ARTS Tuesday, January 22, 1991 The Michigan Daily Page 5 O' what a weary life is this Hamlet dir. Franco Zeffirelli by Gregg Flaxman he thought of Mel Gibson, the Australian-raised actor best known fpr his roles as a post-apocalyptic ac- tidn hero and a suicidal cop, playing Shakespeare's Danish Prince Hamlet has probably been the cause of some bewilderment to audiences and critics alike. After all, Britain's actor-ex- tradinaire Lawrence Olivier first brought the role to the screen, and Joseph Papp has always reserved the role for the talented Kevin Kline. But director Franco Zeffirelli's cast- ing of Gibson is not only a stroke of genius, but the greatest triumph of his latest film. Olivier's Hamlet was brooding to the point of pouting. He delivered his soliloquies as voice-overs and his cerebral quality came across as flac- cidity in the face of a throne usurped *and a mother tainted. And Kline's Hamlet, though flippant, never communicated the figure of pain, madness and vitality that Zeffirelli apparently desired. Amid the opaque outlines of the vast Danish castle, Gibson's Hamlet roves and cavorts and throws himself furiously into a struggle with his Uncle Claudius, the new king, and his own acute conscience. It is a performance of strength and depth and a wholly cin- ematic reinterpretation of a role that had been relegated to impotence. Gibson trounces about Elsinore from stark exteriors into shafts of white light, contemplating his fate yet never entirely yielding to it. Im- pelled by the ghost of his father, played with a uniquely human edge by Paul Scofield, Hamlet wavers be- tween retaking his throne and de- scending into madness and loss. His determination, however, is tempered as much by his own indecision as by his mother's rejuvenation. Glenn Close's Gertrude is seemingly fulfilled for the first time in her life with the brutish Claudius (Alan Bates). And Gretrude's overtly Oedipal relationship with Hamlet conspires to wreak havoc on the young prince. There is an undeniable sense that this son wishes to see his mother actually happy, and any de- sign on the throne jeopardizes Gertrude's vivified persona. But Scofield's ghost is eminently com- pelling, and Hamlet is unable to deny his fate. Zeffirelli's film never fails to capitalize on Gibson's physical abil- ities as an actor. Visceral and alive, Hamlet, while pondering his cosmic insignificance, tosses himself into a deadly contest for his rightful title. In a fierce and incredibly choreographed battle, Hamlet and Laertes engage in a duel in which Hamlet's will is tested by a master swordsman bent for revenge. Before the king and queen, the two clash as perhaps in no previous production. Like Zeffirelli's other adaptions of Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet is successfully translated to the screen and to our age. Zeffirelli's production is a lean and entirely cinematic adaption of the play, sliced from five hours to under three. The supporting actors are exceptional, but Close, whose casting would seem inspired, often fails to communicate the intense relation- ship with Hamlet which the film re- quires. She's too young for the role, and though this illuminates the sex- ual relationship between the two, it remains unconvincing and odd. Helena Bonham-Carter is an espe- cially intriguing and novel Ophelia, her madness an apt mirror to Hamlet's own faltering sanity. Nevertheless, Hamlet is worth see- ing if only for Gibson, whose manic and personable prince represents one of the year's great performances. A pissed-off Hamlet (Mel Gibson) clutches his long, pointed sword after finding out that Ma and Uncle Claudius are "doing the nasty." HAMLET is Showcase. being shown at .Let 's dance naked on the Diag by Kim Yaged "Lay down your funky weapons! Coime join us on the floori Making love and music/ are the only things worth fighting for/ We are the new power generation/ We want to change the world/ The only thing that's in our way is you! your old fashion music, your old ideas! we're sick and tired of you telling us what to do." Prince, "New Power Generation" Sure, part of me snickers when our University deputizes our security guards just as our country enters war, consequently creating the ideal setting for Kent State Part II. But this is probably mnere coincidence, and it is not entirely the point any- way. What's important is that it is our job to prevent a recurrence of this sort of event. If we cannot yet directly influence the actions of our government, we can influence their perceptions of the youth and how our actions will be recorded in his- tory - a record which hopefully will not remember us as promoters of empty slogans or facilitators of scurrilous actions. It is critical that we do not attempt to categorize all the players into groups of either simply "evil" or "good." Although there are those who have a more ample share of the former than the latter, there is no clear-cut "right" or "wrong." I understand that some people fear that others will be apathetic and fail to act upon the occurring events. But that is unlikely and a poor ex- cuse to forge unyieldingly into a full-force rekindling of Vietnam-es- que protest. A haphazard manifesta- tion of strength is not strength at all. John G. Stoessinger wrote in Why Nations Go to War::"Of all the cru- elties that people have inflicted on one another, the most terrible has always been brought by the weak against the weak." A N ARU 5i1&2 5TH AVE AT LIBERTY 761~970 DAILY $2 75 SHOWS BEFORE 6PM 3 & ALL DAY TUESDAY ('EXCEPTIONS r ~ ar nnr nIITVTATSIN In this vein, I think that demand- ing a "walk out" on classes at the University seems illogical. It would be like Israel blindly retaliating against Iraq immediately after the initial attack made on them. As many analysts and leaders said, Is- rael's restraint was not a sign of weakness but a demonstration of strength. We too should not resort to "weak" choices. I would not condemn.anyone for his or her decision to boycott classes, but I question those who propose to prevent others from making their own decisions as well. That is the mode of thinking of the previous generations. They are the generations of people who do their crossword puzzles in ink so that even if they try to correct their mis- takes, the right answer is still illegi- ble. It is imperative that we do not resort to these techniques - the techniques of those whom we our- selves rebuke. This leads to my quandary as a student music writer. As I repeatedly analyze and contemplate the current situation in the Middle East, I ques- tion whether or not it matters that the latest long-haired band has played one power chord too many. I marvel at the irony of the situa- tion. As some took vows of silence in acknowledgment of the January 15th deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, others took obligatory partial silences as required by their fraternities. On the diag, banners promoting campus social events wave over the anti-war mural and other displays constructed as com- mentaries on the war. Flyers detail- ing the next rally, march or vigil are posted beside those advertising the latest band to hit town. I am not condemning these things; it is just that the paradox of them is over- whelming. Yet I understand that both are necessary. Their existence serves more as an answer than a source of question. It is an indication that we must deal with our lives in- stead of avoiding them. On the one hand, there is this fear that we will-continue with our rou- tine "business as usual." But there is also an overpowering feeling of req- uisite commitment to contribute all of one's time to the cause, in order to prevent the development of apa- thy. It seems unfair to demand this of ourselves. We must not be disre- spectful of those who are suffering, See STATE, Page 7 New Kids on the Block "Games"~ The New Kids were originally created by Maurice Starr to be the white New Edition, but by watching their new video for "Games," they are beginning to look more like the white Bell Biv DeVoe, who wanted to shed their "Candy Girl" image to record songs like "Do Me." As for these "five bad brothers from the Beantown land," as the song an- nounces, it appears that they are try- ing to toughen their image by danc- ing with scantily clad females who look a little older and sleazier than the average New Kids fan. The Kids are also dressed in more of a street fashion than their previously favored neo-Miami Vice outfits. The highlight of "Games," if you can call it that, is the metamorpho- sis of Donnie Wahlberg (thankfully, he spells his name for us in his rap) from a New Kid to a Vanilla Ice. He looks completely ridiculous wearing one of those ugly metal-plate-across- the-front black baseball caps, which is covered by the hood of his sweat- shirt as he walks among a "gang" whose members make Donnie look rather pale. I think Dennis Miller de- scribes him the best by saying that Donnie is "the brooding New Kid, trying to show he's a motorcycle guy in a moped band." Foregoing the silly dance steps he is used to performing, Donnie instead struts around the set of the video with his hand down near his crotch, trying to show exactly how tough he hangs. What exactly are they trying to prove? The majority of their fans have been pre-teen girls whose par- ents have encouraged their daughters' support of the Kids' nice-guy im- ages. Now they might appear threat- ening to both nine-year-old girls and their parental figures who spend quality time watching Dial MTV. The Kids' new appearance might be a bold step for them, but it might also be self-destructive. Proof of this is that their past videos instantly shot to #1, while "Games" mostly hung out near the middle of the survey before reaching the coveted top spot. The boys do, however, get a few chances to subliminally reinforce their nice values, as in the scene when Jordan approaches q young lady, not to make a romantic move, but to be a gentleman and extinguish her cigarette. Nevertheless, as the boys' voices change and as Donnie becomes more volatile, their image is definitely go, ing to be different by their next re- lease. If they plan to continue their success, their fans are going to have to age along with them. The only other thing they can do is ditch Star and start hanging out with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to make the transition to a more adult sound as successfully as the New EditigtI guys did. Then again, as the chorus of "Games" declares, putting them down won't get me nowhere because they're positive, and no matter what I say they don't really care. They arc not going to let themselves go away too easily. -Andrew J. Cahn U Academy of American Poets Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize Michael R. Gutterman Poetry Award Roy W. Cowden Memorial Fellowship will be announced Tuesday, January 22 3:30 p.m., Rackham Auditorium OK, WHO'S THE COMEDIAN? El BRING IN THIS ENTIRE AD FOR ONE t f C Q Y _ Enter the Certs U.S. College Comedy Competition. You could win trips to perform at Spring Break in Daytona Beach and in a NewYork City comedy club! Here's How: - Prepare a hilarious three minute comedy routine (clean, of course!) e Win the campus and regional competitions - Be judged the best in the U.S. by National Judge JERRY SEINFELD The first ten contestants to perform get a FREE 32 OZ DRINK s ti y{. TUNE IN F rict ionn R e a di n a b Y I I -oom r - t t 1 1 1 c u-'. i i i