1、Listen31 Mozambiques President Samora Machel has been killed in a plane crash on South Africas eastern border. Machel and twenty-eight others died in the crash during a thunderstorm last night. Ten survived. They were returning home from a weekend summit of African leaders in Zambia. Machel was fift
2、y-three. He led Mozambique to independence and had been President since 1975. General Motors announced today it is selling its assets in South Africa. G.M. Chairman Roger Smith said the recession in South Africa and a lack of progress in ending apartheid has created what he called an increasingly di
3、fficult business environment. Smith said GM South African operations had been losing money for several years. GMs Opel and Isuzu subsidiaries will be sold to a group headed by local South African management. The Reagan Administration today reacted angrily to the Soviet expulsion of five American dip
4、lomats from the Soviet Union yesterday. NPRs Jim Angle has details. White Home spokesman Larry Speakes called it an unjustified action based on unfounded allegations. We are upset, outraged, and chagrined, he said. At the State Department, spokesman Charles Redman said the US has made its views of t
5、he expulsions clear to Soviet officials in Moscow. We did protest that action. In doing so, we made the point that this action is totally without justification and cannot help but have a detrimental effect on our relations. Administration officials said the expulsion was clearly a retaliation for th
6、e US expulsion of twenty-five diplomats at the Soviet mission to the UN. That was part of a three-year reduction in the Soviet UN staff demanded by the administration. Officials would not comment on whether the five Americans were intelligence officers, but insist that they had done nothing improper
7、, meaning they were not caught in any act of espionage. Some administration officials believe this is a test of wills between the US and the Soviet Union over what kind of intelligence presence each side will allow. In any case, said one official, the Soviet action is illegitimate and shouldnt go wi
8、thout a response. Im Jim Angle in Washington. The citizens of the troubled African nation of Mozambique are in shock tonight and waiting to hear who will be leading their country in the coming months. The leader of that southern African country Samora Machel died last night as his plane apparently a
9、ttempted a crash landing inside South Africa just half a mile from the Mozambican border. Twenty-eight others also died in the crash. The death of Machel and the location of the crash have raised serious questions about South Africas possible role in the crash, and about the future stability of the
10、region. NPRs John Madison has more from Johannesburg. President Machel died within a few minutes drive from the place that he and South African President P.W. Botha made famous, Nkomati, the village that gave its name to a historic nonaggression pact between the white minority government and its bla
11、ck Marxist neighbor in 1984. twenty-eight people are believed to have died in the crash last night. Only ten survived; all but one are in serious condition. Bodies were strewn around the plateau on which the Presidents jet appears to have tried to make a forced landing. In the wreckage, only the tai
12、l of the fuselage is identifiable as the remains of an airplane. Most of the dead were senior members of Machels government, and one was Zaires Ambassador to Mozambique. With news of the crash, suspicion was immediately cast on South Africa. The war of words between the two has escalated in recent w
13、eeks bringing relations to an all-time low since the Nkomati Accord was signed two years ago. The timing of the tragedy could hardly have been worse for regional stability. The past two weeks have seen escalating South Africa charges and threats against Mozambique. On October 6, a land mine exploded
14、 in South Africa near the border, injuring six South African soldiers. Two days later South Africas Defense Minister warned Machel that South Africa would fight with everything at its disposal. He pointedly said Machel held the fate of Nkomati Accord in his hands. Then ten days ago, South Africa ann
15、ounced it was barring Mozambiques sixty-three thousand workers from South Africa, thus cutting off Mozambiques main supply of foreign exchange. South Africas outlawed African National Congress today blamed South Africa for being directly of indirectly responsible for the crash. They pointed out that
16、 South Africa has backed the Mozambique resistance movement of Ronomo, which was currently conducting a military offense against the Mozambique government. They said either South Africa or Renamo caused the crash. Renamo, for its part, denied this responsibility but made no bones about its pleasure
17、at Machels demise. The death of President Machel removes the main obstacle to peace, a spokesman for Ronomo in Lisbon said. And he was personally running a war against us. We are happy to hear of his death. The anti-apartheid United Democratic Party Front spokesman Murphy Moroby said the South Afric
18、an government would have to prove it was not involved. The South African government says international investigators are welcome to assist in the investigation. Whatever caused the crash, leaders in the region are scrambling to understand its consequences. Machel was a charismatic leader, who brough
19、t his country to independence in 1975. And there is no obvious successor. Mozambique is one of the weakest of South Africas immediate neighbors. And there are questions about whether Machels ruling party FRELIMO can remain in power without him. Im John Madison in Johannesburg. In New York Citys Linc
20、oln Center this week, applause and just a few boos for this years New York Film Festival. In its twenty-four year history, the festival has played host to the American premiers of such films as The Last Picture Show , Last Tango in Paris and Chariots of Fire . It has also given an exposure to hundre
21、ds of foreign and low-budget movies which might otherwise have gone unnoticed in this country. This years schedule includes both obscure films and movies which seem destined for commercial success. Film critic Bob Mondello has been in attendance this week and he says, A more accurate title for the e
22、vent might have been the New York Film Critics Festival. Critics dont usually travel in packs. There are three hundred of us at this thing, and everybody is watching the film at once. And its a kind of strange to be hearing them reacting as human beings rather than seeing these things in individuals
23、 screenings. Do the critics then get to talk with the people who actually made the film? Is that the point of the festival? Well, thats kind of it. I think the most interesting thing should be those interviews afterwards. But critics are not, by nature, social beings sometimes. And when theyre sitti
24、ng down in a large group, you kind of . youre torn between wanting to ask some probing questions and ask something really silly. And sometimes the questions they ask are very strange. For instance, David Burn of Talking Heads, the rock group, has made a movie called True Stories . Now, its his first
25、 picture. He might conceivably have some interesting things to say about music and movies. He might conceivable have some interesting things to say about being a newcomer to movie-making. But for some reason, someone asked him about a scene where some of his actors get dipped in chocolate. So he end
26、ed up doing a couple of minutes on something thats not really his field, a substance called bentonite. It has the chemical consistency of chocolate, but its a lot cheaper and itll flow without being heated up. So you dont scald yourself when you jump into it. Its a curious liqueur that was . They us
27、e if they pump it down into . when they drill for oil, and it brings up the loose grave and things, because its heavier than rock. Its also used to thicken the filling in jelly donuts. Now, thats probably more than you ever thought youd want to know about that particular aspect of film-making. Its n
28、ice to have that technical not. David Burn had the film When Talking Had Stopping Making Sense ,the documentary, a couple of years ago. He had a lot to do with the production of that. Does this one, which apparently is a feature film, does it work? What are the reviews? Well, Im not . the film hasnt
29、 actually opened anywhere yet. Were . the critics saw it the other day. Its pretty good. Its kind of a goofy picture. Its set in a small town called Burgell, Texas, which doesnt actually exist. And theyre having a celebration of specialness. And I think only David Burn would come up with ideas like
30、having a fashion show that features a suit made out of Astroturf which is kind of fun. How many films at the Festival? There are twenty-four and a bunch of shorts. Actually, the only thing I saw that got hissed . the audience reaction when youre sitting with a lot of critics can be very interesting,
31、 and everyone hissed one called Girls in Suits , which was a sort of My Dinner with Andre , I guess you could call it. It was two women talking about their affairs for twenty minutes, and it was excruciating, I thought. One of the films at the festival Im looking forward to seeing when it comes arou
32、nd the country is Round Midnight , a film done with saxophone player Dexter Gordon, an American whos been living in Paris for many years. Yea, and its likely to be the real toast of the Festival. Its the one thing about which no one can think of anything negative to say. It is a beautiful motion pic
33、ture. Its made by Bertrand Tavernier, who is just an extraordinary film-maker. And in this particular instance, its, you know, Dexter Gordons first film role, his first acting role, really. And hes . its very interesting to see him. I mean he hasnt . Youre used to hearing him play the saxophone, but
34、 youve almost never heard him speak. Lets just play a clip from it, so that you have some idea. Hes a saxophonist who is killing himself with drink. And this is sort of the morning after one of those days. Never, never again, man. Dont cry for me. Never again, Franz. What else can I do when you are
35、killing yourself? Ill stop. Stop? I promise. Al, you never stopped before. I never promised anybody before. Whats really interesting is seeing him in person too, because while hes talkinghe was there at a press conference afterwardsand while hes talking, he moves his fingers in the air as if he were
36、 fingering his instrument. Its fascinating thing, because hes clearly improvising his answers, and he also does that sometimes in the film. Its, its just fascinating to see. I think thats one of the reasons that the Festival is so interesting if youre a critic. So Round Midnight looks good. Also rar
37、e reviews so far for the Kathleen Turner film Peggie Sue Got Married , which will close, I understand the Festival on Sunday. Can you tell us from what youve seen there, are the next few months of American movie-going going to be worthwhile? Oh, boy. I wish I could tell from just the films at the Fe
38、stival. If only . you see, a lot of these are not terribly commercial pictures. The ones that are, like Peggie Sue Got Married I think thats going to be a hit in the same sort of way that The Big Chill , which opened the festival a couple of years ago, was. And there are a few others like that, like
39、 Menage by Bertrand Blier which looks to be a big foreign film, and Sid and Nancy has a commercial chance. Thats about Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. So theres a possibility. Its really hard to judge from a film festival, though. These are not, for the most part, which you call mainstream films. As a matter of fact, thats the point of having them in the festivalto try and give them a chance with the public and get the awareness up. But a few great winners to see, anyway. Thanks, Bob Mondello, talking with us in New York.
