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Posted: |
Aug 30, 2002 - 12:06 PM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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I mean, seriously, I can't even remember ONCE when that has been a topic...and I've been here since the beginning in 1997. Not really surprising, though, since we're mostly Westerners on a US-based board and since - to tell you the truth - 90% of the films are crap (how can they NOT be considering how many films are produced each year). But there are some excellent films as well, and what more appropriate time to talk about this than now, with LAGAAN being Oscar-nominated and all.
And it just so happens that I saw this one yesterday. What a film! Although it - being one of the most expensive films in Bollywood's history - is obviously produced to cater to American and Western audiences, there were plenty of typical traits - such as the many musical numbers that are apparently not sung by the characters, but rather "mimed".
The film is a whopping four hours long and tells the story of a few native villagers that enter into a cricket competition with the British military, stationed in the region. If they lose, they'll have to pay triple "lagaan" (taxes). If they win: no lagaan for the next three years. It's really a typical "sports" movie about the underdog fighting for its rights. So of course it's gonna resonate neatly with Americans.
4 hours about cricket in India might sound dull, but it's actually very entertaining and has lots of good humour. Visually dazzling as well. A couple of moments are a little "awkward" and border on clichée, but different conventions will have to take some of the blame.
The music - by A.R. Rahman - is absolutely fantastic! The underscore is lush and heroic - mixing Western and arabic harmonies. Same goes for the songs. From heart-breaking to the stupendous "training montage" song ("ROCKY tandoori"). I'm not sure if Rahman utilized an orchestra or if the music is sampled, but it SOUNDS real (most probably, he mixed the two). And the funky ethnic grooves are catchy. I want the soundtrack.
Has anyone else seen this one? If not, you should. Also, can anyone recommend any OTHER Bollywood films or film music?
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Posted: |
Sep 2, 2002 - 12:54 PM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Hey jeffy, nice review!
Amer,
***I live in between Bollywood and Lollywood- Pakistan self claimed cinerama centre.***
Yeah, I know about Lollywood. Haven't seen many of the films, but I know of its existence.
***I remember pointing out the music of A. R Rahman. You should equally go and check out his score and the film for BOMBAY.***
Thanks, I'll do that. I've heard about BOMBAY, and remember wanting to see it awhile back.
***A.R. Rahman is the Jerry Goldsmith of Indian cinema-His latest collaboration with Andrew Loyd Webber is being critcally acclaimed.***
What collaboration is that?
***he also collaborated with the late Pakistani wonder "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan"***
Did Nusrat pass away recently? Wow, I didn't know that. Sorry to hear that. I've heard some of his performances, including the tracks on the GHOST AND THE DARKNESS CD. Beyond him, though, there are only so many Indian/Pakistani artists I've heard of. Ravi Shankar, of course, but he's well-known throughout the western world.
***Today if you were a film music buff and loved hindi film music and lived in either India or Pakistan you would be in soundtrack heaven.***
Yeah, I can only imagine, since Norway is basically soundtrack hell. But all the more power to you. Do you think film music's popularity over there has a lot to do with SONGS and not so much the underscore?
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll keep my eyes open (since there are a lot of pakistani shops in Oslo, I will ask for the CD's that you talk about).
Best,
TJ
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Posted: |
Sep 2, 2002 - 8:08 PM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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I caught Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India myself not too long ago, when I still lived in Gainesville; I meant to post on it myself but never got around to it. I loved it as well - somehow it takes a narrative cliché (bunch of misfits of differing temperaments and skill sets band together to overcome a formidable adversary) and makes it fresher than I've seen in a long, long time, and makes it move right along despite being twice the length of most other movies. And Aamir Khan is a bona fide old-style movie star if ever there were one - just one of those people who has immense chemistry with the camera itself, it seems. And Gracy Singh (the one you were asking about, Thor?) is just delightful.
Considering how many movies get made in this part of the world it's truly sad so few of them make it to Western audiences. Of course cultural barriers always temper the accessibility of foreign films in any venue, but it appears the availability of Indian cinema (at least to the US; I don't know about Europe, etc.) is particularly bad when compared to, say, European or Japanese cinema finding audiences in the U.S. Lagaan is very unusual in getting a U.S. release; it's such a universally accessible story, of course, which helps.
I'm looking forward to picking up the DVD, though in my current financial state I'm not sure when that will be. I definitely want the soundtrack as well, of course - the only question is, which? Just looking at Amazon.com yields a couple different albums of Lagaan music, and I can't tell which would be the more desirable.
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Shouldn't the title be "for singing out loud" ?.
I just find it a bit Jarring that even serious films have song sequences; I know its cultural, but there you go.
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