Russian Ark: Montage has always been a characteristic of Russian Cinema. Alexander Sokurov discards exactly that in this breathtaking film that takes us through the history and heritage of Russia in the past few hundred years- All in a single, continuous, unedited shot!. Makes us think how difficult it would have been to assemble the whole crew and sets. The film serves as an example of how long shots can be composed well by proper direction.
Salo: 120 Days Of The Sodom: Banned in many countries world over, Pasolini’s final venture is one of the most “indigestible” ever made. Call it a satire on capitalism or a commentary on misuse of power, the film is shocking and depressing by all means. The film never intentionally portrays graphic images even though the content is definitely not for the weak-hearted. A film that redrew the boundaries of rights-and-wrongs of cinema.
The Man With A Movie Camera: Though overshadowed by his Russian contemporaries Eisenstein and Pudovkin, Dziga Vertov managed to come up with this gem about a man shooting whatever he comes across in Moscow with his camera. Serves as a showcase of all the editing and camera techniques available in the nascent stages of cinema. Offbeat and way ahead of its times while the others were busy making films endorsing communism.
Un Chien Andalou: Kings of surrealism Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali co-script this less than a quarter hour long film that may be hailed as the most influential French film ever made. Carefully assembled sequences that do not have any solid meaning and plethora of shocking images pave the way for hundreds of surreal films that were to come from filmmakers around the world and from Buñuel himself.
Wild Strawberries: An old professor retrospects his life, its disappointments and his mistakes while he is on his way to receive an honorary degree. Bergman’s masterful direction utilizes the monochrome with such perfection, that the film has become a staple for any film student. Fraught with images that last for a lifetime, this is one film that may change the way you look at life.
Special mention must be made to Jafer Panahi’s Ayneh and Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s Blair Witch Project for redefining the lines between reality and fiction, the former in its typical Iranian fashion and the latter in the American camp style. Let’s hope more such movies come up in the future and explore this medium to the fullest possible extent.
“Oh, Prakashraj and Prithviraj with Viji at the helm?”, I thought, “It’s Duet movies, it must be good.”. Generalizations suck, don’t they?. It doesn’t matter how famous the cook is, it’s all about the recipe. Vellithirai becomes a cinematic embodiment of this statement.
The wait is over. Huge start to the project, lots of opposition from historians, religious controversies, strenuous shoot, massacre at the editing table…It has finally seen the light of the day. And how? Released on the Valentine’s day, the theme of the day blends with the theme of the movie. After having seen how inconsistent Ashutosh Gowariker’s pacing can be in Swades, I started the movie with, I must confess, low expectations. At the end, I had got more than I thought I would.
I usually tune into the channels that play the new movie trailers. Invariably, I would think – “Hey, hold-on. This one looks like a rip off from <Hollywood movie name>. Upon the movie’s release, I would have confirmed that. Johnny Gaddaar didn’t look like an exception. The trailer started off like a heist movie and looked and felt so hollywoodish. I just couldn’t spot the original. After a long time, yesterday, I sat down to watch a Bollywood flick. The next two and a half hours was a power ride I didn’t expect.
Having given the biographical background, I would like to put forth my opinions on why Chaplin is such an inspiration to all the present generation of directors.
The Seventh Art 