1980_05 The Daily Collegian May 1980

              May 2,1980~t_* Dafly CoBeg__--Faf« 5
La Semana ends May 5
A dancing exhibition was only one of the activities during
Semana de la Raza, a week-long observance of Chicano
culture.
Today at 11 a.m., will be a panel discussion on local
Chicano politics. The guest speaker at noon will be Dr Ralph
Gnzman, deputy assistant secretary of state for inter-Amer-
ican affairs with the U.S. Department of State. At 8 p.m.,
there will be an evening program of theatre and music in the
Free Speech Area. A dance will be held In. the College Union
from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Cinco de Mayo events on Monday will begin at 10 a.m. in
the College Union with opening remarks by Dr. Alex Sar-
agoza, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley
and former coordinator of La Raza Studies at CSUF.
Performances by Maruichi de la Tierra and Dai—antes de
Aztlan will begin at 10:30 a.m. followed at 12:30 p.m. by
featured speaker Julia Sierra de Prieto, a professor of anthro¬
pology at Universal—— Iben—mericano in Mexico City.
All of the Semana de la Raza activities are open to the
public. For more information, contact the CSUF La Raza
Studies Program Office at 487-2848.
Photo by John Walker
Alfred Hitchcock
Movie legend, Master of Suspense dead at 80
by Bob McHatton
I was at the drug store Tuesday
getting some typing paper for a term
paper due Wednesday, when I just
happened to pass some shelves with the
latest paperback bestsellers on them.
Instantly a title caught my fancy. The
book had a flavorful and recognizable
character on the cover and having just
got paid, I decided the S2.75 price was
well worth it.
When I got to the check stand, a nice
little old lady broke my ten, but at the
same time gave me a strange look.
"He was a good man. L didn't ej^n
know he was sick," she said.
1 was shocked. "You'rekiddingl!"
"Didn't you hear? He died this morn¬
ing.' She slowly wrapped my goods in a
bag as I silently felt a chill rise up my
spine.
She went on. "I haven't been keeping
up with his private life these past years,
but all I can say ia that he was a man who
entertained a loto f people."
I thjnk that moment will stick in my
memory because I began to appreciate
the reasons why people go into show
business.  Few of us leave much of a
legacy, but this man did!
Alfred Hitchcock has been, over the
years, in a rank truly his own. Master of
suspense. The epitome of storytellers.
The definitive filmmaker.
Orson Welles once called film the best
toy a boy was ever given. Hitchcock saw
the medium as his means to achieving a
unique power. He saw film as a way to
move and reach people. And he left a
signature recognizable the world over.
Few directors receive a greater noto¬
riety than the actors who: . work for
them. DeMille did it. Welles got it.
Griffith got it. But most will agree that
Hitchcock should be put into a class or
his own.
Jimmy Stewart said, 'No one will ever
top Hitch.'
Hitchcock made 53 films in his career,
and not a bad one in the bunch. He wi¬
the most successful director of the time.
From "The Birds* to 'Psycho,' 'North
by Northwest" to "Vertigo." His movies
were hits and made him a lot of money,
but throughout his career lie made it a
point to de-empl"ie\size'tr«m6rie^ aspect i
of his art.
There has been much speculation on
the man and his work. Many have copied
his techniques, but in the end they look
like copies. Hitchcock was an original
and his audiences ate it up. It's been
said that he never looked through the
viewfinder of a camera—that he drew
pictures on paper to describe a scene to
his camera operators, and it's true.
He never told his actors what the
scene was all about. He just promised
miracles, and the actors learned to trust
him.
Bom and raised in England, Hitchcock
came to America a rookie-filmmaker
curious of the American Hollywood and
tne new potential of the movie studios.
Soon he began to leave hia mark. Widely
known for a big ego, he made it a tradi¬
tion to make cameo appearances in all
hia films.
Overall,-Alfred Hitchcock was an artist
who mastered his paints into moving,
emotion-building, chair-jumping results.
He loved his craft. He loved his art. He
loved his audience.
, Hia audience will miss him, and
thanks .to .filmr oyi .childIres'* children-
wibnaviSachanee to'mias' IDin, —*>.''
New wave
not selling
by Brett Kofford
America, it's time to stop ignoring The
Jam! Setting Sana, their fourth alb—n is
one of the finest new wave albums yet
produced, but strangely enough, it is not
selling worth a dam in the States.
This threesome is one of the mest pop¬
ular in the British Isles, but they can't
seem to attract any attention from Amer¬
ican audiences.
There are a couple of possible reasons,
one of which is a not very enthusiastic
promotional campaign from Polydor
Records, (Although they did recently
appear on American Bandstand) and the
other reason may be because they are so
very British.
The songs all have a very British feel,
the lyrics sre about life in the UK and
filled with English references and the
fellows sing with extremely thick ac¬
cents.
Although we may not understand
everything they say, with a little help
from the lyric sheet, The Jam do get
their message across. Guitarist-song¬
writer Paul Weller ia not happy with the
world he sees.
He speaks out for the common man
and against the idle rich in "Saturday's
Kids," criticizes social complacency in
'Burning Sky,' politicians in "Little Boy
Soldiers" and gang warfare in "The Eton
Rifles.'
Bassist Bruce Foxworth chimes in with
one song of his own, "Smithers-Jones" a
song about the struggles of the common
working man. The lyrics of all 10 original
songs are consistently literate and
biting.
The music outshines even the lyrics.
The songs are fresh, tight and urgent
(except for "Smithers-Jones" which is a
prim, proper little number highlighted
by a very sophisticated string section).
The guitars 'blend together in booming
powerful riffs giving the songs a drive
that rates with any band in music today.
The Jam have often been compared
with The Who in their intelligence and
total intensity. Weller is a fine singer but
the songs come to life even more when
Foxworth joins in to harmonize.
The one glaring weakness on this al¬
bum is an uninspired remake of the rock
'n roll classic 'Heatwave* that totally
counters the mood set by the other cuts
and sticks out like Dolly Parton's chest.
The only reason I can think of that this
song was included on the disc was to at¬
tract some airplay on American radio,
though I hesitate to question the integ¬
rity of The Jam.
On their recent American Bandstand
appearance bassist Bruce Foxworth did
something I'd been waiting years to see.
He popped off to Dick Clark. Clark aaked
his obligatory stupid question, 'How
would you categorize your music?*,
which is a question all bands hate to ans¬
wer because no matter how they do
respond, they are going to alienate
people.
Paul Weller totally ignored the ques¬
tion, but Foxworth responded 'It's Jam
Music.* Clark then aaked 'And what is
Jam Music?* to which Foxworth sarcast¬
ically replied, 'Music by The Jam.* Ol'
Dicky was speechless.
Some day soon The Jam are going to
take America by storm and have people
dancing in the streets. I can't wait to say
*I told you so.'