Aug 27, 2007

02nd September 2007 : Magendran's Uthiri Pookkal

Uthiri Pookkal

A Film by J.Magendran
Tamil ; Year : 1979
Run Time : 143 minutes
2nd September 2007 at 5.45 pm
Venue : Ashwin Hospital Auditorium
Call : 94430 39630

Uthiri Pookkal is based on a short story by Pudumai Pithan,. It portrays village school head Sundara Vadivelu’s life , his lust and his arrogance. The sadistic character of Vadivelu portrayed by Vijayan is unforgettable. Fascinating characters, excellent performances make this movie a memorable one. Mani Ratnam said in a Hindu interview , “In ``Udhiri Pookkal'' the scattered images made fantastic poetry. If I get anywhere near what Mahendran did in ``Udhiri Pookkal'' I'll be a happy man.” That sum’s up the greatness of this movie.

Uthiri Pookkal and Tamil Cinema

Tamil cinema has completed 75 years. Tamil Film Industry holds an important position in film production in India . According to available data from Film News Anandan’s book, number of Tamil films produced till 2003 is a staggering 4003 . This figure does not include dubbed movies from other languages. Again from 2004 to 2006, another 241 Tamil films have been made. But how many of these films can be counted as ‘real cinema’ or ‘ good cinema ‘. Sadly, the number will be in single digit for any serious cinema lover. Very rarely , one or two film makers defy the existing norms and make memorable movies in Tamil despite all the odds. We must be ever thankful to them. Magendran happens to be one and his Uthiri Pookkal is one such film – a rare masterpiece.

J.Magendran

Born in 1939 in Tamil Nadu . Magendran's first film (as director) ‘Mullum Malarum' was released in 1978. Then Uthiri Pookkal was released in 1979. Magendran has directed 11 films till 1992. His recent project Saasanam, with funds from NFDC is yet to be released properly. It is very hard for any original, talented filmmaker to survive in our Tamil Film Industry. Same has happened to this wonderful, talented original director. Magendran has almost disappeared from the scene and is almost forgotten.

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தமிழ் சினிமா

"நல்ல சினிமா என்பது நல்ல புத்தகம் போல என்பது என் கருத்து. நல்ல படங்களைப் பார்த்துதான் படம் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட என் அறிவை வளர்த்துக் கொண்டேன். எனது அறிவு புத்தகங்கள் படித்து வந்தது இல்லை. ஷேக்ஸ்பியரையும் , சார்லஸ் டிக்கன்ஸையும், ஆஸ்கர் வைல்டையும், டென்னசி வில்லியம்சையும், ஆர்தர் மில்லரையும் நான் படங்கள் வழியேதான் பயின்றேன். ஏனென்றால் எனது இளமைக்காலம் படங்களின் யுகமாக இருந்தது. ஆனால் தமிழ் சினிமா அன்றும் இன்றும் அதே கீழ் நிலையிலேயே இருக்கிறது. நமது சரித்திரப் பெருமையையோ, நமது மண்ணின் கலாசாரப் பெருமையையோ அவை எடுத்துச் சொல்ல முன்வந்ததில்லை. அதைப்பற்றி நமது தமிழ் சினிமா ஏதாவது பேசியிருக்குமேயானாலும் அவை வெற்றுப் பம்மாத்துக்களாகவே
இருக்கின்றன. "
- ஜெயகாந்தன்

நன்றி : http://www.tamilcinema.com/

Hindu write up by K.Jeshi on Konangal's 19th August tribute to Bergman & Antonioni

Masterminds in action

Contemporary filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni explored the dynamics of human relationships and redefined cinematic language in a vocabulary, all their own. K. Jeshi writes on Konangal’s tribute to them

Photos: S. Siva Saravanan

Bibi Andersson

“My creativity is terribly childish … it is a dialogue with my childhood,” says Ingmar Bergman in a recorded interview. For those who love Bergman, his work is poetry. He deliberately wipes a couple of lines in-betwee n so that you can fill in the blanks and enjoy the poem. The European master directed theatre and opera for 60 years and penned 50 original scripts. He passed away on July 30 in Sweden, and the void left behind is hard to fill. His films are completely personal and deal with the complexities of human mind and search for answers. Konangal Film Society made the tribute a memorable experience. Bergman’s classic, The Virgin Spring (1960) that fetched him his first Academy award, and the masterpiece Persona (1966) were screened at Kasturi Sreenivasan Art Gallery. A documentary on Bergman brought him closer to his fans.

Towards enlightenment



Liv Ullman

Adapted from a 14th century Swedish legend by screenwriter and novelist Ulla Isaksson, The Virgin Spring affirms faith, humanity and atonement. Bergman narrates the conditions in the transitional era of the Middle Ages. It begins with Karin (Birgitta Petersson) and Ingeri (Gunnel Lindblom) who are sent to church by their mother (Birgitta Valberg) and father (Von Sydow), strict Christians.

Ingeri is jealous of the attention lavished on Karin and tricks her naïve stepsister into continuing the journey alone. Karin encounters two herdsmen who rape, and kill her. A boy is witness to the crime. Eventually, the girl’s father takes revenge and as penance, vows to build a church. “He juxtaposes contradictions and opposing views only for our interpretation and intellectual progress,” says D. Anandan, film buff. He shows two levels of violence — the physical one of the herdsmen and the human meanness between the sisters, a reminder that we are always under threat of such violence. Another film buff said the film raised the question, ‘Should I believe in God or not?’

“It captured the conflict between religions and the way of life then,” said Rajeev Kamineni of Oxford Bookstore. The cinematography of Sven Nykvist captured the ruggedness of the polar country.

Persona, considered one of his central works on Modernism, explores an encounter between two women — Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullman) , a successful actress who has become mute during a performance of Electra, and sister Alma played by Bibi Andersson (Alma means soul in Spanish and Portuguese), the nurse who cares for her. Bergman had said: “Persona saved my life — that is no exaggeration. If I had not found the strength to make that film, I would probably have been all washed up. One significant point: for the first time I did not care in the least whether the result would be a commercial success...”

Noted film critic Susan Sontag had called it “Bergman’s masterpiece”. Though the film has been variously interpreted, critics agree that it explores the intricacies of the doctor-patient relationship, in particular the phenomenon of transference. While Elisabet is ostensibly the patient, her silence suggests a reversal — in psychoanalysis the doctor is silent and the patient speaks. Thus Alma might be seen as the patient and Elisabet, the silent analyst. The interpretation that the two are the same is shown in a famous shot, the juxtaposition of Alma’s and Elisabet’s faces to form one image. The prevalent use of single camera shots throughout film helps the audience study the characters’ faces and the extremely tight close-ups illustrate the theme of psychological deconstruction.

Studying minds

When Pon. Chandran of Konangal said: “As the movie progresses, we start wondering if Alma is the patient,” many in the audience agreed. “His filmmaking is a blend of cinema and theatre; one complements and supplements the other beautifully. In Persona, he exposes the conflict between the inner complexities and outside appearances.”

The face is the index of the mind and the film captures this, said another film lover. “The compassion they share is so strong that one person loosens up to accommodate the other inside her to give peace,” he added.

D. Anandan pointed out that as said by Susan, the director merges reality and fantasy seamlessly. “He withholds the signals; so it becomes insufficient to read the film.” He sees the ending as another state of nothingness. “Elisabet creates a void with her silence and Alma falls into the void, and enters a fantasy world. Finally, both are cured and get back to work.”

Reality check

A few hours after Bergman’s death came another blow to the film world; the death of Italian Michelangelo Antonioni, one of the distinctive filmmakers of the 20th century, known for his ‘neo-realist’ style. In Blow- up (1966), Antonioni’s protagonist, an emotionally isolated, light-eyed star photographer Thomas (David Hemmings) shoots pictures in a park. When he blows up and interprets his pictures, he discovers a dead body in the frame. A m urder has taken place, but when he goes back to investigate, there is nothing there. Carlo Di Palma’s camerawork, setting and editing rhythm lend stylish elements to the film. A tennis match in the finale became a reference point of 60s cinema. “A group of mime artistes enters the film, and two of them mime a tennis match with the rest cheering. Suddenly, the imaginary ball bounces off court and the photographer throws it back. Antonioni challenges the audience to re-examine the world around and understand reality,” says Rakesh S. Katarey of Amrita School of Communication.

K. Jeshi

Courtesy : Hindu Metroplus dated 25 08 2007

Aug 20, 2007


We thank all the film lovers who participated in the full day tribute to the masters, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni on 19th August 2007 at Kasthuri Srinivasan Auditorium.
We thank the press and all our well wishers for all the support.

Do share with us your feed back on the screenings and discussions. Mail us to konangal@gmail.com

Aug 9, 2007

On 19 th August 2007 , Konangal pays full day tribute to Ingmar Bergman and Michalangelo Antonioni


Rest in peace, dear auteurs

Konangal will host a full day tribute to Bergman and Antonioni with their films on Sunday 19th August 2007 from morning 9 .45 to evening 6.30 at Kasthuri Srinivasan Auditorium , Peelamedu , Coimbatore.

When ‘immortals’ die
The passing of Ingmar Bergman in Sweden and Michelangelo Antonioni in Italy only hours apart of each other on the same day, July 30, left a vacuum in the film world that cannot be filled for decades to come. They straddled world cinema like colossuses—two of the top 10 filmmakers of all time.















Ingmar Bergman

14h july 1918 - 30th July 2007

Bergman and Antonioni were among those who redefin
ed cinematic language in the 1950s and thus gave birth to the art film. Now that they’re gone, those who are left of that generation of golden pioneers, Andrzej Wajda of Poland , Manoel de Oliveira of Portugal, that perpetual iconoclast Jean-luc Godard, standing along with Eric Rhomer and Claude Chabrol .

Click here to watch this video tribute to Ingmar Bergman




















Michelangelo Antonioni
29th Sept. 1912 - 30th July 2007

Their death
s came only a few months after the passing of the godfather of American independent filmmaking, Robert Altman, adding to our considerable sorrow. Bergman and Antonioni explored similar themes, each using his distinctive film vocabulary. Again and again each returned to the same themes, elaborated on the same topics, elucidated the same problems.

Click here to watch Bergman talks about Antonioni

Their exploration of the dynamics of human rela
tionships can hardly be equaled. They found the malaise of modern society rooted in either lack of faith, loss of identity, or noncommunication among humans—and while Antonioni traces this mostly to alienation and ennui, Bergman directly puts the blame on the absence, if not the death, of God.Bergman could be philosophizing but Antonioni was the more cerebral, the master of modernist complexity, the “hero of the highbrows.”

We will be screening Bergman's much talked about films , Virgin Spring and Persona and Antonioni's masterpiece, Blow Up .

Blow Up

Year :1966 ; Run time 111 minutes

"The photographer in Blow Up, who is not a philosopher, wants to see things closer up. But it so happens that, by enlarging too far, the object itself decomposes and disappears. Hence there's a moment in which we grasp reality, but then the moment passes. This was in part of the meaning of Blow Up"
—Antonioni On Blow Up

In the hip culture of 1960s London, Thomas is a famous fashion photographer whose disillusionment is reflected in his expressionless, mannequin-like models. His technical directions have no meaning - they only serve as a means to fill the silence. He is constantly surrounded by people - celebrities, groupies, mod scene acquaintances - but is emotionally isolated. He weaves through drug parties and casual sex with the same pervasive mechanical detachment that he shows in his work. Perhaps, his only source of true intimacy comes from his brief meetings with an ex-girlfriend who has since married someone else, and can only offer abbreviated words and exchange enigmatic, knowing glances



Thomas secretly takes photos of a couple he sees embracing in a park. Through a series of blow-ups of the many exposures he snaps, he find clues to a murder. Taking a new direction with a new language, setting and editing rhythm, Antonioni makes an intriguing statement on the ambiguous nature of the film medium itself. Neither a portrait of Swinging London nor a bona fide thriller, Blow Up questions the maxim that the camera never lies and sets out into a virtually abstract examination of subjectivity and perception. Carlo Di Palma's camerwork leavens the brew, while the film's finale—a ballless tennis match—became a reference point of the 60's cinema.
Click here to watch 'Blow Up' trailer.
Click here for 'Blow Up' photo shoot session !

Like many of Antonioni's films, Blowup is a parable of answered prayers: the idea that the distraction of wealth and fame cannot fill the void of loneliness, nor substitute for a soul's unrequited passion


The Virgin Spring

Year : 1960 ; Run time 89 mins. ; Swedish with English subtitles

One of the few films that Ingmar Bergman directed but did not write. Oscar winning Bergman classic The Virgin Spring begins with Karin (Birgitta Petersson) and Ingeri ( Gunnel Lindblom )being sent on a journey to church by their mother (Birgitta Valberg) and father (von Sydow), who are very strict Christians. Ingeri is jealous of all the attention lavished on the spoilt but innocent Karin and tricks her naïve stepsister into continuing the journey to church alone. Karin soon meets two herdsmen (Axel Düberg and Tor Isedal) and a boy (Ove Porath), and offers to share a meal with them. However, events quickly take a horrific turn.

Adapted from a fourteenth century Swedish legend by screenwriter and novelist Ulla Isaksson, The Virgin Spring is a harrowing, yet ultimately affirming portrait of faith, humanity, and atonement. Using chiaroscuro imagery that interplays light and shadows, Ingmar Bergman reflects the process of spiritual illumination in the transitional era of the Middle Ages where mysticism, amorality, and paganism coexisted with the period of intellectual, artistic, and religious enlightenment.

Persona

Year : 1966 –Run time 85 minutes – Swedish with English sub titles.

Persona is often considered to be Bergman’s masterpiece and is often described as one of the central works of Modernism. Bergman himself claimed that this film ‘touched wordless secrets only the cinema can discover’. Persona is arguably Ingmar Bergman's most challenging film. Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullman) is an accomplished stage actress who, in the middle of performing Elektra, ceases to speak. Sister Alma (Bibi Andersson), the young nurse assigned to care for her, learns that there is nothing physically or even psychologically wrong with Elisabeth - she has simply, consciously decided not to speak. Alma (the name, not accidentally, is the Spanish word for soul) describes her initial impressions of Elisabeth as gentle and childlike, but with strict eyes. She takes Elisabeth to the attending physician's remote summer house to facilitate her recuperation. At first, the two seem ideally suited: a talkative, candid, and inexperienced nurse, and a sophisticated, enigmatic, and silent patient. They take long walks, bask in the sun, and read together. It is obvious that their isolation has cultivated a sense of intimacy between them, albeit one-sided.

Click here for Persona video clip

Persona is a provocative, highly cerebral, and artistically complex depiction of human frailty, cruelty, and identity. Bergman uses minimal composition and extremely tight close-ups to illustrate the theme of psychological deconstruction. You may note the prevalent use of single camera shots throughout the duration of a scene. The lack of camera movement forces us to study the characters' faces. Persona, after all, as the title suggests, is not about who the person actually is, but the different identities, or facades, that the person projects.

Screening at Kasthuri Srinivasan Auditorium , Peelamedu , Cbe.
9.45 am to 6.30 pm on Sunday 19th August 2007.
Age limit 18 years. For refreshmnets and lunch Rs.50
You are welcome to contribute more and support our efforts in popularising good cinema.
Call :94430 39630 Email : konangal@gmail.com