The Michigan Daiy - Friday, October 29,1993-9 Heston still holy in'Cid' By JOHANNA FLIES w Charlton Heston has had it rough. Always playing a messiah must be really draining. Sure, you can make him Spanish, call him Rodrigo and have him fightMoors in the 11th century, but everyone knows who this guy really is. With Heston, it is unavoidable: he must be a god. So what's the best way to tell the story of a legend? Extrava- gantly and dramatically which is exactly what the 1961 film "El Cid" does. Heston's pompa impossible to ign make you want t impressive enou praise. The bate costumed soldier months of shooti is integral in ei particularly effe nanoram of thi dour and constipated expressions are nore and Loren's pouty lips and teary eyes o smash her in the face, the production is ugh in other aspects to merit Scorsese's Ile scenes with huge masses of nattily rsjustify the year of pre-production and 8 ng that this film required. The soundtrack voking emotion in every scene and is ective when paired with the sweeping ie Spanish coast and countryside. ne scenes in the film that are so far gone ept them even under the guise of melo- ion between Rodrigo and Chimene at the film is reminiscent of Kermit and Miss in"TheGreatMuppetCaper." Rodrigo's loaves of bread to starved villagers who FIL REVIE r"M"lL .. W There are son El Cid it is hard to acc Directed by Anthony Mann; written by Frederic M. Frank drama. The reun and Philip Yordan; with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. beginning of the Piggy'sembrace army catapulting Described by Martin Scorsese as "one of the greatest epic films ever made," "El Cid" offers no surprises or Melodram breakthroughs in the way of plot. The first scene estab- genre, Is h es Heston's character as the man who will lead a Spain 'Ynbroiled in religious warfare "to the light." This idea is both Hesto reinforced when Rodrigo saves the lives of some Moors plays his w he has captured, prompting his father to thank God for sending such a great person to Spain. The Moors, in awe then proceed to of his fairness, name Rodrigo the Cid, meaning great and been an inspirat compassionate warrior. If the dialogue is not enough to narios make "El convince the audience of the hero's destiny, the cliched comic relief in symbolism beats the idea into the ground. The prolonged because after th struggle between duty, desire and honor follows a predict- Moors all the be4 le course spiced up by expected elements of betrayal, sible to rememb votion, passion, pride and triumph. Heston actually In spite of the story's predictability this film is en- scene, which ar grossing. One is drawn in by its grandeur and heroism. about honor or I Melodrama, a vital element in the genre, is happily the the theater, is to specialty of both Heston and Sophia Loren (who plays his epic would this 1 wife, Chimene). Their overacting gives the characters a the Christ figure surreal actions twist that elevates them to the fantastic biblical name. It proportion and scope of the rest of the tale. Even if EL CID i play Masur and rave reviews it:! i By ERIC GIBSON The international press cannot be dk iving us. Especially with reviews taining the following quotes: "The Gowandhaus Orchestra lavished on its listeners a feast of superlative ?' music-making ... A luxury evening!":<.. (Evening Standard) and "astonishing energy and commitment!" (Weekend Telegram). On Friday, October29 at8 p.m. in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor audi- s will be able to witness world- conductor Kurt Masur as be leads the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in performances of Mendelssohn's "Overture to Ruy Blas," Robert Schumann's Symphony N0. 2 in C Major and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." In 1743, this orchestra gave its first performances under the title "Grand Concert" and the orchestra sted of members in Leipzig's usician's Guild. These first perfor mances were given in taverns until city authorities allowed the Draper's Guild Hall - the Gewandhaus - to be reconstructed into a concert hall, Kurt Masur is the Music Director for which hosted the orchestra's concerts the orchestra's 250th Anniversary, beginning in 1781. which allowsittobecalledGermany's Many reputable conductors and oldest civic orchestra. composers have been responsible for The Musical Society is offering , aig the orchestra's reputation. "An Interview with Professor Kurt lix Mendelssohn's efforts were Masur" one hour beforeFriday's con- among the first, to be followed by cert. Ken Fischer, UMS's Executive conductors Wilhelm Furtwangler, Director, will lead the discussion on BamoWalter, andsince 1970,Masur. the 4th Floor Amphitheater in Maestro Masur also directs the New Rackham Auditorium at 7:00 p.m York Philharmonic. This tour marks This interview between Fischer and :EE TIm Mm AT ALL COSTS. rhIs H WsUOI Clri M , "MRAVE", ROLLINS STONE MASAZINE "Delic1ous accurate in its portrapl of the generation Ad fell between LSD and R.E.M.' Julis O"ars, US MAGAZINE x"a a, a vital element In the applly the specialty of an and Sophia Loren (who ife, Chimene). scream and attack each other must have ion to Monty Python. Such idiotic sce- Cid" even more appealing by providing potentially dull scenes. Understandably, tree hours of the Spaniards versus the arded men start to look alike, it is impos- ber who is fighting who, and Charlton starts to seem kind of cool. The final rives right before you begin not to care oyalty and just want to get the hell out of uchingly heroic. After all, what kind of be without an inspiring ending to justify . There was even the token leper with a just doesn't get much better than this. ng at the Michigan Theater. El Cid" is a giant among movies. If you've never seen it, check it out at the Michigan Theater now. I 'Decadence' under rising sun By MICHAEL BARNES There is a certain grace, if not a beauty, in things that are disturbing. We have always wanted to know what was down on the naughty side of the street. Consider our cinematic fasci- nation with the sleazy underworlds of two-bit gangsters, cheap prostitutes and psychotic murderers. "Tokyo Decadence" directed by Tokyo Decadence Directed by Ryu Murakami; screenplay by Ryu Murakami; with Miho Nikaido. Ryu Murakami is equally fascinating in its treatment of deviant thrills. The film chronicles the naughty tricks of a high-class Tokyo callgirl. Ai enter- tains men that rig her up' to mecha- nized dildos, delight in simultaneous asphyxiation and orgasm and bran- dish heroin needles from polished, brass cases. The.movie is visually beautiful in its depiction of moral filth and succeeds in creating a per- verse erotica without relying on cheap pornography. Ai's days are agonizing bouts of kinky terror. She is nothing but a caged rodent, treading endlessly around a sex wheel, paid to indulge the deviant fantasies of the Tokyo, male elite. Her clients are perverse, Read the Daily Nietzschean freaks who fasten her into S & M chairs, muffle her with black, leather mouth straps while tell- ing her she is the hope of a rotten Japan. The story is episodic, disre- garding a tight, dramatic structure. The plot, instead, is a series of voyeuristic glimpses into the daily humiliation of a girl that turns tricks on high powered Japanese men be- cause she thinks she "has no talent whatsoever." The film is a flawless study of the aesthetic allure of mood. The soundtrack has a shabby big city groove to it.The visuals are stunning. Murakami saturates the screen with warm, kinky reds and receding, hope- less blues. From the low angle track- ing shots of Tokyo skyscrapers dyed with blue filters to the beads of sweat that drip in red tones from gyrating hips clad in black garters, the movie is dark and hypnotic in its glaring por- trait of deviance, money and power. The camera floats sensually, yet the editing jars you. The close-up of a razorblade meticulously chopping up lines of blow punctures the moneyed veneer of polished marble, slick esca- lators and bright, reflecting glass. The film is too stylized and intel- ligent to be written off as exploitative pornography. It is a fascinating cri- tique of the mechanized sexual per- versions of a cynical, sterile society. Ai is an expensive toy for powerful executives like Mr. Ishiosaka, who conducts his business while smolking heroin snowcone cigarettes and dab- bling in elaborate bondage games. The dialogue is sparse. Verbal foliage The film Is a flawless study of the aesthetic allure of mood. The soundtrack has a shabby big city groove to Its is a waste of time and money in this world of commands, grunts and threats. The acting is subdued but brilliant. Miho Nikaido, who plays Ai effortlessly, executes difficult facial expressions, expressing simultaneous ruptures of pain and ecstasy. This is a film that turns tricks with much more honesty and grit then Ken Russell's "Whore," and its realistic, if brutal depiction of sick pleasure will delight those who would have loved to see the "Pretty Woman" fall over from an overdose. "TokyoDeca- dence" will rape and pillage the ways of the innocent. Good. It is a visual feast for those jaded souls who would love to drown their faint-hearted friends in a morass of pain and plea- sure that has never been more diaboli- cally delicious. TOKYO DECADENCE is playing at the Michigan Theater. the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. ,S tg -Y .e the maestro is open to the public. Day-of-performance rush tickets are available for $9 at the Union Ticket Office from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. and at North Campus Commons, next to Little Caesar's, from 11:30 a.m. to 2p.m. on Friday. The Student Rush is co-sponsored by the North Campus Commons and University Musical Society. For more information call 764-2538. GRADUATE MANAGEMENT STUDIES IN FRANCE The Consortium of leading French "Grandes Ecoles" of Management is seeking to recruit June '94 graduates for a 2-year International Management Program in French and/or English. For further information about the Schools and the programs they offer, please meet our representative: Mrs. Joan FENET at the: Graduate and Professional School Day .. ._.