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Cover Story
Continued from Page 11
Chitty summed up the feelings.
"The military is kind of like a fire
department; you're kind of glad
they're there, but hope they never
come to your house."
'he attitude towards the
University's ROTC
program has changed
considerably from what
it was in years past.
Almost 20 years ago, on February 1,
1970, a group of about 30 people
stormed North Hall after a .protest
march denouncing the United States'
involvement in the Vietnam War.
The marchers, many members of
Students for a Democratic Society,
smashed windows, trophy cases, and
caused nearly $1,200 in damage.
During the same time, the Univer-
sity administration was negotiating
with the Defense Department on
whether the ROTC programs would
even remain on campus.
Now the attitude is basically in-
difference, Gaul said. "Students don't
care if we're here or not."
The government's reduction of
the military as a whole has led to a
decrease in total Army ROTC en-
rollment, which now stands at 72
students as opposed to 135 students
six years ago, Gregor said.
At the same time, more women
are expressing interest in military ca-
reers. Women now make up almost
30 percent of the University's Air
Force ROTC program.
"I liked the military and wanted
to become an officer," Prince ex-
plained. "I'm in nursing and I found
out that I have more opportunities in
the Air Force than in the Army."
The total number of women en-
rolled in ROTC is still small: 28
out of 135 in the Army and 15 out
of 196 in the Navy. But the figures
are higher than they were in the past.
The programs are more receptive y
to women now, but many women
are still hesitant to join ROTC. "For
a lot of women the physical training'
is a lot," said Dawn Maciag, Navyz
yeoman chief. "But the program is
wide open towards women just as it
is towards men."
For the most part, women say
they are treated equally in the ser-
vice.
"The guys are great... I've been
treated very fairly," Friday said.
But, added Sandy Roth, a first.
year Air Force student, "you do have
to stand up for yourself." For in-
stance, she explained, in certain
sports or competitions "there will be
one group of guys that will throw to. . ..
all the guys, and then, they'll re-
member and say 'throw to the
girls'."-
Whatever the attitudes of the pub-
lic towards the ROTC, those in the
program seem to agree that it is one
of the best experiences of their lives.
"I can't think that there's too
many things around here I don't like,
said Navy senior Derr. "It's real easy
to do well." U
Above: All ROTC divisions
participate in flag raising
during football games.
Below: ROTC members salute a i
lowered flag for POWs.
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vated.
More importantly, however,
Susie gives the brothers an opportu-
nity to take a good look at them-
selves and each other. Jack and Frank
have allowed themselves over the
years to be stuck in a continual rut,
typecast figures who don't have the
energy to see themselves as they re-
ally are. It is up to Susie to help the
brothers find and develop their own
unique qualities.
The strength of The Fabulous
Baker Boys lies in its understated
approach toward its characters. The
film becomes an incredibly personal
experience, not through identifica-
tion with the specific characters but
by shedding light on their actions.
The brothers' characters are estab-
lished through their subtle annoy-
ances with each other, masked by
their mutually lazy acceptance.
When Frank senses the attraction be-
tween Susie and Jack, he bitterly ad-
vises Jack, "Stick to cocktail wait-
resses." He is at once both jealous
and condescendingly righteous, out-
wardly disdaining Jack's pigeon-
holed character but realizing he is
equally confined.
This interplay of contrasting per-
sonalities allows the Baker brothers
to see the true limitations of their
characters. Jack's role as the non-
committal slut is intensified by
Frank's pride in supporting his own
family through his piano. Because
they are mediocre as performers,
Frank willingly accepts any job in
the name of stability-preventing
Jack from pursuing his own dreams.
As any objective observer might,
Susie sees the cracks in their act as
performers and as brothers. Her
vested interest, however, is profes-
sional, and Frank and Jack come to
see the emptiness in their roles
through her catalystic reactions to
their stagnancy. Interrupting one of
Frank's typical sermons on career
organization, Susie dares to ask what
Jack might think. Frank snaps "I
don't have to ask what Jack thinks. I
know what he thinks."
Unlike so many film romances
that fail to establish an actual bond
between characters, The Fabulous
Baker Boys builds the momentum
of Jack and Susie's relationship
slowly and effectively. Because each
character is realistically flawed, the
romance cannot be a clich6 of lust or
spiritual need. The film preserves the
integrity of their attachment by re-
fusing to pander to definitions of tra-
ditional Hollywood romance, and
Beau Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jeff Bridges
also by never allowing their rela-
tionship to eclipse the family dy-
namics between Jack and Frank.
The slow pacing of the character
development is punctuated with their
on-stage act, used judiciously - in
conjunction with the jazzy big-band
soundtrack - to display the blurred
lines between performance and iden-
tity. Each of the three main figures
gives a superb performance, keeping
the individual traits of each character
without losing individuality to the
ensemble. The cinematography cre-
ates an atmosphere that communi-
cates the sleaze of their faults and
surroundings while sneaking in a
sense of warmth that each character
tries to deny.
Without relying on condescend-
ing, corny speeches, Frank and Jack
Baker gently suggest a universal
family dynamic. The film leaves so-
lutions clouded in ambiguity, allow-
ing the viewer to draw his or her
own conclusions. By departing from
standard cinema fare, The Fabulous
Baker Boys boldly presents flawed
characters in mundane life-ruts with
sensitivity, wit, and humor.
THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS is
now showing at Showcase Cinemas
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Continued from Page 9
to remain absolutely motionless for Admittance to the Arnold Air So-
up to 10 seconds longer than men, ciety requires a 3.3 Grade Point Av-
he said. erage. To be nominated to Scabbard
For academically inclined stu- and Blade, students must be in the
dents there is the Arnold Air Force top one-half of their major class and
Society and Scabbard and Blade, a in the top one-third of their ROTC
tri-service honor society. class. - Noelle Vance
Michael Myers & Co. can't even live up to bad sequel
standards in their latest Oktoberfest, Halloween V
FM
By Mark Binelli tential: a very scary original directed would have immediately bludgeoned Anyway, back in Haddonfield,
First of all, anyone willing to by John Carpenter, that cool theme the guy to death with a shovel or Illinois, the place where it all began,
pay to see "Part five" of any movie music, and Donald Pleasance, still something, but Michael just col- Michael's niece Jamie has been suf-
probably doesn't have the right to the most frightening person in the lapses on this cot, and then the old fering from severe psychological
ask for much. But Halloween V: the movie, reprising his role as Dr. Lu- man has to nurse him back to health.
Revenge of Michael Myers is mus. But Michael, stoically played What is this, The Swiss Family See Halloween, Page 13
lousy, even by bad sequel standards. by Donald L. Shanks, just isn't the Robinson?
Now at the very least, the audi- same cutting-edge nut that he used to
ence should get a nice, on-screen de- be._-
capitation, right? But instead the big The movie opens up with our (it
moment comes when Michael My- hero getting shot about a thousand
ers, who has replaced the Phantasm times, falling into an abandoned well
ball as the most idiotic adolescent and then being dynamited, for good
killing machine in film, takes off measure. After regaining his compo-
his mask and sheds a tear. Yes, it's sure (it's hard to kill a vampire, but
the sad truth. The '80s are over; the it's even harder to kill a profitable
teen-butchering lunatic film may movie psycho), Michael stumbles
soon become a forgotten genre. across an old hermit's hut.
The film actually had some po- Now any decent mass-murderer
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Page 12 Weekend/October 20,1989
Weekend/October 20,1989