We celebrate Cinema
Konangal Film Society
- Konangal - Phone: 9790457568
- COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU, India
- KONANGAL FILM SOCIETY was formed by cinema lovers in Coimbatore in 2003. 'Konangal' means 'angles' in Tamil. kONANGAL is a non profit forum with an aim to promote good cinema . Admission is free. Konangal Film Society is affiliated to Federation of Film Societies of India and registered as Film Society under The Tamilnadu Societies Act. Registration No.94/2006. Call 97904 57568 Email:konangal@gmail.com
I don't like the idea of 'understanding' a film. I don't believe that rational understanding is an essential element in the reception of any work of art. Either a film has something to say to you or it hasn't. If you are moved by it, you don't need to have it explained to you. If not, no explanation can make you moved by it.
- Frederico Fellini
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Mani Kaul
1944-2011
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Good-night sweet prince,
And flights of angels
sing thee to thy rest ...
M.F HUSSAIN
1915 - 2011
The doyen of
Indian art
dies in exile in London
M.Krishnan
Memorial Lecture
Wildlife Photo Exhibition
29th&30th June 2011
10.30 am to 7.30pm
Remembering
elephant doctor
V.Krishnamoorthy
30 th June 5.15pm
M.Krishnan Memorial Lecture
by T.N.A.Perumal
30th June 6.30pm
Venue:
PSG Institute of
Management
ENJOY THE RING SIDE VIEW OF THE BEST IN WORLD CINEMA
For me the camera is exactly like a pen. It can be used by the common person, or it can be used by Baudelaire to create a great poem. We have an Iranian saying that if you want to become a good writer, you just keep writing and writing and writing. So in response to the question of how to develop a good aesthetic vision, I can say that you have to keep seeing and seeing and seeing.
Abbas Kiarostami
In Memorium
A film activist passes away
SARATCHANDRAN http://saratchandran.com/
ART EXHIBITION
 Ramakrishana Behera, "Deepak Tal", 2008; Oil on linen;56" X 66" (142 X 168 cms) |
CONTEMPLATE ART GALLERY
and
NATURE MORTE
present
"Anthology of Styles"
by
Archana Hande
Bassist Kumar
Dileep Sharma
Jayanta Roy
Nidhi Agarwal
Ramakrishna Behera
Exhibition: 10th March - 19th March, 2011
at
contemplate:
# 338, 1st floor, Above Rajshree Ford showroom,
Avanashi Road, Peelamedu,
Coimbatore
Remembering John Abraham
HOMAGE
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Visitors to this page since 15 06 2007
Hindu write up on screening of Power of Art
Great Movie Makers
Original and path breaking
film makers of our times
TERRANCE MALICK
Must see movies : The
Wikipedia Link
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The Shape of Fear: The Thin Red Line
Death Comes as an End: Badlands
a tribute to ritwik ghatak
John Abraham 1937 - 1987
Thank you for smoking !
Where is her cigarette ? This stamp honoring Bette Davis was issued by the U. S. Postal Service on Sept. 18 th. The portrait by Michael Deas was inspired by a still photo from "All About Eve." Notice anything missing? Before you even read this far, you were thinking" Where's her cigarette? Yes reader, the cigarette in the original photo has been eliminated. We are all familiar, I am sure, with the countless children and teenagers who have been lured into the clutches of tobacco by stamp collecting, which seems so innocent, yet can have such tragic outcomes. But isn't this is carrying the anti-smoking campaign one step over the line? - ------------- From Roger Ebert's journal ------ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com ------------------ Anbumani Ramados will be happy to hear this . . .
Indian Parallel Cinema & Indian New Wave
AKIRA KUROSAWA (1910 - 1998)Akira Kurosawa died on September 6, 1998. He was eighty-eight years old and had directed thirty feature films. With Kurosawa now gone, we will return again and again to his films, their living, coherent statement, the superb attempt of a single man to be honest with himself.
Lots of good reading here . . . .
Bangalore Film Society
Talking to Hirokazu Kore-eda
On Maborosi, Nobody Knows
and Other Pleasures
Click on the captions below –
Indiewire interview with Koreeda
Midnight Eye interviewwith Kore-eda
The screen’s white eyelid would only need to be able to reflect the light that is its own, and it would blow up the Universe.
Luis Buñuel
(Thanks to Girish for the link )
Hindu write up on Kieslowski Film Festival by K.Jeshi
Three colours capture the beauty and mystery of life at a retrospective of Polish film-maker Krzysztof Kieslowski. K. Jeshi reports
Photos: M. Periasamy
Power packed Performances Juliette Binoche in Blue. “There is a visual fluidity in his films, a way of moving lyrically through space that connects the audience with the characters…” says a film critic about Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski. His characters say little, but express more and are extraordinary in intensity.
Read complete report -CLICK HERE.
Power packed Performances Juliette Binoche in Blue.
Read complete report -CLICK HERE.
Lights On, campus Film Festival at PSG- CAS
Pon.Chandran , D.Anandan and Mugil - all from Konangal at Lights On, a film festival organised by Forum for Active Campus Endeavours (FACE), as part of diamond jubilee celebrations of PSG College of Arts and Science. Courtesy : Hindu Metro Plus
Poetry on celluloid
Satyajit Ray’s genius cast its spell at a recent retrospective of some of his best films. K. Jeshi reports
Photos: S. Siva Saravanan
Intense moments In Pather Panchali and Charulata When visuals speak poetry, there is silence. And, introspection. Such films are timeless. There is no conventional narration, no melodrama; just a subtle blend of emotions immortalised by master storyteller Satyajit Ray.
Intense moments In Pather Panchali and Charulata
It is thumbs up for Konangal Film Society which screened three classics — Pather Panchali (Song of the little road), Charulata (The lonely wife) and Shatranj Ke Khilari (The chess players). Pather Panchali introduces you to life in Bengal in the early 20th century. Harihar, a priest, his wife Sarbajaya, daughter Durga, son Apu and a cousin, Indir Thakur, struggle to make ends meet. But, Durga and Apu share innocent pleasures, such as following a candy seller (though they can’t afford to buy candies), enjoying theatre, racing a train and participating in a cousin’s wedding.
Documenting changeDurga falls ill after a joyous dance in the rains, and dies. The family leaves their ancestral village in search of a new life in Benares, an indication of change in the then stagnant Bengal society.
The film got debut cinematographer Subrata Mitra an award at Cannes. The train is used as a motif, symbolising power and industrialisation. Referring to the visuals, film buff D Anandan observed: “Durga is ecstatic when dancing in the rain, and the visuals convey the emotion. So do the shots that capture the arrival of the monsoons”. Pandit Ravishankar’s music highlights the changes taking place at various points.
Charulata, an adaptation of Rabindrantah Tagore’s ‘The ruined nest’, is the director’s favourite. He had once said: “Well, the one film that I would make the same way, if I had to do it again, is Charulata.” Every frame in the movie tells a story.The location is Calcutta in the 1880s. Bhupathi is the editor and publisher of a political magazine The Sentinel. His wife Charulata lives in her own world of books, and loves poetry and literature, especially that of ‘Bankim babu’. She yearns for intellectual company. Bhupathi asks his cousin Amol who comes to live with them, to encourage Charu’s love for art and literature. He does, and their shared artistic interests and love for writing draws them close.
Meanwhile, a family member betrays Bhupati’s trust when he embezzles funds from the newspaper. This is juxtaposed with another apparent breach of trust by Charulata and Amol and their feelings for each other. Charulata’s angst, captured in close-up shots through the movie, lingers long after the movie is over.
A breathtaking play of light and shadow, beautiful upper middle class Bengali homes, songs (composed by Ray) and power-packed performances make this a classic. Charu conveys her deep love and emotional attachment, without saying ‘I love you’. But the intense looks and the liberties she takes with Amol (liking making paan for him) speak volumes. Yet, Ray was criticised for making the relationship too explicit. But he defended himself saying, “… When you transfer poetic language to cinematic language, changes are inevitable...”
Ray believed women were more honest, more direct, and by and large, the stronger of the sexes. And, it was this type of woman which fascinated him. And, Charulata is the archetypal Ray woman.
In the final shot, he freezes the frames of Bhupathi and Charulata as they reach out to clasp each other’s hands. A light shines on them. “That is the silver lining and their relationship will survive,” observed a film buff.
Shatranj Ke Khilari… opens with two friends playing chess. Amitabh Bachchan’s magnificent voice narrates the story. The film, based on a short story by Munshi Premchand, draws a parallel between chess games of feudal lords Mirza Sajjad Ali (Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir Roshan Ali (Saeed Jaffrey), and the crafty moves of the British to capture Awadh. General Outram is on a mission to revoke an existing treaty, and demand the abdication of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (Amjad Ali Khan). The detailed visuals, elaborate costumes and sets, the script and the performances brought the Lucknow of 1856 alive.Konangal’s determination to take film appreciation to the next level has worked. Many turned up for the screening at the Cosmopolitan Club and stayed on to discuss Satyajit Ray and his art.
Courtesy : Hindu Metroplus
HOMAGE
Theme for 2008 : ENERGY
Tilt & Pan
Hindu write up by K.Jeshi on screening of Visions Of Light
Light and life
Legendary cinematographers talk about their art
Lyrical expressionFrom Visions of Light
Legendary cinematographers talk about their art
Lyrical expressionFrom Visions of Light
Sheer poetry — when cinematographer Sven Nykvist illuminated Ingmar Bergman’s greatest films with his lyrical use of light. He pioneered the use of naturalistic light in filmmaking and won two Academy awards. Best cinematography for Bergm an’s Cries and Whispers and Fanny and Alexander.
For Vittorio Storaro, a living legend in cinematography, Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist was an exercise in shadow and light. To convey the sense of claustrophobia, he used light to show consciousness and darkness to portray unconsciousness. His photography attained lyrical heights and won him the Oscars for Apocalypse Now, Reds and The Last Emperor. Closer home, Subrata Mitra worked magic in Satyajit Ray’s films starting with Pather Panchali.
Cinematographers are considered the director’s second pair of eyes. It is they who interpret and capture his vision. And, to illustrate the importance of lighting in cinema, Konangal screened ‘Light and shadow’, a film on the making of The Conformist, and ‘Visions of Light’, a film about cinematography, that had great shots and sequences and comments by those who photographed them.
Masters speak Great cinematographers speak of their relationships with directors. They talk of shots, and the light; from photography in the black and white era to the colour and, dramatic and expressionistic lighting techniques.
“It’s like a book for us,” say the cinematographers referring to the influence of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, photographed by Gregg Toland. “They broke all the rules and tried different things, in texture and contrasts,” they say about the magnitude of photographic innovations in the film.
Ace cinematographer Gordon Willis talks about the Godfather films, which earned him the nickname ‘Prince of Darkness.’ Willis says he was criticised for the use of deep shadows when lighting Marlon Brando, but many contemporaries also felt he had mastered the art of underexposure.
Gone with the Wind set the trend for colour films. Clippings from movies such as Annie Hall, Jaws, Blue Velvet, and Goodfellas detailed various techniques use In Cold Blood, photographed by Conrad Hall, a sad scene finds actor Robert Blake’s character talking to a priest about his father. Hall discovered that the light through the window caught the shadows of raindrops as they trickled down the glass. He projected them against Blake’s face, creating the illusion of ghostly tears. “The visuals were crying for him….it was truly a visual accident…” the cinematographer says.William Fraker, cinematographer of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, says that in the scene in which the character played by Ruth Gordon is on the telephone, Polanski wanted him not to show the face of the actress. He didn’t, but when that shot played, everyone in the theatre unconsciously shifted to one side, trying to see around that door. As Fraker simply says, ‘That’s Roman Polanski!’
K.JESHI
Have filmmakers developed a taste for glorifying violence, asks K. Jeshi
Portrayal of violence A cause for concern
Says director Mysskin of Chithiram Pesuthadi fame: “Violence is not a new trend; it has always been part of our lives. Even the Ramayana and the Mahabharata had their share of battles and bloodshed. You need bullets and blood to show how serious the repercussions of violence are.”
Film buffs say that as long as it is realistic, violence is acceptable. “Out of every 100 movies, 20 are based on gangster themes. In movies such as Thotti Jaya and Pudupettai, personal vendetta is the reason for violence. But in Vettaiyadu Vilayadu, violence is glorified for no reason. There is no justification for the characters in the film taking pleasure in chopping fingers off and murdering people,” says S. Kamala Kannan, president, Cinema Club of Coimbatore. He has worked as an assistant director for filmmaker Seenu Ramasamy, who made Koodal Nagar.
The time factorAccording to Mysskin, while in real time, stabbing or roughing up someone lasts only a few minutes, in movies, the time is stretched and it gets exaggerated.
Violence in mass appeal movies, such as Sami or Pokkiri, tends to have a limited impact on the audience.
“Because, there is no element of realism in such movies. Everyone knows it is impossible for a man to beat up 50 people,” he adds.
Not just the portrayal of violence, justifying it is also a cause for concern. If movies such as Thulluvatho Ilamai portray sexual violence and target teenagers, Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyadu… justify encounter-based violence. Exaggerated physical violence also promotes the trend of verbal violence.
Highlight emotionsThere are fine human emotions and societal values, why aren’t these highlighted, asks filmmaker R.R.Srinivasan, who is involved in the film appreciation movement in South India.
“Be it Veyil, Pithamagan or Paruththi Veeran, the films use violence as a tool to lure the youth. When physical violence is exaggerated on screen, it increases violence in society. Some movies promote caste-based violence too,” he adds. So, the onus is on the filmmakers to choose the right theme. “They choose violence because it sells,” says Srinivasan.
Resolving conflictsFilms promote violence as a tool to resolve conflicts, says Rakesh S. Katarey of the Amrita Institute of Communication, who is also a documentary filmmaker. “In Ram Gopal Varma’s films, a pistol is not just an inanimate object of violence, it is called a ghoda or horse, a creature of supreme grace,” he points out.
Alternative cinemaIf alternative cinema works towards removing violence from society, commercial cinema promotes it.
“In Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya, the filmmaker delves deep into the psyche of the protagonist (the violent policeman played by Om Puri), and analyses the unorganised police system that breeds such policemen. His film Aaghat handled violence in labour union politics. Shyam Benegal’s Ankur is another example. Such films deal with structural and systematic differences in society that give birth to violence,” says Katarey. Death and violence arise out of a systematic denial of land, food, health and education on the basis of caste, class, gender and governance or the lack of it, and this remains largely unexplored, he says.
Promote peaceBut, there is hope. “Lage Raho Munnabhai is a shining example. Unless commercial films popularise peace as a tool to resolve conflict, people will continue to believe only in violence,” he adds. “As long as the creator gives a sincere presentation, it is acceptable,” says T.S. Prabhu, programme producer, Sun TV, who made Kathiyinri Rathaminri Oru Thirai Kalam, a short film on the growing violence in Tamil films.
In Mysskin’s words, everything depends on the creator’s ability. “Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai portrays violence in a subtle way and Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List leaves a direct stamp of violence. I refrained from showing blood in my film. I projected vanmurai as menmurai.”
Hindu write up on 'The Chorus' Screening by Pankaja Srinivasan
Les Choristes highlights uncomfortable truths about how adults treat children
Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
A beautiful symphony The chorus
Nevertheless, it made one think — about the large chunk of humanity called kids, and the institutions we send them to, called schools.
The story Les Choristes is set in a boarding school for ‘delinquents’. The school authorities believe in swift retribution to the slightest contrariness.
New teacher Clement Mathieu is told he can look forward to a class of thieves, inveterate liars and souls beyond reach. Mathieu is clueless has taken the job only because he doesn’t know what else to do.
The kids are everything the authorities said they would be. And, Mathieu faces his share of obscene graffiti and practical jokes. Still, his decent soul revolts at treatment meted out to the children.
One day, Mathieu overhears the children singing a rude song about him, and he has an idea. A musician, albeit an unsuccessful one, he decides to teach his ‘savages’ music. He divides his class into baritones, altos, sopranos, and forms a choir. The children respond beautifully, and turn out to be angelic singers. While the film is hardly original, (there have been many with the ‘teacher-meets-impossible-students’, ‘teacher-reforms-impossible-students’ theme; To Sir with Love, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Dangerous Minds, The Freedom Writers’ Diary, etc.), there are bits that are telling.
Their dreams
When Mathieu asks the children what they want to become, not one wants to be a teacher. For them, a cowboy, a pilot or a hot air balloonist is a hero. Teachers are despicable.
Is that how children view teachers?
Is that why no one is beating down the doors to apply for a teacher’s job?
Are the authorities taking note?
The metaphor in The Chorus is obvious. The school system is constantly straight-jacketing kids in the name of discipline.
Everyone is tarred with the same brush. There is no place for individuality or creativity.
“Les Choristes” sends a message that having different voices doesn’t amount to indiscipline.
With care, even discordant notes can be unified into a beautiful symphony; a good teacher can make a profound difference in a child’s life (one of the delinquents goes on to become a world famous music conductor).
SATYAJIT RAY
Pesrsonal Awards
1958 - Padmashree, India
1965 - Padmabhushan, India
1967 - Magasaysay Award, Manila
1971 - Star of Yugoslavia
1973 - Doctor of Letters, Delhi University
1974 - D. Litt., Royal College of Arts, London
1976 - Padmabibhushan, India
1978 - D. Litt., Oxford University
Special Award, Berlin Film Festival
Deshikottam, Visva-Bharati University, India
1979 - Special Award, Moscow Film Festival
1980 - D. Litt., Burdwan University, India
D. Litt., Jadavpur University, India
1981 Doctorate, Benaras Hindu University, India
D. Litt. , North Bengal University, India
1982 Hommage à Satyajit Ray, Canes Film Festival
Special Golden Lion of St. Mark, Venice Film Festival
Vidyasagar Award, Govt. of West Bengal
1983 Fellowship, The British Film Institute
1985 D. Litt., Calcutta University, India
Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India
Soviet Land Nehru Award
1986 Fellowship, Sangeet Natak Academy, India
1987 Légion d'Honneur, France
D. Litt., Rabindra Bharati University, India
1992 Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, USA
Bharatratna, India
Ray receiving the Oscar in
Calcatta in a satellite telecast
Hindu write up by Subha J Rao
PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
Reality check
The real and the imaginary merge in The Purple Rose of Cairo
A choice two many For Cecilia
Her country is in depression, and she is saddled with a jobless husband and a job as a waitress where the cutlery finds a way to slip off her hands. And so, Cecilia (a fragile Mia Farrow) of Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo, loses herself in the world of movies.
Magic in the air
Suddenly, there’s magic in the air. Tom Baxter (Jeff Bridges), the swashbuckling adventurer from the film ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’ steps out of the screen, bored with repeat performances and impressed that Cecilia has watched the film five times.
Cecilia is torn between the imaginary character who loves her (“even kisses perfectly”), and her husband Monk (Danny Aiello), who gambles and cheats on her, and even beats her (“but, only after warning”).
Meanwhile, Tom tries to escape from other theatres as well, and the producers are in panic. So are the actors on screen, who wait impatiently for the show to continue.
Completing the triangle is actor Gil Shepherd who plays Tom’s character. He is afraid for his career, and tries to get Tom to return. He meets Cecilia, and promises her a wonderful life together.
Convinced, Cecilia (“A week ago I was unloved, now two people love me. Only, they are the same two people”) convinces a heartbroken Tom to return to the screen, and goes home to pack her bags.
On reaching the theatre, their meeting spot, she realises the
Konangal Film Society recently screened the film, placed in TIME magazines list of 100 best films, where Woody Allen’s humour is a constant presence.
When Tom is invited to a brothel, he charms all the inmates with his gentlemanly behaviour, and convinces them that ‘being in love’ and ‘making love’ are not different.
And, the waitress in Cecilia comes alive when she is taken into the screen, and to a club by Tom – “I don’t know how much you are paying, but the champagne bottle is filled with ginger-ale.”
Gautaman, who makes short films, said the film conveyed a simple idea beautifully, and showed that we can all get away from reality, but only for a while.
SUBHA J RAO
Why are Hollywood movies so bad?
GENERAL BODY MEETING
Hindu write up on screening of KES
A story nobody knew
The Russian film, Ballad of a Soldier, is a poignant tale
Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
Celebrating love In times of war The film begins and ends on a long dusty road. It seems fitting, for it is about a young soldier’s action-packed journey to meet his mother. And, the narrator tells us the soldier’s story, which ‘not even his mother knows’. W. SREELALITHA
Courtesy - The Hindu : Metroplus
Celebrating love In times of war
Nineteen-year-old Alyosha Skvortsov (played by the oh-so-cute Vladimir Ivashov) gets a six-day break from the front after he destroys two Nazi tanks, ‘out of fright’. He sets off to see his mother, loaded with canned beef, and two cakes of soap from another soldier, a luxurious gift to his ‘beloved’ wife!
Myriad experiencesBy the time he meets his mother, Alyosha has missed many a train, seen the unconditional bond between a handicapped man and his wife, infidelity (he snatches back the soap from the soldier’s ‘beloved’ wife!), the brutality of the war on civilians, and above all, he has fallen hopelessly in love with a refugee, Shura. The encounter with his mother is ridiculously brief. He leaves, never to return.
Ballad of a Soldier, screened by Konangal Film Society, sums up the lives of soldiers in war-ravaged Russia during the Second World War. However, much to director Grigori Chukhrai’s credit, there hardly are any scenes on the front.In addition to a poignant tale, Chukhrai packs in plenty of beautiful moments. Such as when Shura (a lovely Zhanna Prokhorenko) wants to know for whom Alyosha had bought a handkerchief or the scene where one child plays with soap bubbles and another with an alarm salvaged from rubble.
Chukhrai fills the scenes lavishly with messages, almost always shrewdly. For instance, when Alyosha travels with another soldier Vasya, the compartment is bursting with soldiers, war veterans, smoke, laughter, amicable jibes and bawdy man-talk. But, behind every face is a saga of sorrow, yearning and hope, waiting to be told.
A good music director is one that knows best when to stop the music. The only thing that is loud when Alyosha meets his mother is the silence, marred not even by the two rivulets of tears streaming down her joyous eyes.
Film buff D. Anandan says the film is a subtle propaganda against war. “With the magical use of black and white, the director has juxtaposed poetry with the intensity of war”. The film tells you that when there is destruction all around, the only thing that remains is love, says Pon Chandran, president of Konangal.
TRIVIAAfter changing his mind on using professional actors, director Chukhrai picked two very young, unknown acting students (Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko) for the lead roles
Courtesy - The Hindu : Metroplus
A story of hope
Three girls embark on an adventure along the Rabbit Proof Fence to find their mothers
Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
Moving tale Evelyn Sampi as Molly gives a power packed performance It is the longest fence in the world — the Rabbit-Proof Fence in Western Australia. It bisects the continent and runs approximately 2000 miles. And, it is the lifeline for three Aboriginal girls to find their mothers in Jigalong and return to t heir community. K. JESHI
Moving tale Evelyn Sampi as Molly gives a power packed performance
Molly, her sister Daisy and cousin Gracie (Evelyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury and Laura Monaghan) are forcibly removed from their families in Western Australia to a camp at Moore River in north of Perth, 1500 miles away, to be trained as domestic servants. Molly leads the girls on a daring escape following on foot — the rabbit proof fence that cuts across the Gibson Desert and towards Jigalong. In the 1930s, as part of Government policy (active till 1970), special detention centres were set up across the continent to prevent mixed race children from ‘contaminating’ the rest of Australian society. After the training, they were integrated as domestic workers into white society.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) by Australian film-maker Philip Noyce records the history of racial prejudices based on true events. Adapted from the book, ‘Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence’ by Doris Pilkington Garimara, it traces the nine-week journey of the author’s mother (Molly), and the other two girls, who ran away from the settlement in 1931 to return to their families.
The chief protector of Aborigines, A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), who has the right to remove any half-caste from their families, does his best to recapture them, with help from black tracker David Moodoo (David Gulpilil). But the endurance and the undying spirit of the children wins.
“The film deals with power dynamics of the whites and the absolute lack of sensitivity in them,” says D. Anandan, film buff. The scene in which Neville checks the children’s skin colour by lifting their shirts is an example. The fairer the skin, the better the prospects of a good education. “The girls love freedom and their resilience brings in a psychological transformation in the minds of the audience,” he adds.
Noyce, known for his swift narrative style, resorts to poetry here. Sample this: When the girls touch the steel fence with the hope of re-uniting with their mother, the mother on the other side is able to feel the vibration. The spirit bird is used as a motif in the movie. A film lover cited the example of an aboriginal athlete, who lit the Sydney Olympic torch in 2000, as an indication of the changing times. “But, racism still continues. It is vehement in Australia, especially against Asians and Aborigines,” observed Pon. Chandran.
Snapshots from reality
Rehabilitated street children document their lives in Coimbatore Sandhippu, writes K. Jeshi
A slice of life Dedicated to street children
A slice of life Dedicated to street children
It is their story. And, the camera follows the characters to record the truth. Coimbatore Sandhippu, a documentary on street children directed by the children of Don Bosco Anbu Illam is a slice of their life, their struggles, their dreams and aspirations.
Ray of hope
When G. Krishnamoorthi from Krishnagiri says he was ill-treated by his parents, it leaves you unsettled.
“My father used to spend his daily wage on liquor, and harass me to seek alms. I ended up on the streets,” he says.
But, there is a glimmer of hope when he says: “Now, I am studying in Class V, and I want to make it big in life.”
The documentary was screened at
“‘Our life is a story’ is what the students had to say when we asked them to make a film as part of their development activities project,” says Fr. C. Jayaraj, director of Don Bosco Anbu Illam Social Service Society, a centre for street and working children.
Understanding cinema
“Though, in most cases, it is poverty and harassment that drives the children to run away, some of them also end up on the streets because of their aspiration to become film stars. The film gave them an opportunity to understand cinema, and also get their minutes of fame as actors,” he adds.
The film was edited at Alaihal Media, Tiruchi.
Be it R. Gopal from Madhya Pradesh, who took up menial jobs in trains for months together or Sonu from Mumbai who used to live on trains, their stories end on a positive note. But, raise a few questions on the need for societal change.
Abandoned by parents
S. Essakki Muthu from Tirunelveli, S. Shyam from
“Why do elders ill-treat us?” asks John Peter and adds: “I will become a filmmaker, educate the public, and bring about a change in society through my films.”
The filmmaking experience has boosted their confidence levels immensely.
“We thought cinema was all about superstar Rajnikant and Vijay. But, we learnt that it can be used as a powerful tool to convey strong social messages,” says S. Siva from Tirunelveli.
Potential filmmakers
A total of 25 students (between 10 and 17 years) have put their heads and hearts together for the project.
The documentary has been shot at the Don Bosco Illam in Ukkadam and the Coimbatore Railway Station.
“I see potential filmmakers in them. They easily picked up the nuances of film-making, camera movements, lighting and editing,” says R.R. Srinivasan, documentary filmmaker, who guided them.
Honing the skills
As in any film education, he took them through film theory, and followed it with the screening of world classics, animation films and documentaries. To get acquainted with the camera, they went on an outdoor shoot to Vellakinaru.
Facing the world
The real stories are captured in black and white, and their filming experience in colour. A moving train follows the story, a reminder that it is these trains that the abandoned children take shelter in to escape their situation.
“They have gone through so much pain in their lives, but are confident to face the world with a smile,” he adds.
As D. Rajasekar, who is now in Class VIII puts it. “When I was a daily labourer, my future was bleak. Now, it is a new beginning. Our success stories will give a ray of hope to lots of children out there on the streets.”
Courtesy : Hindu Metroplus.
The magic of Mahendran
Udhiri Pookkal’s timeless beauty lies in its touch of reality and subtlety
Photo: M. Periasamy
JUST RIGHT For the role
Director Mani Ratnam once famously remarked: “If I get anywhere near what Mahendran did in Udhiri Pookkal, I’ll be a happy man.” Watch the film, and you’ll know what he meant.
Thanks to Konangal Film Society, many who had missed out on the timeless film got an opportunity to watch it, and those who had viewed it a dozen times over were only too glad for a once-more!
Village despot
It is the story of a despotic village school head Sundara Vadivelu (Vijayan), who is forced to end his life.
From Vijayan and Ashwini as his wife, to the village hairdresser and the conniving sakuni of a music teacher, each actor has played his role to perfection.
There’s perpetual fear and despondency on Ashwini’s beautiful face, so much so that the smiles that play up occasionally seem reluctant.
Mahendran sprinkles subtlety throughout the film, in characterisation, dialogues and visuals. Vijayan never raises his voice: a soft smile is his bludgeon; you don’t see him hitting Sarath Babu, only a bleeding lower lip.
When Vijayan refuses to let go of his second wife, the calm woman says, “I could poison your food, don’t make me a murderess.” And, the river flows quietly, not telling us it will take the protagonist’s life.
The director throws in a few powerful lines too. When Vijayan wants to marry his wife’s sister too, his father-in-law Charu Hassan says: “I’ll be a father, not a pimp,” or when Ashwini mutely wonders if any woman has the courage to ask for another husband.
Still relevant
Someone from the audience claimed that the film, released in 1979, ran for 25 weeks in a Coimbatore theatre. Nearly three decades later, if the film still strikes a chord with the audience, it is because of its proximity to reality — the innocence of the villagers and the condition of rural women.
For the current generation overfed on a diet of outrageously hyperbolic movies, this should be a breath of fresh air. The lower middle class family does not live in a stately mansion with designer furniture, there are no song sequences tearing between Australia and the Alps, and no inch-thick coats of shocking pink lipstick or purple eye shadow!
Ilayaraja’s music speaks for itself. Film buff D. Anand summed up the brilliance of Azhagiya kanne in three words: Monalisa of music.
Eye for detail
Mahendran’s eye for detail adds to the charm of the score: a cute (baby) Anju (of Keladi Kanmani fame) smiling for no reason; Ashwini pulling out a chewing gum from a stubborn Anju’s mouth or a thorn from her son’s foot, or Anju drying out her paavaadai only to drench it again.
W. SREELALITHA
Courtesy : The Hindu , Metroplus dated 06 09 2007
Tamil Cinema
12th August 2007 ; Outreach Prgramme Screening
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
Italian visionary Michelangelo Antonioni dies at 94
First Ingmar Bergman, now Michelangelo Antonioni . . . .
SALAAM BOMBAY
For the love of films
The setting is magical. A love-struck Shah Rukh Khan (Raj) waits amidst yellow flowers, his arms held out, and a troubled Kajol (Simran) in a pretty white salwar rushes across the field to declare her love …. Dilwale Dulhania Le J ayenge ( DDLJ) brings a smile to one’s face every time one watches it. So what if it’s the tenth time? Welcome to the world of film buffs, who go back to their favourite movies again and again, just for the experience. “For me, a film is the simplest form of art. All you need to do is simply sit back and enjoy it,” says S. Anand, retired bank officer and avid film lover. He started watching the films of Sivaji Ganesan and MGR and moved on to Laurel & Hardy, Ten Commandments and Cleopatra. “The films of Akira Kurosawa, Ingma r Bergman and Satyajit Ray exposed me to serious cinema,” he says. His collection of world movies stands at 1,500 and the latest is Satantango, a seven-and-a-half hour movie by Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr. It is a form of escapism, says D. Anandan, who has been associated with film studies for 25 years. “The human mind requires an outlet to evade pain and this becomes possible through films. People identify themselves with the hero. It helps in mending their core, and has a cathartic effect. And, they fulfil the desires they cannot otherwise do by watching such films repeatedly,” he adds. For him, a good film is invariably a cult film that is a classic too. Such as Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca and Orson Welle’s Citizen Kane. His favourite is Mahendran’s Udhiri Pookal. Film buff Jeena’s favourites are Goddard’s Weekend and Pedro Almodovar’s Tie me up tie me down. “I have watched these movies a number of times just to understand the theme and learn the camera angles. The sense of freedom and the thought of living it up in Motorcycle Diaries also makes you watch it again and again.” Cinema enthusiast Pon. Chandran describes his film-viewing as a transformation from sensuous to serious and socially committed cinema. The first world cinema that created an impact on him was Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times. “Every time I watch it, I get a new message. Chemmeen (Malayalam) also leaves me with a sense of fulfilment, no matter if it’s the 10th or 11th time,” he explains. Sobha Rajagopal, director of gender studies at Massachusetts in the U.S., picks Gurinder Chaddha’s Bhaji on the Beach as her favourite. “I have watched it seven times. It is fascinating, empowering and a feminist film in the best sense of the word,” adds Sobha, who is currently working on a book on the Diasporic identity of South Asians as represented in Hollywood and Bollywood, versus reality. Movies with happy endings have a repeat audience, says N. K. Jarshad, a financial journalist. “It is the songs, the script, comedy scenes and well choreographed action scenes that bring people back to the theatres. Nobody wants to leave the theatre sad,” he says. Irrespective of the script, stars also bring in a repeat audience. “One way of getting familiar with one’s favourite stars is by watching their movies again and again,” he adds. - K.Jeshi.-Hindu Metroplus.
A journey called life
The Man on the Train is about two people who wish they could exchange lives. Poetry or a thriller? The last 10 minutes of the French film Man on the Train is a heady mix of both. All you need to do is ponder a while, and the real picture emerges. Filmmaker Patrice Leconte (his film Ridicule opened the 1996 Cannes festival, and went on to win four César Awards) prefers to give the audience that extra space to interpret, and may be that's one of the reasons this film is so poetic. Screened by Konangal Film Society, the film's storyline is simple, and runs for 90 minutes Two strangers — retired English literature teacher Manesquier in his 70s (played by Jean Rochefort) and bank robber Milan (played by Johnny Halliday, the legendary rock-n-roller, sometimes called 'French Elvis') meet. By chance, Milan gets to stay at the teacher's house. He is in town for a robbery, and the old man is to undergo a triple bypass surgery. They become good friends, discuss paintings, poetry and music, and each begins to wish he could have lived the other's life. The old man envies Milan's life on the move while Milan craves stability. The scene in which Mansequier asks Milan to show him how to fire a gun, and Milan, in turn, asks him to teach him a poem, is delightful. Believable characters, minimal dialogues, and the autumnal beauty of the French provincial town are the other highlights "What poetry!" exclaims film buff D. Anandan. "Suspense and poetry run parallel in the last 10 minutes." The professor is taken inside the operation theatre, and Milan gets ready to rob. The director merges the scenes (the medical instrument and the guns; the white mask and the black mask), and runs them as parallel shots until the robber is shot by the police, and the old man's heart stops. But, the movie doesn't end there.There is absolute silence in the sequence that follows. The old man imagines himself coming out of prison as Milan, and taking the train to explore the Wild West. Milan appears as the professor, and plays the piano at his house. The background score perfectly complements the scenes. "It is something like 'mental projection'. So they don't speak," Anandan explains. Sreenivasan, a lecturer in English, says one should just let the feeling sink in. "The charm goes when you dissect it."The film is seen by some as a reflection of the evolution of France, its culture and technology. "When life becomes predictable, boredom creeps in. It also gives the message that the wisdom of age helps one live those unfulfilled dreams. The beauty of friendship is also highlighted." The characters are easy to identify with, says Pon Chandran "For instance, at one point when Manesquier sneaks into Milan's room, and tries on his leather jacket, our alter ego comes into play. And, it also asks the question — why do we always suppress our feelings?" - K.Jeshi ( Hindu Metroplus 21 07 07 )
K.Hariharan on our Ghatak Retrospective
From Thrissur
Appreciating films
Hindu - Young World article .
The magic of moving images
Ingmar Bergman
'Wild Strawberries' was made by Ingmar Bergman in the year 1957.
Who wins them all?
TILT & PAN SHOT 5
"In a world as badly made as ours, there is only one road -- rebellion." . . . LUIS BUNUEL
LUIS BUNUEL 1900 - 1983
Screening on 6th May 2007.
CHARACTER ( 1997 )
CHARACTER 1997
Dinamalar write up . . .
Of war, and conflict . . . The Hindu reports on screening of "Turtles Can Fly"
Tilt & Pan shot 4
PARZANIA
PARZANIA
Screening on 1st April, 2007.________ Turtles CAN FLY (2004 ) and a short film by Victor Erice
" Dedicated to all the innocent children in the world - the casualties of the policies of dictators and fascists. " - Bahman Gobadi , director of TURTLES CAN FLY.
Lifeline -- short film by master of modern Spanish cinema , Victor Erice (2002)
Victor Erice, the poetic Spanish filmmaker whose only features to date are The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), El Sur (1983), and Dream of Light (The Quince Tree Sun, 1992). He has made just 3 feature films and 2 documentaries in 30 years. This short film, shot in luminous black-and-white, offers only the barest narrative situation through evocative dissolves connecting people and objects on a quiet afternoon in the Spanish countryside.Lifeline unfolds in sublimely poetic fashion, soft dissolves connect its beautifully-lit interiors and strong exterior compositions. Its visual and aural textures are lovingly merged and it's clearly the work of someone who has lived this life and remembers it vividly. Runtime : 12 minutes.
TURTLES CAN FLY ________ Winner of 13 International awards.
"It's a soaring achievement, without ever leaving the ground. " - Washington Post. TURTLES CAN FLY is the first film to be made in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the devastating Turtles Can Fly is set in a Kurdish refugee camp on the Iraqi-Turkish border just before the US invasion in spring 2003. Director Bahman Ghobadi concentrates on a handful of orphaned children and their efforts to survive the appalling conditions: there's the entrepreneurial Satellite (Soran Ebrahim), the armless clairvoyant Henkov (Hirsh Feyssal), and his traumatised sister Agrin (Avaz Latif), who herself is responsible for a blind toddler.Turtles Can Fly vividly immerses the viewer in the nightmarish realities of daily existence in this makeshift community that's located within a forbidding natural landscape. There's no running water or electricity, the fear of gas attacks is palpable, and kids use their bare-hands to defuse land mines in the surrounding fields, which they then trade for machine guns at a market.There is a gravitas to Ghobadi's juvenile characters that, as with all classic tragedy heroes, moves us to experience both pity and fear for them. In the end, our catharsis comes like a thud, not in response to the fall of the mighty from on high but of the weak from their already low vantage point.Turtles, of course, cannot fly (although one does seem to, very briefly, under Ghobadi's poetic camerawork). His film, on the other hand, takes to the air like a doomed but beautiful bird, tracing a flight, not of fancy, but of aching, poignant artlessness.Run time : 98 Mins. Language : Kurdish with English subtitles. Venue : Ashwin Hospital Auditorium ( 4th floor - lift provided), Across Sathy Road, Ganapathy, Coimbatore 12 . Call 94430 39630
Bahman Ghobadi
Bahman Ghobadi, the director of TURTLES CAN FLY , was born in Baneh, in northwestern Kurdistan Province of Iran. His family moved to Sanandaj in 1981. He received a Bachelor of Arts in film directing from the Iranian Broadcasting College. After a brief career in industrial photography, Ghobadi began making short 8 mm films. His documentary Life In Fog won numerous awards. Bahman Ghobadi was assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami's The Wind Will Carry Us. He was also one of the two main actors in Samira Makhmalbaf's The Blackboard (1999).Bahman Ghobadi founded Mij Film in 2000, a company with the aim of production of films in Iran about its different ethnic groups. His first feature film was A Time for Drunken Horses (2000), the first Kurdish film produced in Iran. The film won Caméra d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. His second feature was Marooned in Iraq (2002), which brought him the Gold Plaque from Chicago International Film Festival. His third feature, Turtles Can Fly, followed in 2004, winning the Glass Bear and Peace Film Award at Berlin International Film Festival and Golden Shell at San Sebastian International Film Festival.In 2006, Index on Censorship gave Ghobadi an Index Film Award for making a significant contribution to freedom of expression through his film "Turtles Can Fly."
Hindu on Konangal"s screening of Battle of Algiers
Konangal Film Society sure knows the art of screening films. From the comic Jacques Tati's Mr. Hulot's Holiday one week, they take you to the distressing La battaglia di Algeri (Battle of Algiers), a couple later. The movie traces the Algerian struggle for freedom from the French between 1954 and 1960. Set in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria, the movie has no protagonist. Detailing the fight of the National Liberation Front, it captures the single-minded devotion of the group towards a free Algeria. Unbiased in approach, Director Gillo Pontecorvo portrays flaws from both sides — be it French civilians being terrorised or Algerians tortured. It is not for nothing that Pontecorvo is celebrated. His compulsive need to portray reality is evident in every frame. His eye for detail is exemplary — if the little child feasting on ice cream blissfully ignorant of the imminent blast tugs at your heart; the expression on the face of the woman who plants the bomb, an evident mix of fear and discomfort, unsettles you. The casting, too, commands special mention. Poker-faced Ali La Pointe played by farmer Brahim Haggiag is representative of the angry young youth, and the charismatic Col. Mathieu played by Jean Martin, that of a sharp officer. Though poignant, a few dialogues border on sparkling wit — courtesy, director and scriptwriter Franco Solinas.A critic once said of Pontecorvo: "He is the most dangerous director. He kidnaps the audience". Those who watched the movie could not have agreed more. - W. SREELALITHA . Courtesy :The Hindu, Metro Plus dated 26 03 2007.
A Classic Comedian
Screening on 4th March 2007 at Ashwin Hospital Auditorium.
Mr. Hulot"s Holiday (1953 )
We are grateful...
TILT & PAN Shot 2
Our screening on 4th Feb 2007
Of adrenaline and emotion - The Hindu reports .....
NEW YEAR GREETINGS!
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