Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 27, 1991 TAG: 9102270095
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo}
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ "NASCAR Video, Volume One" is the first issue of a series of video magazines devoted to stock-car racing. It is a collection of short, well-produced features covering the history of the Daytona race, profiles of Fred Lorenzen and Dale Earnhardt, technological information about engine testing, driving tips and the like. Benny Parsons is a relaxed, amiable host. He seems as comfortable in front of the camera as a rough-edged Charles Kuralt.
The magazine itself is NASCAR's attempt to duplicate the remarkable success at self-promotion that professional football has had with NFL Films. These tapes will show the sport in the most flattering light, featuring the most exciting moments, colorful characters and unapologetic nostalgia, all shown with suitably heroic electronic music in the background.
This first tape is slickly made, but thank goodness no one tried to clean up the way these guys talk. They are indeed the legitimate descendants of the "good old boys" that Tom Wolfe wrote about in "The Last American Hero" and they sound right.
Richard Petty remembers his first time behind the wheel of a '64 Plymouth, a monster that went about 20 mph faster than any other stock car ever had. Those were the days before bucket seats, so they had to brace him behind the wheel with a padded two-by-four, but Petty says, "Naw, it didn't sceer me; it just took my breath."
\ "Memories of Hollywood" is another piece of blatant, well-made nostalgia. It's a fond recollection of the salad days of the Hollywood studio system. The main appeal of this one is the music, lush orchestral works by Miklos Rozsa, Elmer Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Bill Conti, Glenn Miller, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and others. The pieces are played over clips and previews from appropriate movies, including several of your favorites and a lot that you've never seen and probably don't want to.
The best segments come from "Stage Door Canteen," one of Hollywood's best war efforts, and some funny scenes from Buster Keaton comedies.
\ "Frank Sinatra: The Reprise Collection" is a three-tape set of television specials that were broadcast between 1965 and 1973, "A Man and His Music," "A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim" and "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back" with Gene Kelly. Arguably, Sinatra was not at the peak of his vocal power during those years, but the first two tapes, with the famous Nelson Riddle arrangements, are simply some of the best music you'll ever hear. Theatrics and visual tricks are kept to a minimum. The focus is on the star doing what he does best.
All right, Sinatra and Ella probably should not have attempted "Ode to Billy Joe," but that segment is short and easily overlooked. On the other tapes, "I've Got You Under My Skin," "It Was a Very Good Year," "The Lady Is a Tramp" and maybe a dozen more songs will make you wish that your television had better sound.
\ "Inside the Soviet Union - Babi Yar" is part of a 20-volume set of propaganda films produced by the Soviet government over a 40-year period. This one appears to have been made in the early 1970s and though the subject is the mass murders that took place at Babi Yar, near Kiev, the filmmakers take a few ham-fisted swipes at America. Horrifying concentration camp footage shot by the Germans is intercut with shots of American Nazi party rallies. Yes, there is a connection between the two, but here they're presented as virtual equals. Later, the film blithely equates fascism with Zionism.
But all propaganda is a mixture of distortion, lies and truth, and this is no exception. The best part of the film shows what happened at Babi Yar. No matter how often they are repeated, the stories of the Holocaust survivors are shocking and sad beyond words. These images are some of the strongest. 200,000 people - Jews, Ukrainians, communists and others - are buried in the mass grave there. Distortions notwithstanding "Babi Yar" has an important message. THE ESSENTIALS:\ `NASCAR Video, Volume One' 1/2 A+Vision. Unrated, contains no objectionable material. 50 min.
\ `Memories of Hollywood' 1/2 Paramount. Unrated, contains no objectionable material. 47 min.
\ `Frank Sinatra: The Reprise Collection' Warner Reprise. Unrated, contains no objectionable material. 50 min. each.
\ `Inside the Soviet Union - Babi Yar' 1/2 MPI. Unrated, contains graphic violence. 50 min.
by CNB