Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 7, 1986 IS A succe By Lisa Borgnes SIDNEY LUMET'S new film Power is a revealing glimpse at the role of a political media con- sultant. Starring Richard Gere as the enormously successful yet highly manipulative Pete St. John, the film reveals how political can- didates are groomed and "packaged" to run for high gover- nment offices. These media consultants control every facet of their client's life in order to create a winning media image. They advise their clients on what to wear, when to smile, how to stand and they tell them what the voters want to hear. In the hectic months before the November elections, St. John is hired to oversee four major cam- paigns. as the film progresses, however, he becomes increasingly aware of the dishonesty and the behind the scenesmaneuverings of the election process, and his is ultimately forced to confront the moral responsibilities of his power. Gere told Elle magazine that he was shocked at what he learned in making Power. "If the general populace knew the process by which they are presented with their candidates, they'd be horrified. There is enormous manipulation and insensitivity and abuse of the process by all the people involved. All your favorite politicians, all your favorite can- didates." The fast-paced editing and con- trolled cinematography emphasize the high-powered intensity of the -sful PO film. Lumet cuts rapidly and precisely from scene to scene, keeping the viewer's constant at- tention. There are no languid pans or deep-focus shots; instead, we see everything in close detail with the camera's critical eye. In the frenzied world of Pete St. John, there is no time to rest or slow down. Indeed, the frequent scenes showing him frenetically "drum- ming" away not only reinforce the film's own rhythms, they also provide a momentary release for its tense energy. wer trip Gere turns in a strong perfor- mance as Pete St. John. In con- trast to the forgettable King David, he seems genuinely at ease in this role, and his confidence shows. He excels in playing the aggressive, fast-talking consultant whose only loyalties are to himself, and who is constantly thinking one step ahead of the competition. Also first-rate are Gene Hackman as his aging mentor, Julie Christie as a political journalist and St. John's ex-wife, and Kate Capshaw as St. John's aide and occasional lover. Students win against landlord By EVE BECKER Ten University students were awarded $4,475 yesterday in a lan- dlord-tenant trial that found Modern Management realtors guilty of breach of contract and invasion of privacy. A 15th District Court jury ruled that landlord David Kaplan broke written agreements to provide necessary maintenance for the house at 331 Catherine Street.. It also declared Kaplan guilty of entering the house unannounced on various occasions, threatening the students' privacy. The students, who have been in and out of court five times since Oct. 7, will receive their money out of an $8,000 escrow account which held their rent money for five months until the landlord provided the services. "We didn't have a kitchen floor, the cabinets were blocking the bathroom, the dishwasher was in the livingroom, and a refrigerator and stove were in the entry hall," said LSA senior Tamie Thompson, one of the ten students. Student Legal Services attorney Eric Lipson, who represented the students, agreed that the house's living conditions were sub-standard. "This house was simply rented out- side of a conformance to housing codes. That has been the root of many of the problems," Lipson said. Thompson said Kaplan continually let himself into the house unannoun- ced with his key, creating problems of privacy for the student residents. She then described how the house has originally been divided into two separate apartments. Kaplan originally told the students he would open up a sealed-off stairway between the two apartments so they could make the house into a seven bedroom house, Thompson said. After the court inspected the house, an inspector closed off the stairway because he said it was illegal to have more than six unrelated people in the same house. "We lost a whole bedroom and some of the peoplle lost easy access to the downstairs when the stairway was E closed off," Thompson said. "He's engaged in intimidating an threatening behavior." Fred Steingold, Kaplan's lawyer, argued that the students owed Modern Management the $8,000 in past rent, since Kaplan had made the repairs on the house. He paralleled the students' situation to buying a used car. Once the repairs are done on a car, thei buyer still has to pay for it, he said. "He (Kaplan) is not an absentee landlord. He's a person who wants to respond. He tried to make reasonable accommodations ' their needs," STeingold said. Student group provides tax assistance By ADAM CORT Filling out tax forms can be a nightmare but a little-known student project aims to lessen the pain for students and the less privileged in the Ann Arbor area. VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, will begin reviewing tax forms - free of charge - next Monday until the April 15th deadline for filing tax returns. As part of Project Community - which gives students credit for community service - VITA has been performing this service for about nine years, says LSA sophomore Ed Massura, director of publicity for the program. VITA targets people like the elderly, low-income, the handicapped, and students, who cannot afford professional assistance with their taxes, Massura says. "We're not trying to compete with the H&R Blocks and small accounting firms," he adds. Since its inception in 1977, VITA has grown steadily, according to Jeff Howard, director of Project Com- munity. Massura says about 2,000 people were serviced by 110 VITA volunteers last year. This year the programs directors are trying to attract even more people through a stepped-up publicity drive. VITA volunteers will be located in an office in the basement of the Michigan Union just inside the north entrance. During the next month they will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Tax forms are serviced on a walk-in basis. Richard Gere stars as a media consultant whose sole purpose is to get his candidates elected in 'Power' showing now at Briarwood. Yearbook 4 requests S Y M P-0 S 1 U M : D I E G O R I V E R A I N C} N T E X T These events are being held in conjunction with the exhibition "Diego Rivera: A Retrospective" at The Detroit Institute of Arts, February 12 through April 27, 1986. editorial control (Continued from Page 1) "With or without Yearlook, we're committed to producing a video year- book this year," Capstick said. Bob Levitan, president of Yearlook; said he was "shocked" to hear that the contact may not prove binding. He supported giving Video Year- book greater control, however, saying "they keep telling me that they want greater independence and I keep thinking of ways to do this. I know they have been working very hard to6 raise funds, and I think that's great." The Yearbook approached Student Legal Services and the University's Office of General Counsel for advice, but both services refused to provide help. SLS attorneys said they only handle student cases on an individual basis, and the counsel office said it only helps organizations tied to the University. John Ketelhut, assistant to the general counsel of the University, speculated that the contract could be declared void if the signer did not have proper authority. He could not elaborate, he said, because he hasn't seen the contract. Despite the unresolved legal questions, Video Yearbook plans to step up its drive for more funds. Currently, the organization receives money from the vice president of academic affairs, the Hillel Found- ation, the Michigan Student Asseni- bly, LSA Student Government, the vice president for student services, and the college of LSA. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 MORNING SESSION: 9:30 am Rackham Auditorium, 80 Farnsworth (across from DIA) Introductory Remarks Samuel Sachs AI, director, The Detroit Institute of Arts Dr. Guadalupe Rivera de Iturbe, senator of the Republic of Mexico; daughter of Diego Rivera Dolores Olmedo, director, Diego Rivera Museum; director, Frida Kahlo Museum Maestro Fernando Gamboa, general director of the Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C.; former director, Museo Nacional de Artes Plasticas, INBA (National Institute of Fine Arts, Mexico); former director, Musec de Arte Moderno, INBA; former director, Museo Rufino Tamayo Diego Rivera and Politics Jorge Hernandez Campos, former director, Museo Nacional de Arte, INBA; former head of Department of Visual Arts, INBA; poet; journalist; winner of the 1985 National Award for Journalism, Mexico Diego Rivera and Art Criticism: An Approximation Dr. Teresa del Conde, director, Artes Plasticas, INBA Revolution and Revival in the Art of Diego Rivera Max Kozloff, former executive editor of Artforum; critic and historian LUNCH, 12:30 - 2 pm AFTERNOON SESSION: 2:00 pm Rackham Auditorium Diego Rivera and the Parisian Avant-Garde Dr. Ram6n Favela, assistant professor, Departments of Art History and Chicano Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara; curator and catalogue author for the exhibition "Diego Rivera: The Cubist Years" (1984) Diego Rivera in Detroit Maestra Alicia Azuela, researcher, Institute of Aesthetic Research, UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico); author of Diego Rivera en Detroit Rivera and Pre-Columbian Art Dr. Beatriz de la Fuente, director and professor of Pre-Hispanic Art, Institute of Aesthetic Research, UNAM; member, Colegio Nacional, Mexico Rivera and the Psychodynamics of Genius Dr. Francis O'Connor, historian of American Art; author of five books on American Art of the 1930s; currently working on a history of-the muralism in the United States SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 MORNING SESSION: Viewing of the exhibition by registered symposium participants only, 10 - 11:30 am 11:30 am, DIA Auditorium The Making of a Film on Diego Rivera's Murals: A Curator's View Stanton L. Catlin, professor emeritus of Museum Studies and Art History, Syracuse University; curatorial consultant, catalogue and film Preview of film "The Frescoes of Diego Rivera," produced by Michael Camerini LUNCH, 1 - 2:30 pm AFTERNOON SESSION: 2:30 pm, Rackham Auditorium Panel: An Intimate View of Diego Rivera Dr. Guadalupe Rivera de Iturbe, senator of the Republic of Mexico; daughter of Diego Rivera Lucienne Bloch and Stephen Dimitroff, muralists; masters of fresco technique; assistants to Diego Rivera Nieves Orozco Field, model of Diego Rivera Marika Rivera Phillips, actress; artist; daughter of Diego Rivera Juan Coronel, poet; editor; grandson of Diego Rivera Dolores Olmedo, director, Diego Rivera Museum; director, Frida Kahlo Museum; friend and patron of Diego Rivera Ana Merida, choreographer; dancer; friend of Diego Rivera Dr. John Chariot, research associate, East-West Center, Honolulu; son of Diego Rivera's assistant and colleague, Jean Chariot Moderator: Mildred Constantine, curatorial consultant, photographs; art historian; writer For registration information, call 313-833-9804 For registration information, call 313-833-9804 The exhibition Diego Rivera: A Retrospective is presented by the Founders Society Detroit Institute of Arts and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Secretarfa de Educacion Piblica, and the Secretarfa de Relaciones Exteriores of Mexico, D.F. The international presentation of the exhibition has been made possible through the collaboration and support of the Ford Motor Company Fund, with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal Agency of the United States of America. RACKHAM STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS February 18 and 19 Open Positions: President, Vice-President 2 Councilmember seats in divisions I, IIl, IV Candidacy Forms available at 2006 Rackham due Mon., Feb. 10 Call 763-5271 for questions 6 6 2 Name(s) Telephone 0 1.. Z "- Address Registration fee: General public Students/Senior citizens Founders Members Series ticket: Feb. 8 & 9 Saturday only: Feb. 8 $32 $20 $28 $18 $ $ A PuN' I