ARTS The Michigan Daily Wednesday, December 9, 1987 Page 8 Dickens'spirit is alive and well By Jennifer Kohn Charles Dickens is alive and well and living in Ann Arbor. This up- coming Friday and Saturday, he will read from his Christmas Carol at the University Art Museum. I was granted an exclusive interview with Dickens (AKA Professor Bert Horn- back) and discussed with h i m Scrooge, theduniversal Christmas spiritand his 150 years of popular- ity. Dickens first began reading from A Vhristmas Carol in 1853. Those fir.V readings would last as long as thiqe hours. He then shortened them tovtwo hours, but now, because of thenlimited attention span of the modern audience, his readings are about an hour long. 1s asked Dickens why he chooses to-read this story each year; his re- sponse was multifarious. He ex- plained, "It remains timely year after year. For over 150 years it's been oimof the most popular stories in tlamvorld and I'm pleased with the association. There is wisdom to be gained fr A Christmas Carol. There is no need for a Christmas season. If there were Christmas spirit all year round the world would be a different place. The Christmas season does not belong to Christians. The idea is much older than Christianity and much nearer to the age of humanity itself." It is this universal theme that makes this book his favorite to re- cite. "It is the story of a selfish man who learns to be otherwise; a greedy man who learns to be ungreedy," said Dickens before going on to discuss the definition of greed in modern America. "Greed is an aw- fully nasty word... one of the few that has the same potency today it has had throughout history. "I recently heard greed described as legitimate hunger, " Dickens con- tinued. "If that were so, the poor would gobble us all up." A Christ- mas Carol is a warning against ig- norance and want. It is also a story of conversion, and Charles Dickens hopes to make good the name of Ebenezer Scrooge. "In the end of the story Scrooge is as good a man as any good old city ever knew. It is Scrooge's con- version that is important because he is a man who has learned the impor- tance of good, no matter how bad he may have once seemed." Charles Dickens will be reading this year at 22 locations including Jackson Prison, Mott Childrens' Hospital, Syracuse University, and a number of civics groups and schools. I asked him about his specific goals in reading to young people, and he relayed a story of a Bums Park Elementary School reading several years ago, "The teacher told me that her sixth grade class had a collective attention span of about two minutes, literally. But, those 40 kids were quiet as mice for my 45 minute reading. They sat and discussed the reading for an hour, and they didn't miss a fact of what I read." He is proud of the attention that his readings receive because of what is to be learned from them. Of all his readings Dickens most prefers those at the University Art Museum. "These are my favorites because the people know what they're coming to see. They know the story, they anticipate the caroling (with the Men's and Women's Glee Clubs), and they are aware of ing." the donation they're mak- Admission to the readings is free, but donations are suggested. All proceeds from the event go to char- ity. In previous years the two evening performances have raised as much as $2000 for Oxfam Interna- tional to fight world hunger. This year donations will be divided be- tween Oxfam and UNICEF. Dickens told me that in other years brass and string musicians have accompanied him, and one year a student even composed his own musical piece entitled "A. Christmas Carol," inspired by the parable-like novel. The University Performance is organized by the Dickens Fellowship secretary, Ms. Shirley Smith. This year, as a prelude, Herm Steiner will perform Christmas .carols on the, bagpipes. Immediately following the, reading there will be caroling and re- freshments. Professor Bert Hornback will be- come CHARLES DICKENS for two. readings at the Museum of Art, this,, Friday and Saturday at 7:45 p.m.,. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. University English Professor Bert Hornback IS Charles Dickens. -1. . The Stranger Stranger '- Quality student-made ilm 4 gyJohn Shea °imothy Naylor finished gulping dawn his coffee at Jason's Cafd. It Wasabout a year ago that Naylor had sat in the same caf6, gulping down coffee with his friend David Saltz- mrai, thinking about a project they could do together for a Communica- tions film class. SThis Friday, they will show the final product on campus. The Stranger Stranger is a 27- minute short-feature that served as Naylor and Saltzman's final project in their course of study (the two gnaluated from the University this pt, May). Saltzman wrote and di- rected the film; Naylor was the director of photography and the camera operator. "We were drinking coffee (at Ja- son's) and bouncing around a few ideas," says Naylor, "and Dave came up with this one. I thought it was great." Set in the living room of a sub- urban home, The Stranger Stranger opens with a woman being trapped c. NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS Fall Term Only subscriptions to expire as of December 11, 1987 Unless you subscribed for the entire academic year (Fall and Winter terms), you will need to renew your subscription. Rates for Winter (Jan.-Apr.) are $15 in town and $22 out of town. Send your payment to: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. DEPARTMENT STORE BUYOUTS AT TREMENDOUS SAVINGS. UP TO 90% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES. YOU HAVE TO SEE THE SAVINGS TO BELIEVE ITI in her own home by an intruder who claims he only needs to use the phone to call a tow truck. The woman is understandably nervous, as there have been a series of sexually motivated killings in the neighbor- hood, and the intruder makes himself comfortable. She settles down, however and - in an odd twist - she sits down and debates the nature of these murders with the intruder. One proposes that a perverted psychopath is on the loose; the other contends the mur- derer is an overzealous feminist. W What follows is a tense, psychological drama. Despite occasionally being a little too self-conscious - especially in the opening montage - T h e Stranger Stranger is uncharacteristi- cally self-assured for a student-made film. Instead of indulging in special effects and bizarre camera angles, Saltzman and Naylor recognize the strength of the script and keep their attention focused solely on the story. Shot in black and white, the film is stylish without being slick. And the slow, steady pace is sustained by the strong script and two riveting per- formances by Kara Miller as the woman and Tom Mahard as the in- truder. Besides the film's showing on campus this Friday, Naylor and Saltzman will be entering it in some of the most prestigious film festi- vals in the country: the American Film Institute Festival in Los budget has since reached about" $7500. The two filmmakers were also aided by getting the crew to donate their time. According to Naylor, Mahard (who runs the Ann ArborM Repertory Theatre and is a member'. of the Screen Actor's Guild) also" worked on the project for free be-' cause he liked the script so much. Now consider the following. Sel- dom will one find, when discussing" outstanding film schools in the country, the name "Michigan" ut-, tered in the same breath with USC,' UCLA, and NYU; a lack of funding, and archaic equipment have sent as- piring Hitchcocks, Hustons, and Al- lens fleeing to either coast. But there is talent here, good talent, and per- haps it is best personified through Naylor and Saltzman. "My advice to undergraduates' studying film is to not waste the opportunity they have," says Naylor. "Instead of making avant-garde' films, they should be-making things, with real substance that can get them; jobs after they graduate." Saltzman is currently in Taiwan, teaching English to children and, ac- cording to Naylor, collecting some material for future projects ("He3 should come back with some excit- ing stuff, if he comes back"). Naylor is doing free-lance work in Detroit and contemplating graduate school. He is applying to USC, UCLA, and NYU. n "My short-term goal," Naylor r says, "is to produce a 90-minute film for under $200,000 that will, e kick-ass at the box-office and with e the critics." Spoken like true filmmaker. THE STRANGER STRANGER- g is showing at the Modern Language e Building, Auditorium #3, this Friday i at 6:30 p.m: Admission is $1.50, St with the proceeds going to help pay to for exhibiting and festi val fees. Daily Photo by DAVID LUBLINER University alumnus Timothy N with his friend David Saltzin winter. The independent projec will be shown this Friday nigh -Men's and women's deslgnir jeans and sweaters starting at $10.00. -Men's designer shirts and ties starting at $5.00. df-Men's designer suits and jackets starting at $20.00. -Designer labels also on blankets, linens, * flatware, and other apartment and dorm accessories. A U -Beautiful and elegant dresses for formal occasions starting at $30.00. 15 N. UNIVERSITY (Downstairs at Hamilton Sq. Mall, below Mrs. Peabodys) 662-0866 10% OFF our already low prices with this coupon. I . TELEMARKETERS NEEDED Telephone Marketing Services, Inc. has part-time evening hours available in our new telemarketing facility opening soon in Ypsilanti. e $5 per hour to start e No experience necessary " Good communications skills helpful * Students and homemakers ideal * Pleasant office environment " Paid vacations and holidays Call 1-800-323-9429 and ask for the Ypsilanti operator aylor created 'The Stranger Stranger' an for a communications project last cT by the two University graduates ht at the MLB. Angeles, the Golden Gate Festival i San Francisco, and the Ann Arbo 16mm Film Festival are just a few. Most impressive, considering th original budget of $4500. "We wer raising money all along," says Nay lor. They received funds from, amon other sources, the Dean's office, th Vice President's office and donation from private businesses. The res, came from their own pockets. 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