The Michigan Daily-Friday, April 2, 1993- Page 13
De Niro redeems Fox with 'Tribeca'
by Sarah Weidman
Fox Television, in conjunction with
Robert De Niro's Tribeca productions,
has reached beyond Beverly Hills and
Melrose Place. Instead, we travel to a
small part of New York City - to
"Tribeca." The premiere was last Tues-
day at9 pm, and the series kicked off by
stepping into the world of Marty (Larry
Fishburne), an NYC cop whose older
brother is gunned down within ahalf an
hour. The first show involved Marty, his
widowed sister-in-law Olivia (a dancer),
his nephew E.J. and his niece Maria.
However, the series delves deeper into
the neighborhood, into the fears and
experiences of thepeople who live there.
"Tribeca" runs more like a movie.
Asidefrombeing shotonfilm, theopen-
ing credits include the editors, director
of photography, producers, etc. Each
episode has a title, and the first one is
"The Box." In it, we get to know Marty's
character by contrasting him and his
brother. Ernie has made it in the busi-
ness world and is serious, conservative
TV show aside, thereare some won-
derfully moving scenes that make you
feel as if you've been watching a drama
on the big screen. One of which is the
funeral montage. Shots of the funeral,
the children clinging to Olivia at the
reception, Marty off by himself medi-
tating and Olivia dancing in her studio
are intercutto an emotional gospel song.
Olivia'sdance is especially stirring. She
releases her grief through violentmove-
ments, hurling herself across the floor
in leaps and rolls while moaning in
agony. This powerful scene alone takes
"Tribeca" beyond the television set and
into something more profound.
Episode two is entitled "Honor" and
in it, Lou, a homeless Vietnam vet,
fights to be recognized as a human
being in a numb society. Lou is intelli-
gent, sharp and beleaguered from his
life in a neighborhood park. Apasserby
mutters "Get ajob," to which Lou snaps
"Create one." Although discouraged,
Louis drives daily to clean local war
memorials to preserve the honor of his
fellow soldiers. Carl, amountedpolice-
man who was a friend of the deceased
Ernie and his family, tries to help Lou
and honor his and his friends' rights.
The intense directing style and
unique scripting used in the premiere
carries on in the second episode.
"Honor" addresses homelessness in a
blunt and novel fashion. An extreme
close up of a man reciting a poetic
narrative to the camera is intercut
throughout the episode. He offers truths
of living (really living) in the city, being
apart of the streets. His words are harsh
and cynical from the perspective of a
homeless person, telling us we "pis
into the bite of our handshake."
The future episodes of "Tribeca"
will focus on more people in the neigh-
borhood. Various other celebrities, in-
cluding Peter Boyle, comedian Richard
Lewis and Annie Potts ("Designing
Women"), will appear. Watch it if yoq-
can. If you've lost faith in Fox and its
superficial twerps, you'll find solace in
"Tribeca."
TRIBECA airs Tuesday nights at 9
pm on Fox
V-Girls Are Go!
Meet Sub Pop's tasty Velocity Girl. Led by the delicious voice of Sarah Shannon, V-Girl whips up one sweet
confection of garage-generated but heaven-bound, happy-faced lovebuzz. Yank-style, if you please. Their brill
debut, "Copaetic," is one amazing 3-1/2 minute pop single after another. Songs like "Audrey's Eyes" are so
chillingly perfect, tears will well up in yours while you bop around the room. And yes, they're as blissful as all get
out, butthey're no ex post facto MBI (My Bloody Imitation) outfit either. "Copacetic" is just too unselfconscious,
to unknowingly great to get stuck gazing at their high-tops. Heck, the Valentine's probably spent more on coffee
than V-Girl did on their whole darn record. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the Velocity kids have heard "Isn't
Anything," but they've checked out Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr. and Beat Happening as well.
Dancing in your best friend's rec room to the same scratchy 45s endlessly, drinking Coke from little 10 oz. bottles,
sending away to fan clubs, swooning over teen magazine pin-ups --That's what Velocity Girl is all about. Some
call it 'indie' - I think it's high time fun like this came all the way out.
Velocity Girl smiles upon Detroit's St. Andrews Hall (431 E. Congress) tonight with the equally yummy Belly.
Tickets are a mere $6.50 (in advance), and doors open at 7:00 p.m.
and concerned with his ethnic obliga-
tions as a successful African American.
He hopes that Marty will become as
responsible as he is and admonishes his
spontaneous behavior.
Now to thebox. On Ernie's desk isa
carved box with a moral. When Ernie
was in business school class, his profes-
sor told the students to each carve abox.
Most of the students got it done over-
night. But Ernie worked on it for two
years, taking his time and carefully plan-
ning each move. The result is an intri-
cate piece of art with detailed designs on
six sides, a trick opening maneuver and
a sliding lid (and an impressed prof with
a cool job offer for Ernie). The box is a
metaphor for taking the time to think
things through before acting. Marty
caught on.
But then big brother gets murdered.
Hisfamily begins tofallapartandUncle
Marty steps in to help. Only Marty finds
he fits right in where Ernie left off.
Feelings between him and Olivia are
apparent and a bit touchy when it comes
to the kids. They love uncle Marty, but
come on, he is their father's brother. We
get the idea that something's going to
happen with the two.
Ensemble Musique
Oblique
Weill: Berliner Requiem
Harmonia Mundi
From Schutz to Henze, cantata and
oratorio have long been central to the
tradition ofGermanmusic.KurtWeill's
"as BerlinerRequiem,"commissioned
in 1928 by a Frankfurt radio station, is
no exception. Weill was best known for
his works for the stage such as
"Threepenny Opera," and"Happy End,"
both of which (like the "Requiem")
were collaborations with poet Bertolt
Brecht. As recorded by Ensemble
Musique Oblique and the Chcer de la
Chappelle Royale, led by conductor
Phillipe Herreweghe, Weill's "serious",
concert music provesnolesslistenable.
By and large, Weill's musical lan-
guage here is of the modernist-tonal
variety found in the works of Hindemith,
Kodsly, and early Stravinsky, rather
than thejazz-influenced, melody-driven
style of his stage music. The music
concerns itself with the expression of
Brecht's angry words, such as those
found in "The Great Hymn of Thanks-
giving," which begins and ends the
piece: "Give praise for the cold, the
darkness, and corruption. Look up; you
do not matter and you can die without
worrying aboutathing."Thethirdmove-
ment, entitled "Epitaph (Martyr),"
should appeal to devotes of Weill's the-
ater music, which is a slow waltz deliv-
ered by tenor soloist Alexandre Laiter.
The performances here are appro-
priately dry, detached and occasionally
sardonic. Ensemble Musique Oblique's
playing is admirably clean; the chorus'
blend is even, but its articulation is often
unclear.
-Michelle Weger
Tous les Matins
du Monde
Musicfrom the film
Valois
The music, not Gerard Depardieu, is
the true star of this French art film aboutj
the life of obscure Baroque composer
Sainte-Colombe. Even for those who
will never see the movie, this generous
(76 minutes) selection of works for viol
da gamba is bringing the Baroque to the
masses.
Themastermind behind the music is
Jordi Savall, who selected, performed
and conducted (with Le Concert des
Nations)allthepiecesonthedisc. Savall
is the 20th century's answer to these
gamba virtuosi, a master of this out-
dated relative of the cello who has re-
corded scores of discs of rare Baroque
works.
The soundtrack is an immediately
accessible introduction to the music of
the period. Savall's selections are pri-
marilygambaworksby Sainte-Colombe
and Marin Marais (the Depardieu char-
acter in the film), but also include a
rousing Lully march for orchestra and
some traditional tunes arranged by, you
guessed it, Savall himself. But more
than anything on the disc and in the
entire movie, it's Savall's performances
of the intimate, brooding solo pieces
that are profoundly moving.
-Michael John Wilson
"Tribeca" promises to bring quality back to network tblevisioE.
E tq
,"
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