‘Gilda’ A review of something well done.

Hey world, hope you’re doing well. Today we are going to be looking a classic from the 1940’s that captured many of the traits of that time, Gilda.

 

Now this is just my opinion, but Hollywood has been a disappointment lately. I’m surprised most of their own films are able to win much, since most of them are doing nothing more these days besides whitewashing amazing Japanese franchises. Which obviously leads to massive backlash and flops- which they deserve. Apart from that it looks like they want to make money out of nostalgia factors, but mostly failing, and what else? I’m not particularly happy with the dialogues.

The only movie out of the recent bunch that I really liked,and that actually made a huge impact was ‘Get Out’. It was well-written, had multiple meanings, the acting was good and it gave people something to think about.

But hey, why do that when you could ruin a respected franchise?

But it is visible that audiences are looking for something nostalgic, and for that my solution is actually watching old movies. And you should watch Gilda.

Gilda gets its name from the femme fatale played but the talented Rita Hayworth, who still has feeling for Johnny Farrell, played by Glenn Ford. Only problem is he is the trusted worker to her criminal and closet psycho, aristocratic, probably British husband, who has ties with the German mafia.

Glida, by all standards is a good movie, which is enchantingly beautiful. It’s black and white, and the focus isn’t strictly on the frame, but the atmosphere captures your eye, the use of silhouette and shadows is genius and everyone looks amazing in the closeups. You can tell that the directors knew how to show internal struggle with little actions.

The dialogues and the delivery is also a breath of fresh, they actually have a flow,character and emotion in their voices. Which is something I’ve always respected and enjoyed in old Hollywood movies, every actor has a strong distinct voice, they all have something to add to the film and are articulate to the point that you wish you sounded like them. That only happens when someone is God-gifted good.

I also like that there was an active and interesting humanistic and emotional focus in the film. The conflict could be many things, but I think it revolves mostly around Johnny and Gilda, and how they love each other, but in a hateful way and spend most of their time making the other jealous and miserable. I think this kind of dilemma won’t do well with modern audiences because it does come of as slow and you have to pay attention to the screen. And there is also not a lot of active action, like excessive gunshots, but I think the movie did an excellent job at showing how the mafia works, and how secret societies are controlled.

The characters are charismatic and full of energy, and I noticed that all of them are trying hard not to be eaten by feelings of love or the past. They don’t want to be ruled by their feelings, and in this  Johnny is the most  steadfast. Gilda does try to shut excitement away by closing a door, but she does try to spark up Johnny is a reckless and care free manner. Her older husband Ballin, catches on to the obvious fire between them, but doesn’t show a lot of anger against them. He does warn Gilda, but even he seems to take some enjoyment out of the heat between everyone, by tempting and testing them. He even expresses with his face in the dark that, ‘hate can be an exciting emotion’.

The music also does justice to its time, and on a good note, they don’t have background all the time, which adds more suspense and drama in the atmosphere. But when a song or dance does happen its welcoming. One very iconic song from the movie is, ‘Put the blame on Mame’, which addresses how Johnny blames Gilda for everything in his life, and wants nothing but to punish her. Like that is ever going to solve anything.

To conclude, Gilda is a movie you really should watch and sense. It has all the ticks of a good dramatic and intriguing tale, with a nice,expected ending. It may not reach out to the masses, and not have a processed pop album with blonde wig, and there is no CGI, but surprise it doesn’t need any of that.The movie is a unique thing, with its own personality and style and it is liked because of that by the audience it touches.

Changing it that won’t make it any good, and filmmakers needs to realize that. And should also leave Asian content and roles away from their vulgar hands,and destroy their own content.

Heathers , The Review

When it  comes to good art,books  and movies there is this idea that when they hit the market, they will be an instant success and bring in all the money . 

That however is not always the case, now American classic , The Great Gatsby, did not receive much recognition when it was first published .  It was only after some  years that the public really got absorbed into the unappearent depth of the story. 

Same is the case with the 1988 teen angst film , Heathers , starring Winona Ryder  and Christian Slater . A movie about popular and miserable Veronia Sawyer ( Ryder) who is tired of the strict and harsh social structure she is a part of , and wants to see some change . Then she comes across Jason Dean or JD (Slater ) and things turn into a suicidal, political, nihilistic,superficial pree-prom , death note teen flick. 

And I just loved it . 

I think like most movies out of the 80s , there was this sense of decadence , because they often take images of high society and nursery rhymes and place them up against the harsh reality of the real world. A slightly dramatic real world ,but I think they did a good job with getting the basic message across. This movie starts of with such a rhyme to , a Doris Day song and a slightly aristocratic setting , with three girls in a garden. But that soon changes when we meet our protagonist, Veronica , who narrates the tale as a diary sequence.  

I would also like to add that they’re are three types of teen movies. One being the generic teen movie where the popular guy in a jerky way gets with the underdog. Full of typical one dimensional characters and the same plot line again and  again.  Then there are the sweet John Hughes type movies which are about love and innocence and the characters are adorable . Then you have the  Heathers type movies and these are no sugar coating true facts of life dark movies. I think they are  the most realistic. 

The thing about this film is that its honesty about society and more importantly high school. In Veronica’s opening monolog she repeats what the main Heather in her groups says ,

If you wanna fuck with the eagles , you better learn how to fly .

And throughout the dialogues are shamelessly superficial and honest,  all around Veronica who wants something more. 

All the characters ranging from the three Heathers, Veronica, JD , teachers,  bullies and minor characters are well layered and have a past but they are all id based. 

In psychology, well the Freudian one , the id is the basic level of our wants and desires without any ethics or filter. The characters are not crazy,  but they are very open and the small gestures they make really  leave an impression. This movie is very planned and directed because no scene goes wasted . Every little thing is important and propels the plot forward without feeling forced . It does take a little time for the real story to begin but when it does , you’re hooked. Which would be when Veronica and JD accidentally kill Heather and make it look like a suicide.  

Veronica :I just killed my best friend. 

JD : And you’re worst enemy. 

Veronia : Same difference. 

However,  that is what Veronica sort of wanted , and JD seems to be making all of her wild dreams come true , enough to make Veronica realize that nothing actually changed , and that this is dangerous. She learns how hollow and dumb people are regarding tragedy,  they the teachers just treat Heathers apparent suicide as a trend and are either detached from it or milking it.

There is also this scene between Veronica and  her parents where she complains about the situation . 

Veronica : we just want to treated like Human beings. 

Mother : When teenagers want to be treated like human beings it’s normally when they are.

But eventually Veronica stands up to JD and beats him at his own game by saving the school,  and in epic fashion,  might I add. 

JD may be the bad guy , but he is the best thing in the film. His intelligence shows how criminal geniuses work and maybe the media in general , someone who just wants to watch the world burn. He has some of the best lines and is charming in like a young Leonardo Dicaprio sort of of way . 

Chaos is great ! Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs darling. 

The extreme always makes an impression. 

Our love is god , let’s go buy a slushie. 

So basically this is a very good movie which over the years has developed a cult status and  it even has a musical adaption.  I haven’t seen the musical but I’ve heard its amazing to.

Heathers with all its damage gets 4 out of 5 stars.  

ROSEMARY’S BABY : A REVIEW OF THE BAD OMEN

In a late 1960s a certain novel was published ,  Rosemary’s Baby , which sent waves through the literary world and left a lasting impression on the subject of horror and films .

Two years after the success of the novel by Ira Levin, a young and new director by the name of Roman Polanski decided to bring the tale to life. Also on the scene was a young , talented Mia Farrow , who at the time was famous due to her marriage to singer Frank Sinatra.  It goes without saying that the film mirrored the books success and made those involved household names. This was on of those strange movies which outlive their time and shape culture in a unique way and they sort of turn into a preserved time that cannot be touched only seen. 
But of course not all was smiles and cheerful horror filming. This project pulled through out of personal tragedy and perhaps foreshadowed it ; as Mia Farrow was struck between Rosemary’s Baby and The Detective , a movie with her husband. And having chosen Rosemary’s Baby she received her divorce papers while on set . Roman Polanski who at first wanted his wife Sharon Tate to play the main character,  would years later lose her to a cult,  in the most brutal way. 

The movie starts with a lullaby and an aerial view of New York. Mia farrows voice setting the mood for something dark right under the surface. It a pretty sound but something is of , something is chilly and you don’t know what. 

We follow a young couple in search for a new apartment,  Rosemary and Guy , who are both struggling for financial stability and hoping to start a family. But soon terrible things begin to happen around them and the young couple meets an older refined couple, who live nearby. As the plot progresses Rosemary becomes pregnant but it is a difficult one which takes a toll of her health  but what she discover is that her life may very well be in danger , and there is no one that she can trust with her life or the life of her baby.

If you are someone who likes horror and mystery , then this is a movie for you. But Rosemary’s Baby is not scary in the stereotypical or graphic sense of what scary movies are in pop culture.  There is not a lot of action and the pace is rather calm and slow , also there isn’t really one single monster that is terrorizing the town . Rosemary’s Baby is scary because it is realistic about the nature of cruelty . The way the main character Rosemary is unable to speak up for herself and how she is losing her health and no one seems to genuinely care about her condition.  

Another clever aspect of the film is that the audience doesn’t really know what to believe despite what they see. But that soon changes when during the ritualistic rape scene Rosemary cries out in surprise,

This is not a dream, this is really happening 

So the abuse is real and so are the people who are harming and are after her child. And isn’t that an honest portrayal of the real world,  where evil does not wear a mask .Where we don’t know who our friends are and the lovely couple next door has cruel intentions , and there is no one to be a hero and save you. 

Something that I really liked about the film was that it really showed how significant child birth is , in the life of a woman. It is feministic because it shows the trouble women go through and how control is taken away from them ; and in doing so manifests the importance of reproductive rights. 

Guy, her husband won’t let her go the doctor she wants to visit, the older couple has decided to control what she eats and the doctor she visits now is a friend to the couple. She grows thinner and weaker with every passing scene . It’s a very eye opening sequence and it does resonate with society because basically women are supposed not only by biology but with societal norm to give babies. To have children for the state and for the family she weds into and throughout history people have wanted male heirs and if someone could not give a boy they were looked down upon. So children aren’t a private venture for any couple. 

The movie may not really be about women’s rights directly but it certainly shows a good insight into it. 

The best performance in the movie was by Mia Farrow . She really captured the suffering and heroic moves of a mother trying to protect this baby from danger. Her eyes were very expressive and since she is the youngest character in the whole cast , it really looked like old age was forcing itself on the new generation. The 1970s weren’t that far away and this was a new Hollywood film.

Two scenes that really stood out for me were where she solves the name mystery with a scrabble game . It was very interesting how something so common and fun turned scary when breaks the name together. 

And the climax scene , when she packs her things and tries to escape while going to a different doctor . She tells him her story and believes herself to be safe but he turns his back on her , a patient.  And all hopes seems lost for the poor girl. 
Out of five I would give this 4 stars. It’s a very visual film which demands attention to every single detail ,but it should not be an option if one is easily scared , but watch it anyway because of its insight and message. 

Utopia Dystopia : The East and West in Images

Note : The following essay or stream of conscious is in no way intended to disrespect any culture , people, race or custom . It is also in no way an attempt to demean a culture by bringing it down to symbols or colours and none of this may be factual , but it is my opinion and what I have seen throughout the years and felt as if I should share my thoughts .

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It is a common term that a picture is worth a thousand words , it is also common advice tat we should not judge a book by its cover . Terms like  love is blind , do not be fooled by appearances , from the looks of it , or that beauty is only skin deep , are ones we use on regular basis , terms that talk about images and visuals and the importance of assessing them . We are highly visual creatures and perhaps more than just a sense that aids our survival  , our ability to see a landscape , rose , painting or scene also feeds our aesthetic need or hunger for beauty . This is probably why we believed and still believe that beauty will save the world .

Either way , images or visual spectacle exercises great control over us , in or out of our awareness , and in the modern world especially we are constantly bombarded with pictures,colours, news bulletins , advertisements , art and countless other things  throughout the day . All images tell us a story , enchant or fright us and they tell us what do to , and this not new . Civilisations have always used art or paintings to express themselves and to tell stories by preserving them  on walls or papers , during the industrial and war ages  images were used to remind people of images and later images were used as propaganda to induce hate among people . Images affect us in a way that is almost terrifying . The second we see them ; we remember them and become a part of our unconscious mind and it often takes a physical effort to fight our own accepted perceptions of the world .

When we see love , acts of love , peace , laugh , joy , lights , children , flowers , softness , deep vibrant colours and smiles we become happy . When we see violence , hate , pain, gory , blood, abuse and confusion we are physically  harmed by what we just witnessed . This  is why writers know the importance of having words that paint a picture and also why advertisers associate their products with either beauty or comedy , something that both stimulates and enchants us .

I would like to talk about how films , a medium of artistic images in dramatic motion , have given me a lot to reflect over , from the eastern and western world .

There is no proper order to my points or opinions so bare with me .

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Morality

Morality is something we deal with everyday . What is right or wrong ? who is good or evil ? It is  something we cannot escape . Movies or images from the East are packed full with a sense of honour , respect and dignity . Most protagonists will be decent people who have a good heart , even a criminal or thief , will have to be likeable by being an innocent soul . Sins are far away and unholy to the eyes and ears .  In PAKEEZA , the heroine is a well-mannered and elegant prostitute who wishes to be loved despite of her position is society . The word Pakeezah itself means pure , and the image we have to her is also of a saint who is above everyone else . The only time there is a sense of something being corrupted is when she dances of broken glass and leaves a white sheet smeared in her blood .

And so is the case with several other main stream images and cultural stories . The east is full of movies and stories with characters who are not evil , they are troubled or facing some difficulty due to the cruel acts of others , the story does employ violence or an atmosphere of injustice but the protagonist only projects an ideal of innocence and kindness . They stand out because of the goodness in them and it stands out more because of the wickedness of others . At times even the villains are people who have a high regard for values ; most stories talk about thieves who had excellent manners or who were impressed by the courage in people  . Like that story of the boy who gave his hidden money to robbers and this pleased them so much that they decided not to take anything .

In the West however , we have characters who accept the darkness around them and they perhaps do care for a moral approach to things , but the overall ambiance is often filled with a cynical tone and a dramatized look onto the dirty case of the world . To many people this is disturbing and comes of as highly immoral , considering how easily a character may turn to an arch-villain approach to life , where criminal psychology rules . But that is exactly the point of the whole story . The west teaches the lesson through disobedience , like in the movie FIGHT CLUB , where a group of people are sick to the core of the idea of peace and their surrounding that they turn to anarchy and violence , basically id or ego pleasing behaviour . The essence of what is right comes across when the people the mess and  confusion and emptiness that the characters enjoy  . Stories like DR FAUSTUS he come to mind , the whole idea of getting what you want and not being satisfied with it . It can even be related to the tale of Goldie locks and the three bears , the moral sense is only projected in going against the law or norm . They also come of as more realistic , Fight club does come of as interesting in the fashion of the revolution , but it is at the very destructive end that sense is made of the chaos .

Greed and materialism

Not so much as a surprise , materialism is frowned upon in the east , since its philosophy does not endure it . Sufism in particular is filled with the sense of abstinence from the material world and focuses on the soul and rejects all that takes away from God or meditation . Even in films people who go out in search of wealth fall ill to corruption and are portrayed as wrong , even if it was by lawful means , only always of course but its something that I have noticed . A very iconic exchange of lines between two  actors which captures the tip of it the concept is :

“Today I have land, money ,cars and mansions , what do you have ?”

” I have a mother !”

Strangely enough women also come to symbolize this repetitively . In several love triangles, the man is caught between two very different women. One is eastern in dress and well a check list of piety , beauty and traditional values while the other is more ‘ modern ‘ and depicted as stubborn and loose , like it was in the Pakistani drama Humsafar . But its a common trend in almost every other drama . But that is not always true in movies like ‘ Dharkan ‘ the parents of a girl reject the proposal of  their daughters lover not because he is poor but because he is rude , and the rich husband later turns out to be an amazing man. Also generally stories and depictions of the eastern world do talk about riches beyond ones imagination and weddings are often done with glamour and expensive festivity .

When it comes to the west , materialism is more than fine . Ambition is a valuable trait in the fast paced world where people tend be shown on their  own . There is no shame attached to wanting more and it is natural , but there does come a point where greed of desire gets the better of them . Objects bring depth into the film or enhance a character by acting as a projection of their personality . But it does feel like sometimes that is ever being discussed is money , riches or wealth of some other kind worldly item . I happen to think that the whole novel , the Great Gatsby was written around the sentence ” Her voice is full of money ” . In images of course we get to see luxury products , alongside drinking ,smoking and often drugs  and also fashionable make overs . Not to mention  the character are very open and direct about their vanity .

But there is great irony in these images , like in the film ‘ They live ‘ a very simple-minded man watches tv from a distance , listening to the women confess how much she wants fame,fortune and love . Near to the end of the ‘Labyrinth’ the girl rejects all of her toys as a show of rebellion to a very private materialism .

Within these  different worlds , individuals still feel out-of-place and i often a trip a way from their home that they learn something new and grow internally . Like in the drama ” Main Abdul Qadir Hoon ” the boy starts of innocent and his transform   takes place when he leaves home ,where at first he turns into a party boy then later turns very religious . This would not have happened back at home for him , it may just be cultural defence but I think it is more than that . It takes going against everything you are in an opposite world and experiencing both sides , until you realise who you are . Something happens to the Julia Roberts character in ” Eat  pray love ” , a change of setting and an adventure into a new world helps her find peace or closure  , away from the regular routine and faces .

Talking about the images or implications of wealth , both the east and west in stories encircle the rich , princes and kings and socialites alike . The west in many ways found a way to commercialize wealth , first just before te great depression and second when Andy Warhol starting working . He liked the fact that a coca cola bottle was the same for te president as it was anyone else , and he brought about a new idea that rich should not be only ones to enjoy art or luxury . But in many ways the west in images was able to make the average people  glamorous from time to time , bringing the spotlight on them , or getting lovely actors to bring the urban and suburban to the center of the world .

In the east , the rich have to humble themselves , several stories and depictions have brought the rich down to the common man and given him/her a better understanding of their surroundings , but even before modern times , the landlord class was known to take care of the farmers or workers , like in serfdom . But , likewise class distinction was very strong , you have these stories of princes having to reject tradition or rebel against it to marry a common girl .

The philosophy of the East is always filled with God , even the complaint against God does nothing more but find ways to praise him , tis has always remained in popular prose or poetry . Even in sin , destruction and hopelessness you feel a sense of God being mentioned .Like the East came up with the term ” the sacred and the profane ” , people like Allama Iqbal and Ghalib who did nothing more but talk about God and how much they felt that he was there .

” Either tell me of a place where there is no God or let me get drink in the mosque ”

” elevate yourself to a place that before anything God asks you ‘ what do you want ? ‘

The west , on the other hand , learned how to ignore or feel like nothing was there , course this is not to say that all western art and philosophy is devoid of spirituality , but popular philosophy was one with a sense of nihilism or emptiness , just for the sake of it .  The west took on man and elevated his feelings and suffering both during Renaissance and after the world wars . You have people like Nietzsche saying things like  ” God is dead and we killed him ” . Even movies at times feel blasphemous , but they only show how much man is going to hurt himself , so the images are of defiance and rejection but the lesson is of faith . Like in John Milton’s Paradise Lost you have Satan as the hero and you actually do side with him and sympathize with him most of the time , but the purpose of that is to explain or demonstrate why Eve was deceived so easily – because we are also deceived like her .

The east is drunk on optimism while the west is sober with pessimism .

Rather obvious , the east and west both pick on each other using demeaning images or no images at all , basically by giving them no face or reducing them to a costume . There is this constant theme of looking down at the other or demonizing the other to feed a false and sad sense of superiority , like in some indian films the indian protagonist may have to fight for the love of his life against a British or American or someone who is not from the same cultural background as him. Normally the plot folds out as a study of culture and the confused love interest decides to leave the foreigner , who happens to be a jerk , for the one she feels culturally closer to . Also often due to historical reasons the foreign force is seen as evil and there has to be a resistance against them , and from time to time making them look bad means yourself look good . I’ve mentioned how normally women come to physically embody this and many times when a girl decides to adopt more eastern attributes or clothing , to be exact , she becomes more attractive to the men around her .

Now , lets look at how the  West demeans the East , including the middle east and basically anyone they want to hurt .

On a lighter note , Hollywood relies on stereotypes , ones that may not be true or just made up . This is not something dangerously wrong , but it ends up limiting the common image of a whole nation or group of people, and sort of r robs heir individuality . Hate is again also evoked by implanting an exaggerated sense of horror into the masses by painting the foreign world as a bunch of crazy people who need to be attacked and not be questioned or have  any verbal communication with . It’s the same pattern in several war films , either the american soldier is completely humanistic by showing his suffering , thoughts and facial close-ups or its turned into a romantic story which takes away all tension or fear of the war , either way the enemy or villain for them, is barely given a face of sympathetic qualities . It’s the same with the news media , they tend to barely ever talk to people suffering from terrorist attacks , instead its just them analysing the whole thing within themselves and they never take responsiblity officially for what they have done .

Just this evening I heard that even in literature and films the Orient is often portrayed as a woman , often a suffering one . And oddly that suffering in the play or image is later used against those women by the west , by them trying to liberate them or just look down on them . But its hard to get these points across because the main image is so strong and one-sided and the majority of the public is happy with this arrangement . It’s hard to get the truth across .

Just the same

Now these two continents may be diverse and almost opposites , to watching eyes , but within both lands are people . People invest a lot of thought and effort into thinking they are somehow better than anyone else , that they are unique and above the world .  People are same mostly , they are born crying and barely get to choose their own names, they crave love and affection and look for peace in art and religion . People are different and have brave dreams ; dreams lost with time that they leave in line.

They are destined to feel pain, suffering and loss , and they are committed to the search for love and safety and nothing is going to stop them from having hope . They are the same in feelings , even if the image is different .

‘ Let me go to a place where nobody knows my name ‘