Zubeidaa [2001]

Rating: 7/10

I had put off watching this movie for years (Watched it in 2011) because i had an impression of it being an overdone drama. How wrong my impression was!!

And why did I decide to watch the movie at all? I loved the music, especially the songs "So Gaye hain", "Dheeme Dheeme", "Pyaara sa gaon", and "Mehndi hai rachnewali". I had some free time in my hands, and when I found the movie available on Youtube, I decided to watch it.. And my impressions were proved to be wrong.
  
'Zubeidaa' is a story based on the life of the writer's mother Zubeida Begum. This movie is the third installment of the trilogy of films, written by Mohammed, that were centralized around Indian Muslim women, and were directed by director Shyam Benegal.

Film critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohammed pays homage to his mother through the movie, as he never got to know his mother in real life. Khalid was a small boy when his mother died. When he grew up, he searched everywhere he could to find snapshots of his mother's life, and to quench his thirst to know more about her. In this movie, he recounts the trials he had to go through, and shares the story that emerged in front of him when he started digging.

The cast was superbly chosen. Manoj Bajpai displays his brilliant acting skills. Rekha and Karishma have also given great performances - Rekha as the gracious and majestic queen, and Karishma as the young, vivacious princess. A special mention of Lilette Dubey should also be made, as she did a fine piece of acting too.

Apart from being a true story, the movie shows how both types of marriages (a love marriage and an arranged marriage) can fail. Just like everything else under the sky, both kinds of marriages have their advantages and disadvantages. And here we get to see the disadvantages.

Having a very oppressive father and a weak mother character, Zubeida was forced into an arranged marriage. The marriage ends in a divorce just after her son Riyaz is born. Then she meets Maharaja Vijayendra Singh of Fatehpur and falls for him. The problem is that the Maharaja already has one wife, he his a hindu while Zubeida is a muslim, and she has to leave her son behind with her parents to join him as his second wife.

The story is handled well except for one detail. Riyaz follows through the story like a journalist would, not as a son would research his mother's life. His character is not given depth. He is only a prop.

 I loved the movie!! I loved the cast, the music, the sets, and the story (of course!). It's definitely worth a watch.

The Real Zubeida Begum

Le Retour de Martin Guerre [1982]

Rating: 8/10

Director: Daniel Vigne

Writer: Jean-Claude Carrière,
           Janet Lewis (The novel "The Wife of Martin Guerre"),
           Daniel Vigne,
           Natalie Zemon Davis


Featuring: Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, Maurice Barrier, Roger Planchon

There is something about true stories that makes them alluring. Maybe, it’s because they seem closer to real-life than any other story imagined and written by a writer could ever seem.

Le Retour de Martin Guerre is a French movie based on a very interesting case of imposture.I truly enjoyed watching this movie. It made me go on a 'googling spree' to find more about the main characters and about the kind of society they lived in. The cinematography is beautiful, with the village life depicted as if paintings have come into life. You can actually see that the director strove to make his depiction of that time historically accurate. In consultation with social historian Natalie Zemon Davis (who has also written a book on this case), he has recreated this intriguing tale in a magnificent way. Of course you cannot expect each and every detail to be perfectly veritable as this is a story about an incident that occurred about 400 years ago, at a time when most people did not even know how to write. There are only two written accounts of the case from that time (Arrest Memorable by Judge Jean de Coras, and a witness' account by Guillaume Le Sueur), and those would also be a little biased to the writer's perspective.

The actors portray their characters very well. Although, most people outside France only noticed Gérard Depardieu's performance in the film, Nathalie Baye was equally good in her portrayal of Bertrande.

The basic plot is as follows: 8 years after disappearing from his village and abandoning his wife and child, Martin Guerre returns back and resumes life. But, when he lays a claim on the ancestral property, his uncle and some others start to question his real identity. The village is divided into two - those who believe the man is truly Martin Guerre, and those who believe he is an imposter. A legal case ensues.

Here is a story that could be used as an example for the psychology concept of 'change blindness'. Sometimes, we fail to notice things that are absolutely staring at us. I would suggest you go through the following links to learn more. This is pretty interesting (and shocking!) stuff.

http://www.albionmonitor.com/0011a/perception.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWSxSQsspiQ

http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/12/coolest_experiment_ever.php

Also, Memory is not a set of photographs saved in our brain. Infact, memory is quite unreliable. We might actually have memories of incidents that we feel happened, but that did not actually happen. Well, that is yet another topic in psychology categorized as 'False memories'. But, let us not digress from the topic now.


I would like to add a little trivia here. I came to know there's an American movie "Sommersby" that is a remake of this film. But, according to what I've heard, it's not as good as this movie. So, please prefer watching the French movie. It's beautiful.


================SPOILER ALERT====================
Continue only if you wish to get hints of the climax and ending :)

Bertrande is a mystery you would wish to solve. Her motives, and the extent of her deception are points to ponder upon. How much she knew about the imposture is not known. Historians are divided in their views on this. I feel Natalie Davis has a point and I agree with her views that Bertrande was a willing accomplice in the imposture. But, there are some historians who believe in a counter-view that Bertrande was truly decieved.

Well. I'd say 'Poor Bertrande! She must have felt trapped.'

There's this man who treats her well but is not her husband. Even if she wants to, she cannot live with him if others get to know he's not really Martin, because then they'll put her to trial for infidelity.

And then there's her real husband. A man who neglects her, is heartless and doesn’t care, but to whom she is bound to. He leaves her one fine day, to seemingly never return, with no communication. Then, claims she is the one to be blamed for everything, showing no pity even when she repeatedly begs for forgiveness. You can even catch a glimpse of Judge Jean’s displeasure in his account Arrest Memorable, over how pitiless this real Martin is toward his wife. You’d almost wish there was something like divorce in those times, so she could just get away from this heartless man. She should have separated from him earlier when she had the chance due to childless marriage.

Natalie's acting is so brilliant that you can feel Bertrande trembling (even though she's not visibly shaking) when the real Martin comes into court, because now she knows the man she loves will be put to death and she’ll have to live the rest of her life with this heartless man.

Davis’ book seems to have a more detailed account of what it was like living in that time. I am going to add this book to my list of ‘to-read’ books. Anyone wishes to gift me a copy?? :D

Like Water For Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate) [1992]

Director: Alfonso Arau
Writer: Laura Esquivel
Featuring: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos

This is a Mexican film based on a novel published in 1989 by a Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel.
The narrator tells the story of her aunt in a folklore fashion.

Her aunt Tita was the youngest child in her family. As per the family tradition, the youngest girl was not allowed to marry and was supposed to take care of her parents in their old age. Tita was not allowed to marry her true love Pedro whom she had loved since childhood, and who had loved her as much. Not only did that ruin their lives, it affected those around them too.

The story narration has a mystic quality to it. Tita is depicted to have a magic ability of pouring her emotions into her cooking, thus making others feel what she is feeling when they taste food cooked by her.

The movie was ok (bending towards good), and one could even say it was interesting. But I found this movie a little weird because it depicted that one can actually die of happiness. I have heard the hindi phrase "khushi se mar jaoonga/gi" (I'll die of happiness) in movie dialogues, but this movie actually showed that a person can die of extreme happiness.

 Rating: 6/10

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner [1967]

Tagline: A love story of today

Director: Stanley Kramer
Writer: William Rose
Featuring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Katherine Houghton

One fine day, you bring home to your parents a guy they hadn't even heard of before, and announce your engagement to him. And as if that's not enough, add the fact that you are a white girl and your fiancé is a negro.
Any parent would suffer a little shock on suddenly stumbling on the news. And when Joey brings home Dr. John Prentice, whom she met 10 days back while on a vacation in Hawaii, and announces her plans to marry him in the next week, her parents Matt and Christina Drayton are taken aback.
Matt and Christina's liberal attitudes are now put to test for although John is an ideal choice (highly respected internationally in the medical field, well mannered, and mature), he's black.

This movie was made at a time when inter-racial marriages were still illegal in some of the US states. It was meant to educate people that a deep and sacred feeling such as love should not be smothered because of superficial reasons such as difference in colour, caste, or creed. When a couple knows very well their differences and the problems they might face in the future, and they still want to be together, it would be a tragedy if they are kept from marrying each other - because theirs is a love that is true. 


"If they know what lies in store for them and they still want each other enough to accept it, i think it's plain as anything that they love each other very much. And you'll have to agree that any two people who love each other that much deserve all the best luck in the world."

 

Katharine Hepburn looks lovely in the movie. This movie introduced me to her and made me want to see more of her movies. On searching online, I came to know that she is considered one of the top screen actors of all time, being ranked by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema. I wonder why i had not got introduced to her earlier. I am planning to cover more of her movies now.

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's acting is natural and beautiful. They share a charming chemistry on screen. I hear they were a famous pairing, with 9 movies together, and I could see why in this movie. Love seems to radiate from the screen when they are together in a scene.
Tracy's health was so poor during the making of this movie that people were doubtful if he would be able to complete the film. But, he did and a good thing too because it would be hard to replace such a fine actor. He passed away just 17 days after the completion of the project. I read somewhere that Katharine's tears were real in the final scene where Tracy makes his speech, as each one of those present knew that these might be the last words Tracy ever said on screen.

The song "The Glory of love" that plays in the opening and closing credits brings a smile to your face and creates a picture of sunshine and love in your mind.
I also came across a trivia that the main character Carl in Pixar's  "Up" was based on Tracy in this movie. No wonder watching Tracy in this movie reminded me of Carl (As I had already watched Up)

I really liked this movie. Special recommendations to parents whose children want to marry for love, especially inter-caste/religion/nationality/etc.. 

Rating: 8.5/10

A movie eagerly awaited... The Hobbit

Peter Jackson did justice to The Lord of the Rings book. So, I am sure he'll do this one good too. You could say 'The Hobbit' is Book 0 of 'The Lord of the Rings' series.
The Hobbit is a story mainly of Bilbo Baggins' adventures, and took place before 'The Lord of the Rings' happened. I love the book and totally look forward to watching this movie because the way Peter Jackson depicts the Middle-earth is beautiful. Also, we'll get to see Gandalf, the great wizard, again.. :)

Movie description in IMDB

Life is Beautiful [1997] (Italian: La Vita è bella)

Tagline: An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all

Another definite Must-Watch!!  This is an Italian movie that is truly beautiful.

Guido is a Jewish Italian who is quick-witted and has a great sense of humour. With the help of his humour, he wins the heart of a pretty girl Dora in a heart-warming romance.
The two of them get married, have a son Joshua, and are leading a happy, contented life, when one day their life is torn-apart by the Nazis.

Guido, along with his uncle and his son, is sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Dora manages to follow them to the concentration camp by going to the authorities and insisting on boarding the same train as her family. 


To help Joshua escape the horrors of the camp and safeguard his innocence, Guido pretends they are part of a game with a real tank as the first prize. Even in the torturous environment, Guido manages to keep a smile on his face in front of his son. 

There are scenes in the movie that particularly show how cold and selfish people can be, like the time when Guido's uncle helps a female guard and she gives him a cold stare, or when Guido's old friend (who is a doctor at the concentration camp) considers solving a riddle more important than helping Guido.

This is a movie that will move you to tears and leave a lasting impression on your mind. A movie that portrays emotions naturally and beautifully. A movie that completely deserves all the awards that it has garnered worldwide. 

I can watch this movie again and again and still love it the same each time.
Now you know where the title of my blog comes from.. :)

Rating: 10/10

Cyrano de Bergerac [1990]

This is a French movie on unrequited love, based on Edmond Rostand's play with the same name.

Cyrano falls in love with his cousin Roxane. But, he's unable to express his love to her as he thinks she will reject him for his extraordinarily large nose. Then, he finds that Roxane is attracted to another man Christian. Christian is handsome, but not eloquent in romantic poetry in the way Roxane wants. Cyrano being superior in matter of wit, words, and poetry, decides to help Christian by lending his soul to Christian's beauty. Thus, through letters, Cyrano writes as Christian and romances his cousin by proxy.

Cyrano's story is heartbreaking and is so beautifully rendered by Gérard Depardieu that you can feel each and every emotion that throbs through his veins.You laugh and you cry with him. You feel his helplessness, his love, and his sacrifice as strongly as he experiences them.

The sets are magnificent, nothing is over-exaggerated, and the humour interspersed with the script is good.

This movie totally deserves being in your must-watch list.

Rating: 9/10

Julie and Julia [2009]

I like to try out new food dishes. And I am totally fascinated by anything French. So, my friend M (who i consider to have my kind of taste in movies) recommended this movie to me. The movie revolves around two women and french cooking.

The movie is based on 2 true stories- Julia Child's story of how she got started and got famous in the cooking profession; and Julie Powell's story of a blog she wrote on taking up a challenge to cook all the 524 recipes in Child's first book - in just a year.

The movie was not that great. The Julia part was interesting and Meryl Streep's acting flawless, but there wasn't much to like in the Julie part of the story. 

Some parts of the movie where they had pleasant-looking desserts made my mouth water just like M had said would happen. Yes M, I did like the movie, but well, it just wasn't that great.. :)

Rating: 6/10