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Reviews
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
Fantastic fun!
This movie is totally silly - and totally enjoyable. It bears only faint relation to its Austen original - apart perhaps from the Mr and Mrs Bennett characters - but who cares? It's colorful, funny, pure entertainment. The young Indian women are simply stunning, a delight to the eye. The movie and the plot get even sillier when it moves out of India (to London and the US) but again, it doesn't matter. As a side benefit, it shows (as did Monsoon Wedding) that there is a thriving middle class in India, thus counteracting the traditional cinematic views of poverty and squalor in this wonderful country. The dance sequences are amazing for anyone who has not seen a Bollywood movie before - in fact, this is an excellent introduction to the genre.
Un homme et une femme (1966)
Hasn't worn well
I saw this film recently for the first time since it was first released. At the time I first saw it I was my early 20s, and I remember swooning at the romance of it all. Watching it again, I felt embarrassed for my 20-something self. What a silly, superficial film, about silly superficial people - a racing car driver and a continuity 'girl' (as they were known in those days). I guess that was part of the appeal - giving people a glimpse into these 'glamorous' lives. The fact that it got the Catholic Church official seal of approval tells us a lot. It is also hilariously sexist by today's standards. And the intermittent interjection of musical interludes is just plain ridiculous. The syrupy theme music has become a cliché, and deservedly so. The children are refreshingly un-cute - particularly the multi-lingual Antoine. But not worth wasting 1h40mins for.