Saturday, February 14, 2009

love is more thicker than forget



love is more thicker than forget

love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive

it is most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky

e. e. cummings

Apur Sansar (1959)






This is the conclusion of the Apu trilogy depicting Apu's life as a young man. As to be expected this part centers on the topic of love, but the movie took me fully by surprise. It's a love story (and horrific tragedy) unlike any other you will find in cinema, and for a while I was sceptical that it would turn into love in any form at all. I won't mention too much, since I can only recommend to see it for yourself.

All in all I have been overwhelmed by the whole trilogy, and I'll now seek out Satyajit Ray's further works.

A Scan a Day




The Woodsman (2004)



New stuff


A Scan a Day


Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Scan a Day



Aparajito (1956)






After the tragic death of Apu's sister his parents decide to move to the city Benares, but fate brings the family further blows and a new outcome to Apu's future.

Again, Ray has managed to turn this family drama into another heartbreaking masterpiece. Utilizing a similar style as in the first part the director skillfully contrasts village and city life with all its advantages and disadvantages. The tragedy of Aparajito is, however, even magnified compared to Pather Panchali.

Fat City (1972)




Another John Huston movie I had failed so far failed to watch, but now finally have. Great performances, especially Susan Tyrell, and great faded color photography. The downbeat story was slightly lost on me, though, since I've seen worse fates depicted on screen before.

Pather Panchali (1955)





Ever since I started getting interested in cinema and its history, which is soon 4 decades ago, I have been wanting to see Satyajit Ray's works, and especially the Apu trilogy. All these years his movies haven't been available as film copies (and still aren't), and German TV never thought it necessary to broadcast these classics, not to speak of a complete retrospective.

I must admit I had grown sceptic suspecting these movies to be meanwhile outdated or maybe a bit schmaltzy. But I was completely wrong! Yes, the movie is slowly paced, but has a rhythm all of its own, a simple epic perfectly depicting the ups and downs of life. The movie is meticulously composed in single sequences, many of sheer breathtaking beauty, and step by step you grow more acquainted with the characters and their fates. This would be a perfect example for film studies, you could learn immensely from this movie, and so much more astounding that all participants (except some actors) were complete amateurs when making this movie!

The River (1951)






I finally got to see this movie. I can fully recommend it, wonderfully photographed in Technicolor. Now I'm ready to watch the Apu trilogy.

A Scan a Day


Kate Moss irrégulière