Thursday, December 10, 1998 - The Michigan Daily - 5A
a
Schwartz sets
animated film
to new music
SCHWARTZ
Continued from Page 1A
backdrop of music," Schwartz explained.
When Spielberg explained the production compa-
ny's intent to create a film that chronicled the human
side of the story, Schwartz agreed to lend his talents.
Along with the composer, the producers decided to
focus more on the trials of Moses and the fraternal
conflict that arises because of his religious identity.
"Moses and Ramses are two brothers who grew up
together, who love each other, and who support each
other. Then there's a huge turn of events when the truth
emerges. A man who Moses thought was his brother
suddenly becomes the antagonist," Schwartz said.
Although the Biblical story has no heroes or vil-
lains, a conflict arises between the two brothers,
Schwartz noted.
The musical adaptation of the tale allows for a
different interpretation of the story. Telling the tale
from the human perspective allowed Schwartz to
write about Moses' inner conflict and emotional
reactions to the familial divide.
"I tried to get inside Moses' head and write about
what a real person would do in his circumstances
- not just as a Biblical hero," he said. In the song
covering the cycle of plagues, Schwartz concentrat-
ed on what the two brothers were feeling.
"Moses caused the plagues, but at the same time,
they were being placed on his people, on a region
that used to be his home. I also didn't want the film
to be a Sunday school mouthpiece," he joked. "I
tried to humanize the Sunday school story."
"The Prince of Egypt" includes the song
"Through Heaven's Eyes," which Schwartz denot-
ed as his favorite in the film. The song covers a
MSA ready to push
orward with projects
PCU.: "UU ( L T Ut L7r""~, "
Music divas Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston are scheduled to perform the theme song from the "Prince
of Egypt" on Sunday at 8 p.m. when NBC televises a special featuring music from "The Prince of Egypt."
scene that spans 10 years of Moses' life.
"The song is sung by Jetthro, the shepherd
whose daughter Moses marries after his desert
exile. It was an extremely difficult song to write
because it had to cover 10 years of Moses' life in a
few minutes. It's a very philosophical song,"
Schwartz explained.
Schwartz chose to include Hebrew lyrics in two of
his songs, "Deliver Us," the film's opening number
and the children's chorus in "When You B lie e.
While the incorporation of the religious language
may seem foreign to the majority gentile audience, it
accurately depicts the period culture.
"I wanted to get a sense of place and time n
make it authentic. 'When You Believe' comes «t the
darkest moment of the film - right after the deah
of the firstborn - it's a very dark and sorrowful
scene. While the Jews are finally freed, they are lib-
erated at a harsh cost. I wanted to build it up to
something triumphant and joyful," he said.
Pop artists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
recently recorded "When You Believe," which can
be found on the film's soundtrack.
"What's most impressive about their performance
is when thcy sing together, they hav e a very precise
hann ny. Of course, th y ha'e good voices, but they
have this terrific riff effect because they're very
together," Sch wartz commented.
Carey and Houston are scheduled to perform their
rendition of the song Sunday at 8 p.m. when NBC
televises "When You Believe: Music Inspired by
"The Prince of Egypt." a special featuring music
fom th animated m Boyz l1 Men, Vince Gill,
Amy Grant and Bran McKnight are also expected
to prform sng froim the soundtrack.
Schwartz's work on "Prince of Egypt deviates
from his Disney efforts because Dreamworks
approach~d the method of storytelling in a more
adult fashion.
"Disney movis are alwavs viewed as children's
movies, but 'Prince of Egypt' is a film for chil-
dren and adults. In the typical Disney movie, there
are always funny sidekicks and talking animals.
There's always a definite good guy and a definite
bad guy- a clear villain," Schwartz said. "There
are no gargovles here."
MSA
Continued from Page IA
The fee hike would have funded a
movement to put a referendum ask-
ing about the creation of a student
position on the board on the state bal-
lot.
SRTF Chair Elise Erickson said the
task force has regained speed after
being reapproved by the assembly for
another year of work.
"The biggest thing we're waiting on
is to find out if we're part of the
University," Erickson said.
Krislov's office currently is investi-
gating the assembly to determine if it
falls under the definition of a public
bod.y, in which case it cannot hire a
lawyer to assist in the campaign for a
student regent.
"It's basically your interpretation of
the campaign finance act. According
to our definition, we're not," Erickson
said.
Regardless of Krislov's decision,
the assembly could form a corpora-
tion to continue the SRTF work, but
members would need to pay the $500
fee and raise money to pay legal
advisers.
"We would have to go to alumni and
ask for money - possibly people with
a former interest," Erickson said. The
task force would need to raise about
S500,000 in non-tax deductible dona-
tions, she added.
Assembly members also are exam-
ining ways to curb binge drinking
among students, including forming a
student group geared solely toward
non-alcoholic social events, Thompson
said.
"If you can think of any changes on
campus that could curb binge drinking,
it will happen right now," Thompson
said.
The only obstacle the student
group faces is funding, Thompson
said, because the assembly cannot
fund social events. Organizers will
look to the University administration
to fund the group, Thompson said,
which he would like to launch in
January.
Among other assembly recommen-
dations to reduce underage drinking on
campus include "bribery," such as free
weekend movie nights, lowering the
price of tickets to sporting events and
free dance, scuba or rock climbing
lessons for students.
MSA Academic Affairs
Commission Chair Vikram Sarma
has spent the semester researching
ways to publish the now-defunct
LSA courseguide.o conserve
paper, the University stopped print-
ing the course guides after the fall
1997 semester.
A few weeks ago, assembly mem-
bers said the courseguide could be
made available to students for a S1-2
charge, but the increased size of the
courseguide adversely affected the
plan.
"With 300 pages, the cheapest it
could be made was $8.75," Sarma said
at the assembly meeting Tuesday
night.
Assembly members will now
attempt to place several hundred
printed courseguides on reserve at
campus libraries for students to use
and possibly photocopy, Sarma
said.
Another project designed by the
assembly to foster relations between
the assembly and various student
groups on campus, called the
Ambassador Program, will take flight
in January.
"The idea is to create unity
around campus between student
groups and MSA," Chopp said. The
program, which will be implement-
ed next semester, calls for assembly
members to visit student group
meetings and discuss current cam-
pus issues.
Chopp said a different student
group will be invited each week to the
assembly's Tuesday night meeting to
address the assembly during the time
=allotted for guest speakers.
"If we have this e-mail link, we can
promote working together," Chopp
said.
The assembly also is working in
conjunction with the University's off-
campus housing office on an off-cam-
pus student housing guidebook to pro-
vide students with information about
housing options, rates and landlord
information.
"Half of it will be on the Web,"
Thompson said. The Website portion
of the guide will include location and
price information.
Thompson said the written section
will provide information to students
about questions to ask when signing a
lease and tips to remember when look-
ing at a dwelling.
Thompson said the University
Housing Department and the assem-
bly would like to push back the time
period in which students look for
housing.
"They don't want it to be the day
after you move in, they want it to be
the semester after," Thompson said.
low I
BILL
Continued from Page 1A
ter learning environment," he said. "At most, it could save some lives."
Other last minute work in Lansing includes:
Rep. Kirk Profit (D-Ypsilanti) moved his bill concerning the sanctioning
of sportsagents that solicit college athletes through both houses. The bill,
originally passed in October, provides for a $10,000 fine against any person
that interferes with a prospective advantage of a university.
In October, Michigan1 Athletic Director Tom Goss said he supported the legis-
lation, and Truscott said the governor will examine the bill within the next week
to decide whether to sign it.
N The Department of Management and Budget, along with the governor, began
work on next year's budget proposal.
Last month the University Board of Regents requested a S percent
increase from the state. Wilbanks said she anticipates a small overall state
budget growth, but it is
receive.
'RANKINGS
Continued from Page 1A
for universities that would like to better their environ-
ment for black students.
"I expect that my alma mater will move into the top
50 next time," LaVeist said.
LSA senior Amani Brown, former vice-president
of the University's Black Greek Association, said she
thought the University's rank was appropriate.
"I think it's a good university for the most part, but
*here aren't enough opportunities for black students
to mix among themselves or with the rest of the
University," Brown said.
She said the University does a poor job of promot-
ing diversity as far as providing activities or programs
for minority students, and it doesn't take the time to
advertise the few it does offer.
Stanford University, the highest-ranking school
after the historically black colleges and universities,
provides plenty of those activities, said Jan Barker
Alexander, Stanford's assistant dean of students and
director of the Black Community Services Center.
"We don't want people to think that these are places
that promote separation," she said. "The myth that
exists is that ethnic-focused offices or dorms hold stu-
dents hostage, which is far from the truth. We serve as
the foundation for our students and encour-ge them to
branch out into all areas of our institution," she added.
"Everyone has something positive going on at their
institution," Alexander said. "It's just finding a way
to make all the pieces fit."
too early to tell how much the University will
Charles Hudson, a junior at Stanford and one of the
students slated to appear on the cover of the rankings
issue, said the ifaculty at Stanford's black services cen-
ter prov ide very strong support.
"All the people here are very available for consul-
tation," Hudson said. The community's make-up fac-
tors in to decisions black students make when choos-
ing a school, he said.
"Being part of a large black community is very
important for some students," Hudson said. "The black
universities offer something other schools don't."
But he said schools like Stanford and the University
of Michigan provide many academic and social
opportunities even if the community isn't made up of
mostly minorities.
"You have to learn to mix the two," he said.