Outskirts (Russian)

A Russian classic by Boris Barnet, Outskirtsis a technically impressive film, from around the time sound in films just started, that tells the story of a small village town on the Russian-German border during World War I.

The film starts with normal everyday life of the town going into turmoil starting with a strike in the local shoe factory. Soon enough the war breaks out with a German attack and it is at this point that relationships between friends, factory workers, brothers, and family begin to strain. The film from then on follows the life of men from the town at the frontline and the life of the people they have left behind along with the German POWs who end up in the town after the war starts.

Outskirts is a film that has stark emotional highs and lows. There are moments of extreme comedy and just as in life these moments make the audience uneasy as they are almost always followed by tragic events that break the heart. These moments are heightened when news about men dying in war reaches the town just as German POWs are being given permission to move around amongst the residents to work and earn a living. A sense of despair is felt by the audience because of an expected tragedy on the onset of unexpected love between a German POW and a local girl; a love between two individuals who speak in languages that the other doesn't understand, and yet their attraction has the innocence of a first crush.

One of the scenes that depicts the emotional complexities of the period takes place inside the POW camp as the camera moves from one side of a room starting with two men playing cards, smiling, followed by a group of men gravely looking at a dying man in the next bed, followed by a man shaving his beard in an everyday fashion. The camera then moves back as the now dead man is removed, the men playing cards shift their game to a nearby bed as a mark of respect, and soon enough the empty space left by the dead man is taken by a new inmate. All this takes place in a rather subtle manner as if it is the normal way of life.

These dilemmas of emotions faced by the locals, the German POWs, and the men returning from the frontline are beautifully presented in the film and show a side of war that is often ignored.

Technically, the film presents numerous instances of marvel. From the moment in the beginning where a man looks at the audience and winks after just having picked-up a girl successfully to a later time in the film when the war has been going on for a few years and machines have taken over most of the work in factories, the camera work is simply spectacular as the film cuts from the shoe-making machines to soldiers dying in the trenches by machine guns. The sound effects of the film might seem sketchy at times, but the film proves to be a great comparison piece to see how sound has progressed over the years and also is a study into the intricacies of various sounds.        

Outskirts doesn't hide away from making a social commentary as a soldier at one point comments at the absurdity of war by saying, "We don't want to fight, they don't want to fight, but we're in the fourth year of war".

Outskirts is a film that signifies the power of people; the power to go on a strike and demand a better way of life, the power to fight for the country, the power to love the enemy, the power to defy your own father, the power to stand up against your own nation for what is right, and eventually the power of revolution.

Outskirts is classic cinema at its best.

Rating 5/5

DVD Information:

Release Date:       12 November 2012

Certificate: 12

Running Time:       99 minutes

  

Asli-Naqli (1962) (Hindi)

Dev Anand is a legend in Indian cinema and in Asli-Naqli he gives one of his most underrated and subtle performances. Staying away from his usual larger-than-life roles, he plays the part of a spoilt brat, Anand, coming to terms with reality when one day after fighting with his rich grandfather he decides to spend the night in a park. Here he is taken home by a small factory worker Mohan (Anwar Hussain) who gives him food and shelter. Unbeknownst about Anand’s true identity Mohan along with his sister Shanti (Sandhya Roy) and the rest of the bastigive Anand support and love as the former playboy discovers the harshness of life and learns the all important lesson of being happy with whatever little he has.

Asli-Naqli (Real-Fake) is a film with a message. It signifies the ever growing diversity between the rich and the poor and their resulting thoughts about each other. The film is from a time when the middle class was nonexistent and thus the difference between the rich and the poor was a lot more stark and visible. As Anand goes about living in the basti he meets Renu (Sadhna) who teaches him about selfless love and the power of sharing education and helping someone without expecting anything else in return. As love blossoms between both Anand and Renu, the past catches up and it is at this point that Anand rises up to the occasion of breaking down the boundaries that exist between his former life, that he detests, and a simpler life that he has come to appreciate.

Dev Anand, while he has played varied roles throughout his career, and while some of his trademark acting traits are omnipresent in the film, still gives a commendable performance and stands out amongst the rest of the cast. The remainder of the cast takes on their characters rather well with Anwar Hussain and Sandhya Roy making the most of their supporting roles.

No Indian film is complete without songs and Asli-Naqli is not without the classics like "Tera Mera Pyar Amar" and "Tujhe Jeevan Ki Dor Se". The title song, which comes midway in the film, is especially memorable as it is in tune with the theme of the movie and the lyrics talk about how the rich people, busy accumulating wealth, are the ones who are at a loss and the poor, who might not have money, have hearts big enough for everyone.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee, one of India's most versatile directors, manages to capture the frustration of Anand really well. In his earlier life, Anand besides having everything one could require has a certain hollowness he feels in his heart. Now, living with people who give him love without expectations, he struggles to find or keep a job. What really is noticeable in the direction and the story is the abundance of humor, a trademark of Mukherjee that he explored much later in his career. It is these clashing moments of high tension emotion and comedy that bring alive the reality of life as it is.

Asli-Naqli is a film full of emotion, and does drag a little in between, but it is a film that preaches a simple lesson, one that encourages everyone to enjoy the simplicities of life and not just take everyone they meet at face value.

Rating 3.5/5

DVD Information:

Title: Asli-Naqli

Running Time: 145 Minutes

Format: Black & White

Distributor: Shemaroo

Price: Rs. 149

       

Metropolis - My Tryst with a Silent Film.

It took a blogathon for me to truly appreciate and admire a silent film. Growing up, the only silent films I can remember watching are Mel Brooks' Silent Movie and an Indian film titled Pushpak. I have seen Chaplin as well, bits and bobs on TV, never in entirety. So, when Lesya from www.eternityofdream.blogspot.com decided to run a "Speechless Blogathon" I took on the challenge, one that also resulted in me searching all around for a couple of weeks to lay my hands on a silent film. 

As the title of the post suggests, Metropolis was the chosen one. It is a film that has been talked about in the film circuit on a regular basis. My first shock about the film was its length. This Frits Lang's masterpiece runs for a whooping two and a half hours plus (the restored version) which meant that I had to watch it in breaks over a couple of days. Nevertheless, the film stayed with me during the intermissions and its brilliance cannot be expressed, but I’m going to give it a shot anyways... 

Metropolis is the story of a modern futuristic city built on the sweat and blood of the working population who has been living in the depths of the earth, under the city they helped built. The film is as much a commentary on society and mankind as it is a love story between the son of the city's planner and a girl from the lower strata. 

As the playboy son (Gustav Fröhlich) of the city's planner (Alfred Abel) discovers the harsh realities of the how the city has stomped over the very people who built it, he begins a self imposed quest to become the "mediator" between the "head" (the rich who live a carefree life on the surface) and the "hand" (the workers). 

The city of Metropolis has become a place where machines have taken over, metaphorically. They have become so important that man needs to be at the beck and call of the machines at all times, if not, then it can only lead to death and despair. With a revolution in the horizon, the film beautifully forms a tapestry of subplots; mystery, secrets, power, and anticipation of things to come that run parallel to the main plot. 

A story about revenge, love, despair, hope, and the will to achieve, Metropolis relies, at times, on theatrical acting by the cast which makes dialogues unnecessary. Featuring gigantic set pieces and impressive special effects, it is understandable why Metropolis has stood the test of time and can be seen in a number of Top 10 lists of all time. 

Another aspect of the movie that stood out was the music which brought to life the mood of the scene being enacted and changed seamlessly as the scenes changed from that of despair to joy. 

Metropolis captivated me and kept me interested for its entire length. It glorifies the power of cinema in a form that we hardly see anymore, but one that is commendable and not easily achieved.
  

As the film finished I wondered what would happen if it was remade now, not as a silent film? Would it loose its point? Would the modern day special effects take away from the story? 

Here's hoping we never find out, because this is one film that should be appreciated in its original form. 

Rating 5/5 Stars

The Artist

James J Lee is my very first guest reviewer and I'm really glad about it. James seemed simply ecstatic about the movie and his enthusiasm has put The Artist on the top of my must watch list. His review follows;

Like Someone Has Just Uncovered A Lost Masterpiece

It may have been a cold night in Leicester Square tonight but I left the cinema with a glow, my faith completely restored in cinema having just seen this heartwarming classic.

There's little point going through the deeply romantic/dramatic plot set in stark contrast against the shallow world of 1920's Hollywood as it may only spoil it for those yet to see, but in summary this film is a real gem, a true joy to behold with a clever little unpredictable twist at the end. Fabulous acting, superb score, great cinematography and look out for a star turn from a little performing dog which is quite amazing at times.

With lots of classic touches woven throughout this movie, expect to laugh out loud, cry real tears and go through a roller-coaster of emotions as you will no doubt watch in fascination, the vivid recreation of an exceptional time in the history of cinema (the advent of talkies)and the history of the America (Wall St Crash/Great Depression).

Though it is a silent film, sound is used in a very clever way. Similarly the director meshes subtle modern cinema techniques with some classic framing and detail. This is a glorious mixture of the old and the new and has great balance between light comedy/entertainment and dark and intense emotions. The result being interesting characters that engage on many levels.

It's worth mentioning the nods to some of cinema's all time classic films like Singing in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard and Citizen Kane(and several Chaplin classics) but it's not plagiarism, parody or irreverence - it's a beautiful pastiche of the cinema's finest. Watching The Artist, feels like someone was clearing out an old Hollywood Studio and stumbled upon one of the greatest silents (if not films) of them all and suddenly the lost masterpiece is revealed to the world.

Emerging from the Cinema and into the crisp night air of Leicester Square, my thoughts were on one thing...how many Oscars will this instant classic win come February? It will certainly take something very special to beat it in most categories.

A big thank you to all who were involved in this magnificent production, a truly wonderful film, delivering a great cinematic experience.


James is a film buff, budding screenwriter and film reviewer. He love the oldies especially comedy, film noir and crime/thriller. In his student days, he did make some short films and was an extra in a mainstream which was good experience to learn how the process works. In 2012, his resolution is to watch more movies, submit more scripts and come up with more ideas to entertain before he goes to that big cinema in the sky! 


The review of The Artist by James is also available on IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/reviews-106