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THE HOSPITAL (Dir. Arthur Hiller, 1971, US)
* * * I think it is George C Scott’s extended raging monologue on the broad metaphorical complexities of impotency where Arthur Hiller’s film seems to find its exact expressive pitch, carving out not only a generational angst but pointing to a broader sense of disillusionment with everyday civil institutions that would characterise much of Continue reading
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Rebellious Poets and Radical Spirits: Indian Parallel Cinema – Il Cinema Ritrovato
(20 – 27 July 2021, Bologna, Italy) The new strand on Indian Parallel Cinema that I have co-curated with Cecilia Cenciarelli and Shivendra Dungarpur showcases some of the best examples of the early years of Parallel Cinema, which we have titled ‘The Foundational Years’ (69 – 76). This eclectic strand with a strong regional slant Continue reading
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Chokh / The Eyes (Dir. Utpalendu Chakraborty, 1982, India/Bengali)
The eyes speak, harbouring and chronicling histories, emotional sentiments and even memories. Chokh, a stark political exercise in neorealist aesthetics, opens with the petrified eyes of Jadunath (Om Puri in blistering form) who looks directly at us with a totalizing gaze of defiance. Jadunath, a union leader, has been convicted of murder, and waits impatiently Continue reading
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Cheriyachante Kroora Krithyangal / The Evil Deeds of Cherian (Dir. John Abraham, 1979, India [Malayalam]
![Cheriyachante Kroora Krithyangal / The Evil Deeds of Cherian (Dir. John Abraham, 1979, India [Malayalam]](https://moviemahal.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/9.png?w=640)
Cheriyachan (Adoor Bhasi), a benign yet God fearing landlord in Kuttand, Kerala is unable to comprehend the systemic political changes taking place around him. The peasant workers and farmers have had enough of a feudal power structure that exploits them while enabling landlords like Cheriyachan to rule with impunity, a historical practice that has gone Continue reading
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THE TWO JAKES (Dir. Jack Nicholson, 1990, US)
The Two Jakes is less a sequel and more of a flamboyant continuation and expansion of the sun kissed noir universe of Los Angeles that Polanski brought to life in Chinatown. Everyone knows a project of this type had no chance of working without the creative involvement of Robert Towne, Jack Nicholson and Robert Evans, Continue reading
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