young men. Long sleeve hooded "T", $18. Elastic waist pant, $30. .."'/ r 'd ,.. < y Y I PREFER SATURDAYS Enjoy Saturdays minute by minute at University Towers! 1 minute from all away football games via cable TV in our newly refurnished lounge! 5 minutes from all pregame shopping!