At the
movies
'Hanoi Hilton' pinpoints suffering
Vietnam War movies seem to
be the genre these days. That's
not necessarily had; each one
seems to pinpoint a piece of an
era chocked full of societal
impact.
Review by
Jackie Barry
"Hanoi Hilton” pinpoints the
suffering of war prisoners.
Although not a new Vietnam
War treatment, the makers of
"Hanoi Hilton" added a new
twist when they chose to il
lustrate the suffering of a group
of American prisoners, rather
than an individual.
The story follows a
chronological line, beginning
when Air Force flyer Patrick
Williamson, played by Michael
Moriarty. crash lands, gets cap
tured by Viet Cong and is taken
to a prison in Hanoi. William
son's fear of being stuck in this
rat-infested hell hole until he
dies is established right away
and becomes a common thread
throughout the film.
I his common thread bonds
hundreds of prisoners alluded
to in the film, as well as a cast of
about a dozen other American
soldiers. These characters band
together and attempt to fight a
battle of wills against their cap
tors. They wish to be honest
about the horrors they ex
perience in captivity, and they
don't want to provide informa
tion to the enemy. Their captors
wish just the opposite, and pro
mise early release to any
prisoner who will succumb.
This is not a movie for the
squeamish. Graphic portrayal of
and allusion to torture makes
this film gruesome throughout.
The players deliver stagger
ing performances in most cases,
with Moriarty topping the list as
a man trying to grasp control in
an emotionally overwhelming
situation.
Near the start of the film,
Moriarty makes his first contact
with another American prisoner
after 14 months in solitary’ con
finement. While taking his first
bath at the public sink, he finds
a recent message scrawled on a
brick.
After returning to his cell.
Moriarty shows new resolve
Washed and wearing clean
prison garb, the message has
relit a nearly extinguished light
in his heart Moriarty picks up a
bowl of food left for him by his
captors, picks unwanted
creatures from the gruel and
slowly downs the unappetizing
meal, gagging, fighting back
tears, and whimpering all the
while.
But while these performances
and the treatment to which the
prisoners are subjected create
riveting statements in this film,
other things detract from the
total impact.
Because of the characters'
ordeals, we want to can? about
them, but don't know enough to
care. Tidbits thrown in by
scriptwriter and director Lionel
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Turn to Hanoi, Page H
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Movimwnto Estudiantil Chicano da Aztldn
AIEGhA
Chicano/Latino Student Union
Second Annual Conference
migra
Immigration
WORKING TOWARDS AN IMPACT
MEChA, the Chicano/Latino Student Union, is formally inviting
you to attend our Second Annual Chicano Conference: Chicane
Issues: La Migra, La Escuela, y El Campo: Working Towards an
Impact. The conference will be held at the U of O campus on
Thursday & Friday, May 21st and 22nd. We invite you to share our
culture and our ideas.
This year's conference is directed to the Univer
stty, the administrators, the professors and the
students of the U of O who can offer support to
the success of the Chicano/Latino students on
campus Through our conference, we want to
create awareness and bring attention to: 1) the
discrimination by color and ancestry that the
new immigration law will create. 2) the high drop
out rate of Chicano/Latino students creating the
consequent under representation of this seg
ment of the population in higher education. 3)
the health conditions and labor problems that
our Chicano/Latino population encounter in the
fields Our obiective is to work towards seeking
solutions
The workshops we have organized are the follow
ing La Migra and its repercussions with the
Chicano/Latino population, La Eacuela and how
to recruit and retain Chicano/Latino students:
high school and college issues El Campo
health, labor, and environmental issues We have
chosen several reputable leaders and scholars in
our Chicano/Latino community to speak and
lead workshops at the conference and assist us
in meeting our objectives
Our keynote speaker is Dolores Huerta, the Vice
President of the United Farm Workers, a fiery
leader of farm working causes She has worked
with Cesar Chaves since 196b Huerta is one of
the main negotiators for tho UFW and has spent
considerable time in Sacramento, California and
Washington D C , helping push through legisla
lion favorable to farm workers.
Antonia Castaneda is active In the Chicano
movement and has spoken at many conferences
Casteneda Is the co-editor of one of the first an
thologies of Chicano literature, Lileratura
Chlcana. She is completing her Ph D in history
at Stanford University, with a specialty in labor
history in the Southwest. Currently, Casteneda
works at the Office of Affirmative Action at
California State University. Sacramento
Jose Montoya IS one ot the outstanding and bet
ter known Chicano poets who has been invited
to read in Europe Presently, Montoya is a pro
lessor ol Art at California Slate University,
Sacramento, where he has taught lor 20 years In
addition to teaching art, Montoya is a musician
and an artist Last yeai, Montoya took his slide
presentation, ‘'Chicanos the Endangered
Species” to Pans and received a standing ova
tion He has published a book of Chicano poetry,
Los de Aba/a. and is currently working on
another book
Thursday, May 21st
5:00-6:30 pm Registration of participants
• Guest speakers and social mixer
reception with music
6:30 Spanish Choir
7:00 Mariachi
8:00 Introduction of guest speakers by
MEChA director. Poetry reading by
Jose Montoya
8:30 Folkoric Dance Group
• Location: Room 167, EMU
Friday, May 22nd
8:30-9:00 am Registration of participants
9:00-9:20 General Session (Introduction)
WORKSHOPS
9:20-10:00 Chicano/Latino Education:
Manuel Pacheco
10.00-10:30 Gerard Mosley, Vice-Provost
for Student Affairs
10:30-11:30 Chicano History: Antonia
Castaneda
11:30-12:30 pm Immigration: Ramon
Ramirez
12:30-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-3:00 Keynote Address: Dolores
Huerta
3:00-4:00 Art Show. (Chicanos, the En
dangered Species) by Jose Montoya
4:00-4:30 Discussion (Wrap up): Jose
Montoya
* Location: Room 129, Law School
For more information call
MEChA 686-3508
University of Oregon Spring of 1987
Admission is Free.