IN THE WASHINGTON bureau of The New York Times hangs a framed poster titled ''Boulevard of Broken Dreams.'' It is a painting by Gottfried Helnwein - inspired by the nostalgia and realism in Edward Hopper's painting ''Nighthawks'' - of four legendary people in a dreary diner at night.
Working behind the counter is Elvis Presley; sitting on one stool by himself, coat collar turned up, with a white mug of coffee at hand, is an unshaven James Dean; Marilyn Monroe, blond head tossed back in provocative laughter, is seated close to Humphrey Bogart, wearing a bow tie as Rick in ''Casablanca,'' staring glumly at a glass in front of him. All dead too soon, but their images shimmer in the shared, broken dreams of our national memory. ...

The most controversial part of the festival this year is likely to be a West German ballet, Johann Kresnik's and Gottfried Helnwein's ''Macbeth,'' performed by the Bremer Theater from Bremen Aug. 15 to 17. This production is described in the festival literature as ''blood-boltered and violent, full of sadomasochistic images,'' and inspired not only by the Shakespeare tragedy but also by the more recent mysterious death of a West German politician in Schleswig-Holstein. ...

At nights my room was plunged into a deep, red light - my toys, the furniture, my bed, my hands - everything had the same color and seemed to be made of the same soft material. As though the natural laws were suddenly suspended, all matter seemed to glow from the inside out. The explanation for this red magic was the large illuminated star of the Red Army on the roof of the factory across the street, which poured it’s fire nightly into my room. ...