The Hemp Revolution s a fm that tels the story of everyone's favorite plant, hemp. Learn all about hemp s history, its growth and why it has been so pivotal in the war on drugs. At the Michigan Theater, 9:15 p.m Page 5 Wednesday, January 17, 1996 Oliver Stone triumphs with' Nixon' y Neal C. Carruth Daily Arts Writer One of the most highly anticipated films of the holiday season has been Oliver Stone's "Nixon." As is seldom the case in this age of hype and hyper- bole, "Nixon" does not disappoint. In- deed, it is the most relentlessly fasci- nating film of 1995. Stone has crafted an intimate and * mpathetic portrait of the man who 1aped the polity of the past 25 years and who informs our current attitudes toward government. The film encap- sulates the personal and political struggles and fiascoes of Richard M. Nixon, without resorting to undue re- visionism or crude generalizations. But it is more than a political biogra- phy; its perspective on Nixon is pro- foundly human and manages to dis- rn the motivating core of his person- ity. The narrative centers around the- fi- Nixon Directed by Oliver Stone; with Anthony Hopkins and Joan Allen At Showcase and Ann Arbor I & 2 nal days of the Nixon presidency. The specter of shame and resignation looms large over the White House, as Nixon's closest confidantes and advisers take the fall for the "old man." Our first image of Nixon is of a hag- gard, lonely, haunted man, crumpled in a chair in the Lincoln bedroom. Light from the fireplace dances across his creased face, but he is largely swathed in shadow. This is an arresting image with which Stone transfixes us; he assures us that his goal is to traverse the dark terrain of Nixon's soul. At this opening moment, Nixon ob- sessively examines audio tapes oferiti- cal, incriminating Oval Office conver- sations. The film moves back and forth in time, creating a Byzantine web of forces, events and personalities that determined the shape of Nixon's pri- vate and public life. It charts his life, from his youth in a strict Quaker fam- ily in Whittier, Calif. to his ultimate downfall. "Nixon" is emboldened by Anthony Hopkins' performance, one of the best of the year. Hopkins, who in actuality bears little resemblance to the late presi- dent, manages to slip into Nixon's skin and offer a completely convincing and absorbing portrayal. Hopkins has not only mastered Nixon's voice and mannerisms, but more importantly, he conveys the duplicitous tension at the heart of the man. His Nixon is an idealist and a detail-obsessed schemer. He is both painfully conscious ofhis humble roots and narcissistically concerned with his place in history. Stone, the master of juxtaposition, manages to sharply capitalize on Rich- ard Nixon's double nature. He con- trasts the public Nixon, a man of feigned confidence and warmth, with the pri- vate Nixon, a shrewd, sometimes para- noid man racked by bitterness, insecu- rity and megalomania. Stone and Hopkins reveal Nixon's fears, ambitions, desires and weak- nesses. It is a balanced account that seeks to de-vilify the public perception of Richard Nixon. And despite its psy- chological insight, the film restrains itself from vain psychobabble about Nixon. Admittedly, there are a few lapses, like Paul Sorvino's Henry Kissinger croaking,"Can you imagine if this man had been loved?" Aside from its strong and persuasive screenplay, the film's greatest asset is its acting. We are treated to one of the finest ensembles in quite some time. Joan Allen, primarily a stage actress, is outstanding as the publicly plastic and privately spiteful Pat Nixon. She con- veys a tremendous sorrow arid depth of Anthony Hopkins declares victory in Oliver Stone's new film, "Nixon." character. Similarly, James Woods and J.T. Walsh are excellent as Nixon advisers H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, respectively. In Stone's tale, they are ultimately political casualties of Nixon's blind hubris, sort of a white- collar Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Stone, who seems to have found a comfortable stride with "JFK" and "Natural Born Killers," is in fine form with "Nixon." He elicits stirring per- formances from a large cast. He also demonstrates his considerable techni- cal finesse, creating a sometimes fre- netic pastiche of re-creations, docu- mentary footage, flashbacks, color and black and white cinematography, and startling images. There is an interesting commonality between the cinematic sensibility of Oliver Stone and the personality of Richard Nixon. Both have an obses- sive and almost paranoid tendency to fragment and rehash reality. Evident in both is a jittery, self-conscious, anti- establishment bent (i.e. Nixon's sense of inferiority when dealing with .the Eastern-educated elite and his musings about the "system" and its control of America's fate in Vietnam). Stone has even confessed in recent interviews to identifying with Nixon in some ways. There is no filmmaker more appropriate than Oliver Stone to bring Nixon to the screen. Slatkin to conduct at Hill 'Dracula' is dead on arnival y Emily Lambert aily Arts Writer When conductor Mstislav Rostropovich announced his retirement from the National Symphony Orches- tra, rumor and speculation surrounded the appointment of the NSO's next music director. A committee formed to wbring the most talented and worthy suc- ,cessorto Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. A few months later in St. Louis, jeonard Slatkin, arguably today's pre- eminent American conductor, an- nounced his retirement from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra after a 27- year affiliation. Logic and deliberation followed suit, and Slatkin has been .named the next music director of the "National Symphony. "I don't think that any orchestra ex- pects a n'usic director to stay forever," said SLSO Director of Artistic Admin- 'tration and University alumna Carla Johnson in an interview last week. "This was a much longer tenure than most, and Leonard needed to go and do some- thing different. I think he was the per- feet choice for the National Symphony." Slatkin is already a popular icon in Washington. He has moved to the city LEONARD SLATKIN AND THE ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Where: Hill Auditorium When: Thursday at 8 p.m. For tickets call the UMS box office at 764-2538. 7and takes over the National Symphony next season. Yet St. Louis audiences ill miss the conductor who has had rofound influence on the city's prized orchestra. The status of the SLSO cata- pulted from good to outstanding under Slatk'in's directorship. The Washing- ton Post called Slatkin's contribution "one of the major musical success sto- ties of this generation." Some sound bites of achievements:, SLSO recordings have been nominated for Grammy awards every year since 1977, and have earned three Grammys and 50 nominations. Since Slatkin took over full conduct- ing responsibilities in 1979, the SLSO has become a model of musical creativ- ity. Slatkin and the SLSO made one of the most comprehensive classical re- cording agreements in history with BMG Classics/RCA Victor Red Seal. (Slatkin will make future RCA record- ings with the NSO.) "He had a driving vision which really put a very fine orchestra on the national and international map," Johnson said. "That's what the music director busi- ness is about, to provide an ensemble of musicians with an artistic vision ... so in terms of the sound of the orchestra and the music the orchestra plays, that's Leonard's vision." The impression Slatkin has made on the SLSO is not likely to disappear. With two young American conductors on staff and an American composer in residence, the orchestra will remain and retain its American feel. Although Johnson cited Vonk's expertise as lesser-known Dutch and also the stan- dard "meat and potatoes" repertoire, Vonk has said he'll preserve the SLSO's dedication to American composers and compositions. Yet despite his commit- ment to furthering Slatkin's Americana ambitions, Vonk is bound to change the musical emphasis of the orchestra. Certain to be preserved is the orchestra's admirable commitment to education and community outreach. The SLSO makes weekly broadcasts on National Public Radio and tours fre- quently. Naturally, St. Louis audiences re- ceive special attention from their resi- dent orchestra. Through the "Commu- nity Partnership Program," musicians teach and play in schools, retirement homes and other venues around St. Louis. In this unique agreement be- tween the management and musicians, participation in a community project is required to receive a paycheck. "It makes music accessible to a num- ber of populations who have not felt welcome in (the concert hall) environ- ment," Johnson said. "It's shown the musicians as people who are concerned By Neal C. Carruth Daily Arts Writer The movies have long been enam- ored of the Dracula legend. Now, Mel Brooks, king of parody and the down- ward career spiral, brings us Leslie Nielsen as everyone's favorite blood- sucking count from Transylvania in "Dracula: Dead and Loving It." Brooks returns to the original 1897 novel by Irishman Bram Stoker. Un- less you have been residing in a cul- tural vacuum, you are surely familiar with the details: It is the story of Jonathan Harker (Steven Weber), en- gaged to marry the beautiful Mina Seward (Amy Yasbeck). Mina's fa- ther, Dr. Seward (Harvey Korman) is the administrator of an asylum, which houses a disturbed gentleman named Renfield (Peter MacNicol). This Renfield was the lone survivoron board a mysterious ship, recently arrived in England. Shortly after the arrival of the ship, an alluring Eastern European aristocrat takes up residence in an ab- bey that adjoins the asylum. And you know the rest. Indeed, the central weakness of "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is its reliance on a story with which most film-goers are acquainted. Instead of creating a fresh approach to old mate- rial (as Brooks did in 1974's "Young Frankenstein"), this movie has the feel of a prefabricated, film-by-the-num- bers exercise. Brooks is simply going through the motions, throwing in some stale gags along the way. The essence of comedy is surprise, but Brooks undermines any opportuni- ties for surprise by employing an over- used plot line and jokes that announce Dracula: Dead and Loving it Directed by Mel Brooks with Leslie Nielsen and Harvey Korman At Showcase themselves well ahead of their arrival. Brooks' screenplay (co-written with Rudy De Luca and Steve Haberman) betrays any imagination and lacks the verbal and physical wit that distinguishes his best work ("The Producers" and "Blazing Saddles"). It is occasionally painful to sit through what Mel Brooks considers humorous, such as Dracula tumbling down a staircase after slipping on bat guano and Dracularising from his diurnal slumber to knock his head on a low-hanging chandelier. The most crucial and disappointing performance is that of Leslie Nielsen as Count Dracula..This character blunders his way through every scene and never takes off like the inimitable Frank Drebin from the "Naked Gun" series. While Nielsen's deadpan delivery does gener- ate some humor and the idea of Nielsen as Dracula is in itself amusing, he is the wrong comic actor forthe part; he handles the role like an extended bit of sketch comedy. Behind this morass is Brooks himself, who also plays Dr. Van Helsing,anoted vampirologist and the Count's nemesis. As far as acting is concerned, Brooks is See DRACULA, Page 9 Leonard Slatkin will conduct the St. Louis with their community and as people who are sharing their time and their talents." Hometown audiences have turned out in droves this 1995-96 season, the last of Slatkin's tenure. Though not every- one shares his love of modern music, Slatkin has a devoted following in, around and far from St. Louis. Thursday night's Ann Arborprogram reflects the SLSO's contemporary bent. With Mennin's "Concertato for Orches- Sympnony urcnestra tomorrow ngnt. tra, 'Moby Dick"' and McTee's "Cir- cuits," the program exemplifies Slatkin's ideas and energies. Soprano Linda Hohenfeld will solo in Schwantner's "Evening Land." Also on the program is "Symphony No. I in A-flat" by Elgar. "People who like that combination will come - because this is it," said Johnson. "You can buy the records and listen to the repeats on the radio, but it's' the end of an era for St. Louis." It takes a special kind of vision the bank for business American National American National is the bank for business. For more than 60 years, our mission has remained unchanged: to serve businesses in the greater Chicago area and the people who manage them. Our success at doing so has made us the mar- ket leader and one of the area's most respected banks. Today, our challenge is to build upon our leadership in new markets and to provide the best possible service for all of our customers, all of the time. To achieve this objective, we recognize the impor- tance of having the best people, those who want to make things happen. We look for individuals who are hardworking entretreneurial and com- T it:.. ?.> :' f,' v.;r y a., , s a C,,, R.,. . 16 / ..