Farewell Johnny

Farewell Johnny
Jannie Totsiens
South Africa
1970
114 Min
Black and White
Afrikaans
DIR Jans Rautenbach
PROD Jans Rautenbach
SCR Jans Rautenbach
DP Dave Dunn-Yarker, Koos Roets
CAST Bettie Botha, Sarel Breedt, Jan Bruijn, Hermien Dommisse, Katinka Heyns, Jill Kirkland, Sandra Kotze, Don Leonard
MUSIC Sam Sklair
My Rating : 5/5



Very few films in recent viewings have involved me to the extent this film has done. Farewell Johnny explores the subject of insanity like probably no other film has done. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a film that you can’t help get reminded of while watching this but let me assure you, this film is on an entirely different level.

We are introduced to a house that is a kind of a private mental asylum. The owner of the house is herself one of the patients. We have a racist soldier, a judge, a one handed artist, a girl who wants to go the moon and a woman who loves her daughter. Their personal stories are not explored in detail but we get some clues about their background and the reason behind their insanity. They live like a family and fear intruders. One such intruder is our protagonist Johnny who happens to be a mathematics professor but due to some reason has lost his ability to speak. The owner of the house has a premonition that the new entrant will cause someone’s death in the house and hence wants this new person to leave. Johnny falls in love with the girl who thinks he is the “man from the moon” and is here to take her with him. The other woman also falls in love with him. The love from these women seem to help Johnny recover but he has the problem of choosing one amongst the two; the eternal dilemma. At the same time, there are the other members of the house who fear him and want him out of their lives. One must remember that all this is happening in an asylum. Johnny thinks love is a cure for madness. The doctor does not believe him. Can Johnny succeed in his plans? Is love a cure for insanity? Watch this fascinating film that weaves a web around you and eventually bids you farewell on a wistful note. Does it answer the question of insanity? Maybe not, but it sure does show a glimmer of hope.

They made us laugh

Its been a sad year for Hindi cinema fan's with the death of Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand. It's a loss that is especially tragic as these were two actors who made Indian film heroes fun loving creatures. They were both good looking, stylish, had oodles of charm and most importantly they had an inimitable style. They were very different from the erstwhile brooding actors like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Balraj Sahani. These actors rarely smiled, let alone make us laugh.

Dev and Shammi were arguably not as good as the erstwhile actors when it came to acting per se but I believe they had a huge impact on the tone of Hindi cinema. India had no reason to keep brooding. We were independent and we needed icons who expressed a positive attitude towards life. Shammi and Dev brought this man on screen whom the audience absolutely adored.

Here are two songs picturized on these actors that try to emphasize their inimitable style. I assure you that they will make you laugh and by the end of these you will probably rue their loss even more. Thank you Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor. You both will be fondly remembered for your contribution to Hindi cinema and for impacting our lives so profoundly.

Gandu

Asshole
Gandu
India
2010
85 Min
Black and White
2.35:1
Bengali
DIR Kaushik Mukherjee
EXEC Dipankar Chaki
PROD Kaushik Mukherjee
SCR Kaushik Mukherjee, Surojit Sen
DP Kaushik Mukherjee
CAST Anubrata Basu, Joyraj Bhattacharjee, Rituparna Sen, Shilajit Majumder
ED Manas Mittal, Kaushik Mukherjee, Surojit Sen
PROD DES Kaushik Mukherjee
MUSIC Five Little Indians



Gandu is an exciting film and could even become one of the path breaking films in the larger context of Indian film industry in the future. It has some phenomenal ideas(both technical as well as conceptual) but their execution leaves you wanting for more . It is experimental in parts and a kind of social commentary on the urban youth of today.

Gandu begins with a pulsating punk rock rhythm which our protagonist is drumming on his dining room table, waiting for his food to arrive. Almost, immediately the film seems to indicate that its gonna be a roller coaster ride and a rebellion against tradition. The protagonist wants to be a rap musician and his daily activities include song-writing, worshiping at a Kali temple, stealing money from his mother’s lover while they are having sex, buying a lottery ticket, and getting stoned. He finds a perfect companion in another dreamer who calls himself Rickshaw. He is a Bruce Lee wannabe and hence practices his martial art moves when he is not cycling his rickshaw. Our protagonist is called Gandu(Asshole) and it seems that even he has accepted this name. He is an asshole for the society that considers doctors and engineers as respectable people compared to some school drop out who wants to be a rap musician. Gandu has a lot of angst against the popular culture and parodies a lot of it in his rap songs.

Gandu likes Rickshaw and even has a premonition of being his close friend(in a bizzare dream sequence) at a time when he is actually thinking of revenge.Together they spend a lot of time getting stoned and speaking out their inner feelings. Rickshaw hopes to live in a house like Gandu whereas Gandu despises everything about his life. In a rather insightful scene after a heavy drugs session Gandu asks Rickshaw: “Hey Rickshaw! Will I die if I fall from here?”. The irony of this scene is that Gandu is sitting on a low pedestal that wouldn’t even give him a bruise if he fell. Rickshaw abuses him in his characteristic manner and says his mind is completely fucked. Gandu seems to reflect his inner fears to Rickshaw in that scene and we almost start sympathizing with him. There are some other avant garde and sexually explicit scenes where Gandu like any other youth is desperate to shed his load by either masturbating or dreaming of having sex with an alien sex kitten. There are also visitations of Goddess Kali in his dreams where he seems to be having a threesome along with Rickshaw. He even imagines having sex with his mother until he wakes up from his dream with a shock.

There are also scenes in this film where the director seems to take opinions from the urban youth regarding certain aspects of popular culture including pornography. He seems to justify all the blasphemy in the film after taking opinions from the general public which makes it so much easier to digest. The film ends on a bizarre note which we can’t be sure of whether it is a dream or a reality but the director definitely seems to get his point across to the audience.

There is no chance of releasing this film to the mainstream audience but its larger significance as a major contribution to cinema as an art cannot be ignored.


PS:
Gunda and Gandu are anagrams. This doesn’t mean anything of-course but it sure does increase the cultness of the film :P

Wife

Wife
Tsuma
Japan
1953
89 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Mikio Naruse
PROD Sanezumi Fujimoto
SCR Fumiko Hayashi, Toshirô Ide
DP Masao Tamai
CAST Mieko Takamine, Ken Uehara, Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Sanae Takasugi, Chieko Nakakita, Yatsuko Tanami, Hajime Izu, Yoshiko Tsubouchi, Tatsuya Ishiguro, Akira Tani, Noriko Honma, Masao Shimizu
ED Hideshi Ohi
PROD DES Satoshi Chuko
MUSIC Ichirô Saitô
SOUND Choshichiro Mikami
My Rating : 5/5

Naruse gives us a stunningly realistic portrayal of domestic life in this film. Whether it is the man and wife or their tenants in the apartment or neighbours; you are sure to have met similar characters in your life. Essentially we have a story on extra marital affair which by itself isn’t a very novel subject but Naruse makes it very special.

Ken Uehera plays the husband bored with his married life. His wife played by Mieko Takamine is one of those who are used to their mundane life. She doesn’t have any great expectations from her husband and remains busy in her daily chores, gossiping with tenants and worrying about whether her tenants will pay their rent on time or not. Her husbands behavior mildly irritates her but she doesn’t seem to be too bothered about it. Most importantly, she is totally secure about her husband whom she describes as a boring type of a person who would possibly be the last person to get into an extra marital affair. But as it so often happens, she is proven wrong and Ken develops feelings for his office typist( a widow with a young child) and starts contemplating leaving his wife for her, although he never appears too serious about it. In fact, even the scene in which he discloses his affair to his wife happens so unplanned and unexpectedly that even his wife finds it tough to believe. When matters seem to get serious, the wife decides to take matters into her own hands and tells the typist to leave her husband for good. A moment where her resolve not to lose her husband of ten years comes very naturally.

Naruse ends the film with the couple not on talking terms, continuing their daily routine with a disappointed and confused outlook regarding their future. The highlight of this film has to be its casting. Rentaro Mikuni is a delight to watch as the painter gossip monger and strangely enough we have another Takamine fitting the role of the wife perfectly. Ken Uehera is also reliable in his role as the husband. Also, the film keeps its pace without getting too melodramatic and handles this very real life like situation with a mature outlook. In conclusion, this Naruse gem is highly recommended.

Scattered Clouds

Scattered Clouds
Midaregumo
Japan
1967
108 Min
Color
Japanese, English
DIR Mikio Naruse
PROD Sanezumi Fujimoto, Masakatsu Kaneko
SCR Nobuo Yamada
DP Yuzuru Aizawa
CAST Yûzô Kayama, Yôko Tsukasa, Mitsuko Kusabue, Mitsuko Mori, Mie Hama, Daisuke Katô
ED Hideshi Ohi
PROD DES Satoshi Chuko
MUSIC Tôru Takemitsu
SOUND Masao Fujiyoshi
My Rating: 4/5


Naruse ends his film making journey with a premise that we are used to associate with him. Here we have another dysfunctional relationship between a man and a woman whose husband gets killed in a car accident, in which the aforementioned man is involved.

Tragedy hits early in the film and the woman is distraught with the way society reacts to the death of her husband. There is less sympathy but more talk about remuneration. Her husbands family resents her receiving their son’s pension and wants her out. The woman’s sister wants to ensure that her sister gets a good deal out of all this so that she doesn’t have to depend on her. Amidst all this, the woman tries to forget her past and tries to lead a normal life. The man involved in the accident although acquitted, decides to do his part by helping the woman, even if it is through monetary compensation. The two keep bumping into each other at various places, causing discomfort to both, but slowly their resentment and guilt reduces and they develop soft feelings for each other.

As it usually happens in such relationships, they can never blossom, considering that the past continues to haunt them. The two are caught in this complex relationship and eventually Naruse leaves us with a rhetorical question regarding the unfairness of life. On one hand life takes away our loved ones and when we find love, it isn’t as simple as it should be. Life is full of sadness but then, one must accept this reality and move on.

Fires on the Plain

Fires on the Plain
Nobi
Japan
1959
104 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Kon Ichikawa
PROD Masaichi Nagata
SCR Natto Wada
DP Setsuo Kobayashi
CAST Eiji Funakoshi, Osamu Takizawa, Mickey Curtis
ED Tatsuji Nakashizu
PROD DES Tokuji Shibata
MUSIC Yasushi Akutagawa
My Rating: 5/5




Anyone who watches this film after having watched Kobayashi’s The Human Condition(released in the same year as Fires on the Plain) will notice a few important similarities. Firstly, Fires on the Plain tracks the story of a Japanese imperial army soldier who basically tries to survive without surrendering, which is similar to the last few parts of The Human Condition. Secondly, the hero of Fires on the Plain looks uncannily similar to Tatsuya Nakadai (who stars in The Human Condition) albeit a ridiculous caricature of the latter.
Our hero is not a model of virtues but rather a commoner who is trying to survive in the aftermath of war. He is even willing to surrender at a point until he sees a fellow soldier getting killed while trying to surrender. He does have a good heart; he doesn’t mind sharing his food with others and even seems to befriend other Japanese soldiers very easily due to his simple mindedness. Initially, he seems to enjoy killing people until he kills a woman villager, after which he throws away his rifle. Our protagonist doesn’t inspire us(like Nakadai) but rather makes us laugh with his unnatural gait and goofy expressions, but his personality seems to strangely gel with the madness that surrounds him. Ichikawa shoots the horrors of war keeping this rather naive character in the fore front who seems to represent the audience. He is as bewildered, as repulsed and as delirious as we are by the time the movie ends and dearly hopes to see people living normal lives.
I contrast this film with The Human Condition (which happens to be one of my all time favorite films) not only because of its similarities but also because of the difference in approach that the two directors take towards the subject. One focuses on the triumph of an idealistic individual against all odds whereas the other is the survival of an average good hearted human being in the midst of madness, yearning for normalcy.
This film shows us the horrors of war at a very personal level by showing human beings resorting to the gory act of cannibalism, which the director seems to point out as being as horrifying as people killing each other mercilessly on the battlefield, without even knowing their enemy.
The intense revulsion towards the madness of war that the audience experiences through the eyes of the protagonist as well as the intense yearning for peace and normalcy makes this the greatest anti-war film I have ever seen.

The Music Room

The Music Room
Jalsaghar
India
1958
100 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Bengali
DIR Satyajit Ray
PROD Satyajit Ray
SCR Satyajit Ray, Tarashankar Banerjee
DP Subrata Mitra
CAST Chhabi Biswas, Padmadevi, Pinaki Sengupta, Gangapada Basu, Tulsi Lahiri, Kali Sarkar, Waheed Khan, Roshan Kumari, Sardar Akhtar, Bismillah Khan, Salamat Ali Khan
ED Dulal Dutta
PROD DES Bansi Chandragupta
MUSIC Ustad Vilayat Khan, Asis Kumar, Robin Majumder, Dakhin Mohan Takhur
SOUND Durgadas Mitra
My Rating: 5/5

The Music Room is a stunning masterpiece in black and white that is like a lavish painting on a sprawling canvas that pretty much portrays the story of India. It tells the story of a landlord in Bengal who refuses to give up his lavish lifestyle even in the face of decaying wealth and fortune. He is a connoisseur of art, especially music and doesn’t hesitate to call the most famous musicians in the music room of his palatial house. In the course of the film the landlord loses his near and dear ones which devastate him and put a temporary end to his concerts until he decides to recreate it one final time to show his neighbor Ganguly (a self made industrialist) his place. After all, as he remarks to his servant, its his blood and pedigree that separate him from the self made rich. An idea that pretty much encompasses all the feudal lords that ruled various parts of India. The British colonization brought along with it the mechanization of the world surrounding them which these royals could never digest. They would allow the British to rule their people provided they were allowed to enjoy their wealth and lifestyle as they were used to. But as they say, everything comes to an end and so did the wealth and opulence of these royals. The vanity of their attempt to live in the past is beautifully portrayed by Ray through the life of Lord Roy. It is also ironical to observe Roy’s loyal servants who remain in the background but their presence always emphasizes Roy’s insanity and their disappointment at the plight of their master.

The music room concerts are done so brilliantly that they must be seen to be believed. The fluid camera movement and editing weave a web around you that doesn’t leave you until the end. This is an experience you must not miss.

Kind of Blue for the Men in Blue

It has been a fascinating World Cup and it is tough to stop celebrating. There were several great moments that made this world cup special from the Indian point of view. Sachin top scoring amongst the batsmen, Yuvraj's man of the series performance, Zaheer's impeccable bowling and Nehra's comeback in the match against Pakistan where he fractured his finger. The most memorable moment of this world cup for me though will remain Dhoni's knock in the final game. Especially the way he finished the innings with a six and twirled the bat in the air. Then he calmly went back, picked up a stump as a memoir and simply smiled back at Yuvraj who was getting ecstatic with the realization that they were indeed the world champions! Dhoni seemed to look back at his team mate in his characteristic cool attitude as if saying "So What?...We had to win it for Sachin...remember?". That calm expression and smile on his face will remain etched in my memory forever. Only one person can probably do justice to this occasion. The Man responsible for the "Birth of the Cool" himself;the legendary Miles Davis. So here is Miles Davis and his team saying what Dhoni quite possibly said to his team mate at that momentous occasion.

Repast

Repast
Meshi
Japan
1951
97 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Mikio Naruse
EXEC Sanezumi Fujimoto
SCR Yasunari Kawabata, Fumiko Hayashi
DP Masao Tamai
CAST Setsuko Hara, Ken Uehara, Yukiko Shimazaki, Yôko Sugi
MUSIC Fumio Hayasaka
My Rating: 5/5

Repast is a remarkable film in Naruse’s brilliant oeuvre. It is unique because of its approach which is largely driven by its visuals rather than dialogue. The dialogue is sparse but the expressions and body language of the actors speak volumes. There are times when even the voice over of Michiyo (Setsuko Hara) appears vain(especially in the end) as the visuals are conveying everything to us.

Repast is the story of a couple Hatsunosuke Okamoto( Ken Uehara) and Michiyo Okamoto who live in Osaka. Hatsunosuke works as a broker in a stock firm and Michiyo plays the traditional housewife. Michiyo and Hatsunosuke had a love marriage but as is the case with married life, the romance between them has died off as they get used to each other’s company and hence take each other for granted. The daily chores of housekeeping are taking their toll on Michiyo as she fondly remembers her life in Tokyo where she was a working woman. Hatsunosuke seems to have got so involved in his daily routine that he forgets to think about his wife. He only seems to remember her during meal times when he always happens to be starving. Michiyo envies the lives of her friends, some of whom are spinsters but strangely they seem to envy Michiyo’s life as a married woman. The grass always appears greener on the other side and Michiyo’s condition seems to emphasise this cliched yet significant fact of life. It is with this background that we are introduced to Satoko (Hatsunosuke’s niece) who pays a visit to her uncle after running away from her home in Tokyo. Satoko represents the modern female; flirtatious and carefree in attitude and doesn’t mind flirting with older men including her uncle. It is Satoko’s behaviour that further depresses Michiyo as she thinks her husband is reciprocating Satoko’s advances(which is actually not the case) and feels that there is no love between the two of them anymore. Michiyo decides to take Satoko with her to Tokyo where she stays at her maternal home. The warmth and rest that she receives, help her recover from the fatigue but she can’t help thinking about how her husband must be managing back home in Osaka. When Michiyo sees one of her friends in Tokyo (a war widow with a young child) struggling to make a living she suddenly realises how much more simpler her life was as a married woman. Eventually Hatsunosuke himself comes to Tokyo on a business trip and asks Michiyo if she is ready to come back home. Michiyo is happy to see her husband after the long gap and in the end seems to realise where her happiness really lies as she accompanies her husband back home to Osaka. As they are travelling back home on the train, Michiyo fondly glances upon her sleeping husband who appears like a grown up baby to her who is so helpless without her whether it is for food, keeping things organized at home, or even regarding important decisions like changing his job. It is probably this very thing that she loves the most about her husband.

Repast is a reflection on the role of a woman as a home maker. Through Michiyo’s character and her eventual realization the film maker seems to point out the significance of a woman’s role in a family. The men in the house are doing their duty of earning a living for the family members and the woman by supporting and taking care of their husbands are helping them to do their duty successfully. It is when we reflect upon the pleasure of working for each other’s happiness that even life’s monotony starts appearing sublime.

The ideas of traditional family values and roles as shown in the film might appear old fashioned for the modern generation but then maybe thats the reason modern families are so vulnerable today.

High on Sweet Melancholy

A collection of my favorite evergreen Bollywood melancholies....

Humoresque

Classical meets Jazz in this astoundingly enjoyable interpretation of Dvorák's classical piece by the one and only Art Tatum. Feel the awesomeness!

Mon Oncle

Mon oncle
France
1958
116 Min
Color
1.37:1
French
DIR Jacques Tati
PROD Louis Dolivet, Jacques Tati
SCR Jacques Tati, Jacques Lagrange, Jean L'Hôte
DP Jean Bourgoin
CAST Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis, Betty Schneider, J.F. Martial, Dominique Marie, Yvonne Arnaud, Adélaïde Danieli, Alain Becourt, Régis Fontenay
ED Suzanne Baron
MUSIC Alain Romans, Frank Barcellini
SOUND Jacques Carrère
My Rating : 4/5


Mon Oncle is the second Tati film in which his character Mr. Hulot appears. In Mr Hulot's Holiday(the first film) we are introduced to this character but nothing much can be gathered about his background and lifestyle. In this film the Hulot character is further developed.

Mr. Hulot, the gentleman with a peculiar gait appears in the beginning, moving through an old Parisian locality. He happens to displace a brick from a broken wall and is shown placing it back in its original position. Through this scene Tati makes an important distinction between Hulot and some other bumblers like Chaplin's tramp. Mr. Hulot is the type of person who moves around carefully and doesn't want to disturb anyone or anything(even a brick). His measured footsteps and attentive gaze emphasize this nature. Irrespective of all these preparations, Hulot tends to mess up.

Hulot bumbles, not because he is clumsy but because things around him seem to be impractical. The crisscross mosaic tiles in the garden of his sister are difficult for any normal person to walk and Hulot simply emphasizes this. He isn't very fluent with technology and hence creates a mess in the kitchen. But again, the fault appears to be in those machines rather than Hulot. He makes use of the arm chair in the house for sleeping by simply turning it upside down. This causes plenty of ire in his brother in law but one can't help smiling at the resourcefulness or plain naivety of Hulot. All these and several other scenes make the Hulot character an extremely believable one. We can relate with him and his discomfort with the surroundings. In fact, all the other characters who are more comfortable with technology appear to be crazy.

Hulot at the same time is a very human and lovable guy. He loves spending time with his nephew. He takes him to the more rustic neighborhood where the kid gets to play with children of his age. They play mischief on strangers, eat street food, and generally lead a carefree existence. The child hence bonds well with his uncle and finds his own ultra modern house as well his parents disinteresting, much to the chagrin of his own father. Hulot tries a couple of jobs with the help of his brother in law's(childs father)recommendations but all efforts seem to be in vain. Eventually Hulot is sent to the suburbs in the quest of a job.

At the end Hulot goes away but the father seems to learn a thing or two from him. He is shown bonding with his son for the first time and the child is overjoyed even though his Uncle has just left them. The film ends just like it begins with dogs running and playing around in the streets. He seems to tell us that whether it is dogs or humans, we need to enjoy life rather than get trapped in our own creations. The movie does get tedious at times since the humour is subtler and more dynamic but a little bit of patience is recommended as you will end up discovering some of the best moments ever captured on camera.

Pitfall

PITFALL
OTOSHIANA
Japan
1962
97 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Hiroshi Teshigahara
PROD Tadashi Ono
SCR Kôbô Abe
DP Hiroshi Segawa
CAST Hisashi Igawa, Kunie Tanaka, Hideo Kanze, Kazuo Miyahara, Sumie Sasaki, Kanichi Omiya, Kei Satô, Sen Yano, Ton Shimada, Shigeru Matsuo, Kikuo Kaneuchi
ED Fusako Morimichi
SOUND Kenji Mori, Junosuke Okuyama
My Rating : 5/5


This movie is tough to review because it essentially is supposed to be vague and strangely that is the strongest reason for anyone to watch it. Another way to describe this movie is that its a kind of a murder mystery in which the suspense is the motive of the crime and thankfully, it remains unsolved. Then, it is also a comic ghost story where the ghosts want to know why they died? If these plot descriptions aren’t good enough to intrigue you then you are probably dead as well.

The Face of Another

THE FACE OF ANOTHER
TANIN NO KAO
Japan
1966
124 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Hiroshi Teshigahara
SCR Kôbô Abe
DP Hiroshi Segawa
CAST Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyô, Mikijiro Hira, Kishida, Miki Irie, Eiji Okada, Minoru Chiaki
ED Yoshi Sugihara
MUSIC Tôru Takemitsu
SOUND Junosuke Okuyama
My Rating : 4/5


The movie gave me an impression that too many ideas were being crammed into the two hours and somehow the movie lost its charm towards the end. But nevertheless, the movie has its merits and maybe Teshigahara was the only person who could have attempted to do justice to this complex plot. There are times when you are fascinated by the visuals, the caustic humour, the facial expressions and the intriguing dialogue between the characters but unfortunately all these good points seem to have their limitations in the medium of cinema and you can almost feel that Teshigahara desperately tries to do justice to the story but falls short in the end.

Blood is Dry

BLOOD IS DRY
CHI WA KAWAITERU
Japan
1960
87 Min
Black and White
Japanese
DIR Yoshishige Yoshida
PROD Takeshi Sasaki
SCR Yoshishige Yoshida
DP Toichiro Narushima
CAST Keiji Sada, Kaneko Iwasaki, Shinichirô Mikami, Mari Yoshimura, Yuuko Kashiwagi, Masao Oda, Asao Sano
ED Yoshi Sugihara
MUSIC Hikaru Hayashi
SOUND Toshio Tanaka
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)



Blood is Dry is one of those rare films from the new wave era that rise above mere rebellion against tradition and use of novel camera techniques to tell us a story that is socially relevant and hard hitting. It is also an indicator of how quickly the Japanese emerged out of the post war scenario and started highlighting problems of the modern era.
The most interesting part of this movie though is the reinterpretation of the protagonists of the classic novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel De Cervantes. For those who haven’t read this book, Don Quixote was Cervantes’ attempt to ridicule the countless stories of chivalry of knight errants that were extremely popular in the romantic era of literature. Don Quixote is hence a naive idealist who wants to live the adventures of his favorite knight errants in an era where they were irrelevant. Sancho Panza is a good for nothing and stupid sycophant who follows Don Quixote as his squire in this pointless exercise of living a dream which he believes would help him get riches and recognition.
In this movie Kiguchi is a modern day Don Quixote and Ikuyo is Sancho Panza. Just like Don Quixote, Kiguchi is an idealist who believes in his ability to make a difference to society because he thinks people trust him. Ikuyo, a good hearted but naive co-worker save’s Kiguchi from an attempt to suicide due to a mass lay off of employees and tags along with him when he recognizes the impact that Kiguchi’s suicide attempt has had on his popularity due to an ad campaign. Kiguchi is utilised by Nonaka(an ad executive) in the ad campaign that helps her company’s sales to sky rocket. But to her dismay Kiguchi isn’t a puppet as she had thought him to be. He takes his popularity too seriously and decides to work on his own for the betterment of the people of Japan. This does not go down well with the paparazzi and they try to defame him and his wife in every possible way by raising a scandal. Kiguchi refuses to give up though and in the end goes down as a real hero. It is ironical though that the person who was till recently the face of an insurance company has no value in the end and hence he comes down crashing to the ground like the huge advertisement board in the end.
This film is a critique on the modern society that doesn’t value people who truly want to do something for the world. Such people are scorned, ridiculed and defamed until they have to take the ultimate step. These people are ironically hailed as martyrs in death but very soon they are forgotten in this consumerist world where you are valued only if you “sell”.

Chaudhvin Ka Chand

FULL MOON
CHAUDHVIN KA CHAND
India
1960
169 Min
Color, Black and White
Hindi, Urdu
DIR M. Sadiq
PROD Guru Dutt
SCR Tabish Sultanpuri, Saghir Usmani
DP Nariman A. Irani
CAST Waheeda Rehman, Guru Dutt, Rehman, Minoo Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Murntaz Begum, Praveen Paul, Naazi
ED Y.G. Chawhan
MUSIC Ravi
My Rating : 5/5

This film was a follow up to the box office disaster called Kaagaz Ke Phool. Guru Dutt desperately needed a hit to save himself from bankruptcy and decided to make Chaudhvin Ka Chand which was intended to be a commercial film. He decided to stay away from the directors chair because he was quite disillusioned after the failure of his previous venture. His involvement as a producer and a film maker remains pretty evident in this film though and he decides to let Mohammad Sadiq direct this film. His decision turns out to be an excellent one as M Sadiq delivers this masterpiece of a movie called Chaudhvin Ka Chand that was not only a huge hit but also a brilliant cinematic achievement.
The main strength of Chaudhvin Ka Chand is its story which is like a parable that is equally Shakespearean and Wodehousean in its approach. On the face of it, the film is a love triangle but the fun part of it is that one of the members of the triangle is completely unaware of this. Nawab (played admirably by Rehman) comes from a rich feudal class family, who is a youngster looking out for beautiful girls in Lucknow’s market place. One fine day he happens to catch sight of a beautiful girl(Waheeda Rehman) buying bangles. The momentary glimpse of her face when she lifts her veil is enough for Nawab to get completely besotted by her. Nawab with the help of his close friend Shaiza (the dependably funny, Johnny Walker) tries desperately to search for this girl but the local culture and the purdah system make this seemingly simple task, extremely difficult for him. In the meantime, his other loyal friend Aslam (Guru Dutt) is in town and to keep the honor of his friendship decides to marry a girl recommended to the Nawab who is being forced by his mother to get married before her pilgrimage to Mecca. This act of friendship by Aslam turns out to be a huge disaster and he decides to sacrifice his marriage for the sake of his friend but when Nawab realizes his friends noble intentions, he is embarrassed beyond repair and decides to take the ultimate step to save his friends marriage.
The story may read like a tragedy but actually is full of mirth, music, culture, friendship and celebration. The bonhomie between the three lead actors is worth savoring in today’s world where friendship has lost its traditional charm and romanticism. “Chaudhvin Ka Chand” is not surprisingly Waheeda Rehman who looks stunning in her traditional Luckhnavi avatar. This review cannot end without mentioning the contribution of music director Ravi and lyricist Shakeel Badayuni that make this film a truly magical and enjoyable experience.

Humanity and Paper Balloons

HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS
NINJO KAMI FUSEN
Japan
1937
86 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Sadao Yamanaka
SCR Shintarô Mimura
DP Akira Mimura
CAST Chojuro Kawarasaki, Kanemon Nakamura, Tsuruzo Nakamura, Choemon Bando
MUSIC Tadashi Ota
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)


Poetry is a dying art form mainly because good poetry generally made people think and interpret unlike the vulgar and crass, in-your-face forms of expression that people are being fed upon today. Humanity and Paper Balloons is not just a movie but rather its poetry in cinematic form.
The movie leaves a lot of food for thought for the viewer; so much so that I was glaring at the blank screen for several minutes after this movie ended. The part about demystifying the Samurai is only a small part of what this film explores. This movie touches upon unemployment, poverty, greed, lechery, violence and so many other ills that have plagued humanity over the years and will continue to do so in the future. The periodic setting of this movie is only a backdrop that strangely emphasizes the contemporariness of the plot. Whether it is the hairdresser, the ronin, the landlord, the tenants, the hoodlums or even the elderly arrogant samurai; all are characters that we have quite possibly seen in contemporary life or in other movies with different names. The point that Yamanaka seem’s to be making most strongly in this film is about the fact that humanity, just like the paper balloon at the end of the movie, has slipped from the hands of innocence and has been lying in the gutter for times immemorial. There is hence no pride in looking back at our history or reminiscing upon our traditions simply because they aren’t as holy as we think they are. Those people were just as corrupt as we are today. The movie also seems to be a critique upon the nations who were trying to rake up their past in order to lead their respective countries to war in the hope of a glory that was lost.
The most harrowing reality that this movie portrays in the end through the suicides is that self respecting people are killing themselves in todays world where the greedy, sycophants and rebellious fanatics have become the protectors and champions of the human race.

A Woman Under the Influence

A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
United States
1974
155 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
DIR John Cassavetes
PROD Sam Shaw
SCR John Cassavetes
CAST Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands, Katherine Cassavetes, Matthew Laborteaux, Matthew Cassel, Christina Grisanti, O.G. Dunn, Mario Gallo, Eddie Shaw
ED David Armstrong, Sheila Viseltear
MUSIC Bo Harwood
SOUND Bo Harwood
My Rating : 4/5


Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence seals my belief in the uniqueness of his film making. Very few film makers can really boast of having a unique style and Cassavetes is one among them.
Once again in this movie we are impressed by first and foremost the docu-drama style of Cassavetes which makes the films appear extremely realistic. This coupled with the supreme performances of Rowlands and Falk make the film almost a voyeur like experience. This obviously has its merits as the viewer is astounded by the realism but along with it there is one major drawback and that is that the viewer doesn’t like things to appear unexplained in such a film. The major point that remained unexplained(or atleast not evident to me) was the reason for Rowlands mental deterioration. She seems to have a good stable family support which is generally very reassuring for a housewife. The only thing that she seems to probably lack is a friend but in her “Five points” she has considered her husband to be everything for her so one wonders what exactly is the trigger for her mental deterioration. One may argue that the film is not about the reason for the deterioration but rather the way a family must deal with it which is well appreciated, but unfortunately, Cassavetes' docu-drama style leaves you wanting those explanations. There was too much time spent in the movie depicting Rowland’s insanity which created many intensely dramatic moments that were probably not necessary. This movie in fact reminds me of Polanski’s Repulsion which probably dealt with the process of insanity better than this movie but then that film has other drawbacks which I have explained in a separate review.
In conclusion, I would say that this movie is definitely worth watching for the two lead performances and for experiencing the uniqueness of Cassavetes’ style of film making which although has certain drawbacks, is still an experience that we rarely get in movies these days.

Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice

FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE
OCHAZUKE NO AJI
Japan
1952
115 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Yasujiro Ozu
SCR Kogo Noda, Yasujiro Ozu
DP Yuuharu Utsata
CAST Shin Saburi, Michiyo Kogure, Koji Tsuruta, Chikage Awashima, Keiko Tsushima
ED Yoshiyasu Hamamura
MUSIC Ichirô Saitôse
My Rating : 5/5


I am back to writing reviews and yet again, it happens to be an Ozu film. I guess it is because his films are so simple to comprehend and analyze that I can’t help but write at least a few words about them.
This is a fairly simple story about a married couple that somehow doesn’t seem to get along. The wife has higher expectations from her husband who unlike her prefers things that are intimate,private,familiar and relaxed. Hence he prefers travelling by train in a third class, prefers a cheaper cigarette brand to something expensive and most importantly he is satisfied with the taste of green tea over rice. In short the husband is a simple, down to earth person who wants to have quality over quantity which unfortunately the wife doesn’t seem to appreciate. The wife has a niece who is eligible for marriage but she isn’t very keen to marry having observed her aunt’s unhappy married life. By the end of the movie though, the wife understands her husband’s preference when he is about to leave abroad and in one extended supper scene, love blossoms between the couple. This scene like many others, emphasizes the genius of Ozu who seems to understand the primal instincts of human beings better than most directors. The aunt’s new found happiness in married life impresses the niece and the film ends on a hopeful note that she is now ready to get married.
We often come across movies with complex plots and avant-garde productions but all these pale in comparison to Ozu’s simplicity which like this films title is the staple food that one can’t do without.

Yearning

YEARNING
MIDARERU
Japan
1964
98 Min
Black and White
Japanese
DIR Mikio Naruse
EXEC Sanezumi Fujimoto
PROD Mikio Naruse
DP Jun Yasumoto
CAST Hideko Takamine, Yuzo Kayama, Mitsuko Kusabue, Yumi Shirakawa, Mie Hama
ED Eiji Ooi
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)


Yearning explores the relationship between two characters that reaches such complex emotional levels that you will remain astounded by the fact that Naruse has actually done it! It would be a travesty to try and describe this great movie in words and hence I would leave this to the master director himself. All I can do in this review is highlight some things that I think, work in this movie’s favor.
First of all, this is a trademark Naruse movie because although this is a family story, Naruse has achieved it in his own style. The acting is very natural(unlike the formality in Ozu films) which works in its favour. The casting is perfect and almost every character that mattered is well developed. In fact, the character of Takamine’s brother in law is delightfully well written and executed. The editing is so good that the movie feels like a neatly trimmed piece of origami which is a rare feature for a film that dwells on emotions. Finally, the most important factor is Hideko Takamine. She has probably delivered a career defining role in this movie which required tremendous skill to say the least. May her soul rest in peace.

The Life of Oharu

THE LIFE OF OHARU
SAIKAKU ICHIDAI ONNA
Japan
1952
148 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Kenji Mizoguchi
EXEC Isamu Yoshiji
PROD Hideo Koi, Kenji Mizoguchi
SCR Saikaku Ihara, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yoshikata Yoda
DP Yoshimi Hirano, Yoshimi Kono
CAST Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichiro Sugai, Toshirô Mifune, Toshiaki Konoe, Kiyoko Tsuji, Hisako Yamane, Jukichi Uno, Eitarô Shindô, Akira Oizumi, Takashi Shimura
MUSIC Ichirô Saitô
My Rating : 3/5



With The Life of Oharu, I believe that I have watched three of Mizoguchi’s most important films (the other two being Sansho the Bailiff and Ugetsu). The other two movies I did not review mainly because I wanted to check out all the three of his important works before coming to a judgement.
The Life of Oharu like the other two movies is a period drama and a tragedy (Ugetsu ofcourse has a horror element as well, which I believe, works in its favor, making it the best of the lot). The movie traces the life of a woman in 17th century Japan who during her life loses her first love due to class differences, becomes a local ruler’s concubine and is discarded after she gives him the heir to his throne, becomes a courtesan, enters into a happy but short lived marital life, tries to become a buddhist nun but her past haunts her and she is driven back into prostitution. Finally she becomes a bhikshu taking alms in the name of buddha. There are a few more events in the life of the protagonist that not surprisingly end in tragedy.
The conclusion that I can draw from this movie is that Mizoguchi is very good at tragedies. He knows how to create scenes that will emphasise the tragedy of his protagonists and if you are a sensitive person, will also make you cry. His mise-en-scène’s are brilliant and his shooting style is probably a complete antithesis to that of Ozu’s. His art direction is superb and hence his period drama’s are the most genuine looking. People who love watching tragedies hence no doubt love Mizoguchi. Unfortunately, I noticed that there were very few memorable scenes in this movie unlike tragedies like Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa or Kaagaz Ke Phool and even Naruse’s Floating Clouds which make them truly great in my book. The depth that these tragedies reach are much more profound than the surface treatment that Mizoguchi offers in his films. The only scene that I really liked, and hoped that there could be more scenes like this, was the one in which the protagonist describes the statues of buddha’s disciples as looking very familiar to the people she has met in her life. The profound irony in this scene is the most memorable aspect of this movie. The rest of the film has scenes that just try to hammer the sense of tragedy into the viewer’s mind and although momentarily effective, are hardly memorable.

The End of Summer

THE END OF SUMMER
KOHAYAGAWA-KE NO AKI
Japan
1961
103 Min
Color
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Yasujiro Ozu
PROD Sanezumi Fujimoto, Tadahiro Teramoto, Masakatsu Kaneko
SCR Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda
DP Asakazu Nakai
CAST Ganjiro Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Yoko Tsukasa, Michiyo Aratama, Keiji Kobayashi, Masahiko Shimazu, Hisaya Morishige, Chieko Naniwa, Reiko Dan, Chishu Ryu, Haruko Sugimura, Daisuke Kato
ED Koichi Iwashita
MUSIC Toshiro Mayuzumi
My Rating : 2/5


This movie was quite a strange experience for me. It almost felt like someone had tampered with an Ozu film and inserted some montages and contrasting background score to mess it up. If this was Ozu’s attempt at black comedy then it was terrible one in my opinion. Furthermore, the movie lacked focus due to which the viewer is left confused regarding the subject matter of this movie. The movie dwells on a character (Hara’s father)which the viewer would have never expected to be shown in so much detail. Setsuko Hara on the other hand is missing after the first two scenes and we are wondering where she has gone until she makes short appearances till the end of the movie. We are so used to watching Hara in important roles that this unnatural cameo comes as a shock to us especially since the film begins with her.
The most impressive part of the film is Ozu’s characteristic humour that he uses very effectively until he decides to give us a tight slap at the end and leave us wondering whether we really deserved it. The curtains come down on the movie with an eerie background score and you are left wondering what exactly Ozu wishes to convey to us by doing that since the visuals are telling a totally different story.
Ozu has tried to surprise us is this movie which unfortunately feels like an experiment that went terribly wrong.

The Thunder of the Mountain

THE THUNDER OF THE MOUNTAIN
YAMA NO OTO
Japan
1954
96 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Mikio Naruse
PROD Sanezumi Fujimoto
SCR Yoko Mizuki
DP Masao Tamai
CAST Setsuko Hara, So Yamamura, Ken Uehara, Yôko Sugi
MUSIC Ichirô Saitô
My Rating : 2/5



This is my third Naruse after Floating Clouds and When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, both of which I found extremely impressive. Expectations were hence pretty high from this film which unfortunately turned out to be a disappointment. I have been watching a lot of Ozu recently and I couldn’t help comparing this film with Ozu’s but at the same time when I tried to judge this movie independently it left me wanting several things.
Firstly, the character of Setsuko Hara was something that I couldn’t understand. She appeared to be a good wife and daughter in law who is dedicated to her family but disappointed by her husband. She has childish enthusiasm in her which doesn’t go down well with her husband who probably doesn’t find her sexually attractive resulting in his search for greener pastures. Hara remains stoic for a long time and we are developing respect for her strength of character and hope that better sense will prevail and the husband will eventually come back for her. Instead we are in for a rude shock when we discover that Hara is pregnant and gets herself an abortion because her husband doesn’t want the child. Eventually she simply decides to leave her husband who on the other hand is only refered to as being repentant although the last time we have see him there is nothing that suggests any repentence. So does Hara gain a high moral ground or do we sympathise with her character? Hardly so, in my opinion.
The father in law is another character who remains a mystery. He seems to love his daughter in law even more than his own daughter but refuses to confront his son on his manners. In fact, we wonder if he has something more than a fatherly relationship with Hara but again this remains a mystery. He decides to let Hara get away from his son in the end as if he has taken a path breaking decision and in the final scene we are simply left confused regarding what exactly the old man is driving at.
The old man’s wife and daughter are characters that are hardly developed. The daughter is jealous of Hara but at the same time doesn’t show any real animosity towards her and seems to get along well. The old man’s wife is a character that is almost a prop and hardly serves any purpose. Then comes Hara’s unfaithful husband himself. He is again a character who remains remorseless in the end and probably is happy that Hara has left him. It makes us wonder what the fuss is all about. His flame is shown in one sequence which I personally found pretty pointless and so is her friend and a receptionist. I also wondered what business the father and son were exactly conducting in that office of theirs.
Eventually all that happened was that the movie left me confused. Neither did I know what to appreciate about it nor could i feel any sympathy towards the characters. Overall the movie was a disappointment.

Early Summer

EARLY SUMMER
BAKUSHÛ
Japan
1951
125 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Yasujiro Ozu
PROD Takeshi Yamamoto
DP Yuharu Atsuta
CAST Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake, Ichiro Sagai, Chieko Higashiyama, Haruko Sugimura, Hiroshi Nihonyanagi, Kuniko Igawa, Seiji Miyaguchi, Shuji Sano, Zen Murase, Isao Shirosawa, Kazuyo Ito, Tami Yamamoto
ED Yoshiyasu Hamamura
MUSIC Senji Ito
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)


I am glad to have spent my Sunday morning on this classic by Ozu. I was trying to think of something as delectable as this movie and could find nothing in comparison. This is probably because not only did I watch this movie but also tasted, smelt and touched it. It may sound weird but I could experience this movie with all my senses which is probably the greatest compliment for a director, not that Ozu needs any from me.
I wont get into the nitty-grittys of the plot of this movie but allow my camera to dwell on those quiet meditative moments which Ozu shares with his audience. The shot of a balloon floating up in the sky and the old couple thinking of the child who might be crying for having lost it, clouds scattered in the sky, birds chirping in their cages, characters sitting peacefully and gazing into the expanse thinking of something or the other or simply relaxing and enjoying nature. The shot of empty corridors of a house, a walk on the beach, a quiet smoke, a marriage procession and countless other observations that need no voice overs, dialogues or flashbacks. We know what the characters are thinking, we are enjoying supper with them, we share their joys and griefs; in short, we are part of the story. Ozu knew that the most peaceful yet powerful moments of life are those that are spent in quiet meditations and observations which every person can relate with. It is these moments that he shares with his audience and enraptures them in his world or rather “our” world.
Another observation that I made in this movie is the skill with which Ozu makes use of humour. There are moments in this movie that will make you laugh from the bottom of your heart which is a rare experience; It is a good-natured laughter which isn’t insulting or lewd but simply good wholesome fun. I was also impressed by the deftness with which Ozu makes use of the child actors. These children appear as real as children can be and provide a nice touch of innocent humour.
I will end this review with Setsuko Hara. Her disarming smile even in the face of adversity is probably the greatest inspiration for the audience. It effectively conveys Ozu’s philosophy: We have been happy. We have had a good life. Lets not demand too much from it and enjoy whatever pleasure we can derive from it.

Tokyo Story

TOKYO STORY
TÔKYÔ MONOGATARI
Japan
1953
136 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
DIR Yasujiro Ozu
PROD Takeshi Yamamoto
SCR Kogo Noda, Yasujiro Ozu
DP Yuharu Atsuta
CAST Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, So Yamamura, Kyoko Kagawa, Haruko Sugimura, Nobuo Nakamura, Kuniko Miyake
ED Yoshiyasu Hamamura
MUSIC Kojun Saito
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)



I had been reluctant to watch this movie for quite some time mainly because of the predictable story line and the countless adaptations of the same in Hindi cinema, but thankfully I watched this and learnt an important lesson; A masterpiece will remain a masterpiece and no adaptation can ever come close to the essence of the original.
The movie feels like a wistful breeze with Ozu’s characteristic stationary camera shots and remarkable continuity. Ozu’s minimalistic style effectively conveys the essence of the movie, leaving out all the melodrama which I have seen in most of the adaptations. Most importantly, the movie is firmly rooted in realism with its backdrop of postwar Japan and the efforts of the common people to come to terms with the new industrialized nation, trying to forget their past and moving ahead in life. The characters are very convincing. I was especially pleased to see that the daughter in laws of the old couple were the most warmhearted creatures in the movie. The children although less sensitive, aren’t exactly vicious but have simply become extremely rational in their approach towards life which as the old man himself points out, isn’t so easy anymore. The movie is hence not about children disrespecting or not loving their parents but simply about the changes that have taken place in family values in the modern world due to various socio-economic reasons which although disappointing, are a fact of life that has to be accepted. The old man highlights this fact in the end when he says that he will have to get used to the loneliness because life, in spite of all its hardships and changes, must go on and so it has.

Pyaasa

THIRST
PYAASA
India
1957
146 Min
Black and White
Hindi
DIR Guru Dutt
PROD Guru Dutt
SCR Abrar Alvi
DP V.K. Murthy
CAST Guru Dutt, Mala Sinha, Rehman, Waheeda Rehman
ED Y.G. Chawhan
MUSIC Sachin Dev Burman
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)

Pyaasa is a landmark film, not only for the film maker but also for Indian and world cinema. Here was a commercial movie director trying something that was beyond just entertainment. He refused to give up the Bollywood structure of film making because he believed in reaching the common audience rather than make films for the art houses. Songs and lyrics are hence an important element of this movie that the viewer must not ignore. This film was different from the subjects explored by socialist cinema pioneers like Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy. Unlike them Guru Dutt was concerned with the plight of the individual who tried to tread a path less taken.
Pyaasa is a movie that does just that. The protagonist of this movie happens to be an Urdu poet who unlike the fashionable romantic poets, wrote revolutionary style poems that highlighted the malaise of society. His poems are naturally rejected by all publishers but the poet refuses to change his style. Through the struggle of a poet, the film has depicted most of the ills that plagued the young republic. The film is full of villains, who until recently were only the colonial oppressors. The world according to Guru Dutt was not worth living in, and this view point must have been largely rejected by the society as being too cynical.
Commercially Pyaasa generated decent profits and that is probably the reason why Guru Dutt decided to go ahead with another strong and almost personal subject that was Kaagaz Ke Phool which turned out to be a huge box office disaster. Although commercially unsuccessful these two films are two of the finest films ever made in the history of cinema. Pyaasa in particular is widely regarded as an institution in itself. I have attended film making workshops where this film has been literally dissected scene by scene for its merits in screenplay,acting, continuity,editing, shots and almost all aspects of direction. Sahir Ludhianvi’s lyrics are the thoughts of the poet in this movie which combined with S.D Burman’s music and rendered most memorably by Mohd Rafi and Hemant Kumar, are the soul of this movie. Like most Guru Dutt films, this movie has several memorable moments that will remain etched in the minds of viewers forever.
Pyaasa is a mirror showing the ugly face of this world, that unfortunately, will never be cleansed.

Kaagaz Ke Phool

PAPER FLOWERS
KAAGAZ KE PHOOL
India
1959
148 Min
Black and White
2.35:1
Hindi
DIR Guru Dutt
PROD Guru Dutt
SCR Abrar Alvi, Kaifi Azmi
DP V.K. Murthy
CAST Waheeda Rehman, Guru Dutt, Kumari Naaz, Johnny Walker, Mahesh Kaul
ED Y.G. Chawhan
MUSIC Sachin Dev Burman
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)

It is sad that I took so long to watch this movie. Unfortunately, like the movie, Guru Dutt has been more or less forgotten by the people. He is highly revered by film makers in India and his films are often taught to film making students but amongst the common people he is just a figure from the past.
Paper Flowers is pretty much Guru Dutt’s own story and reflects a time in his life when he must have been already on the road to disaster. The movie reeks with emotions and is beautifully shot in black and white. In many ways this movie could be compared to Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard which is equally tragic in its portrayal of forgotten artists. Dutt has effectively captured the loneliness and despair of the forgotten director through shadows, the empty studios, the montages, the protagonists reduction to poverty and most importantly, S.D Burman’s moving music.
There are too many memorable moments in this movie but I would like to point out one particular scene that beautifully depicts the essence of this movie. The protagonists feet appear walking on a wet beach leaving footprints, but almost immediately they are washed away by the waves. It is moments like these that define Guru Dutt’s greatness. In a single scene he has conveyed the fleeting nature of success and the fact that nothing is permanent in this world. The title of the movie refers to the fact that stardom is like a garden of paper flowers which only appears beautiful but in essence is lifeless and odorless paper.

The Insect Woman

THE INSECT WOMAN
NIPPON KONCHUKI
Japan
1963
123 Min
Black and White
2.35:1
Japanese
DIR Shohei Imamura
SCR Keiji Hasebe, Shohei Imamura
DP Shinsaku Himeda
CAST Keiko Aizawa, Masumi Harukawa, Sachiko Hidari, Emiko Azuma, Daizaburo Hirata, Seizaburo Kawazu, Teruko Kishi, Tanie Kitabayashi, Kazuo Kitamura, Asao Koike, Masakazu Kuwayama
ED Mutsuo Tanji
MUSIC Toshiro Mayuzumi
My Rating : 4/5

This is my second Imamura movie after The Pornographers which was a kind of a revelation to me. Imamura continues to amaze me in this movie which is truly a difficult experience. Stylistically, this movie is superb. It makes use of still images, montages,singing and voice overs in a unique manner apart from the realistic form of camera work and screenplay which had also impressed me in The Pornographers.
The movie is about the struggle of a woman in post war Japan and takes place over a period of 50 years. It showcases the decadence of morality and the greed for money. Religion has become a source of psychological relief for people who confess their sins before a group of strangers to be absolved and continue to sin again. All the people are lecherous and greedy. In fact there is a constant running joke about the protagonist being a devil. Giving birth to bastards seems to be the protagonists family tradition. The movie is so unabashed in its display of immorality that some sequences are difficult to digest and border on the outrageous (a la Godard’s Weekend).
Even though the movie shows immorality, there is no penance at the end. The protagonist is remorseless and refuses to give up her way of life in this hell on earth where humans crawl like insects and this is brilliantly conveyed through the montage of an insect crawling at the beginning of the movie and the protagonist similarly moving on her bare feet at the end

Samurai Rebellion

SAMURAI REBELLION
Japan
1967
121 Min
Black and White
2.35:1
Japanese
DIR Masaki Kobayashi
SCR Shinobu Hashimoto
DP Kazuo Yamada
CAST Toshirô Mifune, Yoko Tsukasa, Go Kato, Shigeru Koyama, Masao Mishima, Isao Yamagata, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Tatsuo Matsumura
PROD DES Yoshiro Muraki
MUSIC Tôru Takemitsu
My Rating : 5/5 (Great Movie)

I think Kobayashi could have been a freedom fighter if he wasn’t a filmmaker. Rebellion against injustice is a concept that seems to have been close to Kobayashi’s heart and Samurai Rebellion does full justice to it. This movie is similar to Harakiri in many ways but one, and that is that in Samurai Rebellion we empathise with the protagonist’s anger, much more than in Harakiri. Mifune’s anger is so pronounced that when he is demolishing enemies we seem to join him in his effort. Mifune doesn’t die easily like most of Kobayashi’s protagonists who test the levels of human endurance and even in death appear unvanquished.
A special mention of Nakadai’s character in this movie which has a significantly short screen presence and would almost appear to be wasted but strangely he has one of the most interesting characters I have ever seen in cinema. He is Mifune’s friend and also a person who seems to read into people’s actions much better than anyone else. He advices Mifune, not directly but through little nuggets of wisdom that seem to impress Mifune, like this one:
Push and you step back.
Push, you step back farther.
But at the last moment you change from defense to offense.
You never attack. You wait till your opponent tires and quits.
Mifune gets talkative only in his presence and shares his deepest feelings with him; and through him, with the audience. In the end the two friends face off against each other in a fight similar to the one in Harakiri except that here there is no sense of triumph but only defeat.
Nakadai and Mifune have acted together in several movies but this movie appears to me their best collaboration.

Take Six : Guru Dutt - Johnny Walker - Rafi

There have been several hit actor-singer combination's in Indian film history but nothing compares to the magic of Rafi-Walker songs. Here is a list of 6 of my favourites, all of which are from films by Guru Dutt :