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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1991)
‘Long Walk’ chronicles moving journey At a time when the United States is in conflict with external forces, it's an inter esting contrast to step back 30 years and examine the internal conflict that divided the nation in the 1960s. “The Long Walk Home,” sneak-pre viewed by MSC Aggie Cinema on Jan. 17, looks at the civil rights movement by focusing on the city bus strike of 1955 and 1956 in Montgomery, Ala. I ex pected the movie to be about Rosa Parks, the African-American woman who began the strike when she was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Instead, I found a moving de piction of the workers and families af fected by the practical and ideological implications of standing (and walking) for what they believe in. Whoopi Goldberg stars as Odessa Cotter, a maid for an upper-middle class white family. When the bus strike begins, a few days before Christmas in 1955, Odessa, her husband and the rest of the city's African-Americans begin walking to school and work. Odessa rises at dawn so she will have time to walk across town to the Thompsons’. Her feet are continually bloody and blistered. "■ The Thompsons make it clear Odes sa’s role is that of a servant, and Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek) is all business where the household affairs are concerned. Yet it is also clear, from the youngest daughter's affection for Odessa and from the syrtipathy Miriam begins to show, that Odessa has earned a cer tain amount of respect. As Odessa makes her daily journey across town, the characters make journeys of a different kind. Miriam begins as a pampered Southern lady who accepts her place and “their” place simply because that’s how she was raised. Through Odessa's courage, resolve and loving ways, Miriam begins to realize African-Americans are not a "different species,” as most of her social circle believes. They are men and women, who love, pray, work and deserve respect. Odessa changes, too. Though always silent and obedient — a role I'm sure was difficult for the outspoken Goldberg —she begins to assert her beliefs to the Thompsons. When asked by Mr. Thomp son if she would rather walk every day than sit in the back of the bus, she says, “Yes, sir, I would have to say I would.” Odessa’s steadfast courage makes Miriam reexamine her own By Cindy McMHUan beliefs. One of the most | nnkc; ments of the film occurs as Minam through a photo album and realiz the pictures of her daughter as a J also include Odessa; that, V’ Odessa has been the mother to Mi. a youngest child. Odessa claims she just did wh at a y one would have done. Miriam r ®P c H ’ "Yes, but would I have done the same tor your daughter?” . The role of the children is an int ® re , ing one. Mary Catherine, th . e L 7'y ea ,!Y? ic daughter, narrates the film (the Mary Steenburgen’s) in retrospect fro adulthood. , . . fhQ She recalls being confused ab ° u J/ w trouble with Odessa, her idol and dear friend. To a child, skin color means notn- ing about the human being inside. unM- dren must be trained to hate and judge, and the film leaves a question m our minds: will this white girl grow into a woman who remembers her maid s love and kindness, or will she grow to accept the prejudices of Southern white so- CI The horrible beliefs expressed by the whites in the film — depictions O' ATri ' can-Americans (though not termed so) as lazy, dishonest, “uppity” and dangerous — drew shock and dis belief from the audience in Rudder Auditorium. It’s hard to imagine that just 30 years ago, perhaps when our parents were college age, such ignorance was so commonplace. Goldberg's performance was honest and believable — she re turns to a quality of work fans haven’t seen since "The Color Purple. Especially given her outspokenness in recent comic roles, the silent obedience with which she accepts direct insults in this film is striK- in 9- th Spacek also was convincing as Miriam. Her inner strength, as well as her fear and doubts, are apparent throughout. She, too, had an inferior role in society — as a woman, she was raised to accept her husband’s will as final, even if it meant going against her own convictions. , ^ . The actors do a fine job in “The Long Walk Home," but that s not the reason it’s an outstanding film. It’s outstanding because of the true story it tells: of courage, of hope, of love and of wrongs com mitted in our own country so recently that it boggles the imagination. Don’t miss it. Odessa Cotter (Whoopi Goldberg) stands in the back of the bus, in the “colored” section. She and other African-Americans boycott the buses for the right to sit where they want in "The Long Walk Home.” White "White Fang,” a new film adaptation of Jack London’s short novel directed by Randal Kleiser, is the latest in a long line of nature/animal adventure pictures which successfully show case Walt Disney’s celebrated skill with animals. Although the film boasts the thes- pian talents of Oscar-nominated Aus trian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer (Out of Africa) as the curmudgeonly miner Alex Larsen, and Ethan Hawke (Dead Poets Society) as the idealistic young Jack Conway, the four-footed actors are the ones who steal the show. The basic story is that of a youth who befriends and tames a wolf-dog named White Fang during the Alaska gold rush of 1897-98. We are intro duced to the young Jack as he first ar rives in Alaska to search for his late fa ther’s claim. His initial youthful exuberance is tempered somewhat when he is robbed by three troublemakers, and by the exhausting climb up the “Golden Staircase." Once at the top, he seeks a guide who will be able to take him to page 4 Fang’ has heart, bite By Julia Spencer his father's claim. He meets a couple of men, the gruff Larsen and the ubiq uitous, grizzled prospector, who both knew his father and are taking a man to be buried in Klondike. Finally per- White Fang starring: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Aiex Larsen, Ethan Hawke now playing at Schulman 8 rated PG suaded because Jack is Scott Con way's son, Larsen agrees to take Jack along. As they travel across the frozen landscape, enduring sub-zero tem peratures, encountering hungry wolves and treacherous ice and snow, Larsen and Jack slowly, rather grud gingly begin to be friends. So, after they have delivered their frozen cargo, Larsen decides to accompany the boy to his father’s claim. Jack's story is intercut with shots of a young pup, half-dog, half-wolf, whose mother is wounded and killed in an encounter with Jack’s party. Jack and the pup briefly exchange meaningful glances at a watering hole before their stories diverge again. Then the wolf-dog is trapped by an Indian, who names it White Fang and trains it to drag and guard the camp. Jack’s interest, piqued by their first meeting, is stirred again when he and Larsen stay at the Indian camp, and the animal saves his life by warding off a marauding grizzly bear. It is not until even later, however, that Jack returns this favor and saves White Fang from his cruel captors, who have trained him to fight, and set him against a deadly pit bull. Then the story of the boy and his wolf begins in earnest, as we watch the taming ef fects of love, trust and affection on a formerly wild and vicious animal. The film, although fairly faithful to London’s book, meanders a bit as it follows the parallel stories of the young man’s and the pup’s initiation into the ways of the Alaskan wilder ness. Thus, a reel or so goes by before their stories actually intersect. There is a good deal of necessary character development and exciting action before boy meets wolf, but the length of exposition and the delay in getting to the heart of the story might account for the restlessness^ of the younger audience at Sunday's mati- nee. In any event, this is a family film en joyable on a number of levels. The pristine beauty of the Alaskan land scape; that famous Disney touch, which always manages to elicit pre cise, believable performances from its animal actors; suspenseful action scenes and the human actors’ skillful portrayal of London's characters, all contribute to a positive filmgoing ex perience. Although children used to Arnold Schwartzenegger movies may find this film extremely tame, before you take your three-year-old brother/son/ nephew, you should know there are several violent animal fighting se quences. I also felt that older children would better appreciate the deliberate pacing and emphasis on characters. “White Fang” is rated PG and is cur rently playing at the Schulman 6 The ater in Bryan. January 24,1991 “It’s a statement of support for our troops. It takes a special kind of person to go over and put their life on the line.” made the sign after the idea was sug gested by a senior in their outfit, Schwartz said. "It is a statement not on the policy," he said, “it’s a statement of support for our troops. It takes a special kind of person to go over and put their life on the line.” This outfit has had two cadets called to duty, Schwartz said. One ca det left in November of last year and one left this week, he said. Students off campus are showing their support in a different way. Angled off the balcony of an apart ment on Southwest Parkway waves a traditional American flag. Bobby Britton, a senior radiological health engineering major from Leon ard and one of the four apartment resi dents displaying the flag, said they put it out when the war began last week. “We want the troops to know they are not fighting by themselves,” Brit ton said. "We’re with them in spirit if notin body.” Britton’s brother-in-law is in Saudi Arabia. “He is an F-16 pilot," he said. “I’m sure he has been in the bombing raids." Mike Jackson, a senior geography major from Katy and another resident at the apartment, said the troops are doing their best and they need to be supported. “It's amazing that the same flag is over there, half a world away, and it stands for the same things there as here," he said. Jackson said he does not disagree with the war. "I trust Congress. The debate has already been done,” he said. All of the supporters for the troops agree that aside from the issue of why the United States is involved in the war, the troops need the support of Americans back home. — Photos By Phelan M. Ehenhack Top: Sophomore Ben Kincaid, a resident ot I- ramp in Hart Hall, and his roommate started a flag hanging campaign in their dorm. Above: Senior Jeff Hammer displays the red, white and blue stripes worn to show he supports the soldiers. Life Style magazine page 13