(Book) To make the deaf hear written by S Irfan Habib

Books like these are very important for a much more holistic understanding of Indian struggle for independence than what is taught to the children of this country through the official NCERT textbooks…Books like these remind us how much of our history we are unaware of and we also become aware of the fact that ‘rewriting’ of history is not something that BJP attempted during their regime but something that the Congress complete successfully during their uninterrupted rule for almost fifty years…

Today much more questions are being raised about Gandhi’s role in the struggle and there is a start to put his efforts in perspective with other people who had the same goals but differed in their methods and ideology. Gandhi is not considered the demi-god that he was projected for a long time. His flawed ideas, his hypocrisy and his ruthlessness in dealing with people who did not agree with him (He let Bhagat Singh hang, considering him a threat)  is increasingly becoming public knowledge and gaining acceptance. That is indeed a welcome change since it is time that history is retold in a more objective manner. It is also time that other people who have been airbrushed by Congress historians in favour of their own people are given the honour and the place in history that they deserve.

For a long time, the establishment considered people like Subhash Bose, Bhagat Singh, Surya Sen to be a threat to their version of history since they openly spoke against the compromises Congress made with the British and spoke against the weakness in approach and ideology of the Gandhi camp in dealing with the imperial power. For a long time the established view of the manner of India’s getting independence was thrust down the gullible throats of children. That is slowly changing with many books (like this one) proving that quite a different scenario was present and that independence of this country did not come via Gandhi at all.

The title of this book comes from the reason that Bhagat Singh and B K Dutt gave in support of their action in throwing a harmless bomb at the Legislative Assembly. They felt that the Congress and the British Imperial propaganda were disparaging the revolutionaries (relegating them as terrorists – NCERT books still label them as such) and also that their policies were harming the common people. They courted arrest so that their ideas could be more readily disseminated to the people of India.

The book is lucidly written and takes an approach of giving the background of the rise of the revolutionary ideals in India and their evolution from a religious nationalism to a completely scientific socialist point of making a revolution. The book is also a testimony to the maturity and the incisiveness of thoughts of the revolutionaries in understanding the situation in India especially in relation to the world scenario and their understanding that unless the core problems in ideology and approach were solved, white masters would be simply replaced by brown masters without causing much change in the ground situation (an observer today would testify to the prescience of these thoughts). Compare this with the fuzzy, hazy, metaphysical ideology of Gandhi which proclaimed the Luddite ideal of pre-industrial village economies and living off nature.

It is a tragedy that someone like Gandhi gained ascendance in Congress (helped no doubt by the British and the Indian capitalist classes). His rise is naturally due to the fact that the imperial masters found easy to deal with Gandhi who easily compromised and whose actions (purely non-violent) never really threatened the established order. His was a spiritual movement completely out of tune with the requirement of the  hour. But as things stood, the British killed off the people whose ideas could have made the country much more inclusive while Gandhi continued with his fuddy-duddy approach, much to the delight of the Britishers (I mean, he wanted a dominion status late into 1930’s for India – can you imagine India as Wales?).

All of this is explained beautifully in this highly informative book. We are gradually introduced into the world and thoughts of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. For someone who does not know, it would come as an incredible the thoughts of someone as young like Bhagat Singh and his friends. His “Why I am an atheist” could not have been written more lucidly by a learned professor of thrice his age. His mature approach to the struggle and his foresight in terms of what the Indian society needs is a refreshing read and is a proof (if any was needed) that the Indian  struggle was not a monotheistic one nor a linear one.

The book is filled with lots of pamphlets and writings by the  revolutionaries themselves which gives us an opportunity to read them without the filter of interpretation. This is one more thing that makes this book a gem…

All in all, a very refreshing and important read not only for a history buff like me but for anyone with an open mind who is interested in understanding our roots…and very importantly, the fact that it is written by Irfan Habib makes it very accessible to even the casual reader of history…

Labels: Books, historical, independence, india, revolution

posted by Protik Basu @ 11:21 AM 0 Comments

(Book) Shadows of the Pomegranate tree written by Tariq Ali

The reading of this book completes my list of the Islamic Quintet (four of have been written so far). This is the first of the series and I read it last due to its unavailability. I needed to get it from Kolkata to read it. Gautham, I would always owe the reading of this book to you!!!

The book is excellent and carries on with the tradition of the other books in the series. The structure and the theme of the book is the same as the others. Islamic glory is in the past and the characters in the book face and existential crisis in the new environment, their enemy – an intolerant and barbaric Christianity that is intent on committing genocide in name of religion.

This book deals with the fall of one the greatest Islamic empires – in Spain (or Al-Andalus as it was called then) when it was conquered by the Reconquista by the Christians. This fall is shown through the eyes of the members of the ruling family in the village of Banu Hudayl, a family whose members are as varied as they have been in the other novels of the series – an indication of the incredible diversity in the Islamic world.

The book starts with the scene of a book burning in Granada by the  newly conquering Christians (led by the bishop Ximenes de Cisneros) and sets a tone for the entire story – where Muslims who had practiced an inclusive rule where all religions were allowed to live in peace suddenly finds itself confronted with a highly intolerant Christianity that would know no peace until it wipes off Muslim population in Spain. Historically this new Spain gave birth to the conquistadors who enslaved the indigenous population in South America and who wiped off thriving Indian cultures there (including Incan and the Mayan civilization). The germ for that barbarity is sown in the events taking place in the book. The epilogue in the book is appropriately pointing towards this…that was a very apt ending, I felt.

It showed that events that took place nearly 600 years ago still make their impact felt today. Evo Morales is a prime example of the struggle that the indigenous population had to endure to get back some of the dignity lost to the Spanish all those years ago…

This book serves as a timely historical corrective in terms of the perception that people have of the Islamic world. Tariq Ali through these novels has been able to make the characters populating those times as relevant as people today. These books also serve as a history lesson that is not told so easily by the dominant world media pandering as they are to a uni-dimensional world view.

As with the other books of the series, the book can also be read as a gripping story with many-dimensional people trying to find their destiny. It is set in a world that might seem fantastic and magical today – a reminder of what we have lost.

One of the most satisfying series that I have read…cant wait for the last book…

Labels: Books, historical, islamic quintet, Tariq Ali

posted by Protik Basu @ 3:53 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Basketball Diaries directed by Scott Kalvert

A true story which is what makes this movie moving. The story is about drug abuse, about how simple teenage bravado and dare takes a person down the abyss of addiction and its horrific consequences. It ends with redemption of sorts for the author of ‘Basketball Diaries’.

But having watched movies like “Requiem for a Dream” and “Spun”, which I feel draws you much more into them, this movie seemed to make somewhat less impact…Midway through the movie, you realize that you have seen it all. This is all a bit unjust, I know, since it was one of pioneers in this genre. Its just my luck that I saw movies which I liked better before I saw this one…

But watch it for the acting of Leonardo Di Caprio. It is breathtaking. And he was a strapping teenager when he acted in the movie. We all got to know his acting prowess with the films he did after he became famous in Titanic (though not in Titanic itself). This is pre-Titanic of course and you just see the mature actor he would become in the tormented character he plays in this movie…

Labels: book adaptation, drugs, movies, true story

posted by Protik Basu @ 3:18 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) The Score directed by Frank Oz

The main attraction of this movie for me was of course the pairing of two of the biggest heavyweights in Hollywood – Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, incidentally the only movie in which they have acted together (except Godfather where they played the same character). The fact that Edward Norton would be there just sweetened the ingredient (in fact Norton agreed to act in the movie only because of the same reason – to act alongside Brando and De Niro together!!!)

The story is interesting – De Niro is an ageing safecracker and master burglar aiming for one big score to finish off his career. Brando is his main contact who ‘arranges’ everything and who is also a lifelong friend. Enter Norton with a plan to rob a national treasure of France whose fetching price would be enough to make everyone happy. So the ageing burglar and the upstart plan the burglary together – one to finish off the game and other to make a name for himself in the crime world. And so we enter a thrilling world of conspiracy and crime-planning with all its elements of suspense and sudden turn of events. At the end,  a double game plays out which turns everything on its head, until at the end everyone get what they deserve…

The story is nice in itself and the plot interesting. However you would have expected much more of this movie which boasted an explosive duo whose very name is enough to watch the movie. Sadly, the movie rarely rises above itself and Brando especially seems wasted in his role. You miss the mystique he exuded in his Godfather role, though its unfair to compare the two movie, but still that's what you hope for…The finale though a twist was a tad clichéd and you do feel a sense of déjà vu.

But if you disregard high expectations and watch the movie just as a thriller, you wont be disappointed…it has enough to hold your attention, especially Norton’s menacing acting and De Niro’s suave handling of things..

Labels: Crime, movies, thriller

posted by Protik Basu @ 3:12 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Donnie Brasco directed by Mike Newell

One of the classics of the ‘mafia thriller’ genre and it lives upto its promise after all this time…I watched this movie and Sweeney Todd almost back to back and got a testimony to the acting range of Depp first hand. Al Pacino, well, is a master at the craft…

Depp as the undercover police agent infiltrating the mafia and eventually becoming a ‘part of them’ in many ways is sublime as he plays out his troubled conscience which is torn between the ‘real world’ of his family and his assumed identity as a Mafia insider where he feels a strong kinship with Lefty (Al Pacino), a man with whom he finds true comradeship, something that the ‘real world’  is unable to fill.

Pacino is the long timer in the mafia circle but who has been passed over again and again in favour of more dashing and ruthless younger members of the gang. He feels strongly attached to Depp who he treats first as a protégé and increasingly as a son. The emotional and the vulnerable character that Pacino plays is very different from the usual portrayal of a ruthless and unconscionable mafia member and this multi-dimensional nature of his character makes him as and perhaps more real than the people on the right side of the law…

There are twists and turns in the movie as you would expect in a movie of this genre but the focus is on the upheavals in the relationships in the lives of the people on both sides of the fence and who are caught in the crossfire…and in that field, the movie excels…what the movie also excels in is showing the relativity of 'good and bad’ in society. Depp perhaps finds more meaning in his assumed identity than otherwise. In Pacino, he finds a friend that he does not have, a friend he  is ‘dutybound’ to betray…

The end of the movie both from the perspective of Pacino and Depp is one of the best endings I have seen…Pacino resigning himself to the ‘rules’ that he has always played by and his poignant preparation for it and leaving his ‘fortune’ for the woman he loves is moving; Depp seeing the farce of the society that he supposedly protected at the risk of his life – his gaze at the end saying it all.

Labels: Crime, movies, thriller, true story

posted by Protik Basu @ 3:09 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) And starring Pancho Villa as himself directed by Bruce Beresford

This is a fascinating movie that is steeped in history. But history buffs and non-buffs alike will find this movie engrossing and engaging because it not only portrays an exciting time in early 20th century history but is also a commentary on the role of media in changing the course of history. The fact that ‘Lens is mightier than the sword’ is proved by the movie set at a time when the power of the lens was just being felt on the world.

The story is all the more interesting because its true – Pancho Villa allowed an American movie company (Mutual Film Company) to film battles in real time (because he needed money to finance the revolution) so that it could be made into a movie, which it was – called “Life of General Villa”, a movie that changed the public opinion of Villa and prevented an invasion of Mexico by US army. The story is about the shooting of the movie in the midst of a revolution and the relationships between the people caught up in it, in relation to each other and especially in relation to Villa.

The movie’s another attraction is that it features some fascinating characters from history – other than Pancho Villa himself, there is John Reed, D W Griffith and lots of silent movie actors.

But the main attraction by far is Pancho Villa himself. He was known to be a multidimensional man – a military genius whose methods were studies by the US army, a charming man who held whole populations in thrall, an uncle giving candy to children, a ladies man, a Robin Hood who robbed lands to distribute it to the poor, a selfless patriot who wanted to liberate Mexico but not usurp power for himself and a man who can be a ruthless executioner when the time comes. All in all, an engrossingly complex character which the tide of history throws up at times like those…

And Antonio Banderas, I felt, played the role very well. The complexities of the man was brought out well. Both his emotional side and his cold calculating mind were both portrayed perfectly.

Another good thing I liked was that the movie did not take liberties with historical facts except in simplifying it (The revolution was infinitely more complex of course). That is a refreshing change…

I saw a part of the movie when I was working with Cognizant in Kolkata, missing a part of the morning hours due to this!!! And I have been searching for this since then…The full movie did not disappoint me, in fact I would count it among one of my favourite movies…

Viva Villa!!!

Labels: historical, movies, revolution, true story, war

posted by Protik Basu @ 3:01 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Inside Man directed by Spike Lee

There are three things that set the tone for this incredible thriller about a very unusual bank robbery. The first is the words spoken by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), the second is the song “Chaiya Chaiya” which is the opening soundtrack – the familiar song set in the New York setting gives off a strange feeling (though it also strangely fits in), the last is when the actor list rolls in – an immensely exciting delectable roster – Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe. And then you just get the feeling that this is going to be one hell of a movie, a feeling that is more than justified after the two and half hour of drama.

The story at first seems that of a high tech bank robbery but as the words at the start warn you, this is also very different from other such stories. Except a handful of people, the ‘robbery’ befuddles everyone. And the best part of this plot is that even though things start getting clearer as we move on in the story, the best part is left for the last.

Even though the end becomes a little preachy, the movie is fabulous  right from the first frame and never lets up even for a second. Every five minutes something happens that seems to twist the story or some new element is introduced that adds another dimension to the story. There are some some funny elements thrown in the middle – the tape of the Albanian president, a Sikh bemoaning racial stereotyping, all of which adds and does not distract from the action taking place. In fact these elements just keeps the movie from slipping into an all hands down action movie, which makes it even better. Another good part of the movie is that this portrays New York where even a person who knows Albanian lives – not the all white New York of Friends, which gives it a healthy essence of reality.

This is one of the best crime thriller movie I have seen in a long long time. The two and half hour just whizzed by. Great watch…

Labels: Crime, movies, thriller

posted by Protik Basu @ 9:39 AM 0 Comments

(Movie) Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street directed by Tim Burton

Johnny Depp at his sublime best. Musical at its darkest, goriest best.

Even if musicals put you off, persevere for some minutes…this movie will hook you like no other. The medley of dialogues, colours both of which get darker and darker as the movie progresses grabs and absorbs you so much so that by the time the climax happens, you feel exhausted and drained of emotions.

What starts as a revenge story (similar in theme to Count of Monte Cristo) descend into the darkest depths of human nature and behaviour. Nobody escapes the brush with evil and there is no redemption. Consumed by feelings of revenge, murder almost becomes an end in itself and in the end, consumes the wielder of the scimitar of revenge. Jealousy, opportunism and a wanton disregard of life resides in the same breast as love and care, an indication of the impossible paradox of human heart.The distinction between evil and good at the start of the movie dissolves its barriers by the end.

All this while, the movie maintains its sombre and eerie atmosphere helped by the excellent makeup of the characters. The contrast of bright red blood spurting in fountains against the background of black and white is stark and attention  arresting. Johnny Depp, as the wronged, brooding Benjamin Barker is the barber whose tools of trade becomes weapons of revenge, is fantastic and tugs at your heart both ways – you feel for him and are repelled by him at the same time.Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Lovitt is terrifying in her sweet smiles that hide a terrible twisted nature beneath.

And at the end, when the climax is revealed and Benjamin Barker dances the dance of death, you let out a slow gasp. And when he offers his neck out to the final slash, the movie feels oddly complete.

The dialogues are spoken in musical form and even though you might be uncomfortable with it in the initial part of the film, they fit in beautifully as the plot develops and at the end, what can be sung out cannot be spoken…

This movie is based on the urban myth that has appeared in many other plays and stories and it is a famous musical on Broadway as well…But to translate the Broadway play into movie format would not have been easy especially since movie musicals have tended to lean on the romantic side.

But Tim Burton provides a virtuoso performance with direction of this movie. This movie is a classic for all times as much as for the acting and direction as much for the timeless story of revenge gone wrong.

Labels: broadway, movies, musical, revenge

posted by Protik Basu @ 5:36 PM 0 Comments

(movie) The Bankjob directed by Roger Donaldson

The first impression when you watch this movie is that it is an average bank robbery caper, especially after you have seen movies like ‘The Italian Job” and so on…and the movie takes a little more time than most to pick up pace and the twists come much late…and Jason Statham (of Transporter fame) seems wasted…

But wait…the story, incredible as the story line may seem, is true…the events in the movie mirror the Baker street robbery in 1971. And then you realize that truth is sometimes as strange as fiction and sometimes even more exciting and you also realize that Statham cannot be shown to fight just because he can!!!

The story is about how MI5 (or MI6, as one police officer commented - “I cannot tell the difference – they all go to the same tailor”), masterminded a robbery in Lloyds Bank to recover some incriminating photographs of a royal personage (supposedly Princess Margaret). But the robbers are of course not told the real reason why they are being ‘allowed’ to rob the bank.

The movie includes a variety of characters – a pseudo black leader (Michael X, not to be confused with Malcolm X), a smut king, compromised politicians and a bevy of corrupt cops. They all want what the robbers get in the vault. The robbers, of course, get to know the extent of the Pandora’s box they have opened up only after the act when their members start getting killed. And that is when the real action begins.

What follows is a series of a twists and turns and some positively nail-biting moments especially during the fag end of the robbery when their radio communication is intercepted by a radio ham operator.

The acting could have been better, the characters could have been given more teeth and the script could have made a more exciting atmosphere. Other than that, for the reason of its truth, this movie is worth more than a watch.

Labels: Crime, movies, thriller

posted by Protik Basu @ 4:56 PM 0 Comments

(Book) Seabiscuit written by Laura Hillenbrand

Once you have read through this book, you would realize why the movie felt so flat. It is a book that is difficult to translate into reel mainly because to make the audience relate to the atmosphere and the world in which the characters lived, a lot of background needs to be shown. Difficult to accomplish in that in a few hours, unless you want to be a Cecil De Mills!!!

It is a vanished world for sure. Its incredible to read that a nation can go bonkers over a horse (Seabiscuit made more news space in US than Hitler and Roosevelt in 1938!!!) and that the sport of horse-racing can captivate a whole nation. It would be difficult to recreate that world in print as well, especially to readers who have no notion at all of horse-racing and its history and indeed the passion of it all. I mean, write a book on football or cricket and everyone can relate to it…you would recognize names and remember events. How many can do that with horse-racing especially events in horse-racing nearly 80 years back?!!

The beauty and the biggest accomplishment of this book is that it is able to transport the reader into the world of Charles Howard, Red Pollard, George Woolf, Tom Smith and Seabiscuit so completely that you find yourself literally cheering on Seabiscuit as he runs his greatest race of all at the Santa Anita Handicap race in 1938 with Red Pollard on its back.

Laura Hillenbrand weaves the tapestry of the racing world as it existed at that time – pre Depression and later. She makes the unknowledgeable reader grasp the basic understandings of horse racing – its allure and its dangers in a few chapters. She then talks about the people with whom the book is concerned. We are introduced to the characters of Charles Howard and his innate business sense and his humanity, Tom Smith – the lone plainsman and his thousands of eccentricities, Red Pollard and George Woolf – jockeys who will ride into history with Seabiscuit. And then we are also introduced to the star of the book – Seabiscuit himself. By the time the story picks up, we are already comfortably ensconced in the world of United States in the 1930’s and can feel the living voices of the characters. 

All these people’s lives revolve around Seabiscuit and we see their hopes, their anger, their frustration and their triumphs through the book’s pages. What emerges is a real-life fairy tale of the ugly duckling. The horse who was considered unfit for racing and whom only two men understood, the jockey who is blind in an eye (but which he tells no-one about) and suffers horrendous accidents but believes in the magic of him and Seabiscuit, the trainer who has almost a karmic connection with horses, especially with Seabiscuit. Unlikely characters who normally would be considered eccentrics in society, come together and create history.

The author is hugely successful in recreating races which might seem remote to readers who have never cared to see horse-racing of any kind. She makes you a part of it. Passages which describe the heat of the races makes you feel almost as if you are on the back of the horses. Since for readers like me, who are completely ignorant of race history, she keeps the mystery of the outcome of the race until at the very end which makes reading the pages breathtaking.

By the end of it, you feel a part of every sorrow and every triumph that the horse and the people who loved him went through. You feel drained out after a race as people actually might have (differing in degrees of course!!!). You feel angry at the injustice that is inflicted on the horse and the people around it and for that reason, you clap the harder when horse answers with the only way it can – by winning  against tremendous odds.

This is an immensely readable book and as I said, not knowing the subject is not a barrier at all. A small part of a vanished history is recreated in all its glory and you feel a twinge of nostalgia for it. And we are made richer in knowing the same…and you do fall in love with Seabiscuit – head 0ver heels!!!

Labels: book adaptation, Books, horse, sports

posted by Protik Basu @ 6:03 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Zatoichi directed by Takeshi Kitano

A typical commercial samurai themed movie with expected elements – great fighters, rival gangs, revenge angle and a few dunderheads to give some comic moments…

The main draw for the movie would be Zatoichi – an enigmatic swordmaster who is blind and nearing old age, walking with a twaddle and almost looks like a person you would want to help across the street…but boy, the way he draws the sword and fights – its awe-inspiring. He fights almost as an afterthought, as if he is taking a stroll and slashing people charging at him absentmindedly. His face changes no expression other than a slight twitch, as if he is sniffing from cold. When he fights, its a treat to watch. Nothing comes close to him – even the bodyguard who can kill dozens of men without breaking a sweat. Their contest lasts one slash!!!

Other than this, there is nothing to watch in this movie. It will never be a samurai classic. There is no depth in the characters even though the director tries his hardest to run some parallel stories in a an attempt to tweak at some hearts. The threads of the stories never come into full formation. The only thing remotely interesting is the background of Zatoichi – whom we understand is a mysterious master, a legend whom people know only by name. Other than that, there is nothing revealed, especially why he is also interested in killing off the gang of criminals. The revenge angle held promise but more or less falls flat as we move on in the movie…

A movie to be watched when one is bored and wants to see some fantastic swordplay, samurai style…especially from Zatoichi

Labels: Foreign Movies, movies, samurai

posted by Protik Basu @ 5:47 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) The Machinist directed by Brad Anderson

The first thing you notice is – bloody hell, is that Christian Bale?? The Batman looks as if he has just walked out of a concentration camp for superheroes. He is literally skeletal and looks splendid because he looks so awful. (He finished this movie a couple of months before Batman and he became the muscle ripping superhero in that period – one of the greatest achievements of physical transformation i have come across)…

And he plays the part to perfection – tormented and suffering from complete insomnia (claiming he hasn't slept for a year) and suffering rapid weight loss (getting down to 119 pounds by the end of the movie). The reason for all this is revealed right at the end when everything in his life seems to rearrange themselves very differently than what they seemed when the movie began.

Trevor (Bale) seems a normal person except he is losing weight rapidly. He works a machinist in a workshop. Things seem to taking its course (except the unnatural weight loss) until the coming of a mysterious man – Ivan whose very presence starts changing Trevor’s life. Nothing remains the same after that. Things and people change form until Trevor thinks he is going insane. He is mysteriously stalked by Ivan and even when they get to talk,  things become even more confused for Trevor. He begins to see conspiracies everywhere and his life crumbles around him.

The story if of illusions, seeming murders, mysterious men with obscure intentions, people who don't seem different from what they  are – until we realize that everything is the product of a tormented and deluded mind which has wrapped in itself to protect itself. Until we come to the awful truth.

The lines at the end that Trevor speaks is the perfect ending to the movie (though the ending itself could have been much better) - “i just want to sleep”…at the end the living life seems to have become one big nightmare…

Its a great watch because it keeps you at the edge as there is a sense that something is going to give at anytime. And Trevor’s haunted look and his haunted body tells you that there is something terrible that is just beneath the surface that will come out. 

Labels: Crime, movies, psychological

posted by Protik Basu @ 1:11 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid directed by George Roy Hill

One of cinema’s gems and or me, lives upto its name…well most of the times. This movie is a treat to watch mainly because of the pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. They show have great chemistry and their quips to each other are a treat to watch.

The story is loosely based on the real life outlaws by the same names though certain things have been simplified for the sake of cinematic production. The story is of Butch and Sundance Kid as the main members of a gang of robbers who rob trains and in their free time charm the pants of people and of the people watching the movie. But good times don't last long and they have to flee, eventually to Bolivia where they keep on doing more of the same. According to real life accounts they supposedly escaped and the movie’s climax can be looked at as indefinite for the same reason.

In between this simple story line is put the activities of the duo who alternate between heroism and comedy. They are shown as carefree who do what they do because that's what they do best and can do no other. They make robbery seem like a romantic adventure with good doses of comic relief. They make you completely fall in love with them and you wish them all the best in even their hold-ups.

For all the above reasons, watch the movie. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable caper.

But for me, scratching the surface, there was not much beneath. The characters did not hold much depth for me and their inner personality comes out only in flashes in very few scenes. The Newman-Redford hold the whole fabric together with their staccato conversations, their eccentricities and their antics and of course their good looks. Beyond that, there is nothing much left over.

But nevertheless, its one hell of an enjoyable movie.

Labels: classics, movies, western

posted by Protik Basu @ 1:10 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) The Heavenly Kid directed by Cary Medoway

This is a movie that I have a special weakness for since this is the first film that I saw when cable TV hit my home. That must have been around 15 odd years ago. I opened up Star Movies and I saw this. I got to know the name in the break only. I saw it only once more again a few years later. That was the time when you did not have the choice to view the movie of our choice and you just had to choose between what was on offer. You could not download movies (what on dialups with speed of a few Kbps?) nor did people have any collection of their own (except on VCR) and those days the storage devices was floppy drives at max!!!

So when I got this movie yesterday, I started it with a mix of pleasure and trepidation. Pleasure because I was going to see a movie that I had enjoyed a lot back then and trepidation because I hoped that the changed taste of the last 15 years would not not be too much of a change!!!

But I enjoyed the movie greatly. It has many flaws – in its script and the camera work for example. But in spite of all that, the story had an appeal that entertains. I liked the typical 60’ and 80’s look (Both were in the movie!!!) and the fresh faced actors especially Lewis Smith.

The story is of (Bobby) Lewis Smith who dies in a dare act and is given an assignment by the upper authorities (that is heaven that looks like an US immigration counter!!!) which he needs to complete before he can be admitted to uptown (heaven that is). The assignment is Lenny (Jason Gedrick) who is considered a loser by his friends and by the girl he is attracted to. What follows is a sweet romantic comedy in which everyone finds redemption and happiness.

The look of the movie is typical 80’s and has an appeal for those who like movies from that period. In the end, the movie is enjoyable and very enjoyable. It has a simple story line that holds itself together till the end.

Labels: eighties, movies, romance

posted by Protik Basu @ 12:51 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) No Man’s Land directed by Danis Tanovic

  Sometimes a movie, if described as an anti-war movie, becomes too clichéd; if described as a drama, becomes too general and if described as a movie of relationships becomes too narrow…

This is a movie that is all that and transcends them. This is almost a black comedy about the absurdities of war. It brings out about a surreal unreality to the whole situation and forces you to almost laugh out nervously at what unfolds on the screen. And the most successful aspect that the movie brings out is the brutal farce that war is, the harsh artificiality and casualness that it brings out in people who are ‘observers’ or ‘reporters’ and it does all this without ever becoming preachy. The war becomes a ‘thing’ to be discussed and analysed for people other than who are directly affected by it. Thats what hits you most by the time the movie ends. Its tragic ending seems almost diabolic in its black humour.

Nino and Ciki are ‘enemies’ in that Nino is Serbian and Ciki is Bosnian. They might have been neighbours in peacetime, the usual irony of war and the fact is brought about almost subtly. They are caught in a no-man’s land between their two sides. Along with them is Cera, Ciki’s comrade who is injured and due to unfortunate circumstances placed on a mine that would explode if he gets up. And the whole drama is played out from there.

What is most refreshing about the movie is that there is no melodrama, no ‘heroism’ and no extended reflective dialogues on the evils of war or anything abstract. The three men are played as the absolutely normal people they are, who are just caught up in the circumstances to play their roles. They are not political and each is thinking that the other is to blame for the war when each is fighting for survival at the end. The incredible distances that people can drift apart and become enemies out of mere fear for each other in the abstract is shown implicitly. That this is one of the biggest tragedy in war is what dawns upon you when you are through the movie.

The role of the venerable UN and its deliberate impotence in the face of a humanitarian crisis is also shown with refreshing candour. The difference in the human consciousness between Marchand and his superior officers (who consider the whole situation as a mere irritant) will be familiar to anyone who has dealt with military bureaucracy. The peacekeepers are shown to be distant and almost callous and escapist with the exception of Marchand.

The role of the media and its inherent hypocricy is also shown well, exemplified by the anguished cry of Ciki at the end - “And you vultures film it? You get good money? Does our misery pay well?” and afterwards, when the woman reporter asks the cameraman - “did you get it?” – which just about sums it up. People become mere sound-bytes and fleeting images.

This movie leaves you shaken not with anything special except the depiction of the mere almost everyday atmosphere and its depiction of an impossible, unnecessary, useless tragedy that only war can bring about. And this movie leaves you thinking for long afterwards. While not being a ‘heavy’ movie, this brings out every facet of human nature and the senselessness of war – civil or otherwise.

This movie has won numerous awards and the reason is not far to see. Lagaan simply was too pedestrian to even try and give a fight to this one..

Labels: anti-war, Foreign Movies, movies, satire

posted by Protik Basu @ 10:53 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Tigerland by Joel Schumacher

This movie about an man’s fight to retain his individuality under condition of war when every man is supposed to do his ‘duty’ and die without a murmur. Its takes a courageous man to stand up and be different and perhaps more than courageous – mad and eccentric and stubborn would be better characteristics…

And Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell) is one such man who chose to fight to retain his identity at a time when it was difficult to remain in the grey area – Bozz is a part of a platoon that is sent for final training before being shipped off to Vietnam.

He is stubborn, non-conformist, unsentimental, rebellious and will not do something just because people tell him to and shows insubordination at every step. He has certain views which may not be radical but which makes him abhor violence and unnecessary show of superiority. He persists in being a rebel even after numerous punishments. However he is shown to be a natural and an excellent soldier when he chooses to be and this is noticed by his commanders.

Bozz is a lone ranger with a side of him which really cares for people around him, which he can only demonstrate by doing something for them. He strikes up a friendship with Paxton (Matthew Davis), a person who shares his views. Along the way he finds a way out for a couple of people who misguidedly entered the war. This earns him the respect of his comrades but ruffles the feathers of the top brass. He however turns out to be an unstoppable force and is given a position of responsibility – platoon leader. This however does not change his position on anything at all. He plans to escape and almost succeeds but comes back his own because he realizes that he is needed.

He saves one last person from going to the war – the person closest to him. And he eventually goes to the front taking his ‘place’, thus completing his pact of friendship. Right till the end, he remains defiant and retains his core being.

This is one of the war movies which is more about the effect of war on individuals than about any ‘action’ – and this is the type I like best (with exceptions like Thin Red Line). Similar movies have been made but watch this movie for the character that Farrell plays – he really gets into the skin of Bozz. And this is as good an anti-war movie as any (in one of the early scenes, he is seen reading the book – Johnny got a Gun, which sets up the tone of the movie).

Labels: anti-war, Military, movies

posted by Protik Basu @ 9:27 PM 1 Comments