The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 14, 1994 - 9 'Philadelphia' takes the first step toward understanding By CAMILO FONTECILLA Jonathan Demme's film arrives approximately 10yearsafterthe AIDS phenomenon began raging across the world. Since its first diagnosis, AIDS has been accumulating more miscon- ceptions and myths than any other Philadelphia Directed by Jonathan Demme; written by Ron Nyswaner; with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. disease in history. But that's not the only thing it has been amassing: it has claimed hundreds of thousands of vic- tims, thousands of them belonging to the arts. Why this delay? Demme states that he does not want his film to be viewed as politi- cal. However, Hollywood's 10 years of silence on this topic weigh heavily upon this movie. It is necessarily, if perhaps unfairly, going to be viewed as the first mainstream film about AIDS, and it will set a precedent that perhaps the big studios will wish to pursue, and perhaps not. Throughout all the controversy, however, Demme constructs a surprisingly traditional Hollywoodesque film, with absurdly heightened dialogue and all the ele- ments of court drama. What saves this film is an eerie honesty that peers through in several of its scenes. At times, one can feel the struggle that some scenes are wag- ing against the self-censure that Demme imposed on himself, censure that would sustain the mass appeal of "Philadelphia." The film is somewhat angry, not angry enough in some ways, but too angry by others' standards. One can suppose that Demme has reached middle ground. He wants to be listened to by all, and that, Jonathan, is intrinsically political. But he is forgiven, mainly thanks to his cast and to the taut script (whose end should be mercilessly snipped off). In short, Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is fired from the law firm he serves despite having been recently promoted, supposedly due to ineffi- ciency. He takes the firm to court, claiming that he was fired because he has AIDS. The only lawyer willing to defend him is Joe Miller, a small claims attorney who is decidedly homophobic. Beckett's demeanor will bewilder some and allow others to heave a sigh of relief. It's actually a gay man in an executive suit! It shat- ters a widespread stereotype to hear him speak with no particular inflexion in his voice. And after five minutes of screen time, he hasn't rolled his eyes even once. Impressive portrayal, es- pecially since it doesn't appear un- natural; Hanks seems to be perfectly comfortable in his role as a lawyer who additionally happens to be gay. If Beckett is not defined by his sexuality, neither is the rest of the film. Beckett's relationship with Miguel (Antonio Banderas), his lover, is tender but never sexual. It is frus- trating. on the one hand, that the two men do not even kiss on screen. On the other hand, it undermines another huge misconception: that all gay men think about is sex. One of the most daring moments in the film is that in which the prosecuting attorney (Mary Steenburgen) accuses Beckett of hav- ing had a sexual encounter at a porno- graphic movie theatre. It is perhaps presented as a mistake in the dark past, but Beckett confesses it out- right. He does not look ashamed. He attains, finally, an active sexual iden- tity, but only after the rest of him has been defined. Thank you, Mr. Demme. There is even the possibility of an attraction between Beckett and Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), Beckett's lawyer, in an astounding and rather blood-chilling scene in which Beckett waltzes around the room carrying his IV-bottle stand along with him. A recording of Maria Callas belts out "La Mamma Morta" on his stereo and Andrew translates the impassioned lyrics to Joe, who becomes progressively more caught up in Andrew's pained outburst of emotion. Although this comes to noth- ing, the scene is well-filmed and enor- mously affecting, and unquestionably Hanks' highest peak of brilliancy. Nyswaner and Demme do not fall into the trap of converting M iller into a homophile by the end of the film, although he does gain a slightly better understanding of the unfairness in Beckett's daily life. Nyswaner and Demme never overtly use the fact that Miller is Black to create either con- flict or mutual understanding, but the undertone of a common discrimina- tion permeates his relationship to Beckett. However, he makes it very clear throughout that he is only there because a law was broken, and not because of any sympathy he feels for homosexuals. This grounds the movie and keeps it from becoming an ab- surdly idealistic fantasy. Banderas' character also contributes to this; Beckett's partner is angry, frustrated, but also determined, and loving. The film is never raw, not even when Beckett reveals his KS lesions to the Jury. But it's driven by a good heart, is never boring and doesn't have an absolutely happy ending. It's tame enough for the conservative au- dience member and it's the radical that will be most frustrated. How- ever, it's a first step, extremely tenta- tive, and should be regarded and ap- plauded in this respect. PHILADELPHIA starts today at Showcase. Tom Hanks breaks stereotypes and avoids cliches in "Philadelphia." George Clinton's funk grabs hold of the 190s By TOM ERLEWINE With the exception of Neil Young, no other artist had such a complete hold on popular music in 1993 than George Clinton. Thanks to Dr. Dre, hip-hop's most successful music, both commercially and artistically, was grounded in the deep funk ofClinton's two '70s bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. Not only did other artists expand and copy his innovations, but Clinton released a terrific new solo record and saw his best, most influen- tial work reissued on CD. Although he started his career per- forming relatively straight R&B, Clinton's music has seldom been about songwriting - the focus has always been the groove, with adven- turous instrumental explorations winding around the funk. In that sense, the best of Clinton's music has been likejazz, where themes are introduced and reinterpreted through solos and chord vamps. Since the beat is the center of Clinton's funk, he helped pave the way for hip-hop's rise throughout the last decade. Countless rappers have used the seminal Parlia- ment records of the '70s both as a basis and an inspiration for their mu- sic. With both Parliament and Funkadelic, Clinton tried to achieve a fusion of R&B with the conceptual art-rock of Frank Zappa, the Beatles and the Who's rock opera, "Tommy." All of his albums were afro-centric with vague political themes but they were also filled with a goofy humor and surrealistic sci-fi fantasies. As albums, most of his records are slightly disjointed but the music is often breathtaking, making such indul- gences tolerable. However, Clinton did manage to a record one album that has no weak spots, a perfect statement of his musi- cal purpose - Funkadelic's "One Nation Under A Groove," recently reissued by Priority Records. "One Read Weekend etc. Nation" has all of his stylistic trade- marks - long, loosely structured songs with an abundance of sex, poli- tics, racial pride and hedonistic good times - but, for some inexplicable reason, it all ties together somehow. Priority has also reissued three other records that Funkadelic recorded for Warner Brothers in the late '70s - "Hardcore Jollies," "The Electric Spanking of War Babies" and "Uncle Jam Wants You." "Hardcore Jollies" was their first album for a major label, a refinement of the territory they were starting to explore with "Cosmic Slop," with stronger, tighter grooves and better melodic hooks. These traits were honed to perfection on "One Nation" and its follow-up, "Uncle Jam Wants You." "Uncle Jam" is not as consistently brilliant as its predeces- sor but it does contain "(Not Just) Knee Deep," a startlingly fluid funk workout that seems too short at 15 minutes. Funkadelic's last proper al- bum before they dissolved into a haze of lawsuits, "The Electric Spanking of War Babies," is not a bad record by any means but it is weaker than their two previous albums and the band sounds a bit tired. Last year, Clinton was also the subject of two stellar two-CD retrospectives: Funkadelic's "Music for Your Mother" and Parliament's "Tear the Roof Off." Funkadelic's sporadic earlier work is concisely pre- sented on Westbound's release of "Music for Your Mother," which con- tains several rare 12" mixes as well as all of the best songs from their numer- ous releases for the label. The Parlia- ment anthology is even better, featur- ing all of their biggest hits in either the original album version or in ex- tended dance remixes. Parliament was more funk-oriented than Funkadelic - Dr. Dre has crafted his G-Funk from the music available on "Tear the Roof Off." Along with "One Nation Under A Groove," these two-disc collections are simply essential; the impact that this music has made on not only popular music but popular culture can not be calculated. Happily, Clinton's newest album, "Hey Man ... Smell My Finger," finds him on the top of his form. There's nothing new on any of these 14 tracks, but there doesn't need to be - Clinton's music is the soundtrack of the '90s. "Hey Man" is sloppy and too long, but all of his albums are sloppy and too long. The album falters when it moves into ballad territory but when it sticks to the pure, uncut funk of "Martial Law" and "Paint the White House Black," it is intoxicating. When it comes right down to it, there is no better funk around today than "Hey Man." It serves his legacy proud. GEORGE CLINTON will be making a rare in-store appearance at New Age Hair & Tanning Salon *Walk-In's Welcome! 769-0765 f 347 Maynard (Next to McDonaid's) 2- 1$ .001' S of I i10 visits Reg $9 Reg. $35 $ 2395 Schoolkid's Records this Sunday. He'll be there at 2p.m., but you better get there early because the place will be packed. Extrcw9om *.StudyLowyge eTV Lou~gt Comt m" arac it s I I24 horttnidLobo " G am om k{at and Watei- I ncfu&4 University Musical Society Choral Union Thomas Sheets, conductor CHORUS AUDITIONS Join the 200 voice Choral Union in performances with The Detroit Symphony Orchestra Neeme Jarvi, conductor "Great Opera Choruses April 14-17 and The Orchestra of St. Lukes Ann Arbor May Festival May 13 Auditions at U-M Burton Memorial Tower: Tuesday, January 18, 6-10 p.m. Saturday, January 22, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. U-M students may register for Choral Union for course credit To schedule an audition or for more information call (313) 763-8997 f LI r 1 I 5TH AVE.AT UBERTY 761-9700 1 I THE PIANO (R) - Fri: 4:45,7:15,9:55 Sat, Sun: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:15, 9:55 1 HEAVEN & EARTH (R) - Fri: 4:00, 7:00, 9:45 I Sat, Sun: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00,9:45 BARGAIN MATINEES $3.50 BEFORE 6 PM 1 ~ STUDENTS WITH ID $4.00 EVENINGS FREE 32 oz. DRINK S large popcorn (. Present this coupon with purchased ticket thru 21/94J THIE S EVTE NT E ET H ANN ARDOR F61 IK " FEATURING- M- ICHELLE SHOCKED- RICHARD THOMPSON HELAFRECK& " THE FRECKTONES JIMMIE DALE GILMORE TISH HNOJOSA DAVID SBROZA ~f CHEYL * TH EHf11l RA n i r '/ ! 1 I I I ;w m m