Great Moments From Cinema - 26

The Music And The Mouse
Movie: Fantasia (Walt Disney Pictures; 1940)
Director: 11 directors for 6 sequences.
Screenplay: 24 writers for 6 sequences.
Major Cast: Leopold Stokowski (Conductor, The Philadelphia Orchestra) and Deems Taylor (Narrator)

Film Synopsis: Walt Disney unleashes his and our imagination by selecting great works of classical music and setting them against his animated pictures.

My Favorite Moment: Beethoven’s "The Pastoral Symphony".

Why I Like It: For all those skeptics who believe that only books, not movies can stimulate us; only books not movies can arouse feelings of euphoria; only books not movies are our cultural heritage; Fantasia is a resounding slap in the face. It is Walt Disney’s greatest gift to us. An astonishing marriage of classical music masterpieces and animation, it is a subliminal experience which is unparalleled in the effect it has on human spirit. American Film Institute (AFI) named it as one of the Top 100 movies of all time and for good reason. Two hours spent on this film can be a life-changing experience.

The narrator at the beginning explains the idea behind this movie. When we start listening to classical music, after a certain period, our mind starts associating certain images with the symphony. Disney wanted to explore if a similar relationship can be established with animation. By doing so, not only does the animation come alive, but the maestros and their work get appreciated by a whole new audience. It is a seamless integration and although most of the music pieces were written years earlier, they seem to have been composed for that particular story. It is the genius of the team at ‘Disney studio’s’ that they have been able to do justice to the music and in doing so created their own masterpieces. The film starts with Bach's “Toccata And Fugue In D Minor” where at first they only play with abstract colors and pictures of sky and clouds. It gets the viewer comfortable with the concept and also opens his mind to the animated world. Next is Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker Suite” where fairies join in a dance with the flowers and other plants in the forest. Especially pleasant in a sequence where the petals of a flower resemble an evening gown worn by ladies in a ballroom. Younger viewers will be pleased to see ‘Mickey’ as “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” set to Dukas and Stravinsky's “The Rite Of Spring” which demonstrates the early years of earth from single-celled organisms to mighty dinosaurs. Then is the best sequence of “The Pastoral Symphony” by Beethoven which has the mythological story of centaurs and unicorns and Greek Gods of Thunder and Lightning. In an inspired scene after the rain, Goddess ‘Iris’ comes flowing in and her hair becomes the multicolored rainbow. Then as night engulfs the land in a cloak of darkness, Goddess ‘Diana’, releases stars from her bow of crescent-moon. Seeing it with Beethoven is nothing short of brilliant. There are two other sequences of Ponchielli's “Dance Of The Hours” followed by Moussorgsky's “Night On Bold Mountain” and Schubert's “Ave Maria”. Stokowski conducts ‘The Philadelphia Orchestra’ magnificently. The end of the film will leave the audience content and appreciative of the art forms that are music and cinema and which makes our lives richer.

Great Moments From Cinema - 25

Some Enchanted Evening
Movie: Titanic (20th Century Fox, Paramount Pict. & Lighthouse Entertainment; 1997)
Director: James Cameron
Screenplay: James Cameron
Major Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane

Film Synopsis: A romantic tale against the backdrop of the great maritime disaster.

My Favorite Moment: DiCaprio and Winslet on the deck at sunset.

Why I Like It: Officially it is the highest grossing film at the box-office. Its worldwide success is unparalleld. It won 11 Academy awards including ‘Best picture’. But besides that, it is also one of the finest made movies ever. A superlative effort, James Cameron has not directed a full-length feature since then. Not surprising, since this is the crowning achievement of his career and can hardly be topped. I often feel that people belittle its success and fail to give the movie its rightful due. However, make no mistake, the ship make not have been unsinkable, but this movie will definitely live forever.

Prior to the film, everyone had either read or heard about the fateful voyage of ‘Titanic’ and could imagine the horror which the passengers might have felt as they waited to die. But Cameron re-creates that moment with chilling realism. He spends almost 90 minutes from the time of the ships impact with the iceberg to its eventual demise, showing the panic, the heroism as well as the sad acceptance of many who know that they were going to drown. At the same time, Cameroon also tells a love story of two people who meet by chance but are doomed by fate. However, his mark as a great director is in making sure that this fictional story never supersedes the real star of the film, which is the ship itself. Yes, the ship is almost a living thing and its presence can be felt in each and every scene. Right from the opening where we first see its ghostly presence, resting at the bottom of the Atlantic, to its grandiose beauty on the day it was launched, ‘Titanic’, the ship has an overwhelming effect on the audience. It is literally a stage on which the rest of the events take place. Even after the collision, as the ship starts sinking, more than the loss of people, one can feel that Cameron is lamenting the death of a beautiful lady made of iron.

Cameron also finds the right note in the romantic plot and it helps that in DiCaprio and Winslet, he has two of the finest actors of this generation. The scene is on the evening of the tragedy. DiCaprio and Winslet share a tender moment where he tells her to step on the ship’s bow, close her eyes, spread her hands apart and then as he holds her from behind and tells her to look, she is over water, gliding, as the ship surges forward with her leading the way. The sky has a surreal color of sunset and the music by James Horner is a heavenly bliss. Winslet expressions as she looks at him convey more of her love than any words could. As they kiss the camera pans across the ship slowly and through CGI, we see transformation to the decay of the present age on the sides. It is one of the most romantic moments from movies, and yet Cameron makes the ship the pivotal thing in the scene and reminds us of the tragedy to follow. Oh, what a great film this is. Too often we let our prejudice against a hugely successful venture cloud our judgment. Leave aside the bias, open your mind and see the masterpiece within. While this is not the greatest movie of all time, with the risk of incurring the wrath of millions, I am going out on a limb and naming this the ‘Best made film of all time’; yes even in a list that includes The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather and Citizen Kane.

Great Moments From Cinema - 24

The Day The Talkies Came To Town
Movie: The Jazz Singer (Warner Bros.; 1927)
Director: Alan Crosland
Screenplay: Samson Raphaelson (play), Alfred A. Cohn and Jack Jarmuth
Major Cast: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland and Eugenie Besserer

Film Synopsis: Jolson is the son of a strict Jewish ‘Cantor’ (Oland) who runs away from home and becomes a jazz singer

My Favorite Moment: Jolson learning about his big break in a ‘Broadway’ musical

Why I Like It: “Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet! Wait a minute, I tell ya! You ain't heard nothin'!” These words by Jolson are supposed to be the first spoken dialogue in cinema. People had already started singing, but nobody had attempted to make a ‘talkie’ before. In that respect, we can safely call it one of the iconic moments in history of entertainment. But the legacy of this film should not be limited to this achievement alone. It is a great movie with an endearing story that everyone can identify with.

Jolson’s character likes to sing jazz songs right from childhood. This deeply upsets his father who comes from a lineage of ‘Cantors’ and wants his son to follow in his footsteps. One day he finds out that his son is singing in a club and mercilessly beats him to teach a lesson. The young kid bids farewell to his mother (Besserer) and runs away from home. It tears her apart but she is helpless in front of her strict husband. Years pass and Jolson becomes a competent jazz singer who impresses everyone in small clubs on the west coast. Till then the movie uses title cards for dialogues but Jolson’s entry is punctuated by the above sentence. Later, the film reverts back to titles with intermittent spoken words. However, history had already been made. McAvoy sees him and gets him a part on a traveling entertainment show where Jolson continues to shine, till one fine day when he is told of his big opportunity on ‘Broadway’.

The scene takes place on a railway platform where Jolson is overjoyed to learn about this. Title cards are used to illustrates his screams of ‘Broadway’, ‘New York’, ‘Home’, ‘Mother’. What makes this special is the gradual increase in the font size from ‘Broadway’ to the huge sign of ‘Mother’. Jolson has not forgotten his family and the execution of the scene is fantastic. Ironically, spoken words could not have communicated his sentiments better than these title cards.

Later on in the movie, his strict father still refuses to acknowledge him as he visits his home. On the day of Jewish festival, his father is gravely ill and cannot sing. Jolson’s mother comes to him and begs him to take his fathers place. However, the same night is the opening of Jolson’s ‘Broadway’ musical and now he has to choose between his mother and his career. His scenes of anguish at this difficult decision are very well done and one can feel his pain as in either case his heart would be broken. Not surprisingly, he chooses his family and sings the holy songs with such passion that even the strict ‘Broadway’ manager, who had threatened him earlier, is moved to tears. It is the most heart warming ending to a movie and Jolson’s performance is great. Irrespective of all of this, we should owe a huge gratitude to this movie for here is where it all began and eventually gave rise to writers like Billy Wilder and Quentin Tarantino.

Great Moments From Cinema - 23

Welcome To Bates Motel
Movie: Psycho (Shamley Productions; 1960)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Robert Bloch (book), Joseph Stefano
Major Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles

Film Synopsis: Leigh steals $40,000 from her employer and sets off in her car. Then, she stops for the night at a small motel run by a man called ‘Norman Bates’ (Perkins).

My Favorite Moment: The shower scene

Why I Like It: All I have to mention is ‘The shower scene’ and anyone who has even remotely heard of this movie knows exactly what I am talking about. Why, they can even hear that piercing music in their head. He had made more than 50 movies prior to this but Psycho is Hitchcock’s masterpiece and confirms his legacy as the ‘Master of suspense’. A spectacular thriller, Perkins gives one of the creepiest performances on screen and which must have led to countless roadside motels going out of business.

Leigh is tired of the dead end job in Phoenix and her only hope is to make a lot of money so that her married boyfriend can divorce his wife and then marry her. One day, as her boss gives her $40,000 to be deposited in bank, she sees a big opportunity and sets off for California with the money. However, she gets tired in the desert sun and is paranoid about being chased by a highway patrolman. So she stops for the night at ‘Bates Motel’, which is run by Perkins. He comes across as a nice young man who is devoted to his invalid mother and stays in the adjoining house. We often hear him arguing loudly with his mother, who although can be heard, is seen only in silhouettes. The motel is deserted and in the night over dinner, Perkins talks to Leigh about living with his mother and his creepy hobby of stuffing birds. He has a memorable dialogue where he tries to explain to her why he has never left home by saying, “A boy's best friend is his mother”. Perkins appears lonely and desperate for company and Leigh almost feels sorry for him. But being tired, she excuses herself and goes in for a shower to relax before sleeping. What follows is cinema history when, a figure that we assume to be ‘Mrs. Bates’, comes in and slashes Leigh in the shower. The movie is shot in B/W, perhaps due to the copious amount of blood which is washed down the drain. The music accompanying the scene has become as famous as the action itself. Later on we hear Perkins screaming in the house, “Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood!” But rather than call the police, he comes in, carefully wipes down the bathroom and gets rid of the body and all other evidence. He thinks that he has erased all trace of Leigh, but doesn’t count on her sister (Miles) coming to his motel. The second act of the movie is for the viewer’s eyes only and I will strictly obey the posters which ask us not to disclose the end.

The brilliance of this movie is not just in the mood in which Hitchcock sets the story, but also the acting, especially by Perkins. It is guaranteed to creep out the audience and in that respect, the movie succeeds beyond expectations. However, what makes it special is the unique concept in which the point of view changes midway from Leigh to Perkins. This unexpected turn in the film blindsides the viewer who is now completely hooked. Hitchcock plays us like puppets and why shouldn’t he? ‘The master of suspense’ has earned it with his genius.

Great Moments From Cinema - 22

Marxism’s
Movie: Duck Soup (Paramount Pictures; 1933)
Director: Leo McCarey
Screenplay: Burt Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin
Major Cast: The Marx Brothers: Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo

Film Synopsis: Groucho plays a cynical dictator of Freedonia who chases a rich heiress and wages war against the neighboring Sylvania. Chico and Harpo are Sylvanian spies send to obtain state secrets. Sounds dramatic? Dictatorship and war have never been this crazy.

My Favorite Moment: The mirror pantomime sequence involving Groucho and Harpo.

Why I Like It: How does one describe the plot of a Marx brother’s movie? What really works the most is the method rather than any coherent structure. Sure there is a storyline, but most of the times it is the improvisations which run the show. Especially if it happens to be a zany sequence involving Harpo or a dialogue exchange between Groucho and Chico. The rest all is just a background that keeps changing.

In this scene Harpo dressed as Groucho, complete with the grease-paint moustache, comes to steal some papers in the middle of the night. In trying to avoid being caught by Groucho, he breaks a mirror and when spotted by Groucho, pretends to be his reflection. What follows is a classic display of comic timing. Groucho suspects something is amiss and tries to do some crazy things in front of the ‘mirror’. Harpo is equal to the task and is able to replicate Groucho’s over-the-top body movements and nuances. The scene reaches a hilarious conclusion when Chico, who is also disguised as Groucho, joins the fun.

Marx brother’s movies, some of them including their much subdued 4th brother Zeppo, are a demonstration of the mayhem that actors can cause on screen and in the process, get away with it. The scene where Chico and Harpo harass a street salesman by constantly changing hats between themselves and his own, is not just slapstick, but also genius in its execution which is spot-on. Groucho dialogue delivery is sharp as ever and his timing is just amazing. His habit of talking directly to the camera and poking fun at himself is legendary and which seldom works when others try to duplicate it

The movie was anarchic for its time and failed at the box-office. But there is no denying its brilliance, which has stood the test of time. India’s own Ganguly brothers are the one of the few teams to successfully recreate the magic of the Marx’s. On close observation, one can see how Kishore’s mannerisms seem inspired by Groucho’s acting. Chaplin for me remains the best actor-comedian and an irreplaceable legend. But has there ever been a more comic actor than Groucho?