ARTS Tuesday, November 21, 1989 the Michigan Daily Page 5 Mermaid: A siren for all 0ages California Gold Joyful author examines the American dream BY TONY SILBER Animated films in American cin- ema are generally underrated and misunderstood. They are regarded as insignificant children's entertain- ment, but this common perception may be on the way out the revolving door of movie tastes. Walt Disney Pictures, the constant in animated feature films for the last 50 years, has released its 28th animated fea- ture, and it's obvious that The Little Mermaid is aiming to entertain ev- eryone out there, not just the kids. Disney exhausted every ounce of talent from its animation arsenal for The Little Mermaid, the studio's first animated fairy tale since Cin- derella 30 years ago. The film is simply wonderful, start to finish. Enormously entertaining in its in- novative Broadway-like approach, the appeal value for this film should be apparent in every area of the mar- ket. The story is simple, of course, but not any more simplistic or trite than most of today's live action fea- ture releases. Ariel (voice of Jodi Benson) is a beautiful, young mermaid in search of love, but she unexpectedly finds it with a human prince. The evil squid Ursula (voice of Pat Carroll) will make Ariel human and allow her to pursue the prince, but at a price - her beautiful singing voice. On the surface the story seems adolescent at best, but at its core it is a love story, sweet and simple. It is obvi- ous by a film such as The Little Ariel (left) makes a deal with the devil - or in this case, the squid Ursula - to become human. This Ariel no longer wants to be trapped under the sea, either. Mermaid that realism is less impor- tant than pure charm value. Anima- tion gives it that liberty whereas with live action films, the account- ability to realistic characters and plots is necessary. The Little Mermaid distin- guishes itself from the start as unique in the scope of the traditional animated film. It is a musical fan- tasy with many musical textures and slapstick elements. The showstop- ping numbers, sad ballads, and love songs typical of many musicals are intact here, but it is amazing that the quality of the music, lyrics, and ar- rangements in the film is so high, especially in a "children's film." These are dynamic and entertaining numbers with catchy tunes and lyrics that will stay in your heads well after the final credits. Look for "Under the Sea" to show up on the Best Original Song list at the Academy Awards. From an animation standpoint, The Little Mermaid is flawless. Us- ing over 400 artists and technicians over a three year period, over 1,100 backgrounds, 1000 colors, and 1,000,000 drawings - it's no won- der the animation is so crisp. As for the vocal talents, the whole cast is terrific. Benson's sweet, dulcet voice, Carroll's dynamic fire and sin- ister excitement, and Buddy Hack- ett's slew of one liners keep the in- terest level high during the non-mu- sical interludes. But Sebastian, the calypso crab (Samuel Wright) is the real treat in this yarn. The stubborn and lovable guardian of Ariel is re- sponsible for some terrific songs as well as some kitsch dialogue like "You're not getting cold fins, are you?" Call it a G-rated children's car- toon if you like, but at least give The Little Mermaid a look. The film is wonderfully entertaining throughout and the music, dialogue, and story can be appealing to any- one. The Romeo and Juliet-like story will never fade away in litera- ture or film and The Little Mermaid is an innovative and fun version of that loveastory that is sure to bring a smile to anyone of any age. THE LITTLE MERMAID is now showing at Showcase Cinemas. BY CAROLYN PAJOR "WE'RE on earth with the obligation to entertain ourselves," says Herbert Gold, author of over 20 books of novels and short stories. "Writing is a great joy, a festival." Gold explores the possibilities of life as a fes- tival in many of his novels. In his latest novel, Dream- ing, we see Hutch, a successful salesman who busily pursues the American dream (along with the tailing of tired blonds) in terms of money and the imitation of youth in glitzy California. Yet Hutch's festival is as ironic as it is superficial and corrupt, and therefore serves as a critique of the flimsy shallowness that Gold sees - shallowness that is not limited to California. Still, California is a favorite backdrop for Gold; he sees it as "the real world, but special and different - it is entertaining bcause of the amount of freedom it has." He calls it "a strange frontier of grooviness, where you can define yourself any way you want because there are no roots." Not only can people change their name to suit themselves, but Gold says "they can change their race and start afresh." He says that in California, "people have the energy to treat themselves as active sculptures to shape any way they want." But Herbert Gold does not limit himself to Cali- fornia. Although he never went to school here, one of his earlier novels, The Optimist, is set in Ann Arbor. We see the timeless custom of lovers kissing in the Arb, we hear the Bell Tower chime. Gold also has not limited himself to writing novels. He began by writing and publishing his poetry in college, and continues to- day while keeping it private. Gold has taught classes in philosophy and writing and has been a journalist. He cites journalism's inherent usefulness in that it teaches one about the real world, and gives writers a subject matter to write about "instead of scraping out their Oedipus complexes." And if he was not a writer, Gold says that he would be "a professional racquetball player. It must keep him young, as Gold says "I'm 27 but I've been writing for 40 years," in the true spirit of Cal- ifornian youthful vigor. He still feels like a young man, and says he "will probably be a 'young' writer until I die." Despite this, he says that his writing has changed and become clearer, and not convoluted with the "verbal delirium and rhetoric" that mark young, verbose writers. Herbert Gold refuses to take the favored writer's route of writing about oneself, preferring to get his ideas from the real world. He urges writers to read every day: "People learn by do- ing; they learn to have something to say. Writing begets writing." Hutch eventually fails in his quest of the California dream as the curtain falls on his empty bankbook and his fleeting youth. Glib unto his last breath, Hutch thinks "fancy that" as he sees his previously forgotten mother at the point of death. The festival is over for Hutch, though for Herbert Gold, it just may last another 40 years. HERBERT GOLD will be reading from his book of short stories, LOVERS AND COHORTS, and also from his new short story, "Sam and Jan Get Their AIDS Test" in Rackham Amphitheatre at 4 p.m. Bring ydur tofu. MozartFest: An original success J BY SHERRILL L. BENNETT It's a feud older and more fierce than the Hat- fields and the McCoys - performers vs. musi- cologists Performers say "trust your musical in- stincts"; musicologists say "trust the score and the composers markings" - and the battle pro- gresses. But neither group objects to a momep- tary cease-fire to honor, with the best of their in- tuition and research, one of history's greatest composers, W. A. Mozart. Thus, the MozartFest was born. This three-day series of symposiums and con- certs focused on Mozart's signature genre, the pi- ano concerto, ten of which were performed. The symposiums were full of scholarly fireworks. Topics ranged from the nuts and bolts of individ- ual concertos to the relationship of Mozart's con- certo form to opera. Theorists, music historians and performers all participated, passionately de- bating their beliefs, yet open to different perspec- tives (usually more the former than the latter). The concerts had another atmosphere. They re- flected the one majority agreement amongst fes- tival participants - original instruments. Local and guest musicians offered their skill and their antique ins.riments. "My violin comes from 1831," said Sarah Sumner, specialist in Baroque performance practice at the University School of Music, "but many of the other strings are from the 1700s." Sumner, along with other members of the Ann Arbor-based Ars Musica Baroque Orchestra, performed with the concerto soloists for all the concerts. Each soloist used a different version of the fortepiano of Mozart's time, a smaller, more nimble instrument than todays grand piano. Its delicate sonority gave the con- certs an intimate appeal unmatched by any Steinway. After each concerto, a different fortepiano was hauled on stage, accompanied by a different orchestra combination - more winds, less strings, facing each other, facing the audience, fortepiano in front, in the middle, on risers, etc. The constantly changing stage set-up and orches- tration reflected the pioneering spirit of the festi- val, exploring all possible combinations that Mozart might have used - including Mozart's economic alternative, one on a part. Conductor Roger Norrington, a pedagogue in the field, graciously lent his expertise to the fes- tival. Robert Levin, an 18th century performance expert played an outstanding interpretation of K. 491, complete with improvised cadenzas - pretty gutsy for a classical musician and an abso- lute thrill for the audience. The festival was a great success in all areas but student participation. The exorbitant cost of the festival was out of reach for many students and although some usher positions were avail- able, they were not exclusively for students, and not widely advertised. Members of Oxford, Cor- nell, and USC student bodies were all present in greater numbers than from the University of Michigan. The absence of University students left a gap in the festival that could have been filled by student rush tickets, the Musical Soci- ety's form of encouragement. Despite this one fault, the University Musical Society should be applauded for its contribution to the recent surge of interest in original perfor- mance practice of the 18th century. GET IT! The Personal Column MICHIGAN DAILY CLASSIFIED ADS The Ivy League Spring in New York Qualified upperclassmen are invited to apply for admissioh to Columbia College as visiting students beginning in January 1990. Full access to housing, library resources, and upper divi- sion courses. For further information and an application, write or call: Columbia College Admissions Office 212 Hamilton Hall New York, New York 10027 (212) 854-2522 Application deadline: December 15, 1989 BETTER THAN THE BATHROOM WALLS! Give your message Ve Ta Touch... ICi *ItbigaU at Personals a r _ ' R \/ R V V R R "ti I V 764-0557 NOBODY LIKES YOU? We're here to help. It's a new Write: Help Mel advice c/o Michigan Daily column in 420 Maynard the Daily. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SKIN STUDY The University of Michigan Department of Dermatology Research is seeking volun- teers to test a new therapy for black patients who have uneven skin color/dark n v~a n t' nfnnoa naar mia a '!.Q Read Jim Poniewozik Every 'TheTaubman Program preents... All You Need to Know About Working in Washington Jack Katosh, Vice President of Matthew Greenwald, Inc. «? U B V I ____ - I I