The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 26, 1990- Page 1. -- Descending from the literary tra- dition of turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants depicting the displace- ment of shtetl-dwellers forced to cope with an alien, urban life in *America, Uncle Moses brings to life the conflicts of a generation in exile. Uncle Moses takes place in the years before World War I, after one-third of the Eastern European Jews left their homelands for Amer- ica. Chased out by religious persecu- tion and economic blight, Jews came to America with a mixture of hope and regret. While the American * Dream flourished in their expecta- tions, the demise of the traditional family unit and old-world social structure led to despair and the death of a culture that rapidly became ob- solete. Maurice Schwartz, a leading actor of the Yiddish stage, and Sidney Goldin, a director who created many films with Jewish themes, joined to bring Uncle Moses to the screen for *its debut in 1932. Although it wasn't the first Yiddish "talkie," many critics celebrated Uncle Moses as the first true Yiddish feature film for its artistic quality. Artistic quality it has, in its touchingly unsubtle portrayal of Un- cle Moses, played by Schwartz, a tyrannical garment shop owner struggling with greed and his univer- sally human need for love. Although the film is overt in its thematics and ideology, the conflicts that it pre- sents in polarized terms succeed. Be- cause it is so overt, Uncle Moses becomes somewhat of an allegory with characters representing Biblical Save your gelt for Uncle Moses, and pass by the borscht and matzoh balls for a real taste of Jewish culture that transcends itself. ture coming apart by the conflicts that America, in all its metaphors, presents. For those who saw last year's showing of the The Dybbuk, Uncle Moses is the next step in Jewish history. The Dybbuk portrayed a shtetl community and its tradition, while Uncle Moses brings these same people to America and traces the eventual collapse of the Old World. Uncle Moses will show on Sat- urday at 7:00 and 9:30 in Aud. A. There will be a discussion of the film by James Hoberman, lead film critic for The Village Voice, at 8:30 (between the screenings) at the same location. Admission is free. -Jen Bilik The Vampire's Kiss portrays a real vampire who turns, or thinks he turns, into a legendary vampire. Ev- erybody knows a real vampire: the kind of people who manipulate ev- eryone around them just to feed off the power play. Nicolas Cage plays Peter Loew, the suave yuppie type of vampire that appeared during the '80s in epidemic proportion. The movie opens as Loew begins to real- ize that what he lusts after can't be found in an endless round of one night stands. In the most poignant example of this, he stares out of his office win- dow at a happy couple in the street below as his secretary's voice floats out of the intercom, "Peter? Are you there, Peter?" When he finds some- one who cares about him, his fear of dependency becomes realized in the form of Rachel, a vampire domina- trix, played by Jennifer Beals. As the film progresses, he slowly convinces himself of his vampiric nature. A modern comic-tragedy, The Vampire's Kiss succeeds because of its depth. Rachel, for example, ap- pears whenever Loew tries to estab- lish a normal relationship. At the same time the film never loses its comedic element in such moments as the lost and terrified look on Loew's face as Rachel drags him up to his room, or his manic run through the streets of New York yelling "I'm a vampire! I'm a vam- pire!" The murky lighting, muted col- ors, and off-beat camera angles make the movie more visually interesting. These techniques come together when Loew, tripped out on mesca- line, sits on the edge of his bed watching Nosferatu. The flickering gray light from the TV plays over his vacant face as Rachel lays her head on his lap and sighs lovingly. Characters such as Alva (Maria Conchita Alonso), the quiet but tough secretary he assigns to find a missing contract, and Jackie (Kasi Lemmons), the woman who could love him, provide an edge of realism that makes Peter Loew's twisted tumble into insanity believable. - Jon Rosenthal figures, archetypes and their com- mon struggles. Yet with this alle- gorical treatment, the individual characters still develop to complex- ity, inspiring compassion for those that seem to begin as evil and one- dimensional. Uncle Moses, initially represent- ing Moses bringing the Jews out of Egypt by transporting his people to New York, resembles instead the Pharoah by enslaving the people in his shop. Charlie, the Marxist, later assumes the Moses figure in his ef- forts to help the workers assemble for humane working conditions. Masha, the worker's daughter with whom Moses has fallen in love, is caught between family obligations and the New World option of choos- ing her own husband, of struggling between being an independent Amer- ican and a dutiful shtetl daughter. For all the symbolism, however, the characters are interesting and sympathetic. The film traces Uncle Moses' growth from despot to hope- ful and benevolent lover to dejected old man. Schwartz acts superbly, with a physical performance that communicates his character's psy- chological states. Although Uncle Moses is a tyrant, Schwartz conveys him with psychological subtlety as a man overcome by his ego. The scenes of the community and Masha's family, especially their wedding, capture a closely knit cul- RECORDS Continued from page 9 lice" and a Ku Klux Klan pitch. Consolidated blame their fellow white American men for doing noth- ing to counter a history of hatred and institutional oppression. The chorus is thereafter followed by the sample of an anonymous person spitting, "It's disgraceful, it's disgusting!" This in turn is followed by a brief, sterile cover of "It's About That Time," from Miles Davis' Inra Silent Way. The tune is the lis- tener's only respite here and func- tions medicinally, like "Show 'Em Whatcha Got," by this band's clear- est influence. "It's About That Time" runs little more than three minutes before the onslaught con- tinues. A sample, "To think that.. a bunch of rich, white men in Wash- ington can control the reproductive rights of.. poor women of color,", kicks off "Love, Honor and Rie spect," along with fat keyboard h1lts and an exoskeletal beat. Even betMer, is the funky "Dysfunctional Rea-; tionship," a track that attacks the iti- equalities between women and mep on more personal levels. The best statement within: "It is imperati.er that men are more sensitive Jo. women's needs." At their show at the Nectarine- ballroom a few weeks ago, during ' Q&A session, a skeptical listener. asked Consolidated, "Are you guys; for real?" The answer was affirnm- tive. Strangely, to hear the messags in this album coming from thpse guys somehow seems more brac' more profound, and more effective. Is that fair? No. -Forrest Green II n Daa Aly xX I CLASSIFIED ADS j 1 L I ELVIS HE DOESN'T WRITE FOR 1> P4. r I HAIR b NA IL SALON $7 OFF RELAXERS with hot oil treatment plus $18 SH, BLOW DRY & TRIM 995-5733 312 Thompson near Liberty IN CBS [ ) -O Premiere Performance of for choir, soprano and baritone soloists, harp, organ, handbells and congregation by Stephen Rush composer in residence of University of Michigan Dance Department Friday, November 2, 8:00 p.m S pr 4sae C ww" 1 (OUR REG. 9.99 & 10.99 CD's) Commissioned by Campus Chapel in celebration of fifty years of campus ministry at the University of Michigan 668-7421/662-2402 1236 Washtenaw Ct. parking in the University of Michigan Church St. parking structure WEA .4 £ Tuesday, October 30 6:30 8:00 pm Michigan Union Pendleton Room 01 { Considering an Advanced Degree: A Look at Where, What & How Annenberg School of Communication University of Southern California Sandraatel, Oke"orfeCarner Planing Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs Jeanne Heeb, Coordknator. Reauknmeno Washington University Olin School of Business Administration Ron Van eet, AnciatD irector. AdmiNuions University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies AM NakataNi. Diector, Graduate Admikons I