The Perfect Mise-en-Scène

Released in 2015
Genre- Drama, Romance
9/10
Main Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts Michael Sheen,
Tom Sturridge
Screenplay: David Nicholls
Direction- Thomas Vinterberg
Based on “Far From The Madding Crowd (1874)” by Thomas Hardy

BRIEF INTRODUCTION A love story revolving around a woman, involving lots of interesting drama with the richness of classic literature. It tells the romantic account of one Ms. Bathsheba Everdene (wonderfully carried by Carey Mulligan) dealing with three different men in her life.
Based upon the universally acclaimed novel of the same name, as early as the 1870s, the kind of setting and theme the novel provides just amazes me to the point that I want to read it again from the beginning.

The Theme Set in rural England, the romantic theme of the film deals with the subject of love, trust, loyalty, and practicality, showcasing romance in rather tough situations, sometimes dwindling, sometimes settling but never boring…

Bathsheba Everdene Personally speaking, Bathsheba Everdene is the most fascinating reason for watching “Far From…Crowd (2015)”. I was completely taken away by the sight of this character so advanced in personality, bold in choice and almost invulnerable in reason, that was her charm. Talking about women-centric themes, in older or recent times, there are fewer books or films offering freedom of choice to women characters but this one this one excels in this area astonishingly. And it didn’t matter to the idea if it was the 1800s, and that’s the beauty of it. If possible, I would also recommend reading the original novel to gain more insights into the character.

My journey with the novel I got to know about “Far from…Crowd (1874)” from my mother. She told me about it and even gave me her hard copy of the book.

P.S. Several adaptations of this novel have been made before, this is the most recent one and according to me, a fine one…just one more thing, try not to miss the ending.

Released in 1993
Genre- Drama, Wrongful, Coming of Age,
10/10
Main Cast: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri
Screenplay: Chazz Palminteri
Direction- Robert De Niro
Based on “A Bronx Tale” the 1989 play by Chazz Palminteri

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Starting as a father-son story, very naturally the film develops into an interesting tale with values, ethics, and morals on one side and evil elements on the other.
“A Bronx Tale” is based on the 1989 play of the same name by Chazz Palminteri. De Niro, after watching the play, decided to make a film about it. He collaborated with Palminteri and directed the film himself, which also marked his directorial debut.

The Theme One of the most beautifully crafted Hollywood films of all time. Bringing out a thoughtful theme like “A Bronx Tale” and executing it beyond perfection is a rare combination of vision and artistic instinct resulting in a perfect mise-en-scene with some of the finest artists supporting its back. From an understandable narrative to a clear motive of the theme, the movie excels in every frame. I feel very proud writing about this film, it was a pleasure watching this film.

Performances Robert De Niro If I go on to make a list of actors who never disappoint in portraying any role, it would start with Mr. Robert De Niro. This one artist never fails to impress, he just gets under the sleeves of the character so well that you are completely convinced with what he is portraying. His performance as a protective father in the film is perhaps one of his most sensitive and warm performances. He carries the simplicity of Lorenzo’s character in his smile and expressions and he peaks in one of the confronting scenes with Sonny’s character.
Chazz Palminteri I got introduced to Chazz Palminteri through this classic, and I have to say, I became his huge fan after witnessing his performance as Sonny in the film. It felt as if he was born to play a tough guy. Not just the speech but even the tiny details and mannerisms Chazz was impressively convincing as the boss of the neighborhood in the film.

P.S. The only film to feature Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri together for the first and only time.

Released in 1988
Genre- Comedy, Action
10/10
Main Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Gordin
Screenplay: George Gallo
Direction- Martin Brest

BRIEF NTRODUCTION A solid action comedy with interesting characters leading to a journey turning foes into friends.

The Movie The film was both a surprise and a treat for all the De Niro fans. Watching him in a comic film, especially at a time when his collaborations with Martin Scorsese were redefining the crime dramas with intense films. Midnight Run is special for several reasons, primarily for its pace, secondly the principal and supporting characters, thirdly, its nicely executed action sequences, and lastly, the amazing cast, its a powerhouse of entertainment

Released in 1991
7/10
Genre- Romance, Drama
Main Cast: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer
Based on “Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune
by Terrence McNally
Screenplay: Terence McNally
Direction- Garry Marshall

BRIEF INTRODUCTION An intense romantic drama between a waitress and a cook. From unexpectedly meeting to finally accepting each other, the exciting love story of Frankie and Johnny, the not so meant for each other.

The Movie Frankie and Johnny stand apart from so many romantic films, breaking down most of the stereotypes of a regular romance. A major part of the film emphasizes Frankie’s perception of a new romantic relationship and her doubts and fears about it. Johnny, on the other hand, just wants to be with Frankie at any cost with the pure intention of unconditional love.

The Leads What?? “Al Pacino” in a romantic film.
Yes, that’s right, Al Pacino starred in this film and was very convincing as Johnny. After watching him in several classic crime films, it was an unexpected delight to see him in a romantic role. The popular duo of Pacino-Pfeiffer from Scarface (1983) had an entirely different romantic equation in Frankie and Johnny and absolutely no effect or similarity from the former one.

P.S. The title of the film is based on the popular song “Frankie and Johnny”.

Released in 1987
Genre- Comedy
10/10
Main Cast: Steve Martin, John Candy
Screenplay: John Hughes
Direction- John Hughes

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Comic adventures & misadventures of two people and their travelling association on the way home. John Hughes’s perception of comedy in this project and the performances of lead artists turned this film into a timeless classic.

Characters Neal Page An overworked not so happy marketing guy who wants to be with his family as it’s the festive season and he’s not in the mood to have any conversation with anyone. But as much as he wants to reach his home without any delay, he is more and more bothered. Steve Martin was very convincing as Neal Page, impressive performance.
Del Griffith A not-so-serious guy, involved in the business of bathroom supplies, with an intense comic appeal. John Candy added so much to the character and the film. His perfect comic timing made the character unforgettable.

P.S. This masterpiece inspired other iconic comic films as well.

Released in 1971
Genre- Science Fiction
10/10
Main Cast: Arthur Hill, James Olson, David Wayne,
Kate Reid
Screenplay: Nelson Gidding
Direction- Robert Wise

BRIEF INTRODUCTION An adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1969 best seller novel of the same name, the film is a treat for all science and science–fiction lovers. The story revolves around a team of scientists trying to investigate a living entity of unknown origin. The lead artists acted flawlessly in the film

The Movie The film was way ahead of its time. Direction by Robert Wise adds so much to the use of perfect cinematic setting. One of the most scientifically accurate films ever made. And it is justified because the story comes from Michael Crichton, the ace novelist, the ace filmmaker, and a doctor too but he chose to focus on writing and filmmaking. The film was so honest in presenting the scientific elements that one of the most prominent medical associations also noticed the film as the most accurate and significant piece of cinema in the scientific sense.

P.S. Andromeda Strain was nominated for two Academy Awards (1971), in the Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing categories.

Released in 1966
9/10
Genre- Family, Drama, Romance
Main Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Dharmendra, Tarun Bose
Music- Hemant Kumar
Story- Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee)
Screenplay: Bimal Dutta and D.N. Mukherjee
Direction- Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Set in modern background, this is a story about a businessman Mohan (played by Tarun Bose), his daughter Uma (played by Sharmila Tagore), and their strained relationship due to an unfortunate event related to Mohan’s wife (played by Surekha Pandit), her untimely death during Uma’s birth. For this incident, Mohan blames Uma and starts hating her forever, which results in Uma being very quiet and suppressed, always longing for her father’s acceptance and affection. But this changes when she meets Ashok (played by Dharmendra), a teacher who also happens to be an open-minded writer in the story. The rest of the plot is formed by how Uma breaks out of this shell and chooses to do what’s right for her.

The Movie There is so much to appreciate about “Anupama” that words fall short of it. The story, the casting, the performance, the cinematography (Black & White), the music/songs, and finally the direction by Hrishida. In every department, the film managed to deliver, and these elements tell a lot about the director’s vision of conveying his message on the subject. With no distractions and a clear narrative, “Anupama” comes as a rare film on a father-daughter relationship.

Supporting Characters The supporting characters are also crucial to the story. Be it Moses (played by David), Arun (played by Deven Verma), Annie (played by Sashikala), or Ashok’s mother (played by Durga Khote), they all contributed their bits to the film. Especially Annie’s character added a lot to the film and Sashikala gave an impressive performance as Uma and Ashok’s common friend, in fact, the last part of the film would be incomplete without her character.

Ashok to Uma in a scene in “Anupama (1966)”
“अच्छा, आप आप बातें क्यों नही करतीं,
वैसे सच पूछिए तो आप को बोलने को जरूरत भी नहीं,
आप की आँखें हैं न, सब कुछ कह देती हैं…”

And that is quite evident in the film, Sharmila Tagore had a very limited number of dialogues in the film but she spoke through her eyes and expressions. Her eyes, they did all the talking…

P.S. Anupama won the National Film Award (1966) for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Released in 1977
8/10
Genre- Rural, Family, Drama, Romance
Main Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini
Special Appearance: Jeetendra
Music- Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Screenplay: Gulzar
Direction- Meraj

BRIEF INTRODUCTION A rural drama with a lot of thought and insights. The story revolves around Ravi (played by Rajesh Khanna), an unemployed graduate, who accidentally lands the job of a postman “डाकिया” in a village. The rest of the story is formed by his experiences with the villagers, nature of his job as a postman followed by a non-cliched romance with Mohini (played by Hema Malini).

Reasons to Watch Amidst the multi-starrer action films in the late 70s, this movie was released and it delivered. And I think the film was very relevant at the time it was released and still is, to a large extent. Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein is special for several reasons, the primary reason being, the story was written by Gulzar Saab. Secondly, the movie had an entirely different appeal, exactly opposite to the trend, thirdly and finally, the film had Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini as the lead with a wonderful supporting cast.

The Movie The story provided a lot of insights into the profession of a postman, what it is, and what it used to be. In earlier days, with no mobile phones or emails, letters used to be a prominent way of communication and thus a lot of responsibility on the postman, delivering the letter to the right person, especially in case of a money order and not just delivering letters but also delivering happiness and hope sometimes.

Performances Worth watching performance by the lead and the supporting cast. Rajesh Khanna was very convincing as a Postman, he gave a very natural performance with dramatic expressions at points. And he was not all mannerisms in this film but instead got into the sleeves of the character quite well. Hema Malini delivered a sensitive performance as Mohini, her expressions gave a lot of depth to the character, and in some of the scenes, she stole the show.

A Mature Romance As time evolved, our stories evolved, our cinema also evolved and so did the romance in the mainstream. Having said that, the equation between Ravi and Mohini is shown to be mature in the film. When Ravi gets to know that Mohini loves someone else and not him, he chooses to react in an unusual way and instead of telling her about his feelings, he decides to leave her way forever but destiny had other plans which also concludes the story.

P.S. The irresistible melody, “Daakiya Daak Laaya” by Kishoreda belongs to this film only. Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein also served as an inspiration for a recent film on the same subject, released in 2008.

Released in 1990
10/10
Genre- Drama, Life
Main Cast: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams
Story- Based on the 1973 book of the same name by Oliver Sacks
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian
Direction- Penny Marshall

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Based on true events, Awakenings is a story of a doctor/researcher (neurologist) and his untiring efforts to reawaken/revive the long-lost patients affected with sleeping sickness, also known as Encephalitis lethargica. The events in the film tell about the continued efforts, successes, and failures of Dr. Sayer (played by Williams) with all the patients with this condition and getting the primary success with one Mr. Leonard Lowe (played by De Niro) from the group.

The Movie An emotional ride, of feelings, of hope, of success, of failure. The straightforward narrative of the movie attracts one to become a part of the film. The presentation of the events is so natural as if I was witnessing them in front of my eyes.

Performances Two of my favorite actors together, De Niro and Williams.
Robert De Niro After watching a number of films having De Niro as a tough guy, this was a complete surprise. His performance in Awakenings is perhaps one of his best performances. His depiction of Leonard Lowe in the film is an inspiration for young actors, to how far an artist can go. In the second half of the film, he gave a performance worth a standing ovation no wonder he was nominated for the Academy Award (1991) in the Best Actor category.
Robin Williams Robin Williams was perfect for the role of Dr. Sayer, a dedicated researcher, and a doctor (based on Dr. Oliver Sacks-author of the original book). His simplistic portrayal of the doctor added a lot of warmth to the character. It was really interesting to see him in a serious role like this, impressive performance.

Some memorable lines from the film
“The human spirit is more powerful than any medicine, and that is what needs to be nourished, with work, play, friendship, family. These are the things that matter, the simplest things.”

P.S. Awakenings was nominated for three Academy Awards (1991) in the Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay category.

Released in 1969
10/10
Genre- Drama
Main Cast: Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar
and Ashok Kumar
Music- Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Story- Narayan Sanyal
Screenplay: Bimal Dutta
Direction- Hrishikesh Mukherjee

BRIEF INTRODUCTION This is a story of an honest, straightforward man (an engineer) about his struggles and hardships in his personal and professional life. The events revolve around his innate nature of always speaking the truth. Satyakam is about a character who chooses not to compromise his honesty, his principles, values, and ethics for anything in life and always does what is morally right.

Satyaprirya Acharya the ideal character I found the character of Satyapriya Acharya (the lead character in the movie) very strong and inspirational. Despite encountering several obstacles and problems at almost every step, Satyapriya never stops and starts believing in his principles even more. It doesn’t matter to him if someone supports him or not. While dealing with a situation in the story, he comes across someone who tells him, “बेटा जिंदगी में तुम बहुत दुख देखोगे, बहुत कुछ बर्दाश्त करना पड़ेगा, लेकिन तुम्हारा ये दुख और दर्द ही तो हमारी आखरी उम्मीद है, इसी पर तो हमारे भविष्य की नीव रखी है…”

The Romance in the film The romantic angle also plays an important role in building the story and it is presented so beautifully in the screenplay that it does not supersede the main story but only adds to it in a very interesting and natural way.

The Last Part of the Film The last part of the film is both very emotional and surprising, especially the final scene when Satyapriya’s grandfather (played by Ashok Kumar) appreciates Satyapriya’s son for fearlessly speaking the truth and names him “Satyakam”.

Performances This is the best, most honest performance of Dharmendra’s career, he put his heart and soul into the character. The speech, the expressions, the emotions, this was a performance of a lifetime, his most iconic character to date. Sanjeev Kumar shined as Narendra, Satyapriya’s best friend, a true friend, who also happens to be the narrator of the film. Very natural performance by Sharmila Tagore as a supportive wife, also plays a crucial role in the story. Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar) played an interesting character in the film, in fact, Satyakam is incomplete without this character. The bond between Satyapriya and his grandfather has shown to be very special, very strong.

My Journey with the Film Even after watching a dozen films by Hrishida, I didn’t know about Satyakam for a long time. One day, while discussing Hrishida’s work with my mother, she asked me about Satyakam, and I had no clue about it. She then told me about this spectacular film and that Satyakam is the finest by Hrishida, a film of very high standards, and Dharmendra’s best performance to date. I got to know very recently that Satyakam was also my maternal grandfather’s favorite film, and now I think I know the reason behind it. My grandfather was a lot like Mr. Satyapriya Acharya (the lead character in the movie) in speaking the truth, following principles, and never compromising his morals and I am so proud of him.

Some memorable dialogues from the movie
“ईमानदारी कोई पॉलिसी नहीं, ईमानदारी धर्म है, ईमान है।”

“सत्त (सत्यप्रिय) रहा खरा पासे का सोना…”
पासे का खरा सोना, सोना ही रहता है, जेवर नहीं बनता,
जेवर बनाने के लिए थोड़ा खोट तो…”

“इस कहानी का न आदि है न अंत, जब तक इंसान रहेगा,
जब तक वो खुद को भगवान का प्रतिनिधि मानेगा,
तब तक ये सत्यकाम की कहानी चलती रहेगी ।
आयेंगे सत्यशरण, सत्यप्रिय, सत्यकाम…”

P.S. Satyakam won the National Award (1969) for Best Feature Film in Hindi.