AN OLD CLASSIC

GONE WITH THE WIND

 

                                     

DIRECTOR: Victor Fleming

STARRING: Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel.

This film set on the backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction is regarded as one of the classic movies of all time and set the American Cinema to a completely different level. The film is set in the 19^th century American South and is told from a Southern Point of view. The film is richly entertaining as it is a sumptuous spread of costume drama, sets, and some of the famous Hollywood stars of all time. The film remains quite basic and faithful to the blockbuster seller of Margaret Mitchell. It tells the story of a selfish, headstrong Southern Belle Scarlett O` Hara portrayed by Vivian Leigh whose strength is her land. She is secretly in head over heels in love with neighboring plantation owner Ashley Wilkes portrayed by Leslie Howard. Again Ashley is already pledged to marry his sweet smiling and lovely cousin Melanie portrayed by Olivia De Havilland. Just before the Civil War, all the wealthy families organize a gathering at the Wilkes plantation Seven Oaks where for the first time Scarlett comes across Rhett Butler portrayed by Clark Gable. Rhett Butler becomes clearly interested in the pampered Southern Belle and is the only rakish, confident, and slightly disreputable gentleman who is of the belief that North will any day conquer over the South and clearly that very night war is declared. After Ashley rejects the proposal of Scarlett she vengefully marries Melanie`s brother Charles tying the two families together. As both Ashley and Charles both go off to war and Charles dies of pneumonia there, it starts the portrayal of the struggle of Scarlett, the way she reluctantly protects Melanie, the fall of Atlanta, the ruin of Tara and she almost dies out of starvation. In Part Two she marries Rhett Butler but continuously rejects him as her stubborn and overwhelming love belongs to Ashley, though relies on Rhett throughout the film. The English actor Vivian Leigh was excellent as the selfish, self-absorbed Scarlett O'Hara. She is as delicate as the rose and as strong-willed like the iron. Clark Gable was exceedingly charming as the rustic, irresistible, masculine Rhett Butler. Havilland was just perfect as the sweet and strong Melanie and Howard was pale just like the mild Ashley. Hattie McDaniel was totally appropriate as the family servant of O’Hara’s who knew all about the scheming plans of Scarlett and was full of zest. She was the first African American to be nominated and won an Oscar.  David O Selznick gathered talents from all around (including editors like F. Scott Fitzgerald) and invested about 4 million in the making of the film. The costumes, the sets, and especially the visual effects, the burning of Atlanta, the smoking ruins of Georgia after the war was the most memorable scenes of all time.

Overall the film can be called an epic but it is also more than an epic. Most of the epics focus on wars and historical references so much that they fail to inform us about the personal lives of the characters. Gone with the Wind was based on a historical backdrop along with the characters stood out for themselves informing us about their mental complexities, yearnings, attractions, feelings, and their lives.  

AN ICONIC BATTLE OF THE WILLS

 

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO`S NEST                

   

DIRECTOR: Milos Forman

STARRING: Jack Nicholson, Louis Fletcher, William Redfield, Will Sampson, Brad Dourif, Sidney Lassick, and Christopher Lloyd.   

Directed by the Czech filmmaker Milos Forman, the movie tells the story about the struggle of wills between patient RP McMurphy portrayed by Jack Nicholson and nurse Ratched portrayed by Louis Fletcher.  Randle McMurphy is a criminal who is convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl and is serving a short sentence at a prison farm. Jail is quite a frequent residence for McMurphy and so he decides that rather than serving at a jail, a psychiatric ward might be a better option for him. Little did he know that life is a psychiatric ward is not so great. The rules might be a bit liberal than the jail but advantages like watching World Series on TV do not really apply here. So slowly McMurphy starts himself making the most popular show in the whole ward by interacting with patients like the talkative with childish fits of temper and delusional, Martini(Danny De Veto), the tall deaf-mute American Indian “Chief” Bromden(Will Sampson), the high school strung well educated and paranoid Dale Harding(William Redfield) and the belligerent and profane Taber( Christopher Lloyd), but his every move is turned into a spoilsport by The tough and fearful Nurse Ratched. Ratched thwarts his every move and her strict methods of treatment towards the patients blind her from the fact that she is doing more harm than good. McMurphy`s card games win everyone’s Cigarettes but Ratched confiscates all those cigarettes. Individualistic and free-spirited McMurphy is a total antagonist to the by the book and straight-laced Ratched. The film in a way tries to address an issue of the 1970s of an individual rising against a large establishment. The ending of the film leaves the audience unsatisfied and disheartened. For the main character, McMurphy being smothered to death by his friend Chief as a last act of friendship seems cathartic. The death may seem uncompromising and leave a tear to the eye, but it also symbolizes that both of them taste freedom and peace though in different ways and that there is always a silver lining behind the dark cloud.

Jack Nicholson as McMurphy portrayed one of the most iconic characters in the history of American Cinema. He portrayed the character with ease as the rule-breaker, strong-willed, rogue McMurphy. Jack Nicholson won Oscar as an actor in the lead role for his character. Louis Fletcher as the unemotional, non-sadist, self-righteous, cold, mechanical Nurse Ratched and a total inflexible adversary to McMurphy was accurate. She portrayed fierce fully as the negative character or villain of the film who is not inherently malevolent but coolly and self righteously does bad things to individuals thinking she`s doing good. She represents less of an evil incarnate and more of a complex and interesting character. Louis Fletcher also won An Oscar as an actress in the lead role for the film. The other actors William Redfield, Will Sampson, Christopher Lloyd play their characters as the mentally impaired up in the correct and appropriate manner. In the end all I can say that the film was depressing and morally uplifting at the same time. If you read it you may feel nothing but if watch you it, you will certainly be put to your ends to be addressed with an issue and with tears in your eyes.  

A Breathtaking Motion Picture Experience

 SCHINDLER'S LIST

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall.
Director Steven Spielberg`s Schindler`s List is an epic masterpiece which portrays an effective picture of the situations arising before and after the Holocaust. It is a profound three hour long movie which is unsparing, shocking and yet factual, very much faithful to the incident which took place during World War II. The movie stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler a Nazi businessman who saves 1200 Jews by employing them in his factory DFF(Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik). Ben Kinsley starts as Itzhak Stern, a jewish accountant whom Schindler contacts in order to arrange financial matters. The slow uprising of the factory was disrupted by an SS officer Amon Goth starred by Ralph Fiennes who starts the mass killing and murdering of the Jews. Spielberg with his Jewish background has given his best to bring the best in actors. Liam Neeson portrays beautifully his character as the complex yet the kind and life saving businessman. Ben Kinsley acts with simplicity like his character and Ralph Fiennes as the fierce power hungry Nazi officer will be long remembered. Janusz Kaminski, Director of Photography has effectively made use of shadow and light according to Spielberg`s choice to create a point and impression. He made some scenes in colour like the girl in red coat. Despite its ghastly subject matter it also shows a ray of hope at the end portraying hatred and greed but also love and empathy and touches us deeply to become a spectacular motion picture experience.

MONO NO AWARE (Melancholia/Empathy towards things)

 

Lost In Translation

Director: Sofia Coppola

Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Farris.

“Let’s never come here again because it would never be as much fun”,  as the young Charlotte(Johansson) says these words to the old Bob Harris(Murray), the watchers and the audience realize the hidden meaning behind these sappy, sardonic, and bittersweet words.

 

Lost in Translation, written and directed by Sofia Coppola features an extremely young Scarlett Johansson as a recent college graduate named Charlotte and Bill Murray as the veteran aging actor namely Bob Harris. They develop quite a rapport after a chance encounter in a Tokyo Hotel. Later on, Bob and Charlotte have brief encounters with each other in the Hotel Bar. Charlotte invites Bob to meet with some local friends of hers. Over the course of their stay, their friendship with each other deepens, as they frequent various places in Tokyo together and bond through their adventures, while experiencing the various differences between the American & Japanese Cultures. Charlotte’s feelings of doubt and alienation regarding her marriage with her photographer husband become apparent with her discussion with Bob as he feels the same towards his career and his married life.

 

Sofia Coppola’s artistic caricatures have created some mundane fleeting moments throughout the film. She has successfully been able to show people who are extremely bored out of their skulls and tired of their lives, though not for once we ever feel bored watching them. According to the director’s words, while depicting the themes of Loneliness in the characters, culture shock, and alienation, she also tried to show that the central characters Bob and Charlotte are not only lost in the alien Japanese Culture but also lost in their own ways. They are lost in their lives and relationships that lead to a blossoming friendship and beautiful moments of connection between the two, which is further heightened given their displaced locations.

 

Lost in Translation is an artistic masterpiece by Sofia Coppola. It has received worldwide critical acclaim not for its brilliant performances by the two leading actors, especially by 18-year-old Johansson playing a 25-year-old woman with ease but also for its script that created beautiful, melancholic moments throughout the film. It has been nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Actor for Bill Murray, Best Director, Best Film and Best Original Screenplay. Movie buffs out there should definitely give this a watch for it is based on, how chance encounters between strangers on a foreign land can lead to instantaneous connection giving way to beautiful fleeting moments in our modern, mundane, and weary lives.