ARTS Monday, November 23, 1992 The Michigan Daily Page 5 t Denzel Washington practicing for his Oscar acceptance speech - this ought to make up for his money-grubbing appearance in "Heart Condition." Still, "Malcolm X" isn't quite as good as "Howards End." Though, what is? How I learned to stop worrying and love Spike Lee by Aaron Hamburger There is a lot of pressure on critics to like this film. Several reviews which I read be- fore writing this article were favorable, but with strong reservations, as if the authors were trying to recommend the film in spite of themselves. Indeed, the challenge of re- viewing a movie like this one, which has so much advance hype and has elicited so many strong opinions both pro and con, is to praise or criticize the film according to its merits, like any other, without regard to the racial issues involved or any white liberal guilt. Having said that, not only is "Malcolm X" a film worth seeing, but a very great film. "Malcolm X" is one of those rare packages of fine acting, direction, writing, and cinematography that harmoniously com- bine to give a sharp, relatively objective (until the very end of the film), fascinating portrait of one of the most controversial American figures of this century. Lee documents the life of Malcolm X, charismatically played by Denzel Washing- ton, from his beginnings as a zoot-suited, strung-out, violent thief to an impassioned speaker for the Nation of Islam and its founder Elijah Muhammad to his expulsion from the Nation of Islam and his epiphany- laden trip to Mecca. During it all, Lee (Oliver Stone could use a few lessons from Malcolm X Directed by Spike Lee; written by Arnold Perl and Spike Lee; with Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman Jr., and Spike Lee. Lee in objectivity) presents Malcolm, warts and all, as he really was, a man who advo- cated Black separatism and supremacy, a male chauvinist, as well as an anti-Semite, who called whites "devils." Even though Lee's presentation of Mal- colm X is objective, it's hard not to feel more than a little sympathy for Washington, one of the screen's most winning presences. He plays the leader as a fallible but likable, deeply committed man who is ultimately undone because he is so serious-minded and idealistic that he cannot believe that those around him do not feel the same way he does. Before he is gunned down, Washington smiles, as if Malcolm is relieved that all the pressure on him from both Blacks and whites has been lifted. It's a nice idea, but it comes across as a little showy in an other- wise moving and impressive performance. The real find of this movie, however, is Ang'ela Bassett, who plays Betty Shabazz, Malcolm's wife. Bassett manages to convey a mix of warmth and intelligence in every scene she's in, even when she has no lines. Al Freeman Jr. (who won an Emmy for playing Malcolm X in the miniseries "Roots") plays Elijah Muhammad as a vain, cryptic figure. Also notable is Albert Hall, in a smaller role, as Baines, the man who intro- duces Malcolm to the Nation of Islam. Hall imbues his character with a strong, stirring force, comparable to James Earl Jones. Spike Lee's daring and visually dazzling technique complements the actors' strong performances. Any doubts of Lee's cine- matic talent should be allayed by the way his camera darts around the room in one of the opening scenes in a dance hall in Boston, or the way he shoots the banana yellow Cadil- lac of Malcolm X's white lover. Equally im- pressive is the way he handles the final scene of chaos when Malcolm X is assassi- nated. Lee manages to convey a sense of the violent disorder while clearly tracing the as- sassins' attempted escape from the hall. Lee also makes several references to classics like "Raging Bull," "Lawrence of Arabia," as well as current films like "Cape Fear" (instead of Scorsese's 180 degree camera turn, Lee makes a full 360), "JFK" (with his combination of dramatized and faux-documentary footage) and "The Silence of the Lambs (!)." Despite his strengths, occasionally Lee goes out on a limb, and falls. One scene, where Malcolm is reading an inspirational letter from Elijah Muhammad, and suddenly the leader actually appears before him in ghostly form, is just corny and way too lit- eral. The chronology of events at the begin- ning of the film is not always clear, although it is cleared up eventually. Lee's worst misstep is his final sequence, which shows Black schoolchildren from around the world, both male and female, jumping up from their seats to shout "I am Malcolm X!" and Nelson Mandela himself appears to bless the film. Up to this point, Lee had allowed the viewer to make up his or her own mind about Malcolm X. With this ending, however, Lee makes his own position all too cle.ar and elevates the man to sainthood. Still, the weaknesses are few and do not detract from the film's fascinating and thor- ough encapsulation of the life of the com- plex figure of Malcolm X. The film hurtles along through its three-hour-and-twenty- minute running time. You won't want it to end. MALCOLM X is playing at Showcase. Strauss fluff flies with wide appeal by Kirk Wetters Although the music of Johann Strauss is fun to perform and a guar- anteed crowd-pleaser, it is hellishly difficult to interpret. The best Strauss orchestras mix relaxed charm with effortlessly precise exe- cution. Great Strauss singers must have the vocal beauty and flexibility of an expert Mozart interpreter com- bined with the dramatic zest and flamboyance of a stage actor. The singer in the Friday cast of Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" who most exemplified these qualities was OPERA REVIEW Curtis Peters and Michael Sheardon in Strauss' "Die Fledermaus." Malcolm X Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack Qwest/Reprise Yo money, it's gotta be the shoes. Not only has Spike Lee pro- duced the movie of the year, he's also (along with Quincy Jones) compiled a flawless soundtrack to accompany it. The music of "Malcolm X" is comprised of classic Black music from the 1930s to the 1990s, all of which perfectly defines the times they represent. There's the big band juke joint jive of Joe Turner's "Roll 'Em Pete," and Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home." These two barn- burning party songs are so live you can hear the "Go cat go" in the fray. Louis Jordan's gleefully slap happy "Beans And Cornbread" is another toe-tapping ode to the years of the Harlem Renaissance. The ladies are also dutifully rep- resented here. There's Billie Holli- day's unparalleled jazzy blues, ("Big Stuff"), Ella Fitzgerald's sultry croon, ("Azure") and Aretha Franklin's glorious gospel flavor ("Someday We'll All Be Free"). A particularly telling track is the Inkspots' "My Prayer." In an era when African-American music (which at the time was known as "race" music) was looked down upon, many artists attempted to adopt a "White" sound to sell more records to a wider audience. It's hard to miss the parallels in the film notes, may we all look forward to the day when Black Radio is as di- verse as the music on this record. -Scott Sterling Beme Seed Purify No. 6 It's hard to tell what's closer to Beme Seed's heart: freak-out or heavy metal. On some tracks, the band manages to create a wild atmo- sphere, with massively distorted gui- tars screaming and wailing over a pounding beat. Some songs, how- ever, are little more than heavy metal rock exercises, with lots of fast screeching and fancy fretwork, but no real emotion. But the heavy music doesn't drag down this album - the lyrics do. On first listen, one might think the nearly incomprehensible vocals were nihilistic screams or chants bemoaning the dark and satanic na- ture of man. However, after reading the liner notes, one finds words like, "Sing and dance y'all and plant the seeds y'all and love the people on organic earth." Set to such pummel- ing bass and guitars, this phrase from "Y'all" might have been a clever satire on foolish optimism, the violent music betraying the true nature of the world. But every song has these kind of sappy lyrics. The horrid juxtaposi- tion of lyrics and music on "Purify" can only be called new-age gothic. Even worse, lyricist Kathleen Lynch (her previous claim to fame: topless dancing for Butthole Surfer tours) thought that most of Mike Patton, Perry Farrell's nose, and a different but randomly chosen appendage be- longing to Axl Rose got accidentally sliced into large chunks and mixed together by a Cuisinart, producing the lead vocal of Darren McNamee in Xtra large. After revolting at the thought, I then properly decided that McNamee is his own unique voice in an unusually eclectic rock band. In fact, every band member is credited with vocals on this album so it's hard to tell just who's singing what most of the time. What is created on their new work,. "NOWiEATthem," is a bunch of tunes that fit together by not fitting together, really. Why this is a funzo, non-ennui- inducing album: A) The tracks have great titles "Eggsbunk", "Hooker", and "Sleep's my Only Friend" are a few. B) The tracks on this album have. lyrics ranging from the blunt to the bizarre. Like "I used to love animals / now I eat them / Never again will I see your face / Legs apart so im- mune to me." C) The tracks on this album rock, made my housemate do funky dances on our washing machine, and additionally made our microwave thrash around when the tune "Cater- pillar" came on, disintegrating all the Rice-a-Roni in the kitchen. - Jeff Rosenberg The Movement The Movement Arista Records Die Fledermaus Power Center November 19, 1992 Jonie Marie Crotty as the servant Adele. Her vibrant characterization, charm-ing voice and varied facial expressions quickly endeared her to the audience. The female singers in the cast were generally more musically and I dramatically exciting than the male singers. Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers Strauss' libretto often caused diffi- culties for the talented cast. For ex- ample, during the party in act two, Rosalinda sings, "... I will make you toe the line." Not only is the mean- ing of this line ambiguous, it is a clear example of a translator thoughtlessly dashing down any words that can fit the music. Such an odd and modern clich6 also clashes with the Viennese atmosphere of the operetta. The music would have been more successful in German, without the awkward translations which were often completely unmu- sical when set to Strauss' notes. The use of English did have the advan- tage of making the performance more comprehensible and enjoyable cure and occasionally overbearing. Jean-Ronald LaFond was an ex- cellent comic actor as Frank, the prison warden, although he was mu- sically rather unengaging. The most disappointing performance was Michael Sheardon's portrayal of Dr. Falke. A stiff actor with little sense of comic timing, Sheardon's voice was often grating and unappealing. The third act antics of Donald McManus as the jailer, Frosch, were the comic high point of the show. Robert Mirshak, in the small but significant role of Alfred the amorous Italian tenor, was excellent in all respects. His smooth, suave voice was ideally suited to the part and was reminiscent of ereat lvric