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Show Westminster College of Salt Lake City Thursday, Oct. 19, 1995 Arts and Entertainment Poetry Series Starts Rich Adrienne Rich Inaugurates by Karen Gage Forum Staff Writer Distinguished Resident for Autumn and poet, Adrienne Rich, was met by a standing-room-onl- y crowd when she inaugurated the 1995-9- 6 Westminster Poetry Series on Friday evening, Oct. 5. The reading in the Jewett Center capped a series of appearances during the preceding week in which Rich participated in panel discussions with Utah poets and promoted her newest book, Dark Fields of the Republic. Rich has published more than 15 volumes of poetry; she has also published four prose works. Richs career as a poet, writer, feminist and political conscience has spanned 40 years, and she is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Fellowship of American Poets, the Lenore MarshallThe Nation Prize for Poetry, the National Book Award, the Frost Medal, and a MacArthur Fellowship. While prize-winni- ng 1995-9- 6 small in stature and somewhat frail in appearance, Rich is a woman of commanding power and authority the moment she speaks. The overflow crowd in the Jewett Center was content to occupy stair steps and hallways in order to hear the poet read from her vast collection of works. Dialogue was kept at a minimum it supplied just enough information for the audience to catch the theme of the work. The early pieces on the program served to reach out, to tap one on the shoulder and to beckon; the listener almost followed a map of the poems direction. Fragments of conversation overheard after the reading would indicate Rich has an uncanny ability to relate personally to her audience in almost unexpectedly intimate fashion. Little by little, layer by layer, the poet peeled away at the facades we wore into the auditorium. There was a palpable sense of surrender as one by one, the listeners followed as though AWAI1A Poetry Series ElSHEESEfBSHAlOMAIOgUffflLOjCHICIE SO Rich were the Pied Piper of Hamelin (sp?). At the conclusion, there was a collective sigh of ecstasy followed by a thunderous ovation. Rich had lived up to her billing as quite possibly the greatest living American poet. The audience seemed to be of a variety of ages and types; perhaps there were a few more young, traditional students, but on the whole pretty much an eclectic assembly. While there may have been a few who were filling a class requirement (surely not!), poetry lovers were clearly the majority. Sales of Richs books went well before the reading; they were plainly hectic afterward. The poet mingled with her admiring public and graciously signed copies of her work. The success of the first in the 5 WHY DID YOU COME BACK TO SCHOOL? A. TO GET AM EDUCATION B. TO GET OUT OF YOUR parents' house C. For our pizza & pasta OF COURSE! (AnswecC) Of Pizza & Pasta 4 Monday-SaJurla- y 11-1- 1, Sunday 0, 1063 East 2100 South, SLC 484-18- 04 mm 2 Westminster Poetry Series bodes well for the events to follow. David Lehman, the next poet to be featured, will read at 8 p.m. in Nunemaker Place on Nov. 2. After you Read it Recycle It! Newspaper recycling bin located in Forum Office, Converse 201 The Scarlet Letter by Jackie Farnsworth Hollywood Forum staff writer I must admit that the pan of a Northeastern Indian village as the opening credits began to roll had me worried, but what really tipped me off was when the title appeared. The Scarlet Letter, it said, and in much smaller print, Freely adapted from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I started to laugh (not for the last time during the movie). I wasnt alone. So free was the adaptation, in fact, that the movie truly resembled Hawthornes classic about as closely as it resembled a Zane Grey novel. Hawthornes novel took place in 17th century New jf so did the England, movie, and there the similarities end. It takes some pretty amazing Hollywood ''' " 'w V J- to turn Hawthornes origimagic ' MXr.Ta nal story of sin, punishment and Demi Moore ""I stars as Hester Prynne in the film The Scarlet Letter, freely adapted from th redemption, into a tale of spirit novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. and defiance against a corrupt the movie has something to say lshment. Reverend Dimmesdale is trans- Puritan society. The Scarlet about To be fair, the movie did stick formed from a weak and guilt-rid-t- o (sexism, everything Letter is a recipe for down-hom- e the characters names, but the den clergyman unable to muster hypocrisy, prejudice, cruelty) so Hollywood goodness: action, susmuch, in fact that it practically characters themselves were pro- - the strength to confess his trans- pense, violence, sex (in the form ignores the in themes foundly changed. In true movie gression to his parishioners, to the of a painfully long love scene), pat Hawthornes prevalent novel, sin and pun- - magic Hawthornes dashing and style, passionate happy endings and all. It seems Ss. J " Dimmesdale, so moved by his love that he must fight against his desire to reveal all to the world. Perhaps if the movie had not been called The Scarlet Letter at all but had been presented as an original idea I would not have been so quick to laugh at it out loud. After all, the movie includes some beautiful scenery and excel- lent performances by Gary Joan Oldman, Plowright and Demi Moore. If you are looking for an action-packe- d flick chock full of indians, witches, rescues, strong women, and even stronger love, you wont be disappointed. If, however, you are looking for Hawthornes classic tale (even the Cliff notes version), or even remote realism, perhaps you had better call this one a miss. I refuse to resort to some cheap rating system that may insult the intelligence of the reader. I will however suggest that if you decide to see this movie, you do so without preconceptions of the story line and, if you plan to read, or have already read the nick-of-ti- book, dont worry, it wont ruin the ending. |