sbansban Reviews

West Side Story (2021)

Compared to Spielberg's Version the Original Now Seems Like a Diamond in the Rough

[8/10 · 9 January 2022]

After hearing all the buzz about Spielberg's remake, I decided to check out the original all time classic version at home first. While I enjoyed the plotline and some of the acting, even some of the music, honestly, I thought I would not give it more than 6.5/10. The garish dresses, somewhat contrived sequences with supposedly nasty, tough gang members theatrically breaking into songs and dances - made me think that the execution left a lot to be desired and did not quite live up to its billing as an all time classic. But then, I generally dislike musicals (with some notable exceptions, of course) and thought may be it was a subjective thing.

But after watching Spielberg's version, which I would rate 8.5/10, my impressions of the original were reinforced. The 2021 remake is everything the original could have been, but wasn't.

Of course, Spielberg has had the unfair advantage of all the heaps of analysis and dissection that the original has been subjected to over the last 60 years, not to mention all the advances in the state of the art of cinema, so we will always respect the original, on the shoulders of which the 2021 version stands. But having said that, it just made me reflect on how far Hollywood and world cinema have come in these years.

I can't say that all directors manage to take advantage of this progress (technical and artistic) when they remake old movies - a case in point being Bram Stoker's original 1922 black and white silent movie "Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror." I remember the movie making a profound impression on me as a schoolboy, and even now, when I watch it again, I find it astounding how with rudimentary, crude technology still in its infancy (by today's standards), such a masterpiece was created - especially compared to Werner Herzog's 1979 remake - which, IMHO, ruined it with all kinds of uncalled for colorful scenes, costumes and what have you - which just did such a great job of distracting from and even destroying the suspense in the bare-bones original version. But I digress.

In my opinion, in contrast, Spielberg has taken a diamond in the rough, and after ironing out the kinks (and dialing down the cheese) turned it into a sophisticated, polished gem. While he has remained very faithful to the original in terms of storyline, screenplay, songs and scenes, I found that the songs and dances seem much more organically integrated and realistic (well, as realistic as a gang can make them seem), and the costumes, visuals and acting are all a huge improvement on the original, not to mention the excellent cinematography and set design that one almost takes for granted these days. And talking about set design, the original had the advantage of recreating the sets from the same time period but then the 2021 version perhaps has the advantage of knowing what from that period has been romaticized in the psyche of the audience after all these years to enable it to press the right buttons to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

The protagonists in this sort of a movie, IMHO, need to bring a certain eye-candy factor, and the remake - with the All-American white boy next door Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler, with an uncanny resemblance to AOC - was that deliberate?) - improves on that aspect too.

So what's on my personal wish list for the next remake, whenever that might happen? First of all, it might seem like lobotomy to strip a musical (and a classic one at that) of its songs and dances, but I am curious to see just what such a version might look like - especially given my general bias against musicals. In addition, I never understood why literature types, academics (for centuries) and many film critics seem to prefer a tragic ending in order to label a story / a movie a classic, but I would love to see an ending that is less destructive and sad - perhaps with both Tony and Maria managing to escape to some place very, very far away.

Padmaavat (2018)

Much more than just a pretty face

[8/10 · 4 February 2018]

I tend to stay very far away from the cheesy movies filled with silly dances and pointless music from these parts - and in spite of several conscious attempts in the past to warm up to some of the better-received movies, "Bollywood" just hasn't worked for me (with some notable exceptions like "Company" by RGV and some of Mani Ratnam's creations which do not follow the standard script anyway). So it was with some trepidation that I decided to watch this movie that was in the news in a local theater in Ballston Commons VA on this sub-zero degree early-February Saturday morning more out of curiosity than anything else. I did read a few reviews ahead of time and knew that this director is known for his lush, opulent sets that had often been described as over the top (with some reviews even describing some of his movies including this one as all style, no substance). So like a few times in the past, I was even prepared to walk out midway if needed. But just a few minutes into the movie, I realized that I was enjoying it - and at no point during the three hours did I remotely stop doing so.

The broad outlines of the centuries-old legend and the main characters (except, perhaps, queen Padmini/Padmavati/Padmaavat herself) as well as the Siege of Chittor in 1303 by Sultan Alauddin Khalji are well-documented in history as any cursory search of Wikipedia and other internet references (not to mention the myriad related monuments, tombs and ruins all over Delhi and north India) bear out and in any case, anyone who has been through school in South Asia will be familiar with the historical context from some of the textbooks. So it was really interesting for me to see this mostly historic event come to life on the big screen. Contrary to what I read in some reviews, I found the story moving fast and totally gripping and was completely engrossed in it throughout. Sure, the movie has a few rough edges here and there. Though the music is well-integrated into the story line and sounded very authentic, it seemed a tad too loud and long at times. The sets and costumes are a feast for the eyes and mostly well-done but I would have maybe preferred them to be toned down just a touch, which would have lent the movie a slightly understated (albeit more refined) appeal. The sets at times also seem a little artificial - and occasionally too perfect and geometrically symmetrical but I have the same quibble with many Hollywood period pieces where the prettying up could be dialed down a notch or two. But having said that, royal palaces and costumes in those days, from what we see in the relics and historical paintings were truly glittering - so I am open to other points of view here. In any case, for me these were all minor niggles that I could easily look past and most importantly, they did not significantly detract from my overall experience. To quantify it, with those changes, I would have given this movie a score of 8.2 instead of 7.8 out of 10.

As an aside, I found Alauddin's wife Mehrunissa played by Aditi Rao Hydari noticeably prettier than even queen Padmavati but I guess that's just me.

I read that a few other films and TV dramas have also portrayed Alauddin Khalji and / or queen Padmini - but I have not watched them. After watching Padmaavat though, IMHO, controversies regarding numerous artistic licenses notwithstanding, this movie should be preserved in the National Film Archives as a culturally and historically significant work.

Pikoor Diary (1981 TV Movie)

An absolute masterpiece that seems to be largely unknown

[10/10 · 9 December 2003]

This movie is not easily available, so I am not surprised there are (as of now) no other comments. But this is an absolute stunner. Smooth as silk, Ray brings us an unforgettable vignette of upper-middle class life in Kolkata around the 70's. It is one of his relatively few movies in color, and is only 26 minutes long, but is profoundly and wryly philosophical without for a moment being "heavy". Playful Pikoo and his bed-ridden grandfather steal the show in style. The background score and imagery left me mesmerized. Human warmth, love, relationships, betrayal, life and death, and the transience, twists and implied associations therein, "Pikoo" packs it all in in these 26 minutes. I can honestly say that after watching this, I view life a little differently. I consider this one of his top efforts, but unfortunately, it remains relatively unknown.

The Big City (1963)

A delightful, sophisticated work of art from Satyajit Ray

[10/10 · 1 April 2002]

I watched the "Sony Classics" version of this movie (restored by Merchant-Ivory) yesterday, 03/31/02, here in DC as part of the complete Satyajit Ray retrospective organized by the Smithsonian Museum where the series is attracting a full house. I had watched this movie once before and liked it a lot, but this time, I am literally floating in the clouds.

This vintage, mellow Ray masterpiece, showing vulnerable human beings pitted against an unpredictable outside world is unbelievably authentic, and soooo heartwarming without a trace of melodrama. No one seems to be "acting" - and nearly 40 years after it was made, the way Ray has gone about women's issues in this movie is sure to keep researchers and academicians busy for quite some time to come.

In an era when working women in Calcutta (and perhaps many other places in the world) sometimes invited snide implications of inadequate income against their husbands, a very naive and unsure Arati grapples with her first job, but is also excited by it. Her in-laws, living in the same, cramped house, however, look askance at their son (her husband) for letting her work, and try to scorn him by starting a silently emotional and undeclared "cold war". Though the husband attempts to obtain an additional part-time job, and convinces Arati to resign, he suddenly loses his main job and manages to contact his wife just in time to stop her from submitting the resignation letter.

There follows the inevitable feeling of worthlessness and depression for him - a man living off his wife's income, but Subrata, the husband goes through it all with dignity despite the occasional sarcasm and testiness.

It is difficult to say who has performed the best - the husband, the wife, their children, the husband's parents or the boss at the office. The tenderness and sensitivity portrayed amidst all the tension brings out the eternal humanist in Ray. Even the smug, authoritarian boss, who is gracious to Arati, but is prejudiced against her colleague Edith, warms up to Arati's recently unemployed husband, reveals a weakness for their common home town, and attempts to find him a job. Edith - who herself is struggling to make ends meet, quietly strikes a friendship with small gestures towards Arati, who later stands up for her friend against the boss with grave personal consequences. In spite of the movie having anything but a happy end, the unmistakable and wonderful optimism that somehow breaks through at the end is infectious.

This film brought forth a spontaneous, standing ovation from a full house of 525 at the National Gallery of Art, and considering the fact that to more than 70 per cent of the audience, this was a "foreign" movie accessible only through the subtitles, the universal appeal of this film was very obvious.

And Quiet Rolls the Dawn (1979)

With movies like this around, you wouldn't need any "controlled substances"!!

[10/10 · 24 March 2002]

While I had seen a few Mrinal Sen movies before, and had high regard for him, I was stunned by this movie's impact on me - an impressionable 20-year old at that time. Yes, I was spellbound and intoxicated by its surrealism and psychedelic effects.

It starts in the afternoon showing a decent but poor family in a run-down neighborhood in Calcutta. The surroundings faintly suggest days of long-lost glory vanishing into the inevitable decay and ruins, that somehow, still remain mysteriously impregnated by centuries of history. The only bread-earner of the family - one of the daughters, is expected to come beck home after work any time as usual, - but as she does not show up on this day, concern intensifies into worry, which becomes panic, which, in turn, turns to resignation as the night progresses....

The entire movie unfolds within a time frame of around 12 hours or so and this intensification and progressive transformation of tension is reflected stunningly mostly in the body language and expressions of the family members with an economy of words and action which, to me, seemed to border on a research study of the body language of the inmates of a mental asylum. The use of Pink Floyd's music in depicting the psychological dynamics of the situation is very innovative. A very simple plot (almost no plot, really), but what execution!! I have seen many great movies, but trust me, they are just movies - this is something else!!

Postscript: Mrinal Sen started with a reputation as a firebrand radical Marxist moviemaker, whose movies were often weighed down by excessive ideological baggage. I haven't seen too many of his movies but "Calcutta '71" (an earlier movie) left me confused. "Mrigaya" was a nice movie that seemed to me to be the first one of his without this very obvious, even overriding bias and with "Ekdin Pratidin", he seemed to have completely transformed himself. A few years later, I saw his "Khandhar" - which, I thought, was another masterpiece. Make no mistakes, anybody who could make "Ekdin Pratidin" and "Khandhar" is a genius, and if he hasn't got the same recognition as Satyajit Ray, a lot of movie buffs are just missing out.