Snapshots From a Dream

What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us ....

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 21


The Deck Of Cards

Movie: The Apartment (The Mirisch Corporation; 1960)
Director: Billy Wilder
Screenplay: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Major Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray

Film Synopsis: Lemmon, a young clerk in an insurance company, finds that lending out his apartment to the executives for their affairs is an easy ticket for getting promoted. However, he did not expect to find that the secret love of his life, MacLaine, is in fact his bosses (MacMurray) mistress and who frequents his apartment regularly.

My Favorite Moment: MacLaine to Lemmon, “Shut up and deal”

Why I Like It: Only Billy Wilder can pull this off. This is a movie which deals with a sleazy topic such as adultery; the main character is as immoral as anyone else and yet it is funny while being surprisingly heart-breaking. Although we frown at some of the things the people do in this movie, we cannot help but feel sorry for them as we identify with their loneliness and insecurities. What could have been a B-grade adult drama, ends up as one of the fantastic movies of all time, which won the Academy award as ‘Best Film’ of 1960.

The line mentioned above is the very last one of the film. That should not deter from the overall greatness of the movie. Lemmon is a lonely man who has nobody at home and nothing much to look forward to in life. He is one of the hundreds of insurance salesmen who are in a dull job. However, unlike the others, he cannot even go back home in the evening since he ‘lends’ his apartment out to the executives, who in return promise to help him move up the ladder. He does like the elevator girl, ‘Miss Kubelik’ (MacLaine), but is shy to ask her out. What he doesn’t know is that she is involved in an illicit affair with MacMurray, Lemmon’s sweet talking boss. One day Lemmon finds a compact mirror in his apartment and returns it to MacMurray. Later when he sees it in MacLaine’s hand, he realizes the truth and is heartbroken, but doesn’t say anything. He has surrendered completely to his loneliness and would much rather be promoted in his professional life than be happy in his personal one. Later on, finding that MacMurray has no intention of divorcing his wife, MacLaine tries to commit suicide in Lemmon’s apartment, but he saves and nurses her back to health. One of the pastimes as she recovers is playing cards. Despite their mutual attraction towards each other, he doesn’t want to tell her to stop seeing his boss and she wants him to say that he loves her and that he will quit his job.

Finally, she goes back to MacMurray and when Lemmon’s conscience gets the better of him, he resigns and is preparing to leave town. MacLaine learns about this, leaves MacMurray and comes to Lemmon’s apartment as he packs. When he realizes that she has come for him, he tells her “You hear what I said, Miss Kubelik? I absolutely adore you.” She looks oblivious to all of this and is shuffling cards. She just smiles at him with tears in her eyes, gives him the deck of cards and says the famous last dialogue. Nothing else was needed; no romantic dialogue, no kiss. It is a perfect end to a perfect scene. Wilder has another last line winner after the fantastic ending words in Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot. Yes, we should really despise Lemmon for what he does. But how can you not feel sorry when you see him on cold nights, shivering outside in the park, looking sorrowfully at the light inside his apartment.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 20


Of Witchcraft And Wizardry

Movie: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner Bros.; 2001)
Director: Chris Columbus
Screenplay: J.K. Rowling (book) and Steven Kloves
Major Cast: Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman and Richard Harris

Film Synopsis: ‘Harry Potter’ is an eleven years old orphan living with his aunt and uncle who treat him terribly. Then one day he discovers that his parents were magical and that he has been admitted to ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’. Once there, his adventures begin.

My Favorite Moment: ‘Harry’ arriving at ‘Hogwarts’.

Why I Like It: You must have been in a parallel universe to have not heard about ‘Harry Potter’. His is the most recognizable name amongst fictional characters and everyone from the age of 5 to 90 has probably come across it at some point in the last few years. Even J.K. Rowling may not have known that what she unleashed on Sept 1 1998 would become a phenomenon which may last forever. ‘Harry Potter’ has rabid fans who live and die by these books and they are not limited to children alone. Both young and old wait in eagerness for the next book in the series and although Rowling has plans to quit after 7 installments, ‘Harry Potter’ will forever exist owing to the immortality of his character. With this world-wide success, it was only a matter of time before the character made his way onto the cinema screen.

In the fall of 2001 the long-awaited event finally took place and the first movie was released to sold-out auditoriums. Sitting amongst the other fans, I could feel the tension of anticipation amongst everyone and to some extent we were not disappointed. Columbus had done a commendable, though not a spectacular, job of adapting the book. It is amazing how much we fantasize while reading a story. Each and every character attributes and the places they inhabit flash through our minds as we process the written words. Thus, the school of ‘Hogwarts’ had become one such place which I along with everyone else was waiting to see on the screen. The first glimpse we get of the castle is when ‘Harry’ and his friends are crossing the lake in small boats. It is indeed an imposing sight and John Williams’s score suits this occasion magnificently. It was not just ‘Harry’, but millions of other viewers who were spellbound as something which had once existed on paper was now visible for them to see. During the course of the film, along with ‘Harry’, it is our pleasure to explore this mythical place and sigh as familiar sights come into the frame.

Readers were satisfied by this film as with the next one, also directed by Columbus. But it took Alfonso Cuarón to really make a technically brilliant movie from the 3rd book, which surprisingly left the fans a little cold. Perhaps, the viewers by then had been a little enamored by these ‘other’ films being made simultaneously in New Zealand and also based on a ‘popular book’. But that discussion is for another day. I could swear that I heard this grown up girl sitting next to me sob during the scene where ‘Harry’ learns about ‘Quidditch’. That’s why I love movies. Only here can that private part of our imagination come to life and show us what we once saw in our dreams.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 19


Three Men And A Car

Movie: Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (K.S. Films-India; 1958)
Director: Satyen Bose
Screenplay: Gobind Moonis
Major Cast: Ganguly Brothers: Ashok, Anoop and Kishore and Madhubala

Film Synopsis: Three brothers run a garage, managed by the eldest, Ashok, who has strict rules regarding any involvement with females. When the youngest brother Kishore falls in love with Madhubala, mayhem occurs.

My Favorite Moment: Kishore singing “Ek Laadki Bhigi Bhagi Si”

Why I Like It: This may well be India’s answer to Marx brother’s films and is just as good as its Hollywood counterpart. Kishore Kumar remains the best comedian India has ever seen and was one of the few who didn’t just rely on slap-stick or witty dialogue to get a laugh. He, like Chaplin, was a complete actor. On top of this when you consider that he is, in my opinion, the greatest singer the world has ever produced, well then superlatives become irrelevant.

Kishore is the star of this movie which is a comic-riot from start to finish. He can make something out of any scene without having to resort to physical quirks. He keeps the story entertaining at all times and whilst Ashok and Anoop are very good actors in their own right, there is no denying the fact that Kishore connects with the audience the most. In this particular scene, the supremely radiant Madhubala has come to their garage in the middle of the night. It is raining outside and her car has broken down. Kishore is not very pleased at been awakened and hence some sparks fly between them initially. Finally, they get the car inside the garage where Kishore starts fixing it while singing the above mentioned song, which is a description of a girl who meets a stranger on a rainy night. Kishore pulls all stops during the number, even using the mechanic’s tools in his jig. At one point he also pays homage to Chaplin’s ‘dance of the dinner rolls’ from ‘Gold Rush’. The way and the tone in which he sings, is charming as it is funny. Yes, it is flirting but at no point does it get vulgar or offensive. Even the angry girl is smiling at the end of the song by which time, lo and behold, the car has been repaired.

Kishore was also a skillful director who excelled at making tragic movies. But what the Indians love him most was for his melodious voice. He is an icon of playback singing in Hindi movies. There is no song style which he couldn’t do and always gave it his all while recording. I feel sorry for the rest of the world who has never heard Kishore sing. It’s been almost 19 years since he passed away, but no one has been able to replace him as a singer. There have been many pretenders but I suspect that eternity is a short time for another Kishore Kumar to be born. In the meanwhile, generations of fans have just to watch this scene to see a legend at the top of his form.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 18


Choices Over Destiny

Movie: Minority Report (Cruise Wagner, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox; 2002)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Philip K. Dick (story) and Scott Frank & Jon Cohen
Major Cast: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton

Film Synopsis: Cruise plays a cop in a futuristic society where arrests are made even before the crime is committed. When he foresees himself committing a murder, he goes on the run.

My Favorite Moment: Morton pleading with Cruise, “You still have a choice.”

Why I Like It: This is Spielberg doing what he does best: Taking a sci-fi story and telling it with great emotional depth coupled with spectacular visuals. It is a magnificent blend of special effects and noir. Plus, when you get Spielberg to infuse his gripping style wherein the audience holds their breath in suspense, you have the best film of 2002.

They year is 2054 and Americans believe they live in a so called “safe society” because there exists a pre-crime division, which prevents murders by apprehending people before they commit a crime. Headed by Sydow with Cruise as his trusted officer, they rely on 3 ‘precogs’ who are telepathic humans suspended inside a pool, and in deep hibernation. They provide the exact time of the crime along with brief visuals, thus giving Cruise and his colleagues a short timeframe in which to stop this act. The film opens with one such race against time which is executed brilliantly. There is also a fantastic sequence where Cruise waves his arms like a conductor in a concerto as he moves various video images around on a virtual display. In fact, the scene is set to a classical music piece, which makes it graceful while showcasing the techno savvy future. Some other scenes are equally astonishing including one where several mechanical spiders come inside a shabby apartment building looking for Cruise. Spielberg uses supreme skill in creating and maintaining suspense, especially when Cruise tries to hide inside a bathtub with the spider’s just inches away.

Cruise sees himself committing a murder of a total stranger and now he has to go on the run while trying to figure out why he would do such a thing. He kidnaps one of the ‘precogs’, ‘Agatha’, played by Morton. She is unable to walk as her strength has been weakened due to her prolonged state of suspended animation and Cruise has to physically carry her everywhere. They have to survive from the police and at the same time he needs her to help him with the specific details of the crime. In an inspired scene, she helps him avoid being captured, by predicting in real time what is going to happen in the next few seconds. It is film direction and cinematography at its very best. Later on, Cruise puts the pieces together and lands in a man’s hotel room; the place where he is supposed to kill that person. He realizes that this man was responsible for the death of Cruise’s son some years ago; an event which destroyed Cruise’s, marriage and made him a hollow person. Cruise now understands why he is going to be a murderer and gladly accepts his fate. It is then that Morton, who is traumatized due to constant visuals of murder, pleads with him to show restraint. She cries out to him and tells him to choose not to commit the murder since he still has a choice. His future is not yet certain and he has an ability to change it. These are powerful performances as Cruise is torn apart while trying to fight his instincts and do the right thing. Even though a science fiction, the story has a moral. It is indeed our choices, not our fate that governs our life. There is none better than Spielberg to remind us of that.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 17


The Greatest Gift Of All

Movie: It’s A Wonderful Life (Liberty Films Inc.; 1946)
Director: Frank Capra
Screenplay: Philip Van Doren Stern (story) and Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett
Major Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers

Film Synopsis: When ‘George Bailey’ (Stewart) wishes that he hadn’t been born, an angel (Travers) shows him what life would have been for others if he had never existed.

My Favorite Moment: “ Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again. Please, God, let me live again.”

Why I Like It: If there was ever a doubt that cinema is the noblest and the most life-affirming medium of reassurance for people, then this film ought to dispel it. A movie which symbolizes the genre of ‘feel-good films’, it is Frank Capra’s greatest gift to mankind.

‘George Bailey’ had always sacrificed his personal happiness and ambitions so that someone else could benefit. The immortal Jimmy Stewart gives the performance of his illustrious career and has poured his heart and soul into portraying the pain and frustrations of the title character. ‘George’ wanted to travel the world when he was young but stayed back to help his family when his father had a stroke. He wanted to go to college and be an engineer but instead ran his fathers lending company, which helps poor people afford homes. After marrying the girl of his dreams (Reed), he wanted to take her for a honeymoon, but gave away all his money to people who were suffering due to the market crash. His whole life has been spent helping others in need. He educates his younger brother, doesn’t stop him from leaving the town for a better career and refuses a lucrative job offer from the evil ‘Mr. Potter’ (Barrymore), because he knows that ‘Potter’ would destroy any hope that the poor people of ‘Bedford Falls’ have of one day building their own houses. ‘George’ never had an opportunity to even leave his small town, when all he wanted as a youngster, was adventure. What he does have is a loving wife, adorable kids and a grateful community. However, one day on Christmas Eve, his uncle misplaces $8,000 and banks come to foreclose. With pent-up frustration of all these years, ‘George’ finally looses his sanity, fights with his wife and in despair goes to commit suicide on a snowy night.

Travers is his guardian angel who saves him and as ‘George’ wishes he had never been born, he is shown how his life touched so many people and how the town of ‘Bedford Falls’ and beyond are better because of him. As he realizes his mistake, ‘George’ comes back to the bridge from which he was about to jump and pleads with God to let him live. Then, with all the magic that only movies can create, it starts snowing, signifying that he is back to his reality. Overjoyed, he comes back home to see that the entire town has collected money to help their favorite son and his younger brother raises a toast with the famous words, “To my big brother George: The richest man in town”. It is another one of those emotionally charged endings for a film which has the highest moral lesson. Life may be full of despair, but not futile and that there is a silver lining to every deed. If anybody forgets this, then they need to see this movie again and again and again….till the following words which the angel teaches ‘George’, are etched in their subconscious, “Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.”.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 16


With A Smile…And Perhaps A Tear

Movie: Films Of Charlie Chaplin (First National; Chaplin Productions; 1921-1940)
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Screenplay: Charlie Chaplin
Major Cast: Charlie Chaplin

Film Synopsis: Starting his first full length feature, “The Kid”, with a card having the above title, Chaplin set off on 20 years of brilliance where he made films, at least 6 of which redefine the word ‘classics’. Each of them featuring his immortal alter ego, ‘The tramp’, Chaplin tugs at the heartstrings while always entertaining his audience.

My Favorite Moment: Those bittersweet moments with the ‘tramp’ which bring out the human side of his zany character.

Why I Like It: Although I am discussing scenes from his feature length films, his legendary status had already been established through his 50+ short films since 1914. It is difficult to pick just one scene as my favorite moment. A separate article is required to discuss the unforgettable closing of “City Lights”, but that still leaves a plethora of memorable Chaplin moments. It could be the heart wrenching scene from “The Kid” as the ‘tramp’ chases after the truck carrying away the kid. Or from The “Circus” it could be the lonely sight of the ‘tramp’ sitting on the empty grounds after marrying off his love and seeing her leave with the circus.

“Gold Rush”, the film he wanted to be remembered for, has several of the legendary scenes, including the one where he eats his shoe and of course the ‘dance of the dinner rolls’ where he stabs the rolls with his fork and does a dance with them. His facial expressions while doing this make it a poetically brilliant scene.

After the depression, Chaplin made a statement with his masterpiece “Modern Times”. The scene with the ‘tramp’ caught in the mechanical gears is one of the indelible images of cinema. The movie was a satire on the advent of machinery as replacement for manpower and nowhere is it emphasized more, than the ‘eating scene’ where an out-of-control machine tries to feed the ‘tramp’ his lunch. The film has an incredible soundtrack, composed by none other than Chaplin, and includes the great theme ‘Smile’ which is sublime, to say the least.

Chaplin’s last film as the ‘tramp’ was the brilliant “The Great Dictator”. It was his first talkie and any doubts that Chaplin would fail, were put to rest with academy award nominations for ‘Best Film’ and ‘Best Actor’. His speech at the end where he is mistaken as the dictator is evidence enough to showcase his acting talent.

Chaplin continued to make movies but some magic was lost in 1940 when the ‘tramp’ was put to rest. His films have not aged and audiences have always embraced the ‘tramp’s’ silence. Only once in the 78 years of Academy Awards has the final award of the evening not been for ‘Best Film’. That was in 1971 when the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award was bestowed upon Chaplin to tremendous ovation, such is his legacy. Einstein once said about Gandhi, "Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked on this earth." For me, he may well have been talking about Chaplin.