July Blind Spot: Jalsaghar(The Music Room)

Couple of years ago when I was doing my Masters in US, one of my university friends was kind enough to lend me his copy of Apu trilogy. This was my first and so far only excursion into cinematic world of Satyajit Ray, probably the only Indian director with a worldwide fame and following. Considering how successful that experiment went, (it certainly was a success, so much so that Pather Panchali(1955) sits prettily in my personal ‘Top 100’) it is rather sad that I never saw any of his other films since. So I put one of his films on this year’s blind spot list, since that is what this list is for – to get rid of such blemishes.

Even though it is directed by Satyajit Ray, considering this is a Bengali film, this film also provides me a unique opportunity. Usually films I choose for this list are those which are supposed to have been seen my most people. So I try not to get into plot details and other usual suspects of review. But I would be very surprised if many of those who frequent this place would have seen this movie. So, for a change, I get to frame this post as a traditional review.

Jalsaghar(1958) or The Music Room, as it is known internationally, is a story of Biswambhar Roy, a last of his kind landlord which means he is basically a royalty in areas surrounding vast pieces of lands he owns. It also used to mean that everyone leaving in that area would depend on him for their livelihood but his estate is in dilapidated state. He has inherited lands that are being depleted by river nearby and there is not much he can do about it. So he has the title and even respect of the people that comes with it but no perquisites that usually follow.

But his status in the community means he has to live pompous life his ancestors did, even if it is only to put up a show for others and pinnacle of his ostentation is his music room. His music room is where he would invite some of the best artists - singers, dancers, musicians - to put up a show for him and would invite most important people around to accompany him. Even being a part of this group would mean your entry in landlord's innermost circle and indication of your elevated social status.

Only problem here, however, is Biswambhar Roy's estate is running on fumes and can not really afford all this extravagance. He even has to sell family jewels of Roy family that have been passed on for generations to pay for initiation ceremony of his son but even this doesn't deter him from his flamboyance. His wife tries to open his eyes but there is no other way he can live by and in the end, he succumbs to illusion of his grandeur, leaving his his last two remaining servants helpless witnesses of this event. His manager, who handles all his financial business and other things related to his lands, is solemn, worried where this might lead to while his man servant is almost giddy to see his master back to his old ways months after. [SPOILER]What he doesn't realize is this is candle burning brightest before extinguishing[SPOILER END].

Jalsaghar was Satyajit Ray's only third film; he made it between second and third installment of Apu trilogy. But, even though this was obvious right from Pather Panchali, sensibilities of this film are of a seasoned film maker. Premise of changing times and someone who once prospered in it failing to adapt to these times is not exactly novel. But what makes it work despite being the same old story is Satyajit Ray's handling with a knack of seasoned storyteller. He knows what he is going for, how he wants to get there and he does so right on the money.

He highlights hollowness of Roy's lifestyle from very first frame. His idiosyncratic behaviour to keep up with it and cling on to stupid notions of his false status only make him more miserable and Ray does not flinch from showing this. But he doesn't make him spineless which makes it much more interesting character; someone I genuinely cared for despite being rather vain. He is not without his values, however vain they might be and not without his qualities either, however crazy they might be especially under the given circumstances.

Chhabi Biswas, playing protagonist Biswambhar Roy, makes it even more impressive with great range he puts on display here - from someone who is lordly from head to toe, riding his beautiful horse Moti to a hollow shell of that man we see in the very first scene with no idea of time and date. His ease and command with which he slips into persona of Biswambhar Roy also played major role in making me sympathetic towards him, despite all his glaring faults.

While Roy is seeing the last days of his fading glory, Ray makes this story even more contrasting by adding character of Mohit Ganguly, son of userer leaving nearby, and making him a rising star. Roy constantly feels threatened by him as quite possibly he is looking to replace him. There are quite a few confrontational scenes between the two in film and almost every single one of them would find its place on highlight reel. Ganguly, being a self made man still not used to be a part of dignified society around him, is like a new kid on playing ground; always uncomfortable around Roy. And Roy, possibly because he himself not comfortable with his rise, constantly trying to cross him.

And finally, Indian classical music that is featured so richly in this film. I have to admit one thing though - however deplorable this guy might be, he certainly had a good taste in music. If you have any liking towards this kind of music, three concerts featured in this film alone are more than enough to make Jalsaghar worth a watch. Having artists from all over perform at your doorsteps like this, used to be a kingly habit of the class that Roy is last remnant. And Ray doesn't use them only to as a showcase of classical music but makes them very much integral parts of whole narrative. I feel really happy after getting back on Ray bandwagon with this film but this time I really hope my next stop won't be after another two years.

Bollywood Essentials: Jagte Raho(1956)

As the name of this post suggests, this series is basically about some of the best movies Hindi cinema has to offer. As a film lover and someone who has grown up watching these movies, I want to give the glimpses of my world to everyone else who hasn’t yet been initialized to it or is under the impression of it being nothing more than glitzy, glamorous melodrama and random song and dance sequences. There is more to it and I intend to showcase that through these posts.

All the films I have highlighted so far in this feature are sort of obvious inclusions. Not that they are unworthy of it, far from it, but if you ask anyone to name 10 Most Essential Hindi movies, there is a good chance that person will include 5 of these movies in that list. All these are fairly big names which have garnered quite a reputation over the years for being some of the best this behemoth of an industry has to offer. Nothing wrong with that, especially since I agree with their 'Essential' status as well. For the first time, I am going for a little obscure film in this series. For reasons that are unknown and incomprehensible to me, Jaagte Raho(1956) is not a movie that gets mentioned fairly regularly in Bollywood vernacular. It certainly deserves much more attention that it gets and if I can steer few people its way though this post, I will be extremely happy. That's what I intend to do with these posts anyway!

I have not seen it happen for a long time now but in olden days, chowkidaars or security guards and police constables on their night duty used to keep each other awake through the night with loud, intermittent shouts of "Jaagte Raho!" or Stay Awake. Title of film is a reference to that as it takes place during one single night in a big apartment complex of a city. This film follows a peasant's first night in the big city. He has just arrived empty handed from his village looking for job and is roaming through the night roads of city looking for nothing other than just a drink of water. It all fairness, it should not be too hard to find but he learns that the hard way, probably even in worst possible way.

After looking for it a while, he comes across a dog drinking water from leaking water tap inside a big housing society. He sneaks in through a small gap of their locked main door. But before he can quench his thirst and get on his way, he is sighted by a police constable on his regular night strolls. Policeman takes him for a thief and wakes up security guard of society who in turn wakes up whole society warning them of presence of a thief in their society. Next two hours consist of everyone in society hunting him like a dog and him trying to save his skin. Various encounters he has with multiple people in that society not only produce lot of dark humour but also expose dark side of so called serene, sophisticated life of city people.

First house he gets into to hide from everyone has two illicit lovers meeting in the dark to hide from girl's father. Sudden clamour this thief has created puts them at great disadvantage as these paramours can't hide in house for fear of her father, can't go out either for fear of getting caught. Next, he follows an outwardly gentleman looking guy but soon finds out this guy has lost everything on horse races and even witnesses him stealing his wife's jewellery. Then he witnesses a drunkard forcing his wife to sing and dance for him. As he goes from one house to another, gravity of crimes he witnesses that are so well swept under sham of sophistication gets more and more serious and distressful and our peasant gets trapped deeper and deeper into it. Whole thing culminates into last half hour which gives us many twists and turns but is brilliantly executed. Best thing about it though is he gets to drink water; for which he gets into all this trouble; only after he manages to get out of that building, in very last frame of film! 

Jaagte Raho was made under RK films banner which has been dormant for past few years but is one of the legendary production houses of India established by Raj Kapoor. Kapoor family is nothing short of royalty in Bollywood after producing legend after legend for four generations and Raj Kapoor is probably biggest luminary they produced. Apart from producing it, Raj Kapoor, who is considered as the greatest Showman of Hindi Cinema, plays central role of peasant. One of the joys of watching this film was getting to see so many known actors pop up in other roles. I would sooner recognize Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder(2008) than I would Pran as reporter in this film. Ifteqar, who would go on to make a career out of playing cop, is leader of search party in charge of finding thief or Pradeep Kumar, secret lover of first house, known for Jo Wada Kiya Wo...

I will never deny him as a legend or impact he has had over the industry or on generations after him, but I have always had my reservations against Raj Kapoor both as an actor and director. Though it is mostly based on films in the later phase of his life, his films are tedious, laborious and over sentimental. He is also known for playing almost same character in every film and you see traces of that character even when he was not really playing it. But I will also be the first one to admit that this is like saying Charlie Chaplin, who BTW was huge inspirational for Raj Kapoor's act and it was evident, did nothing other than playing a tramp all his life or Hitchcock did nothing other than thrillers. Like Chaplin and Hitchcock, his act had much more nuance to it if you care to scratch beneath the surface. That act gave some of the most popular and well known pieces of art like Awara(1951), Anari(1959) or Shree 420(1955) all in same decade. That was the Golden Age of Indian cinema after all!

1950s is considered as the Golden Period of Hindi cinema and for a very good reason. '50s is to Bollywood what '70s was to Hollywood. That was the time when Parallel cinema got its biggest exposure and almost merged into Mainstream cinema. That was the time when directors tackled different subjects and presented different themes. Some of the biggest stars ventured into many different territories, something that dearly lacked in Bollywood in recent times, or even became big by doing so. And more importantly, they got recognition. Bengali directors played vital part in taking industry there. Satyajit ray, probably the only Indian director with international acclaim got his start with Apu trilogy in '50s though he didn't make a Hindi movie till late '70s. Bimal Roy, a director who inspired generations of directors to follow, was at his peak during that time. Hrishikesh Mukharjee, a personal favourite, got his start with aforementioned Anari and I am sure there are many more that I am missing. To the best of my knowledge, this is that only credit of director Amit Moitra but I would like to believe that this high tide of Hindi cinema and influence of Bengali directors then played some part in that.

Rating(out of 5):

Previous Essentials: 

Satya(1998)

Sholay(1975)

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron(1983)

A Wednesday(2008)

Do Bigha Zamin(1953) 

Sarfarosh(1999)
Taare Jameen Par(2008)
Lagaan(2001)

December Blind Spot: Tokyo Story

First and foremost, what makes this a Blind Spot movie? In other words, why is this film essential?
I have seen about 35 Japanese films. So if you go by number I have seen quite a few but let me did a little deeper. Of those, 17 are directed by Akira Kurosawa. 13 or so are under Studio Ghibli banner. When I saw Audition(1999) in 2011-12 and 13 Assassins(2010) soon after, those were first two Japanese films that did not fall in either of the two categories. Since then I have seen couple of non-Ghibli animes and features. I have been deep into filmographies of these two giants of Japanese cinema but what I dearly lack is any breadth in covering this industry. I could not think of any better way to dive headfirst into it than Yasujiro Ozu and Tokyo Story(1953).

So, what is the story about?
To tell you the truth, whole story of this film can be explained in one line - It is about an old couple visiting their children in Tokyo and it truly is just about that. Greatness of Ozu probably lies in the fact that he doesn't need to add any 'masala' to this plain, simple storyline. He has so much to say on this that this film is stripped of any extraneous detail and is still one of the most heartfelt experiences you'll ever get. Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama have two of their children, Koichi and Shige, in Tokyo along with widow of another son who disappeared in war eight years ago, Noriko. After their arrival, both their children find themselves so busy with their jobs that they can not find any time to spend with their parents. To make up for this, they send them to places they think parents will enjoy like Atami spa with hot springs. But what their children fail to comprehend is their parents are not really interested in materialistic pleasures. All they want to do is spend some quality time with their children and grandchildren and they will be more than satisfied. And time is only thing children can not find.

Now if the situation was like both Koichi and Shige were caught up with something that they can't get out of despite their best intentions, we could have understood them. But the fact is it is not like they can't, more like they don't want to. Otherwise Shige wouldn't kick them out just because they return earlier than planned from Atami and she needs her house for her beautician's meeting. Their parents are one of the sweetest, most innocuous old couple you will meet and were really looking forward to meet their family after a long time. However both their children seem to treat their parents as some sort of necessary evil they both have to weather for a while and be done with it. It's interesting that both their in-laws are much more welcoming and their spouses constantly keep them in check. Shige doesn't want her husband buying expensive rice cakes for them nor does Koichi think it's necessary to cook something special for them.

Speaking of in-laws, another person they meet in Tokyo is their second daughter-in-law Noriko. Noriko is married to their second son Shogi who has disappeared since WWII and hence is considered dead. Noriko is young and good looking but lives like she is still waiting for Shogi's return. Of all the Hirayamas in Tokyo, she is only person who treats the old couple with the amount of respect and attention they deserve. Despite her own busy schedule, she takes a day-off at the moments notice and takes them sight seeing around city. She also seems genuinely happy to bring them home after and treats them with best possible dinner she can afford. She even borrows from her neighbour just so her in-laws won't lack for anything. After spending few days with them, Shukichi and Tomi return back home but soon mother gets so sick that all their children have to rush back home to what could be last time they see their mother.  

What did I think of it? What did I like the most about it and what didn't I like?
First thing I have to say I like about Tokyo Story is it reminds me of Golden Age Bollywood films which were actually around at the same time. The type of acting we see in it, type of characters and their sensibilities, background music it uses; the whole setting of it in general is very much similar. Even though it is very first of my Ozu films, I know that he is a very trademark director. He has his own very distinct style and lot of tropes that appear through lot of his films. I was introduced to many of them here. First and foremost is the way he sets up his camera just a few feet above the ground. As Mark Harris says, it allows us to see the ceiling and gives more depth to the scene. For some reason I couldn't gauge how important it will be just by looking at one scene but when you have that for 130-something minutes, you certainly understand what it can do.

Again something Mark Harris says about Ozu is his films are never in a hurry to go anywhere. In most cases, this slowness would hamper the overall mood of the film. Here, it allows you to take everything in. He starts his scenes earlier than most would like before his parents arrive at Koichi's house, we see his wife and children waiting for them and preparing their house for them. He also lets his scenes play out longer than most. In the opening scene, we see Hirayamas packing their bags, talking about mundane things to their daughter, their neighbour and with each other. None of it has any real importance script-wise but it establishes them as quiet, peaceful couple which would prove important later. He goes further in his story than most would as well. I am sure many directors would want to stop with Hirayamas departing from Tokyo and in all fairness, I think even that would have been a great film. Just not this great! With more time we spend with this old couple and their selfish kids, more tragic this whole story becomes and probably that's the genius of Ozu. Giving us more than we bargained for and still leaving us wanting more.

After having seen it, do I agree with its 'essential' status? And why?
Not only do I have to agree with it, I can certainly see why Tokyo Story would be considered as one of the best films made ever. One simple fact is I don't think that anyone today would make such a simple film today. Whole plot of this film is in straight line. It doesn't take any turns, there are no twists in it. At no point will you be surprised by where story goes. But that's not to say it makes it any less compelling. On the contrary, it is so much more compelling than any twists and turns could make it and only reason is it deals with real humans in real-life situations dealing with real emotions. That's all it needs to keep you invested throughout.

Does it open few new doors for me? Does this inspire to watch any other movies?
As I said above, with this I intend to make it my gateway into other greats of Japanese cinema, especially Yasujiro Ozu. I always wanted to get into his films but after listening to Mark Harris going on at length about him in The Story of Film: An Odyssey(2011), I simply had to get to him as soon as possible. What I am really happy about is my very first endeavour into Ozuland was such a success. It should encourage me in future not only to return more often here but also to expedite my excursions into other unknown lands like Kenji Mizogichi.

Anatomy of a Murder

Few years back when I was working on my Masters, I had a student job where we use to help at the library front desk in our free time. One day a girl came to return the DVD of On the Waterfront(1954) there. Those were the years that I grew the most as a cinefile however I had never heard of that film before then. DVD case of the film introduced it as ‘a winner of 8 Oscars’. The more I found out about the film, stupider I felt for not knowing about it earlier. Even more than three years and about thousand films later, some films still make me feel just as stupid as On the Waterfront did on that day for not having seen them yet. Director Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder(1959) is one such film or was one such film until very recently.

Paul Biegler, small town lawyer from Michigan, served 10 years as a District Attorney. However after failing to get re-elected in the latest election, he kind of loses his drive, his passion to practice law again. He feels like people have told him that he is not good enough or trustworthy enough to get back into the game. Now he spends most of his time either fishing or drinking with his alcoholic friend Parnell McCarthy. One fine day Laura Manion, who introduces herself as wife of US Army Lieutenant Frederick Manion, contacts Biegler to fight a case for her husband. Frederick Manion has been arrested on the charge of first-degree murder of an innkeeper, Barney Quill. Laura admits that her husband has indeed killed Quill but he only did so because Quill put a hand on her and raped her. Initially he doesn't show much interest, partly due to lack of his courtroom appetite and partly because a skilled lawyer in Biegler realizes that despite strong reason for Lieutenant’s action, it won’t be easy to win an argument in court on this alone. However at the behest of his friend McCarthy, he agree to meet Lieutenant and then make his decision whether to take the case or not. After talking to Lieutenant a couple of times, he gets his hands on something that just might convince the jury to set his client free – to claim Lieutenant Manion was temporarily insane and Biegler once again sets his foot inside of a courtroom.

I am always impressed by righteousness of James Stewart characters. Try and think of some of his most known performances. Let it be It’s a Wonderful Life(1946), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance(1960) or even The Philadelphia Story(1940), his moral compass always points to the right direction. He plays a similar character once again with admirable actions and pure motives like offering his beaten down, on-the-booze friend Mr McCarthy to help him in the case. Though he does prove himself valuable in the end by getting his hands on an evidence that kind of turns the tide in their favour, I don’t think Biegler really needed him to start with but he still offers; hoping this might help his friend to get back to some kind of normalcy. However that is not the only thing about Biegler that deserves a mention.

Paul Biegler is a skilled lawyer. He knows that sometimes it takes more than just strong legal arguments in the courtroom to win the case. The way he butters up Judge Weaver with a frog trap, smartly hidden in the book with the precedence proves that (I was curious about the sub-plot of temporary judge being from the outside area. Though both Judge and film makes occasional japes about this fact, I never got if it had any relevance to the case). Biegler also reminded me of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe in a way that he is immune to the charm of femme fatales like Laure Manion, though he is never coarse with them as his jovial and affectionate relation with his assistant would imply. Combination of all this makes for a very simple and earnest but at the same time, an interesting character.

Lee Remick’s Laura Manion is another curious specimen. Considering she has gone through something like this recently, you would think she’d be still in her cocoon. It might be difficult to reach through to her. In this case, however, you could not be more wrong. She is frank; she is calm, speaks rather matter-of-factly and goes about her usual business, flirting with other army officers. That is until her lawyer snaps at her for endangering her husband’s chances and orders her to be a ‘meek little housewife’. Ben Gazzara as Lieutenant Frederick Manion and George C. Scott, in one of his very first roles as the opposing lawyer from the big city, are two more characters worth mentioning. Freddie Manion, of course Gazzara is brilliant but, what made him more interesting for me was I was never sure if the temporary insanity plea was a Biegler's legal tactic to get off easy or a genuine condition that he goes through up until the very end. The fact that they were able to sell it, to get me swinging either ways multiple times, should be a testimony to their acting, directing and also writing by Wendell Mayes based on a novel by Robert Traver. Almost everyone mentioned so far ended up being nominated for Oscars.

For a film that spends more than half of its time on proceedings of the case inside of a courtroom, getting viewers invested into the case is of paramount importance. In this case, this courtroom drama is very well orchestrated. The trial takes us through many twists that sometimes work in favour of Manion, sometimes against. While Prosecution tries to concentrate on Manion’s jealous nature, his history of domestic violence and his wife’s flirty behaviour with other men as a reason of confrontation between the two men that resulted in Quill’s murder, they try to bypass the occurrence of rape completely to save themselves from a potentially embarrassing situation. Biegler, on the other hand, aims straight at it. I was also really impressed by the maturity with which screenplay handles the whole rape situation and more importantly, Laura’s lost panties from that night that turn out to be quite an important piece of evidence in making or breaking this case for either of the sides.

Not only we get the constant punches thrown at each other by both prosecution and defendant lawyers, it handles the pauses and twists of the trial brilliantly. Take, for example, a moment when Stewart’s character asks to look at the murder as a consequence of rape that preceded it. Both the lawyers have made their point and before giving his decision, Judge Weaver takes a pause to check his watch. You can almost sense everyone holding their breath at that instant and a collective sigh of relief after he rules in favour of Biegler. It’s well executed moments like these that make Anatomy of a Murder an exciting prospect for, or maybe even despite, 160+ minutes of its length.

Rating(out of 5):