Small Break And A Long Wait | Editor's Pen

Hi Friends,

TRM is going under another small revamp. It’s necessary for many reasons – to cater good stories to our audience with better look and feel so that entire experience is even more pleasant. I really hope that you all will appreciate some of these changes.

Apart from that… we are getting a little commercial. Now, we believe that most rewarding thing for a writer is readership which is on a higher side in last few months however there is nothing wrong is getting some materialistic gains as well. But that doesn’t mean that we will allow any interruption to the reading experience with pop-up and stuff like that. They are disgrace. We will have links and reccos which will connect you to portals selling relevant products like Movie DVD, Posters. We will ensure that there is no, I repeat, no adverse impact on the reading experience.

One more thing, feel free to connect to us and share our pages. Let us know if you want to join us as writers. We are waiting for your response.

This edition will continue till New Year Eve when will return with… Blue Notebook.

Thanks

Sujoy

Presumed Innocent | The Critique

Harrison Ford, one of the most bankable Hollywood actors, plays the Presumed Innocent in a fine courtroom thriller based on a novel by the same name and  directed by Alan Pakula. Pakula with his no-nonsense and incisive direction and Ford playing a multi-layered are two standout artists of the film. Supported by other cast, Ford brings out a very realistic caricature.

Prosecutor Rusty played by Ford comes to know that his colleague Carolyn has been brutally murdered. The case is assigned to him. Since he had a past with her, he should not follow on the case but this is unknown to others and he decides to play along. However, the truth is revealed and now he is the focal point of the murder trial. He is the accused. His actions are shady and to some extent prosecution has strong circumstantial evidence against him. He hires his rival as defense lawyer Sandy. Against the tide, Rusty and Sandy decide to back themselves.

There is a ‘Have Been There’ feeling and at times the film seems to be weak as far as content is concerned. However, good performances and direction well supported by the technical crew – background score and camerawork. Subplots of Rusty’s relationship with his wife and politics of a law firm at small and high level helps the development of the main story and well creased out climax.

Presumed Innocent is a flash of magic. It’s not perfect. It has flaws. But it works, it works well.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Bollywoodization Of Romeo And Juliet | Under Lens

Recently released Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela brought epic romance of Romeo And Juliet back in focus in India. Though the film got hype for all wrong reasons, amongst the critics there was a nod of appreciation for Sanjay Leela Bhansali who came out of his comfort zone and came up with something so un-Bhansalish.

When Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak came, it was not the first film to explore love between children from warring groups. Earlier divides were for different reasons. There was poverty, there was religion and language. Like Bobby, Betaab, Love Story, Ek Duje Ke Liye. All these films had an element or two borrowed from Shakespeare’s most popular work. For example in Betaab, estranged family friends defined the core of opposition. In Ek Duje Ke Liye, language and cultural differences became the barrier. Love Story had an interesting take. Fathers of both girl and boy once loved same woman. Girl’s father though was able to marry her, was never able to digest the fact.  Moreover, there were screen adaptations as well like one made by Akhtar Hussein in 1947 – Romeo And Juliet. QSQT’s success opened up barrage of adaptations. In 90’s we saw many films on similar lines. Most of them hardly added any value.  

Ram-Leela adapted Shakespearean tragedy with gore of warlands in India. Based in a fictional village, Ram-Leela is about two warring communities confronting each other for over five centuries. Film might have disappointed many but it managed to check some points. At no point any character in the film was able to shake the faith these characters had for each other. Even when they were against each other, the burning passion was all over the screen. That was probably the only think that justified lust at first sight between Ram and Leela.

After Romeo And Juliet, its Hamlet time. Will Shahid’s Haider come any close to his father’s Maqbool?

  

Lost Films Lost Heritage Part 2 | Under Lens

Films which are lost might not be discovered ever but the people We continue with our list of lost films with introduction to few more such films:

L'Arroseur (Watering the Flowers): It is said that only 4% of Georges Méliès’ cinema is available. This might be a little exaggeration, but the fact remains that most of his works are lost.  L'Arroseur, made in 1896, is one such film. Based on another classic - L'Arroseur Arrosé – film was appreciated by the audience of the time. Méliès’ influence on global cinema is huge. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is a beautiful reminder.

Madonna of Avenue A: This silent film lost during the phase of transition is remembered for two major reasons – it was one of last few silent appearances of Dolores Costello, The Goddess of the Silent Screen and it was also first film of Michael Curtiz – the legendary director who made films like Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce and many more.

Farewell Performance: Relatively new film, made in 1963, Farewell Performance had David Kernan in lead role. David, more known That Was the Week That Was show in early sixties, was a known figure in music world of his time. The film, as one would expect, was a murder mystery woven around death of a pop-singer. A deserving BFI 75 Most Wanted.