Veer-Zaara is an amazingly long movie full of color, dance and incredibly cheesy singing. I was very surprised at how fake the singing voices were, how bad the lip synching was, and somehow how fake the backgrouds looked. Yet despite all of these negative perceptions, I was pleasantly satisfied with the overall story about passion, integrity, and reconciliation. The love story between the two main characters presents an inspiring example of two people keeping their word and carrying on eachothers legacies.
This love story all begins with the conflict of two seperate populations split by British influence. This split was also the result of many cultural and religious differences between these two countries. Veer is a Hindu Indian while Zaara is a Muslim Pakistani. Zaara has already been promised to another man set up by her father. However, Zaara had no idea how real love felt until she met Veer. Zaara is a passionate young girl who is very determined to take her nanny, Bebe's ashes to a sacred river in India. Zaara is a woman of her word, she will not let anything stand in her way. She threatened her own life just so she could keep her promise of returning Bebe's ashes to this body of water. While Zaara is on her journey she comes accross a handsome young man named Veer, these two hit it off within the first day and set themselves up for a lifetime of passion for eachother.
The English language is woven into this film very peculiarly. It seems that English was suddenly spoken only if a character was very passionate about something, if they were yelling, crying or happy they would suddenly speak English. Maybe speaking in English emphasizes emotions to them and helps them get their point accross more directly. I don't think it's uncommon to take certain words or phrases from different languages and adopt them to your vocabulary, yet these were not just words or phrases, it was conversation. I believe that this was also happening in attempt to modernize India and Pakistan by applying English in their culture.
Most of this movie was set in the beautiful countryside that at times appeared unreal because of the vibrant colors of the land. Rolling hills flowed throughout the scenes, I believe this is the first time we've seen a film with such an amazingly lush landscape. The countryside was full of life, sugar cane was grown as well as rice in these fertile fields shown throughout the movie. There didn't seem to be any pollution in this rural landscape mosly because there was very little transportation by cars. This film rarely shows any urban spaces, which is surprising since India has one of the top poulations in the world. I expected to see a lot more people bustling through the streets like they did in Japan or China, but from what we saw the population seemed very scarce.
Unlike the west, singing and dancing is clearly very important to the Bollywood style. Most movies are not three hours in length and I think in order to make such a long film you have to include some fillers, such as music and dancing. These musical scenes provide an opportunity for many more characters or extras to enter the film. Only about five percent of the people shown in this film actually had speaking roles. This tradition also allows us to take a look into the culture of India. I'm sure there are a lot more get togethers in India that include some sort of dance parties. India is the largest producer of films in the whole world and I wouldn't doubt that movies or film making is their primary source of entertainment, which may also explain why they involve so many actors/dancers in their films.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Beijing Bicycle
Throughout this film there are many apparent differences between upper class and lower class status in Beijing. The rural people tend to be simple people who lead simple yet satisfying lifestyles. They live in efficient houses that provide a roof over their heads and own basic necessities to get by. The city dwellers are people who are very concerned about their images. They live in nicer homes and own expensive bicycles that can do crazy tricks. These upper class students wear uniforms to school, play video games after class and think they look cool if they smoke cigarettes. These students seem very spoiled and steal if they don't get the possessions they feel they deserve to maintain their "cool" status.
The main character in this movie is a hard working rural boy that did everything in his power to earn his very own bicycle. He was offered a job as a messenger and was given the opportunity to earn his own mountain bike. He was very dedicated to his new job and was pushed around by his superiors. He was cheated out of money and treated unfairly when his bike was stolen. He was never respected by urban people and had to eek his way through life. The urban class seemed to have great authority over the rural people. They were bullies, who tried to pick fights just to show that they had more power. There was constant friction between these two classes because the upper class were not going to let the lower class own something that symbolized a higher status, such as a bicycle.
Transportation by car or train was very limited in this film. People crowded the streets with their bicycles, some people looked as if they were carrying everything they owned on their bikes, like a little portable home. People carried food, building materials, goods and everything imaginable on their bikes with them. I think one of the main reasons that bikes have become the main mode of transportation in Beijing is because of how overpopulated this area is. The streets would be too overcrowded if everyone owned a car and it would also cause a massive pollution dilemma. Since cars seem to be such a rare possession, a bicycle is the next best thing.
This film was almost annoying to me because it seemed like a person was doomed without a bike, like there was no point in living if you didn't possess your own bicycle. Guo was a very boring character that didn't show much emotion, but once his bike was stolen he just seemed so pathetic and helpless. His mission in life was to search the whole city so he could find this bike, when in reality he could have just gotten a different job so he could buy a new bike. He had such low self esteem and never stood up to anyone including the thief who stole his bicycle and his coworkers who clearly didn't give him the salary he earned. It was very irritating to see both parties fighting back and fourth over this bike. It would have been nice if Guo would have stood up for himself and not allowed everyone to walk all over him.
The urban landscape in Beijing was very dull and dirty. The alleys were narrow and the streets were overcrowded. People looked as if they were living on top of eachother, no one had any space for themselves. Even the rich individuals didn't live in very nice places, they just lived higher up than the poor. The lanscape had a few lush areas by the public parks, but mostly the city was filled with concrete buildings lined up side by side.
I believe the only reason the Guo was beaten up at the end of the movie was because of his association with Jian. The boys that were chasing them had no idea that Guo and Jian weren't even freinds and I don't think they even cared. They were just determined to get revenge. The boys were so angry that they probably would have beaten up anyone that was in a close radius to Jian.
Th
The main character in this movie is a hard working rural boy that did everything in his power to earn his very own bicycle. He was offered a job as a messenger and was given the opportunity to earn his own mountain bike. He was very dedicated to his new job and was pushed around by his superiors. He was cheated out of money and treated unfairly when his bike was stolen. He was never respected by urban people and had to eek his way through life. The urban class seemed to have great authority over the rural people. They were bullies, who tried to pick fights just to show that they had more power. There was constant friction between these two classes because the upper class were not going to let the lower class own something that symbolized a higher status, such as a bicycle.
Transportation by car or train was very limited in this film. People crowded the streets with their bicycles, some people looked as if they were carrying everything they owned on their bikes, like a little portable home. People carried food, building materials, goods and everything imaginable on their bikes with them. I think one of the main reasons that bikes have become the main mode of transportation in Beijing is because of how overpopulated this area is. The streets would be too overcrowded if everyone owned a car and it would also cause a massive pollution dilemma. Since cars seem to be such a rare possession, a bicycle is the next best thing.
This film was almost annoying to me because it seemed like a person was doomed without a bike, like there was no point in living if you didn't possess your own bicycle. Guo was a very boring character that didn't show much emotion, but once his bike was stolen he just seemed so pathetic and helpless. His mission in life was to search the whole city so he could find this bike, when in reality he could have just gotten a different job so he could buy a new bike. He had such low self esteem and never stood up to anyone including the thief who stole his bicycle and his coworkers who clearly didn't give him the salary he earned. It was very irritating to see both parties fighting back and fourth over this bike. It would have been nice if Guo would have stood up for himself and not allowed everyone to walk all over him.
The urban landscape in Beijing was very dull and dirty. The alleys were narrow and the streets were overcrowded. People looked as if they were living on top of eachother, no one had any space for themselves. Even the rich individuals didn't live in very nice places, they just lived higher up than the poor. The lanscape had a few lush areas by the public parks, but mostly the city was filled with concrete buildings lined up side by side.
I believe the only reason the Guo was beaten up at the end of the movie was because of his association with Jian. The boys that were chasing them had no idea that Guo and Jian weren't even freinds and I don't think they even cared. They were just determined to get revenge. The boys were so angry that they probably would have beaten up anyone that was in a close radius to Jian.
Th
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Once Were Warriors
Once Were Warriors is a very disturbing story about a culture's everyday life and the struggles they overcome. New Zealand has always reminded me of a very quiet place full of nature, sheep, and beautiful landscape. However, after seeing this film I am shocked to see that everything I once thought about New Zealand has taken a turn for the worst. I now mostly see an island filled with violence, poverty, and drunkenness.
The main characters in this film are from the Pakeha culture, a culture of European settlers. These people express themselves with extremely aggressive behavior. The Pakeha culture is very rough, they drink too much, yell too much and fight too much. They don't seem to have any self control and also seem impossible to tame. The Maori were the first inhabitants of New Zealand. The wife in this movie represents this Maori culture. She came from a strong family with deep roots and a strong sense spirituality. She married at a young age and her family never accepted her husband which made him resent the Maori culture. The Maori people seemed to have isolated themselves, while the Pakeha took over a lot of the island. The Maori probably resent the Pakeha for polluting their land with abuse, violence and ghetto graffiti.
Jake and Beth have been brought up very differently. Jake comes from a culture where men dominate. A man tells his wife how she will act, what she will say, and what she will do around the house. Jake expects Beth to cater to his every need and fulfill all of his sexual desires while giving her a punch in the face in return. He thinks that because he is a man he has the ability to act however he wants and has no regard for any members of his family. His number one priority is alcohol and he doesn't let his wife or children stand in the way of his drunken ways. Beth on the other hand comes from a culture where men and women are seen as equals. She was once able to express herself without getting beaten in return.
The history of the Maori people is introduced in the film when the family takes a road trip to see their son Boogie. The family makes a road stop at a beautiful view of the countryside. While sitting under a tree Beth implies that she really misses her culture and wants to make sure that her children know about their roots and the place they came from. She only has positive memories from her childhood and yearns for her children to be brought up in a way that she was, a childhhod of peace and happiness, rather that of violence and anger. Jake has a very negative view of Beth's culture. He resents her culture maybe because he knows that he will never truly be accepted and also knows that her family has been waiting for their marriage to fail, always expecting Beth to eventually come back home.
Although there is a terrible tragedy marked by Grace's suicide, a remarkable awakening happened that changed the future of the family. Through Grace's death Beth was finally able to recognize her need to return back home. She no longer cared about proving to her family that she could make her marriage work, she was more concerned for the safety of her children. Grace therefore represents life, by taking her own life she saved the lives of her mother and brothers.
The main characters in this film are from the Pakeha culture, a culture of European settlers. These people express themselves with extremely aggressive behavior. The Pakeha culture is very rough, they drink too much, yell too much and fight too much. They don't seem to have any self control and also seem impossible to tame. The Maori were the first inhabitants of New Zealand. The wife in this movie represents this Maori culture. She came from a strong family with deep roots and a strong sense spirituality. She married at a young age and her family never accepted her husband which made him resent the Maori culture. The Maori people seemed to have isolated themselves, while the Pakeha took over a lot of the island. The Maori probably resent the Pakeha for polluting their land with abuse, violence and ghetto graffiti.
Jake and Beth have been brought up very differently. Jake comes from a culture where men dominate. A man tells his wife how she will act, what she will say, and what she will do around the house. Jake expects Beth to cater to his every need and fulfill all of his sexual desires while giving her a punch in the face in return. He thinks that because he is a man he has the ability to act however he wants and has no regard for any members of his family. His number one priority is alcohol and he doesn't let his wife or children stand in the way of his drunken ways. Beth on the other hand comes from a culture where men and women are seen as equals. She was once able to express herself without getting beaten in return.
The history of the Maori people is introduced in the film when the family takes a road trip to see their son Boogie. The family makes a road stop at a beautiful view of the countryside. While sitting under a tree Beth implies that she really misses her culture and wants to make sure that her children know about their roots and the place they came from. She only has positive memories from her childhood and yearns for her children to be brought up in a way that she was, a childhhod of peace and happiness, rather that of violence and anger. Jake has a very negative view of Beth's culture. He resents her culture maybe because he knows that he will never truly be accepted and also knows that her family has been waiting for their marriage to fail, always expecting Beth to eventually come back home.
Although there is a terrible tragedy marked by Grace's suicide, a remarkable awakening happened that changed the future of the family. Through Grace's death Beth was finally able to recognize her need to return back home. She no longer cared about proving to her family that she could make her marriage work, she was more concerned for the safety of her children. Grace therefore represents life, by taking her own life she saved the lives of her mother and brothers.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Rabbit Proof Fence
Australia has always been a land of astonishment and awe, a land on the opposite side of the earth, a land that went through constant struggle as the Aborigine people were slowly diminished. This film is a touching reality of the lives of three young girls and the pain they went through to return to their homes. Molly, Gracie and Daisy are the main characters in this film. They are Aborigine children that were ripped away from their families and sent into a degrading boarding school in attempt to keep them seperate from society and change them into people that they were not. They were sent away in attempt to assimilate the Aboriginal race into a white society. The girls were forced to adapt to a new lifestyle of structure and forget their past. The girls were very miserable and decided that escaping the boarding school would be worth the risk if they had a chance to make it back home.
Australia had a very empty and dry landscape. The weather seemed to scorch the land of all of its resources. The environment was very unfriendly, a few sporadic trees could be seen every now and then. The land was mostly covered in rocks and cracked dirt from the absence of rain. The journey the girls went on to make it back home seemed very lonely and bare. Very seldomely did the girls find water or food on their walk back to Jigalong. The only sign of life was the rabbit proof fence that was built across the whole country to keep rabbits clear of Australia's crops. This fence was one of the only signs of humanity that these girls saw on their way back to Jigalong. This rabbit proof fence was the girls only hope for freedom and happiness.
The Australian(English) culture definitely dominated over the Aborigine culture. The Australians treated these Aborigine families like animals. They had no regard for their feelings, their families, or their way of life. It was heartbreaking to see that all of these families were destroyed. These Aborigine children that were taken away had no connection to their families ever again. They would live the rest of their lives wondering where they came from and what happened to their moms, dads, brothers and sisters.
Some of the controversy about the accuracy of this film is that the story was exaggerated and may also portray things that are untrue. However, whether the movie exaggerates the truth or not it still shows that children were ripped away from their families and also their culture. The Australian government did make life very difficult for the Aborigine culture and did a lot of damage to the "stolen generation." Although few escaped, there are many that did not, many that had to live their lives seperated from everything that meant anything to them.
Australia had a very empty and dry landscape. The weather seemed to scorch the land of all of its resources. The environment was very unfriendly, a few sporadic trees could be seen every now and then. The land was mostly covered in rocks and cracked dirt from the absence of rain. The journey the girls went on to make it back home seemed very lonely and bare. Very seldomely did the girls find water or food on their walk back to Jigalong. The only sign of life was the rabbit proof fence that was built across the whole country to keep rabbits clear of Australia's crops. This fence was one of the only signs of humanity that these girls saw on their way back to Jigalong. This rabbit proof fence was the girls only hope for freedom and happiness.
The Australian(English) culture definitely dominated over the Aborigine culture. The Australians treated these Aborigine families like animals. They had no regard for their feelings, their families, or their way of life. It was heartbreaking to see that all of these families were destroyed. These Aborigine children that were taken away had no connection to their families ever again. They would live the rest of their lives wondering where they came from and what happened to their moms, dads, brothers and sisters.
Some of the controversy about the accuracy of this film is that the story was exaggerated and may also portray things that are untrue. However, whether the movie exaggerates the truth or not it still shows that children were ripped away from their families and also their culture. The Australian government did make life very difficult for the Aborigine culture and did a lot of damage to the "stolen generation." Although few escaped, there are many that did not, many that had to live their lives seperated from everything that meant anything to them.
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