The Sound of Music: No 'so long, farewell' for this one!

We have all grown up with a healthy dose of ‘Do Re Mi’ and ‘Favourite things’- all songs from this wondrous musical drama set in the golden years before the Second World War reared its dirty head. ‘The Sound of Music’ directed by Robert Wise starring the melodious Julie Andrews, the breathtakingly charismatic Christopher Plummer (may his soul rest in peace) and the seven children actors playing the Von Trapp singers is everything sweet and more. This is a reel life depiction of the real life Von Trapp family singers who hailed from Austria, set in the period just before the National Socialist Party took control over Austria under the leadership of Hitler.

Wise makes us fall in love with Maria's simpleton character. Just like the Von Trapp family, through her we rediscover our love for music. Maria shows them a way of life that is carefree and beautiful while the horrors of war are imminent. So much so that Captain Von Trapp is more enamoured by her than by the ostentatious Baroness. Music forms the heart and soul of this 1965 drama. It is music that helps Maria discover herself, it is music that helps the children reunite with their father, it is music that helps the lovelorn Captain  find love again and it is also music that finally helps the Von Trapps escape Austria.

There are umpteen number of films that have based their premise on the Second World War, but few have done it through through such melodious entrapments. The undertones of war are shown through nonchalant conversations between the Von Trapp children and uncle Max or a Herr Zeller with a fellow Anschluss sympathizer. They set the background for all that transpires. Even Rolfe and Liesl's  young love turning sour  stands testimony to the dying exhilaration among the masses. Captain Von Trapp's patriotic idealism notwithstanding his discernment of the times makes for some magnificent subtlety in a period musical. The other spoil of war of course is the dehumanized young men shown through the depiction of Rolfe who is close to tears when he realizes he may have to shoot Captain Von Trapp. The gonging of wedding bells which signify time pass by as Austria comes into the dangerous clutches of the Nazi is another example of the wonderful screenplay.

Of course the film took creative liberties. It did away with one conflict – money. The Von Trapps in reality had lost their fortune in the Great Depression of 1929 and Maria taught her step children the art of singing so as to earn a living. Of course, a dull and helpless Von Trapp would not play to the strengths of depicting the grandeur of the Austrian elite. Unsurprisingly, this film also does not pass the Bechdel test. The conversations Maria shares with the Reverend Mother, Liesl, Baroness, all involve a man. But given all that this 1965 classic gifts us I can absolve it of all its faults.

The picturesque locales are a beautiful sight and add to the already plush palette of music and acting that film boasts of. Lin Manuel Miranda’s funny video with his family on revisiting all the famous locations of the film sets in Salzburg is a wonderful reminder of how this movie continues to stand the test of time. This holds true for lesser known humans like me as well as I intend for this to be the very first non-animated musical I show my niece. 

The VERY Talented Mr. Ripley !

It’s been long since a film affected me to the extent this one did. Only recently The Talented Mr. Ripley  has been doing the rounds on Netflix. The film, boasting of an excellent cast and with a very benign and unassuming trailer piqued my interest. I decided that this would be next on my watch list. Little did I know what was in store! I was in for an emotional ride that would send shivers down my spine.

This 1999 psychological thriller directed by Anthony Minghella is based on the novel of the same name written by Patricia Highsmith. It is nothing short of a masterpiece. Matt Damon starring in the titular role of Thomas Ripley is the seemingly innocuous working-class hero trying to make ends meet. He takes up odd jobs, passes off as a Princeton graduate and seamlessly plays the piano. In short, he is not the typical muscular working-class protagonist. He is an oddly charming individual who skillfully seals the deal for himself when an opportunity to travel to Italy comes by. Jude Law’s character of Dickie Greenleaf is an eccentric jazz lover and his stance throughout the film reeks of entitlement. The camaraderie between Greenleaf and Ripley is an interesting reflection of the power dynamics in play on account of the class differences. Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cate Blanchett and Jack Davenport form the rest of the cogent cast. Every actor does their due to be remembered in this excellent endeavor. A special mention of Paltrow is must. A scene where she shares the screen with Damon is a treat to watch (or rather to not watch!). I was barely able to sit through the scene as I was too scared of what was going to happen next. Paltrow’s expressive face portrays fear, horror and hesitation all at the same time. That scene had me holding my breath.

There are two scenes that I wish to write about in particular as they had an immense impact on me. But first, a well-meaning warning before I head right into it- As I gush over the scenes, it is exceptionally difficult to not give away spoilers but I shall try my level best. Either way, notwithstanding my heartfelt attempt in ‘spoiler-free writing’ if you can actually guess what I don’t want to allude to but unknowingly end up alluding to, please forgive my inchoate writing skills.

First, the boat scene. The brilliant screenplay from the previous scene is comparable to the stillness of a night before a storm. Greenleaf’s evasiveness and Ripley’s insistence forebode that something is about to happen. What happens on the boat is not as shocking as it is disturbing. The first signs of our titular character’s repressed sexual awakening is hinted at. And the way it is done is absolutely brilliant and yet shocking.

The second one is of course the final scene- shot again on the ocean. One of the characters who Ripley has come to admire lays on the bed as we, the audience realize to our sheer horror what is about to happen. Yes, a murder takes place. But we do not get to see it. The sounds seem to enunciate the feelings of shock in the audience even more. There is no closure to be had-neither for us and nor the titular character. The scene reeks of Robert Bresson’s influence. The ability to express with sounds without showing anything else makes us imagine in our mind’s eye. This makes it an even more disturbing experience.

Both these scenes are on the ocean, first on a dangerously bobbing small boat and the other on a ship far more stable, yet in the danger of sinking. They portray Ripley’s evolution- from his trepidations and hesitation to the final acceptance of his true self. Yet his thirst to be someone else is far from quenched, which finally spells doom for him.

Shot for the most part in the quaint cities and towns of Italy, the cinematography is soothing to the eye. The warm color palettes in every scene seem to portray a sense of calm- as though trying to mislead us from the forthcoming bedlam. But what does forebode this, is the hauntingly beautiful background score interspersed with melancholy music- every scene is teeming with tension.

The director uses the tool of foreshadowing judiciously. The screenplay is exceptional as nothing gives away the imminent chaos. The film leaves breadcrumbs for us to pick up on in our later viewings of the film. This is a brilliant piece of art that deserves a second watch. 

Kalank (indeed!)

I am making these notes because I want to pen down my thoughts fresh after the viewing experience. In spite of having heard extremely negative reviews about the film, the songs and the royal ambience set by the songs made me wonder what the film was really about. And hence notwithstanding the umpteen red flags (viz. the glam of K-Jo movies that have disenchanted me from watching his movies now and the multi-starrer biz which often alludes to a poor plot line and heavy dependence on the cast to carry the film through- K3G being an exception) I embarked on watching this film.

The song direction was genuinely excellent and reeked of regality, especially Begum Bahaar’s (played by Madhuri Dixit) swan song. The film sets made it a conspicuous Dharma Production, often going overboard with its allusions to a period drama. The beauty of cinema lies in its subtlety which I feel this film lacked with the exception of the very last scene at the station. Although the character arches were not well etched the viewer does sympathize with a few characters especially if there is an aspect of relatability with the partition of India. And that is where my compliment for this movie ends. There were quite a few technical decisions that I disagreed with. For instance, in the last scene set in the station, the impact could have been manifolds if instead of the closeups, wide angle camera shots had been taken. But of course, these are the perceptions of a simple fledgling cinephile. Good scenes were few and far between. In fact, one scene where Begum Bahaar gives music lessons to Roop (played by Alia Bhatt) was downright plagiarized from the 2014 coming-of-age Marathi film Timepass. And yes, this movie is also a huge fail on the Bechdel test meter. Even when Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit share screen space, the common string that attaches them is a man.

Alia Bhatt’s headstrong Roop is a confused portrayal and only has an iota of semblance to her Sehmat from Raazi. Aditya Roy Kapoor had porcelain doll expressions throughout and this is an absolute euphemism. In spite of the star-studded cast, the only character that I feel did justice was that of Zafar played by Varun Dhawan. He exuded confidence and vulnerability at the same time. Even stalwarts like Madhuri Dixit couldn’t save this sad excuse of a film with a wafer-thin plot.

The strength of a period drama is its ability to captivate the audience with the sets and the socio-political backdrop that eloquently etch the important watershed moments of the film. Sadly, this movie while playing the cards of the emotionally strung Partition of India could not succeed in this. Abdul’s (played by Kunal Khemmu) incessant rants about how their community is mistreated and Dev’s (played by Aditya Roy Kapoor) persistent faith in industrial development seem hollow to say the least because there is not enough effective foreshadowing done at all. In short, this film was difficult to sit through, and very hard to believe.

I was surprised to learn that this was Karan Johar’s dream project which he had been attempting to make since 2003. I wish that his attempts had not been brought to fruition. We would have one substandard movie less to watch. The glitz of a film is only one aspect which cannot drive the film through. Sans effective (and not melodramatic and meaningless) dialogues, impactful acting and exceptional screenplay which can reflect in effective character development, a film even of Kalank’s stature is bound to fail. I wish I had paid heed to those who had warned me against watching this melodramatic sob story. Do not waste your time watching this movie.