1 Ibei4,199 F .' :ys yCa x . Page S r," 6. r '. ,, ..::: ! .A4" .ri m. ' Rare theater glimpse of Kubrick's 'Paths' By SCOTT PLAGENHOEF Three years before outgoing Presi- dent Dwight Eisenhower issued his infamous warning against the mili- tary industrial complex, Stanley Kubrick did much the same thing with his third film, "Paths of Glory." aths of Glory Directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick, Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson; with Kirk Douglas. Kubrick's warning extends beyond the cold war condition to condemn the institution of war and the military mentality as a whole. "Paths of Glory" is a cinematic accomplishment which * be considered among the most searing indictments against war in any medium. It is "Guernica" on celluloid.The film does not succumb to the low-brow temptation to induce emotion by spilling blood. In fact, neither battle nor the fear of death is the central issue. The enemy is the military itself. The ambitious General Mireau orge Macready) orders an impos- le charge and when it fails, he seeks to set an example by court- martialing three of the men for cow- ardice under the punishment of death. The situation would seem almost ab- surdand fantastical, void ofany foun- dation as an indictment against war, if it were not based upon a true story. Kirk Douglas, who also helped Sance the film, portrays Colonel , a lawyer by trade, who, as the lone non-career military officer is also the lone officer to assist or sympa- thize with the accused. Douglas' per- formance as the colonel struggling to find a humane ally and a shred of common decency or sense amongst the military bureaucracy highlights an excellent ensemble cast which also includes Macready, Adolph Menjou, Timothy Carey, Ralph Meeker and Joseph Turkel. The GeneralMireau charactermay seem heavy-handed in his representa- tion of the military mentality, yet this is not a caricature, but rather, Kubrick's refusal to be uncompro- mising. He presents Mireau as the embodiment of ugliness, fanatical order and lack of compassion for or recognition of the individual. It is rare that a film of such emo- tion can transcend multiple decades aswell as this 1957 picture. Kubrick's use of a World War I setting lends a validity to the film's power which is greater than the recent proliferation of films regarding the considerably less popular Vietnam conflict. The strength of "Paths of Glory" does not depend upon the politics of the audi- ence. Its poignancy is universal. The film is a glorious conglom- eration of style and substance. It is proof that film is art and that popular culture can be both entertaining and enriching. If you wish to introduce yourself to Kubrick's work or if you are only familiar with his subsequent, more popular films such as "Dr. Strangelove," "A Clockwork Orange" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy what may be his finest cinematic moment and one of the silver screen's most underrated accomplishments. Con- sider it a post-Halloween treat cour- tesy of the Michigan Theater. You may never get the chance to view this masterpiece in a theater again. PATHS OF GLORY is playing Tuesday and Wednesday at The Michigan Theater. treats on Halloween By HEATHER PHARES Looking at the audience at the recent Buffalo Tom/ Bettie Serveert show was nearly as entertaining as listening to the bands - more than half of the crowd was costumed up as various ghosts, vampires and ghouls lurking Buffalo Tom with in the depths of St. Andrew's Hall, awaiting the witchinghourthatwould Bettie Serveert start the festivities. St. Andrew's Hall Bettie Serveert was up first, dis- playing live what the very receptive October 31, 1993 audience already knew from the band's excellent debut "Palomine" - that this band has a talent and charm that distinguishes it from its contemporaries. This talent and charm resulted in an electrifying stage presence: the guitarist literally threw himself into his work, the drummer held the long, experimental jam-style songs together and the charisma of the lead singer, Carol Van Dijk, was so powerful that the audience followed her every move onstage, like flowers turning themselves to the sun. It was Carol's voice - suggesting joy, fear, despair and frustration, that was the focus of the performance. Her interpretations of the band's repertoire made the nearly hour-long show fly by. Standout tracks included their singles "Tom Boy" and "Kid's Alright," as well as the album tracks "Sundazed to the Core," "Leg" and "Brain Tag," the B-side "Totally Freaked Out" and a new song called "Dew Feathers." Bettie Serveert takes all the pain of living and forges it into beautiful, eloquent melodies: Pop as catharsis doesn't get any better than this. Buffalo Tom was equally competent at their trademarked raucous, catchy songs. Lead singer Bill Janowitz bellowed "Happy Halloween!" and tossed out candy treats to a rather shocked audience (he continued to do this between numbers), but the real treat was watching this power trio perform hits off their new album, the slightly disappointing "Big Red Letter Day" and from their older records "Let Me Come Over" (a far better album), "Birdbrain" and "Buffalo Tom." Among the best performances were "Staples," "Birdbrain," the new single "Sodajerk" and "Velvet Roof." The audience enthusiastically moshed, yelled and sang along through the entire performance and didn't let up until the last encore. Neither did Buffalo Tom, leaving the audience drenched in sweat and knowing they got their money's worth. Buffalo Tom pleased the Halloween crowd at St. Andrew's. sz examinRes issues of politics and poetry jar ' 'assion'comes through on anthology By TOM ERLEWINE When Graham Parker first emerged on the scene in the mid-'70s, his fiery R&B-based rock & roll foreshadowed the birth of British punk and new wave by a year. Parker and the punks shared a righteous indignation at the sense of decay in England as well as a passion- ate belief that music could make a difference. Yet Parker, like his con- Graham Parker temporary Elvis Costello, didn't want Passion is No Ordinary Word to abandon rock traditions, he wanted to reinvigorate them. 1976-1991 His first two albums, "Howlin' Rhino Wind" and "Heat Treatment," were burning, incendiary records that rocked with abandon and pulsed with excitement; they made little impact on the charts. After those two terrific records, punk stole whatever thunder Parker had in the press and charts. Two years later, he returned with "Squeezing Out ,"a strong; angry, focused set that is easily his best album. Although it d sell fairly well and gathered a lot of acclaim, it didn't receive all the attention it deserved. Throughout the '80s, Parker recorded a string of patchy albums before regaining his strengths with 1988's "The Mona Lisa's Sister." Since then, Parker's output has been consistent, with several good songs on each record. "Passion is No Ordinary Word," a two-disc, 39 song anthology does a spectacular job summing up Parker's impressive career. Although most of his records have been slightly spotty, "Passion" has no dross whatsoever. From the white R&B of "White Honey," the vindictive "Mercury Poisoning" and the nning "You Can't Be Too Strong" to the strong sentiments of "Don't Let reak You Down" and "They Murdered the Clown," the anthology contains nearly every great song Parker has written. While the music is consistently great, it becomes clear no matter how melodic and memorable Parker's songs are, they are too uncompromising and rough for a wide audience. All of his musical idioms are familiar - straight '50s rock & roll, Stax and Motown R&B, Stones-style swagger and Dylanesque acoustic ballads - but his subjects are altogether too strong and, indeed, too passionate for commercial airplay. "Passion is No Ordinary Word" is very accessible and rewarding for anyone interested in Parker -the liner notes filled with Parker's caustic wit F worth the price for any hardcore fan. Those that are unfamiliar with ker's music will be impressed by this comprehensive compilation. It is a deserved appreciation for an acclaimed yet unrecognized songwriter. Catch Graham Parker's solo acoustic performance at the Blind Pig tonight. Doors open at 8 pm and tickets are a mere $10.50. It promises to be a memorable show. By WILL MATTHEWS "I am not a political poet. I am not a political writer," explained poet Czeslaw Milosz to a group of report- ers at a recent press conference. Milosz, who read from his work last Friday night at the Rackham Amphi- theater, spoke of politics and poetry - two areas of thought and writing that he usually prefers to keep sepa- rate. Sometimes, however, the two paths cross. "Occasionally, when I get very angry, I become a political writer," he said. The brutality and devastation brought by the German occupation of Poland in the early 1940s was one such situation that spawned his indig- nation. Milosz, who was born in Lithuania in 1911, had moved to Po- land by the Second World War and was living in Warsaw at the time of the occupation in 1943. "There are poems in which I deal with the reality I observed under the Nazi occupation, but I tried to pre- serve a distance and not to be a jour- nalist in covering those events. The best poems of mine are quite detached, but because of my anger and moral indignation I have written some po- ems which are a direct testimony, like the time of the destruction of the Warsaw ghettos by the Nazis. I wrote a poem entitled 'Campo dei Fiori.' " In that poem, he writes, "Those dying here, the lonely / forgotten by the world, / their tongue becomes for us / the language of an ancient planet. / Until, when all is legend, /and many years have passed / on a new Campo dei Fiori / rage will kindle at the poet's word." Recently, the situation in Bosnia has also caused his indignation. "I believed a few years ago that a new international border based upon the The individual human experience ... remains ... constant throughout the broad movements of history. MIlosz' poetry Is thus firmly rooted in human beings and their world. respect of international law can be introduced, and so that no possibility of atrocious events during the Second World War could be repeated. But I witnessed the events in Yugoslavia. I witnessed the Republic of Bosnia, recognized by the United Nations, and then invaded, shamelessly, and no reaction. And I have written a furious poem, 'Sarajevo,' toprotest. I consider [the situation in Bosnia] an ominous event." Milosz sees similarities between Bosnia and the rise of totalitarian re- gimes in the 1930s. "For that reason I attach much importance to what happens in Bosnia as far as undermin- ing the authority of international law, of the inviolability of borders - be- cause that is precisely what is in- volved ... The analogy between the holocaust and [Bosnia] is obvious." Milosz also spoke of Poland's meager recognition in the post-Cold War years: "I should say that the result of the elections in Poland is largely due to the attitude of the West. Because the West took Poland for granted as being pro-Western, Catho- lic [and] nationalistic, so Poland re- ally didn't need any financial support according to the economies of the West. Now think of billions and bil- lions of dollars invested by West Ger- many into East Germany to keep the country alive after the reunification, and practically nothing in Poland..." Poland's agricultural products were not as important as industry in the post-war years. "Poland wanted to be a part of [the] European Eco- nomic Community, wanted to be part of Europe in all possible respects, but it found a rather tepid attitude from the European Community." The individual human experience, however, remains relatively constant throughout the broad movements of history. Milosz' poetry is thus firmly rooted in human beings and their world. "Writing is notdependentupon the fluctuations of political scenes," explained Milosz. "What is the sub- ject of poetry?" Milosz asked. "The subject of poetry is the world. Spring, summer, winter have changed? Tu- lips change? Clouds change? I con- sider myself an admirer of reality, of everything we see and hear which we perceive by our five senses. That is the source of poetry, for me in any case."' 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