Page 8 - The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, February 5, 1998 New Film lives up to Great as inn a York in Great Evectations Music Review: Jean presents The Carnival by John Amorose staff writer A hip hop album that's violence free, keeps the obscenities to a minimum, and shuns the art of sampling? That's unheard of in the 19905. Why be original when you can take the beat from a record that's already a hit (how many times can an artist sample "The Jungle")? It's just too risky to make your own music, it might not go quadruple platinum, and everybody knows "it's all about the Benjamins, baby." If you've nodded your head to any of these questions, don't buy Wyclef Jean's new album The Carnival. , Wyclef ridicules the hip hop establishment, and with guitar in hand and dreadlocks twisted, he has changed the face of rap. The Carnival is a circus of sound; combining Caribbean beats, live guitars, and the occasional symphonic accompaniment, all under one ethnically rich, yet universally appreciated big top. The opening track, "Apocalypse," is a simple, stripped-down rhyme, backed by a haunting female vocal from Christian Langlade's "Concerto for One Voice," giving the song a middle-Eastern, western-Jersey feel. Remember to place a Valentine 111, _ _ classified for that contagious one to two days before the rash appears and cehe • e ) \ 4T \ until row as "Gone 'Till November" is where Wyclef truly shines. Finally he unleashes his Marley-esque singing voice that made him famous with the Fugees. The song features Jean's acoustic guitar jelling with members of the New York Philharmonic The Carnival is a circus of sound; combining Caribbean beats, live guitars, and the occasional symphonic accompaniment, all under one ethnically rich, yet iuniversally appreciated big top. Orchestra, creating a miasma of sound that overwhelms the senses and tickles the emotions. The catchiest tune on The Carnival is "We Still Trying to Stay Alive," the one and only cover song on the album; a groovier, funk-loaded version of the legendary Bee Gee's hit "Stayin' Alive." With a masterful baritone appearance by fellow Fugee, Pras, and that ever present, infectious guitar rift, this is a track that will he heard at parties and weddings for the next ten years, and is worth the price of the Chicken pox is "crusted Sponsored by The Health and Wellness Center ye a passion Wyclef special someone. behrcoll4 @ aol. corn lesions over .11 Features evening toge album itself The only problems that I have with this effort by Wyclef is the various "intro's" spaced throughout the album, especially the ongoing "trial" of Wyclef. These breaks in the music, although extremely popular in rap today, are completely unnecessary and take from the flow of music. The attempt at a cheap laugh is not worth compromising the credibility and seriousness of the work. The Carnival also f6fitre§tauryiv Hill of the Fugeeg, as well as the sultans of sap the Neville brothers, in a surprisingly catchy and almost completely un nauseating love song, "Mona Lisa." The album, as a whole, is a variable roller coaster of tempos, and should he recognized along side the best rap/ hip hop albums of all time. On my classes-I'd-skip-to-go-see-him-scale, Wyclef Jean receives a four and a half out of five. He's the Bob Marley of our generation, and his imagination and musical genius is unmatched in modern hip hop. Featured in next week's issue... Jon Stubbs' review of the new film Sphere John Amorose's review of Pearl Jam's new album Yield by Kristi McKim features editor What originally is a fine novel de picting one boy's encounters with Britain's social classes has been tre mendously altered into an American ized, 'loosely adapted' cinematic ver sion of Great Expectations. This transformation of Charles Dickens' classic focuses not so much on the conflicts between the working class and aristocracy, as it highlights the dynamics among levels of artistic impulse and capitalistic success. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (A Little Princess), who proclaims David Lean's 1946 version of Great Expec tations as one of his favorite films, this 1990 s self-termed "elaboration rather than adaptation" of the novel proves entirely magnificent for its fine cinematic achievements. Cuaron's Great Expectations, as opposed to Dickens', will not he re membered for its linguistic depth or literary greatness; the script is not particularly memorable or fantastic. Rather, this 1998 version lives as a classic for our time—as an epic of film-making, an exotic spectacle, an entirely sensual, tasteful rendering of unrequited love and fulfilled dreanis. This film explores timeless themes of subversive wanting and suppressed passion— the ways in which love can render one entirely numb to all other previous desires, and sometimes-dan gerously cause one to hold too 'great' of 'expectations' for oneself. Ethan Hawke stars as Finnegan Bell, the movie's version of Philip "Pip" Pirrip. As the charming Finn, Hawke proves his versatile acting ability: he retains child-like inno cence and curiosity while expressing a rugged, intense sensuality. As the artist who paints out of pure impulse and inspiration, Hawke jux taposes elements of his best roles (from Dead Poet's• Society and Before Sunrise) to present the complexity of a character at once naive, spontane ous, and fun-loving. Sufficiently ren dering his character's absolute des peration and longing for the unattain able Estella, Hawke seems natural as the lovesick, almost-pathetic Roman tic hero. In the role of the icy Estella Dinsmoor, Gwyneth Paltrow acts ex quisitely as the long-time recipient of Finn's passions. Paltrow talentedly transforms a rather shallow, flatly written character into a three-dimen sional rendering of one woman's pres sures to remain numb to love's warm- Finn (Ethan Hawke) is shocked when, several years later, Lustig (Robert De Niro) visits him in New York Expectations ing qualities Conditioned to behave with indif ference toward men, Estella gains a greater depth with Paltrow's fine de piction of the opposing pressures of womanhood: to remain independent and self-sufficient, while being open to love and marriage. As the glam ourously-sophisticated Estella, Paltrow has never looked more stun ning. But on the other hand, she has never acted more obnoxious or con ceited; in the space of her character, though, such annoying traits are jus tified. The film relies on the tension gen erated between Paltrow's and Hawke's characters; Hawke's intense passion versus Paltrow's subtle, un spoken desire provides for a remark ably-breathtaking dynamic of sensual spontaneity. In a supporting role as Ms. Dinsmoor, a wealthy and hitter re cluse deserted twenty years earlier on her wedding day, Anne Bancroft de livers a rather gaudy adaptation of the novel's Miss Havisham. Since Dinsmoor offers nothing more to the film than her cosmetically-plastered, elaborately-costumed presence, her character grows increasingly irritat ing and repulsive. Bancroft, though, in her experience and talent, is capable of squeezing out of her utterly bland character some scenes of genuine warmth. In the film's version of Magwitch, Robert DeNiro plays escaped convict Lustig. Though far too easily enamoured with Finn's generosity, Lustig proves to be an otherwise be lievable character. DeNiro does as best he can to portray the pitiful hope lessness of this ex-mob-assassin. As always, DeNiro delivers a fine perfor mance, regardless of the predictabil ity of his character. Nonetheless, the splendor of Hawke and Paltrow overshadow the less-developed plot lines of the sup porting characters. While such a chemistry can be attributed to the ac tors' talents, the directing also contrib utes to the particular fineness of the film. In Great Expectations, Cuaron fo cuses on the minute intricacies of character interrelations—and makes the subtle passions or unspoken words resonate far beyond the realm of ver bal capacity. The power of merely a look to convey years of repressed pas sions, the delicate beauty and fervent longing which a small breath, a shared glance can evoke, the freedom of uninhibition and spontaneity—all of these otherwise indescribable mo ments are captured eloquently within the frame of the film. In addition to the visual spectacle, this film includes the sultry sounds of Tori Amos ("Siren"), the groovy tunes of STP's ex-vocalist, Scott Weiland ("Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down"), classic rock of the Grateful Dead ("Uncle John's Band"), the in tense driving melody of Pulp ("Like A Friend"), and the breathily-chilling, nearly-intoxicating sounds of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell ("Sunshower"), providing for an ap propriately amazing soundtrack to accompany the gorgeous scenes. The score, composed by Patrick Doyle (most noted for his work in Sense & Sensibility, Henry V and Handel), is also expectedly fine. The photography and cinematogra phy serve to showcase nicely the well produced/directed scenes. Director of Photography Emmanuel Lubelli (who also did exquisite work with A Walk in the Clouds and Like Water For Chocolate) coordinates the ele ments of production, making fine use of shadow, space and lighting to pro duce an overall magical effect. With such a tremendous Hollywood spectacle inevitably comes the Hol lywood-esque problems as well. Such are obvious in the far-too-easy narra tive and the overly-pared-down plot lines. While the film is gorgeous for its visual strengths, beautiful acting, and musical components, the actual plot has no complexity, not to men tion an absolute lack of overall devel opment whatsoever. Granted, Hawke's Finn is central to the film; but it should not be the case that the film's conclusion should con sist of thirty minutes in which each character has his/her epiphanic mo ment in the arms of Finn—a far too easy ending for an otherwise gorgeous picture. Aside from the simplistic narrative and shallow plot (a far cry from Dickens' complexly-structured novel), Cuaron's Great Expectations holds an overall grace which over fiholikowiriihe film's faults. With its fine directing, superb act ing, and effective mixing of soundtrack with visual image, Great Expectations delivers a luscious spec tacle of breathtaking scenes, beauti ful pieces of art in themselves—and when considered together (with the exclusion of a few overly-melodra matic, far-too-easy scenes) provide for a tremendous work of art—abso lutely worth seeing. (three stars)
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