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Friday, January 20,1978
University Daily Kansan
Museum has 'real thing'
BvLYNNKIRKMAN
Staff Writer
Bright forsythia and pussywillets greet the visitor who steps from the cold c bitter into the warmth of the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art.
The flowers in the entryway remain from the museum's glamorous opening earlier this week. The festivities are over and Spencer Museum is in business—as an art gallery and teaching facility on the University of Kansas campus.
The museum's court area is home to four 18th century marble busts, representing the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. A grand piano, built for Franz Liszt's final grand tour, stands mute in one corner.
A 17TH CENTURY reja, or Castillian gate, opens from the court into the Renaissance gallery which is dominated by a large oil painting, "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemani." The entrance is flanked by two 18th century Italian marble statues.
South of the Renaissance gallery is the Oriental collection, where a display of color woodcuts depicting the four seasons is located. Views from the museum's collection of more than 1,000
woodblock prints, which will be rotated for showing.
A small camel from a Chinese tomb, which dates from the 7th century, caught the eye of a woman who was touring the museum. "It's not over yet," she said.
"I can't get over this," the commented to a companion, "so old but it seems so."
IN A SMALL ALCOVE on the main room, a 17th century gilt bronze Buddha from the ming dynasty sits serenely in front of a plush rug. It was made from late 19th or early 20th century China. The screen was a gift from Charles "Buddy" Lopez, the artist, and his nephew Mary Pickford.
"Look at that!" he exclaimed. "I have a picture of that at home—but they've got the phone."
From the Oriental art, the visitor moves into the graphics collection, where he will find many familiar names. There, a KU student stopped excitement, grazing a friend's arm, before a Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph.
THE "REAL THINGS" at the museum are under the watchful eye of security guard Keith Barnhart, who was been on the job about two months. Barnhart requested a
transfer from his regular work with the KU police and he's happy with the change.
Small galleries north of the Renaissance area house the medieval and ancient collections. Recent acquisitions include a marble mosaic of a winged Cupid from 13d
On the fourth floor, a visitor may move from the 19th to the 20th centuries, viewing rooms.
IN THE FIETH and 10th century collection, the visitor may see paintings and sculptures, as well as bowls, glasses and teapots representative of the period. Figures of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert designed to be used as chimney ornaments and a teapot that looks like a cauldron have found their way into the displays.
The museum's Kress Gallery will be the scene of changing exhibits. The current display, "Artists Look at Art," features temporary artists inspired by other art works.
"there she is!" one called excitedly as she hurried to the work. "She's beautiful."
"Nice," murmured the other, "damn nice."
'Tbird Kind' is first rate cinema
By JAMES J. MURRAY
Reviewer
Now that the hype has settled, and Time and Newsweek have gone back to misinterpreting a relatively unprejudiced look at Steven Spielberg's latest film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." It easily could be the best film of 1977, for a reason.
First and foremost, it is an essentially real film. The people and the situations are easily identifiable by the viewer. The setting is simple and realistic. - Middle America at its most mundane.
Richard Dreyfus and Melinda Dillon, as Roy Neary and Gillian Gullan, are brilliant as two people accidentally caught up in something totally alien to their heretofore normal middle-class lives. Teri Garre and Lara Kawai are also excellent in the major supporting roles.
THE BEST ACTING performance, though, is turned in by five-year-old Cary Guffey, as Barry Guilier, Gillian's son, who is abducted from his home by the aliens in one of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of motion pictures. Guffey is totally guileless; his movements, reactions and dialogue are those of a five-year-old. He is
KANSAN Review
completely natural, breaking with the tradition of child stars as cloying, saccharinely nauseating little monsters, a la the Little Rascals, Shirley Temple and Baby Leroy. If the film wins no other support, Guffey should get the Oscar for best supporting role.
"GLOSE ENCOUNTERS" is also a highly visual film, beyond the brilliant special effects put together by Doug Trumbull, who remains the master of the art of creating special effects. First, it sees the aliens, is a very powerful one. All the viewers see is Giffey's face as he reacts to the sudden presence of the aliens. It is beautiful, and would not be effective in any other
One of the major themes of "Close Encounters" is music. The aliens choose to communicate with man through a musical language. This makes a lot of sense. E above high C is the same note, whether played by Beethoven or Johnny Rotten. It is much simpler for man to learn this than for the aliens to try to learn a variety of
languages, which they would have to do to communicate with people from different countries.
USES IN CONNECTION WITH THE CHARACTER of Claude Lacombe (Truffaut), the French UFO expert, to make a very good point about the world today. In two of the early scenes, in Mexico and India, important information about the UFOs must be translated from the native language into English, the French, the German, the Spanish, sense an alien himself. But, ironically, at the end of the film, Lacombe is able to communicate clearly with the aliens.
The aliens themselves, along with their various spacecraft, are also very well conceived. They are above all, alien, that is, different from man, without being ridiculous caricatures. The Mother Ship, especially, is just gorgeous.
With "Close Encounters," Spielberg has established himself as one of the top film-makers around, and Richard Dreyfuss has taken on a career of making the film of Paul Newman or Robert Redford. But most importantly, "Close Encounters," like no film since "2001," has shown that intelligent science fiction can be as powerful as it's lets hope someone pays attention this time.
Art Unveiled
Staff Photo by DONALD WALLER
Visitors gathered in the 19th century gallery during the grand
opening of the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art Tuesday night.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Arts & Leisure
Travolta disappoints in disco dud
By MARY MITCHELL
Reviewer
Try "Rocky" without Sylvester Stone's bulging muscles. Try "West Side Story" without the sensitive love angles. Try America's best high school kids of the early 1960s.
What it adds up to a disappointing disco tale called "Saturday Night Fever."
If you are fond of John Travolta's blue eyes and if you are a fan of disco pop music—Bee Gees style—then you might be fond of this movie.
of this movie.
The story is set in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn and concerns a teenage boy who works in a paint store during the week,
KANSAN Review
stopping only long enough to let out his tensions at the local disco bar on Saturday nights.
Trolla plays the boy, Tony Manera, an italian chef who invites family destroy his arm.
Even the most adverse weather conditions wouldn't discourage the avid skaters in town. An indentified student tried his skill on ice-covered Potter Lake last week.
Staff Photo by ELIREICHMAN
Winter sports abound on campus Travers hit Potter's slopes
Cold Feet
BY RANDY PARSONS
Staff Writer
It's the beginning of a new semester, and the eventual reality of term papers and tests takes time to adjust to. Perhaps this is the time for those last few flings before the grind starts to take its toll. For many at the University of Kansas, this is the time for "traying."
The slopes around Potter Lake Tuesday night resounded with the shouts of about 30 KU students, who bundled up like Arctic explorers, were shooting down the hill on cafeteria tables.
trays sometimes but outrows. From resource management to training, Traving may have become one of the season's most contagious social activities.
THE IDEA IB is to assume a cross-legged, magic-carpet position on the trayl, point the tray downhill and let gravity take its course. As in sledding or any other下hall sport, it's wise to try to steer the tray, but this is optional. Some maneuverability is possible by dragging along feet. Feet make the best brakes.
or if they sing loudly in it, you shouldn't be recommended very warm dress and something to protect the hands. Many people wear leather gloves but I wear heavy socks on my
"Some people race, but the general point is to have a good time."
"Some people face, but the general point is to have a good idea. Done Rose (the comorbidite), said training was "a little hard on the butt."
Dave Kruse, Olathe sophomore, said trarying was "a little hard on the butt."
Dave Kruspe, On the opposite side, and trying was. Battalion Sidlinger and Kruspe, from Battenfeld Scholarship Hall, said they used their own trays for sliding. Others, though, probably would have a harder time explaining how they acquired trays.
DENNIS KORPI, food service manager at Naismith Hall, said, "Last year we mysteriously lost quite a few trays."
teriously lost quite a few trays.
This year Korpi is making it easier for everybody. He said that on Monday, he gave the Naismith front desk 40 trays, which the residents could sign out by using their KU identification cards.
Korpi said his plan was a good idea for food service managers who wanted to protect their trays, and it saved the students from the embarrassment of being caught "lifting" trays.
trays. Despite the delicate matter of finding the right equipment, enthusiastic trays will not be deterred. And why should they be? It's an inexpensive and enjoyable way to hit the slopes, especially while there's plenty of powder for a good ride.
Skaters brave icy danger
By PAM MANSON
The recent cold weather hasn't driven everyone inside to stay warm. In fact, skating enthusiasts have been out in force to enjoy the sport during the cold spell.
Staff Writer
But anyone who skates in a lake does have a boat. No one officially has the authority to determine when the ponds on campus are safe for skating, Lt Vic Strnad said. The recreation department used to check unofficially to see whether the lake was frozen, he said, but it no longer does.
whether the fishermen said that when he saw water on top of the ice on Potter Lake or the pond on WestCamp, he told skaters they were skating at their own risk.
"I don't take because or natrium problems."
"THERE'S A PROBLEM with underground steam pipes that run into the lake," he
on West camp, he did skate-rathy when skating at KU did Tom Winston, instructor, who helped me with education, said KU did not encourage skating on Pikesville of liability problem.
But Al Thomas, landscape architect for KU Architectural Services, said the steam pipes did not create a problem.
But anyone who skates in Lawrence does so at his own risk.
The pipes do not create a plenum.
"The nearest steam pipes are at JRP" he said.
A potential danger at Potter Lake is the emptying of warmer water into the lake from the southeast by storm sewers, he said.
"It might be safer not to skate on the southeast corner, but I don't think there's a real problem," Thomas said.
The Lawrence police department said it sent a patrol car to the Kansas River to warn skaters of danger, but the city does not take responsibility for any accidents there.
Several public ice skating rinks have been built by the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department. The tennis courts at Broken Arrow school, West Junior High School, South Junior High School, North High School, and Central School were built so that they could be used for ice skating. When the schools are rebuilt, the department covers the courts with sand and pour on about three inches of water.
TONY HANGS out with a James Dean gang, complete with leather jackets and switchblades that seem almost a parody of "West Side Story." The brutal gang members seem to make war on rival gangs and love to girls in the same violent fashion.
Tony does not fit into this group, which is natural for such a lovely hero. But director John Badam nearly misses that point, and Norman Wexler's screenplay is wide of the mark.
Travolta's dramatic acting is sleepy at best.
His eyes well with tears at every opportunity, as at the suicide of a young member.
Travolta emanates raw sex appeal. The image is macho male all the way from Travolta in black bikini pants to his tight white dancing suit.
The film's high point is Tony's meeting with Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney). Gorney's resemblance to Talia Shire, the icon in Rocky, is certainly not coincidental.
Her Brooklyn accent is almost incoherent but her dancing shines. Travolta and Tracy are the two best.
His comic timing is occasionally good, but when it comes to true emotion, he can't do anything but jerk his head around and squint.
Travolta cannot escape his television bad-guage image.
THE MUSIC is good for the movie
that features the Bee Gees' hit
"How Doeris Your Love."
The photography in the disco scenes is excellent, although the image evoked is not quite as good.
It is disappointing that the old rock mogul himself, Monti Rock II, has to appear as a Wolfman Jack impersonator who enceases the events at 2001.
Travolla's room is less than subtly decorated with posters of Bruce Lee, Farah Fawcett-Majors and Al Pacino, the pop scene apparent.
Is this a gesture of unending friendship? Hardly. And it is hardly a commentary on the plight of the alienated youth. The movie misses the point.
The most forgettable moment in the movie is the final scene, when Travolta, after failing to seduce Gorney, shakes her band.
"Saturday Night Fever" is the latest attempt to capitalize on the teen-age disc fad craze. Without the dance scenes and music, a movie simply is another commercial rp-off.
And you can bet that the producers are hustling all the way to the bank.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Recitals
Weekend Highlights
THE GREAT PLAINS TRIO from Emperor
Sunwell will perform on 8 tinten
holes.
JAMES MOESER, dean of the School of Fine Arts, will give an organ recital at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in Plymouth Congregational Church.
THE GASLIGHT GAMB, a Lawrence group headed by Paul Gray, will open the Topena Jazz Workshop Concert Series at 2 p.m. J22 in White Concert Hall at Washaukee University in Topeka. Los Angeles pianist Larry Oladejo and Glade Williams will perform with the group.
RICHARD REBER, associate professor of music performance, will give a recital at the University of Pennsylvania.
JOHN BOULTON, associate professor of music performance, will give a flute recital at the Parkside Performing Arts Center on June 16.
EDWARD GATES will give a Vivating Artist
s琴谱 piano at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 in
the Library of Congress
ART AND DESIGN GALLERY is displaying the work of Twelve Photographers; a Contemporary Mid-America Document, through Feb. 10. The photographers are: Terry Evans, Larry S. Ferguson, Douglas Gaubatz, David Halipier, Earl Iversen, Keith Jacobson, andrew Kleige, Margaret Mackichan, James Cressida, Schwarw, John C. Spence and Robert Stars.
Exhibits
THE LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY has on display, by Sue Brabatton, weavings and books from the library's collection.
THE KANASSA UNION GALLERY is hosting the Design Department, Faculty Show.
THE LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER is displaying the Haskell Junior College Art Exhibit
Beth Glass and oils by Ellen Kunard, through Jan. 31.
THE HELEN FORESMAN SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART will feature Artists Look at Art on the four floor and Prints from the Motion in the Raymond White Graphics Gallery.
Nightclubs
J. WATSON'S will have a performance by Natural Gas tonight and tomorrow night from 10:30 to 2:00 at The Crest Theater.
OFF THE WALL HALL will feature the Lee McBee Blues Band tomorrow and the Kansas Folkcore Center jam session will be Jan. 25 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.
PAUG LAIR'S JAZZ PLACE will host the Tommy Johnson Experiment tonight, and bampler player Skip Devel will perform with the Gaslight Gang tomorrow night from 9 to 12. The regular jam session will be at 8 p.m. Jan.
26.
Films
All SUA films will be shown in Woodruff Auditorium of the Student Union unless otherwise indicated.
THE SEVENT PERCENT SOLUTION will be shown at 3.30, 7.00 and 8.30 tonight)
WOODSTOCK will be the midnight movie tonight and tomorrow night.
LOLITA, directed by Stanley Kubrick, will be shown a 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
DELIVA, a Latin American documentary film from the Faces of Change series will be shown at 7:30. J4 in the Forum Room. Admission is free.
THE RISE OF LOUX XIV, a French movie with INEAN subtiltes, will be shown at 7:30
S oleufrageous film by KURT MCODWELL
AND GEORGE KUCHAR will be shown at 7:30