The Lawless Frontier

The Lawless Frontier is the oldest film I have seen. It was made in 1935 (or 1934 as per IMDb). It is black and white and stars John Wayne, who of course is very young in the film and still has all of his Western cred for which he is well known. In 1935 the United States was (as I understand) just beginning to come out of The Great Depression. And of course the infamous Hitler ruled Germany - am I mistaken or the villain in The Lawless Frontier has a curious resemblence to the Fuhrer (especially the moustache)? The film has some terrific horse chase scenes - caused me to wonder whether those horses were fed well in those days when people were anaemic or were they merely whipped harder for the scenes in the film?! The lead actress Sheila Terry wears pants throughout The Lawless Frontier. And she rides a horse too (or rather several horses). The first woman to fly around the world, Amelia Earhart, used to wear pants. I know that because I once saw several of her photographs at an exhibition in Queens, NY. I hope women wearing pants did not draw as much attention as Amelia seems to draw here!

But I digress.

I am impressed by The Lawless Frontier. For a film that runs just 49 minutes (I hope they had made that standard), the script has surprising twists. Also surprising are the numerous sub-genres - there is drama, suspense, action as well as good 'ol Western theaterics.

I visited the hypothetical State of Jefferson today. The towns of Grenanda, Yreka and Hombrook in Northern California and Ashland in Oregon, and the region around river Klamathon might as well have been straight out of The Lawless Frontier. For miles there is only untouched land, beautiful mountains, valleys and forests. Now I cannot but wonder how crossing all that land must have felt like on a horse or on foot, when the first mass migrants arrived in this region, a mere 110 years before The Lawless Frontier was made.

Mount Shasta
Today evening the mountain had a cloud cover just like this one - A volcano with a halo of its own!

An old idea

There is something about the 1992 film Unforgiven that I keep coming back to it and yet I am unable to understand what it is in its entirety. It is not the sense of revenge that one might think inspires William Munny's actions towards the end of the film. I think revenge, justice, bravery are only superficial here - even if one is to look at it through the lens of the Western genre. It is something more primordial, something preceding cowboys, sheriffs or the nascent towns of the West. There is an absoluteness of an idea that the character Munny represents. It will be easy to dismiss the idea as simply stubbornness, or borderline madness, or even playing God or Satan or both (especially in the last scene when  he rides away from the town of Big Whiskey on the rainy night). But that simply would be a superficial attempt to understand that idea. Yes, there are aspects of each of those traits in the character and the film. However, to understand this idea one has to go back in human history when right or wrong and the sense of social justice and who carries out that justice (cops and judges and society) was only in its infancy. William Munny is an assassin. He doesn't like killing people (his past murders still haunt him) and he openly confesses that he needed to be heavily drunk to get in that state of being an assassin (he also thinks alcohol and cruelty are vice). Sure presumed injustice was one trigger to get in that state. However as he tells sheriff Little - "deserve has got nothing to do with it", he clearly doesn't do it only for a 'just' outcome. Presumably there are other ways to get justice. William Munny's view of the world is not that it is unjust or wicked or needs to be corrected. I think what he thinks is that the world is uncurable, and damned. And that makes it just like him. For ten years he tried living away from everyone, and yet the world found him and made him realize who he was. The analogy is clear here - the world of women and men will never be cured of what it is. And that is the idea.

Science Fiction Films

I still remember the very first time I saw the 1979 film Alien. I was  a teenager and the lead actress, Sigourney Weaver, the film's story, and its cinematography all just blew me away. Now after having read some science fiction books (Odyssey, Asimov's Foundation trilogy, et al), and more recently, having seen more science fiction films (Matrix trilogy, Abyss, Contact, etc), I still believe that there are only a few things (read one) which can take you on a joyride as good as a well written science fiction story.

I just finished watching the 2010 film Predators. If you remember the first Predator film was released way back in 1987. Even if you are not a Schwarzenegger fan you'll have to admit that the storyline and execution were something really special for that period. I like the fact that over time the Predator sequels have preserved the original properties of the beast/alien. The Predator's protective suit and its physical appearance have remained largely unchanged. This of course gives the alien character a life of its own.

After a long drive today I fixed myself a drink and started watching Predators. I had low expectations for a sequel but I was not disappointed at all. So here is my advise - if you liked the original Predator or for that matter if you play any of first person shooter games on your XBox or PS3, pick up the film DVD and see it. Just stock up on that one thing that is absolutely necessary for both making and appreciating a good science fiction story. Imagination.

Inside the head of an artist...

Isn't it the ultimate form of principal agent relationship, when you can actualize all your overt & covert desires through an artist? Being John Malkovich is a great film.


PS: If you are wondering what the heck is a principal agent relationship, see the Wikipedia page here.

The English Patient

Kristin Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes on the Miramax DVD cover

I first watched this film in 1997, when I was still in high school. I thought it was a remarkable tale but the plot was a bit 'mature' for me. I re-watched this film today. I must write that I am moved. The excellent story has been remarkably well told.

Director Anthony Minghella's project showcases an incredibly beautiful, complex cinematography and a transcendental soundtrack. While Ralph Fiennes is at his usual best (think Schindler's List, The Constant Gardener), and Juliet Binoche received the well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar, for me Kristin Scott Thomas is the spark that set this film alive. In the role of Katharine, Kristin is stark femininity entwined with a wild, adventurous spirit and an emotional persona. Just as Katharine creates cavemen paintings on blank canvases, Kristin has inked the character from scratch. Whether as a beautiful outsider to the Egyptian desert, as a cultured woman of the army society, or as a passionate lover, Kristin adds life to the very narrative. Again, this is very parallel to how her character adds life to Almasy's (Ralph's) existence.

If you've not seen this film you really are missing something. Take my advice - set aside 3 hours and delight yourself.

The English Patient

Yi Yi

Yi Yi

I just finished watching my first Taiwanese film - Edward Yang's Yi Yi. To say it was brilliant would be an understatement. I feel that only a few number of filmmakers would attempt a serious project of such depth in scope, characters and plots. And only once in decades can one of them execute it with this mastery.

The idea behind the cover photo is deftly explained in the story. The boy Yang Yang (Jonathan Chang) explains that we only see half of the world because the other half eyes are unable to see. With his camera he tries to capture the hidden half for the people he meets. The boy is thus the director/writer Edward Yang's representative in the film. Lives and relationships, both business and personal, are wonderfully explored in this film through some very well defined characters, ranging in age from a newborn child to a dying old woman.

My moment of Zen - The piano score (Kaili Peng) on the DVD menu is simply marvelous.

The Twilight Samurai

The Twilight Samurai

The Twilight Samurai is Yoji Yomada's first Samurai film. The film is set in north east Japan's Unasaka clan in the late nineteenth century. Hiroyuki Sanada plays Seibei Iguchi, a 50-koku Samurai. I believe koku is a unit of land and thus a direct representation of the societal status of a Samurai. Iguchi is thus a low ranking Samurai who really aspires for a peaceful existence as a farmer. After his wife's death he has to take care of his two young daughters. His old mother is senile and thus unable to help with household work. Further entwined with this plot is the story of Tomoe, a girl who had been Iguchi's childhood friend. She is divorced from her violent, drunkard husband. Even though he is attracted to her, Iguchi at first refuses a proposed marriage with Tomoe.
The tale takes a turn when the clan leader dies and Iguchi is called upon to kill a dissenter within the ranks. We now slowly learn that Iguchi had been an accomplished fighter in his day. Even though he is fighting with a short sword he matches well with his practiced opponent.

One particular scene that stands out to me is when Iguchi's elder daughter asks him - "Father if I learn to do needlework someday I can make kimonos. But what good will book learning ever do me?" Iguchi replies -"Well, it probably won't ever be as useful as needlework. But you know book learning gives you the power to think. However the world might change, if you have the power to think you'll always survive somehow."

Miyamoto Musashi aka Samurai I

Note: I like to think of this blog as my own thoughts on these films; I try not to read any published reviews on these films before I write here.

Hiroshi Inagaki's Miyamoto Musashi (aka Samurai I) is the first film in the so-called Samurai trilogy, based on the 17th century Japanese warrior Musashi. The film is available on Criterion Collection DVD set. Last month I watched the final film in the trilogy and it raised this question in my mind. Samurai I follows the same theme in that it traces the beginnings of this samurai fighter to answer the question I had earlier.

I found one particular part of the plot, the capture of Takezo (Miyamoto) by priest Takuan, to be the most interesting. Takezo is hung from a tree for many days as a punishment for being a menace to society. Otsu, a kind village girl, and also Miyamoto's beloved, helps him escape from this punishment. Later priest Takuan again captures Miyamoto, this time in a jail-like room, where only books are his companion. Very subtly the film gives us an interesting view on how this fighter really learns. We are shown Takezo's good qualities - a trustworthy friend and brave soldier. But it is also shown that simply these are not enough to excel in the code of samurai conduct. Takezo has acted irrationally many times to the point of killing people simply for having a different opinion than himself. Now he is terribly punished for these crimes. This to me is the essential 'rite of passage' which the film depicts beautifully. It is the manner in which this man is simply stripped of all his dignity, made to realize his place in the world among fellow men, and also his insignificance in front of God. Musashi Miyamoto passes this test in over three years. The result is a samurai warrior with a a far tougher mind and a skilled, disciplined body.

I hope to watch Samurai II soon (and expect some action in it).

Samurai I - Musashi Miyamoto

What Makes A Good Fighter?

Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai III - Duel At Ganryu Island" is a 1956 Japanese film, the last part in the samurai trilogy based upon the famous seventeenth century japanese warrior Musashi Miyamoto. If summarized in a sentence, the film is a quest to decipher the answer to the ultimate question - 'What makes a good fighter?'.

The film develops the characters to give us a very balanced answer to this question. A true samurai is not the one who is the best at fencing, neither is he the one who has killed the most people, or won most fights. The film's hypotheses is that the true measure of a fighter is in the discipline displayed by her. Musashi Miyamoto is already a highly respected samurai, perhaps the best in Japan. He has, however, neither grown proud of his accomplishments, nor has given up his warrior instincts and discipline. He has simply attained a state of mind in which he believes that he neither has to display his skills to earn more respect nor has to shed innocent blood to awe people. He is sharp but at the same time very humble - the hallmarks of a true samurai at the pinnacle of his form.

In contrast, the challenger to Miyamoto's legacy is a young, brash samurai called Kojiro Sasaki, whose very existence is defined by the promise of a duel with Miyamoto. Sasaki is also shown to be ruthless in the pursuit of his goal (he kills four innocent samurai of one clan to draw Miyamoto's attention). Many times during the course of the film Sasaki displays the spirit of a true warrior. One example is the scene in which he visits the house of a competitor he crippled in a duel and apologizes for the pain he caused. On the whole Sasaki symbolizes the promise of a greater warrior but at the same time fails to deliver on the promise. His dream, of being the greatest fencer in Japan, has overtaken his judgement and discipline. He is also hurt because lady Akemi, whom he likes, chooses Miyamoto over him. Thus suffering from a double blow, Sasaki feels his only redemption lies in a duel-to-death with Miyamoto.

My Moment Of Zen - In the duel at the very end, Miyamoto approaches Ganryu island from the sea, while Sasaki waits inland. The duel takes place at the very edge of the ocean, with the sun setting behind Miyamoto's back. Besides the great cinematography, the scene is also symbolic of the broader struggle. Miyamoto, in life as in the duel, is constantly in chaotic waters (and the sun is setting on his reign), yet he has the better warrior spirit of the two samurai along with an unmatchable mastery of the game.

Samurai III Duel At Ganryu Island

The Idea Of Flight

If there is one area where evolution has shown an outstanding leap forward it is in the concept of flight. There is enough to ponder about how and why did terrestrial beings first felt the need to fly. Was the craving as simple as that of man, who tried all sorts of contraptions through the ages to be able to soar in the sky? Evidently their wish was far greater than what human beings have had in their relatively short existence. I am sure the need for flight was just absolutely essential for the very survival of the beings that first started hopping towards the sky.

Humankind has felt that need too, albeit for reasons far removed from survival. It is said that the tipping point in the design of first successful fixed wing aircraft was the slight curve on the top part of the airplane wings which made lift possible. Bernoulli's principle which governs this law of physics was written a century before it resulted in, arguably its best application, an airplane.

This post is inspired by the documentary film I just saw - Jacques Perrin's Winged Migration. If it ever crosses your mind to really feel what birds see during flight then this film will probably bring you closest to that vision. I quote from the DVD cover -

"..Witness as five film crews follow a rich variety of bird migrations through 40 countries and each of the seven continents. With teams totalling more than 450 people, 17 pilots and 14 cinematographers used planes, gliders, helicopters and balloons to fly alongside, above, below and in front of their subjects. The result is a film of staggering beauty..."

I tend to agree with the judgment passed in the last line above. The film really has some breathtaking photography of the actual flight of migratory birds. The close-ups are so vivid in motion that initially I thought that one of the birds in each group was carrying a camera attached to its body. As it turns out that is not the case and gliders were used. If you are very accustomed to documentaries on National Geographic or Discovery Channel this film would seem to lack in certain respects. On both of those TV channels, a documentary, whether it features birds, animals or insects, almost always has a very descriptive narrative throughout. That is not the case for Winged Migration; and I do not hold that against the film. I feel that this film, in several respects, is part of a different genre of nature-documentary films. Human intervention has been left to the very bare minimum and the viewer is left to spin his own story around the visual. Occasionally a narrative is used, but at most times only the name of the bird is provided in a subtitle. The sound, though, is different from the visual aspect. The intrusion of music is clear and very well defined. The choice of music too fits well with the sensibilities of the subject matter (and the particular scene). The end result is that the viewer feels he is actually on a migratory flight alongside these dozens of different migratory birds.

Trivia - Check the fascinating Arctic Tern which flies some 12,500 miles twice each year, from the Arctic to Antarctic! Some life, huh?

Everyone Is Going Somewhere

There is an increasing agreement within the global scientific community that human beings (Homo Sapiens) originated in Africa and then spread out to the rest of the world in two or more distinct exoduses. Genetics has played a major role in confirming this idea (which really has been around since Darwin). Dr Spencer Wells is an American geneticist and anthropologist who has written a book titled Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey. National Geographic, in 2003, made the book into a documentary, which I recently watched. To me, the film was like cherry topping on a chocolate cake, since I just finished reading Jared Diamond's Guns Germs And Steel: The Fate Of Human Societies.

If we assume that this community of geneticists, paleontologists, evolutionary biologists and archaeologists is indeed correct then our history appears to be a rather short one (of about 60,000 years or 2000 generations) since the time we left Africa. With the rapid pace of technological innovation which is now underway it should not be long before we colonize the rest of the galaxy (or galaxies). Here we come.

To learn more about this incredible journey of humankind check this link.

Learn more about the documentary here, and about the Recent African Origin theory here.
You can preview the the documentary on Youtube here.

Neorealism In Italian Cinema

Q: What is neorealism (neorealism in Italian cinema)?

1. Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors. Italian neorealist films mostly contend with the difficult economical and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: defeat, poverty, and desperation. (Source: Wikipedia)

2. Neorealist style means a simple story about the lives of ordinary people, outdoor shooting and lighting, non-actors mixed together with actors, and a focus on social problems in the aftermath of World War II. (Source: NYTimes)

One of the major figures of this genre of films is director Vittorio De Sica. I recently watched his Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief; also translated as Bicycle Thieves). As far as visual quality of the film is concerned, it easily surpasses expectations that one might have from a film made in the year 1949. The story is simple in execution and rather haunting in the message. To me, the film is a commentary on human life - we as conscientious beings try our best to be good at most times during our lives. Sometimes, however, circumstances force us to do bad things. The film's end is symbolic of the one quality that we so dearly cherish (and so easily lose), our innocence.

For story and expert opinion you may read the NYT Critics' pick article about the film here (requires login).

Баллада о солдате (Ballad Of A Soldier)

I just saw this fabulous 1959 Russian film about a World War II soldier. Director Grigory Chukhrai won the 1960 Cannes award for best direction for this film.
The main character Alyosha Skvortsov's life, and the life of people he meets in the movie is a story of possibilities:

- possibility of being killed by enemy tanks (in the opening scene)
- possibility of finding Vasya's (the invalid) wife waiting for him
- possibility of winning Shura's friendship
- possibility of seeing his mother before his official six day leave is exhausted
- possibility of patching up the roof of his mother's house
- possibility of returning back alive from the war (the ending)

Some of these possibilities get fulfilled (thereby keeping us as believers while the end of others just remains unknown to us). Besides the great plot the film has superb direction, cinematography and music which render it is a classic B&W masterpiece. Nineteen year old Alyosha's life seems to mirror everything that is right even during the tragic war - he is a brave soldier, an honest man and a devoted son.

My Moment Of Zen - The dusty, curvy road which marks the beginning and end of story is a haunting visual. To me it signifies the life of the soldier, the wait of the mother and the beloved, and over and above the choices we as individuals (and nations) make and how these choices impact others.

Ballad of a Soldier

Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)

Today I saw Khamosh Pani aka Silent Waters (2003). I must say I am extremely impressed by the authenticity of the content in movie (so rare in subcontinent films).

Director Sabiha Sumar does an excellent job in transporting the viewer to a not-so-distant past in Pakistani Punjab (1979) and very elegantly depicts the angst of a nation coming to terms with its identity. Kirron Kher is her usual self though, remarkably, her vocal outbursts have been very well subdued by the excellent direction/editing. For me the outstanding screen presence was Shilpa Shukla (below). I have seen her in another film (not Chak De India or Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi), but I am unable to remember which one. If I recall correctly, she played the role of a prostitute in that particular movie (whose name I am unable to remember). Does anyone know what I am talking about?

King Corn

I saw two movies today -

Woody Allen's Crimes And Misdemeanors and Independent Lens film King Corn

The first one was typical Woody stuff. The second film is a really good independent effort - it awakened me to the hazards of eating badly (read fast food).

Tsotsi

I watched Tsotsi yesterday. It won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2005.

Kramer vs. Kramer

Scene Analysis - The first time we see the child custody court, the camera is situated at the ground level inside the (magnificent) courthouse and facing the entrance from which Meryl enters with her lawyer. The camera then pans upwards towards the balcony where Dustin stands, deep in thought.

Implication - To me this scene sums up the genius of this movie. We as viewers have put Dustin's character on a moral high ground with the development of the plot. We can not relate to Meryl's side of the story in the same way (since her character is not fully developed). Thus at the end when Joanna gives back little Billy to Ted, all of us (Ted+ Joanna + viewers) feel vindicated.

Shadya

Independent Lens/PBS Film.
The film is about Shadya - 17 year old world champion (2003 World Shotokan) in Karate. The film is about her life as an Israeli-Arabic woman living in a (liberal) Muslim family in Israel. It appears to have been shot at a minimum budget and looks very real. Interesting subject to make up a really interesting film.

Read more about her here.

Go see it!

One, Two, Three (1961)

Today I watched this classic B&W called One, Two, Three on WNET/Thirteen (www.thirteen.org). Liked it immensely - "Schlemmer", the pet cry of McNamara (played by James Cagney) will keep going through my head for some time.

What I found especially amazing about the movie is not only the ferocious speed with which the dialogs between the cast take place but also that all times it is (ROTF) funny! Besides the obvious humor in the story it also came across to me as a very valid, albeit comical look at politics of its times. The story is set in Berlin (West) during the Cold War and it shows the idiocy of politics in general. Otto continuously gives a running commentary on the evils of the capitalist/imperialist world (which do not sound far from widely held views). He is however seriously disappointed in the communist politics of Moscow when it is shown that the very same human fallacies (greed, power-usurping, control, etc) exist on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

Immensely funny and simply magnificent. Period.

PS: I also saw a part of an indie movie called The Delicate Art of Parking. Set in Vancouver, Canada, it is a humorous take on the life of parking enforcers who are obviously hated by everyone. It turned out rather mild and seemed to be stretched a little too much off the central theme. Could have been much better.

A Cry In The Dark

This week I saw the 1985 movie A Cry In The Dark. It has breathtaking cinematography of the Australian wild. An emotional, touching story in the end.

I am very intrigued by Meryl Streep; no wonder she turns out to be a Masters in Fine Arts from Yale University. Diane Keaton calls her "my generations' genius". I am hoping she will be the next subject of my (private) film festival series! So far I have seen her in :

Sophie's Choice (1982) - Academy Award, Best Actress
Out of Africa (1985)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995) - an amazing Clint Eastwood flick
Lions for Lambs (2007)

And next on the list are:

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Academy Award, Best Actress
Silkwood