I loved the film for its social value. it truly documented the times it represents. Highly motivating and cleverly incorporating the new techniques to make it more interesting. How many of this generation know about the 'untouchable' concept and the atrocities did in that name? How socially insensitive we Indians are? blood relatives, friends, a whole village, state, officials, politicians, mainstream media - all ignored the story for about 2 decades! we are tuned to live with double standards, a strong legislation and poor implementation. No wonder Manjhi chose to fight with an lifeless Mountain ignoring living rock like rocks living around him. He even talks to it many times. It is a message oriented film that also appeals to masses. This is one aspect -social - of what I feel about the film. A must watch for many reasons. Don't depend on the God, just GO AND WATCH.
Reviews
13 Reviews
From Karkheh to Rhein
(1993)
Iranian war victim getting treated in Germany successfully. yet the outcome turns fatal!
27 October 2007
The story slowly develops from the perspective of a person to family and then to the society. The strife and pain of war have far flung implications that cross the borders and create emotional turmoil. A well made film with profound impact on the minds. Saeed gets back vision in one eye after a gap of three years, this touching scene clearly brings out the characters so as the scene where the host in Germany, sister of Saeed, watches her son rushing to save her brother from a dog on the street and the conversation between wife and husband, sister and brother in law of Saeed. The war victims are portrayed well with inter cuts from the war clippings. The interviews in the hospital bring out the social angle of war and the vested interests involved in the war game. This Iranian-German film ticks off one to think.
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
(2007)
Definitely different film from Bollywood
18 February 2007
Eklavya is a film with simple Royal story set in modern times. The film forces the audience into a state of mind that is always kept alert in an attempt to figure out who is related to whom in which way and how something has occurred that is said to have happened and the possibility of the event to take place. Intelligent use of sound and light, not just in the plot itself, but also in the making of the film take the Indian standards of film-making to new heights. Riveting performances by the actors, interplay of light and shadow & silence and sound, pleasant visual treats, slick editing, apt and authentic costumes, a gripping storyline with the right dose of suspense elements make Eklavya, the Royal Guard a must watch film which is destined to corner awards and critical acclaim. Wait and see for the film's Box Office success.
La peur, petit chasseur
(2004)
Single Steady Block and no dialogs, you never get bored.
16 July 2006
'The fear, little hunter' is a 9 minutes film with just one steady composition and no spoken word. the frame comprises of a partial country house; a door, a window, a ventilator; the yard, a outhouse, a rope to hang the clothes, and a drum in contrasting bright blue color. a boy waits in the yard with a dog -it is amazing to know how the director could extract work from the animal talent, a lady, may be the mother of the boy, comes out, hangs the clothes, rushes in to the house in response to scream like sounds - a very effective sound effect,and comes back with the fading out of the irritating audio.
the film is open ended, leaving much to the imagination of the viewer albeit very very interesting. i like the concept of single steady block. a big relief from trolley, pan, tilt, zoom +/- etc.,
the film is open ended, leaving much to the imagination of the viewer albeit very very interesting. i like the concept of single steady block. a big relief from trolley, pan, tilt, zoom +/- etc.,
L'entreprise
(2005)
pour out primitive emotions to become more competitive.
16 July 2006
'The Company' is a wonderful movie with just two main characters in a running length of 21 minutes fiction. Two executives travel in a car to attend internship to sharpen their competitive edge. the inter-cut bits from their interviews give the audience a glimpse into the two characters. the driver drops them abruptly along a forest path at a roadblock and asks them to find their own way. After a brief but hard journey, a counselor joins the duo and makes them wear animal skin. they have to laugh, cry and behave like primates. While one executive tries his best to follow the guidance of the counselor, the other one gets irritated and towards the end beats up and chases the other two, only to apologize later. The counselor exits with the final tip to the two to reach the hotel on their part. the emotionally evacuated executives disappear into the horizon along the path.
a beautiful story, told sensibly with the right technique. Camera and costumes perfectly match the mood of the film. the film sets off a philosophical thinking process in the minds of the viewers.
a beautiful story, told sensibly with the right technique. Camera and costumes perfectly match the mood of the film. the film sets off a philosophical thinking process in the minds of the viewers.
Spring Subway
(2002)
Expression of unexpressed thoughts.
18 June 2006
An interesting love story on modern metro lifestyle that takes us on a ride of thoughts. The director succeeds in expressing the unexpressed.
This film perfectly fits the bill for the saying 'man has reached the moon but not the heart of the person just a feet away'. It is all about the unexpressed internal conflict but the thoughts of the character's are conveyed with clarity to the audience by means of flashy techniques, and it is here the director scores the points. Predominantly a story of a Beijing couple married for 7 years, and also of two other couples. Jian bin, the husband looses his job but prefers to hide this from his wife and continues to escort her to and from her workplace. A cook having sons, puppies!, develops interest in the wife Xiao Hui and politely puts across the proposal to her in his restaurant. Husband feels jealous and also a complex of inferiority engulfs him and he lies to wife that his boss asked him to go to France. Lies pile up between the couple and they feel the heat of the mental separation while being together.
The screenplay is minutely planned and i rate the movie technically high. The transition from scene to scene, with blank frames in between, is odd for a film made in as recent as 2002, but i liked that. The passage/corridor for the couple's home is visually exploited to the maximum by clever use of light. The scenes in the subway coach, where wheel chair and rain is depicted in the hospital, are tenderly handled. The slow pace at times made me feel that am watching an Ismail Merchant film. Freeze technique is impact-fully used where Jian Bin, disturbed by wife's attitude and his own plight, pulls out the table cloth with laid out dinner in the hotel. Artistes performance is good and in closeups they are perfectly expressive. At places during my viewing experience, i found it difficult to catch the flashback/flash forward episodes and feel like revisiting the film.
Over all, i good film on many counts.
This film perfectly fits the bill for the saying 'man has reached the moon but not the heart of the person just a feet away'. It is all about the unexpressed internal conflict but the thoughts of the character's are conveyed with clarity to the audience by means of flashy techniques, and it is here the director scores the points. Predominantly a story of a Beijing couple married for 7 years, and also of two other couples. Jian bin, the husband looses his job but prefers to hide this from his wife and continues to escort her to and from her workplace. A cook having sons, puppies!, develops interest in the wife Xiao Hui and politely puts across the proposal to her in his restaurant. Husband feels jealous and also a complex of inferiority engulfs him and he lies to wife that his boss asked him to go to France. Lies pile up between the couple and they feel the heat of the mental separation while being together.
The screenplay is minutely planned and i rate the movie technically high. The transition from scene to scene, with blank frames in between, is odd for a film made in as recent as 2002, but i liked that. The passage/corridor for the couple's home is visually exploited to the maximum by clever use of light. The scenes in the subway coach, where wheel chair and rain is depicted in the hospital, are tenderly handled. The slow pace at times made me feel that am watching an Ismail Merchant film. Freeze technique is impact-fully used where Jian Bin, disturbed by wife's attitude and his own plight, pulls out the table cloth with laid out dinner in the hotel. Artistes performance is good and in closeups they are perfectly expressive. At places during my viewing experience, i found it difficult to catch the flashback/flash forward episodes and feel like revisiting the film.
Over all, i good film on many counts.
Not One Less
(1999)
current social problem, poor quality of education in the villages is cleverly linked in to a proper story.
16 June 2006
An excellent movie. Hats off to the director Yimou Zhang for getting wonderful performances from non professional actors. The way a burning social problem, effects of poverty on the education system and poor children, is interestingly woven into a story and captivating plot structure. The substitute village teacher, Minzhi Wei, a 13 years old girl, wants to buy a round trip to the city by bus from her workplace to fetch a missing student and does not have money. She succeeds in convincing the whole class to do labour,carrying bricks, to mobilize money. The ensuing mathematical calculations in the class and on the black board add to the school goings on while touching the emotional chords of the audience. The teacher's struggle in the city to trace out the student, her stubborn 'never say quit' attitude form part of the later half of the film that ends on a positive note by bringing the problem of education into focus. The contrast in the village and urban life styles is well brought out. some scenes that impressed me strongly are: the teacher running after the van carrying a student. argument by the teacher and students with the brick kiln owner. teacher's walk to the city. the writing of posters by the teacher and the posters being swept away while the teacher is asleep. the innocent enquiries of the teacher at the TV Station entrance. the broadcast talk of the teacher addressed to the student. the joy of the students when they get lots of colorful chalk.
a must watch for all the socially aware citizens of the world.
a must watch for all the socially aware citizens of the world.
Marana Simhasanam
(1999)
satire on contemporary political system!
26 May 2006
satire on contemporary political system, 26 May 2006 i watched the film screened as part of the festival of Cannes film festival at Hyderabad, AP, India. i immensely liked the film. the use of executing a death sentence to convey the way vested political interests work in the countryside is not only clever but also comical.
an innocent obedient servant is charged with murder and is put to death by sitting on an electric chair just imported from the us of a. he is the first victim, rather beneficiary of the most peaceful death aided by technology.completely neglecting the aspect of death and punishment, totally sidetracking the merits of the case, other aspects are glorified in a comical way. one of the best satires i have seen. artistes performance is excellent and the film has good technical values. though, i find the lighting dull most of the time.
an innocent obedient servant is charged with murder and is put to death by sitting on an electric chair just imported from the us of a. he is the first victim, rather beneficiary of the most peaceful death aided by technology.completely neglecting the aspect of death and punishment, totally sidetracking the merits of the case, other aspects are glorified in a comical way. one of the best satires i have seen. artistes performance is excellent and the film has good technical values. though, i find the lighting dull most of the time.
simply superb!
24 October 2005
i just watched this film screened at the Hyderabad Film Club. the way i was taken into a different world and the way the film has arrested my attention, how the film took me along the path of subtle emotions, it is just superb. i was spellbound by the knack wherein the hard fact is slowly allowed to sink into the audience in the climax of the film. i thoroughly enjoyed the conversations of the boy with his father and aunt-the joy of winning the chess game, boy's probing questions about death, etc., the work of the little girl, neighbour's daughter, is excellent, though short. the technical values of the film, cinematography and background score in particular are good. i thank Mr. Bhushan Kalyaan for sparing the DVD for screening.
The Rice People
(1994)
what to know about the Asian agrarian life-the best film so far.
27 July 2005
Undoubtedly one of the best films that i have seen on village life. The scene where Vong Poeuv cuts his heel with the razor to get rid of the thorn, is heart touching and moving, the artiste has done a nice job. Om's (Vong's wife) scene in the bar/hotel where she drinks and the transformation she has shown from a sensible, responsible housewife to an obsessed and possessed(!) women is excellent. The last daughter prying along with her mother is refreshing. The large family, the little wish for a son, the helplessness and the innocence, the daughters caring reactions towards their mother in the later half of the film-all leave an enduring emotional feeling in the audience. The scene where the couple move in a boat in a lake and collect the lotus flowers is a tribute to the nature, this scene has created a desire in me to visit and see Combodia.
I recommend this film for all those urban audience for i feel that the city people should know the agrarian lifestyle.
I recommend this film for all those urban audience for i feel that the city people should know the agrarian lifestyle.
In the Land of the Deaf
(1992)
born normal, i feel envy!
7 April 2004
hi, i watched the movie screened by the Hyderabad Film Club HYFIC during the french film festival of this month [April 2004] a very carefully made film. a lot of research and patience should have gone into making this film. a seemingly impossible job is made possible. the way the characters communicate with each other and with the audience is superb. at some point of time i felt that 'being deaf' is a blessing in disguise as it develops tremendous visual sense and concentration.
gentle comedy, the tempo builds up slowly and ALL IS WELL in the end.
4 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
A wonderful movie. this took me to the days when i did my theater classes. i enjoyed the movie immensely. incidentally this is the first film i watched in a multiplex, PRASADZ at Hyderabad, India. I believe that the time for the niche films has arrived. the issue of generation gap is handled quite delicately and the inner conflict the educated girl is faced with is well reflected in the shots the props, the framing, dialogs, music and the lighting. i particularly liked the character who sported the long typical hairdo with a knot. i could not understand one scene in the climax where the heroine goes and sees the guy to whom she is actually engaged and decides against the marriage.
can someone help me with the contact of the director
can someone help me with the contact of the director
Postmen in the Mountains
(1999)
the scenes that touched me most.
19 February 2002
i saw the film during a recently held chinese film festival. i am happy i saw. this is the first film that i saw where the lead characters have no names! 1. the following scenes touched me the most. the father suffers from knee/leg pain. the son arranges the letters, the air blows off the letters. the father DASHES off and the Dog chips in, simply superb.
2. The son carries the father on his back across the river. on reaching the father turns away his face from the son to wipe his tears.
3. the interplay between the father, the son and the dog when they leave their house on work.
i thank the entire team for giving a wonderful movie to enjoy
2. The son carries the father on his back across the river. on reaching the father turns away his face from the son to wipe his tears.
3. the interplay between the father, the son and the dog when they leave their house on work.
i thank the entire team for giving a wonderful movie to enjoy
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