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Slumdog Millionaire - a Review
Jan. 25th, 2009 09:32 amAs mentioned in an earlier post, Wales and I saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday. I clearly enjoyed it, because I was able to forget the fact that I crunched into a seat like a twisted sardine. Contorting my legs so they could fit. Cobble Hill cinema's leg room is similar to the leg room you find in the coach section of domestic flights - which is about two inches maybe less. This in a nutshell is why I don't go to the movie theater very often.
But it is also a good litnus test to how much I'm enjoying the film, that and how often I've checked my watch. I didn't check it at all. I forgot I was uncomfortable. And I stayed until after the credits rolled, I usually leave during them. We all - the entire audience - stayed until they rolled - because of the cool bollywood number.
Wales has become a bit obsessed with Slumdog. She sent me three emails regarding it last night, after we discussed it at the bar over magrittas. She's not into writing, her emails consist of two links and a two sentences regarding the character of Salim who she can't get out of her head and really became fascinated by, more so, than Jamal. I'll include the links below. The first one gives a complete synopsis on the film. By the way - the casting director of the movie - was promoted to co-director. She's an Indian woman by the name of Laveen Tandan. The movie was directed and produced by the British - which is sort of ironic, if you know anything about the history of India.
Slumdog Millionaire, a film directed by Danny Boyle - who is the same guy who directed the cult hit Trainspotting , is about an uneducated poor young man who goes on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" and astonishs everyone by winning and answering all of the questions.
I was surprised by the movie, even though I had read a smattering of reviews concerning it.
What surprised me was the narrative structure and the depth of the content. I'd gone in expecting a fairly run-of-the-mill poor boy does amazing thing story - the sort of tale that is told repeatedly on Hallmark or in American cinema. I was not expecting the layers of irony this one contained. The film begs to be analyzed on a sociological-political level, but I'm wary of that type of analysis. It can, if you are not careful, lead to emotionally charged and unconsciously self-righteous exchanges. Also if you are wrong about something, you can without knowing it - offend. So I will leave that analysis to those who are more familar with the sociological and political history of India as well as the UK, than I. I'm only peripherally familar - in that I know about the British Colonization of India and it's rather divisive effects on the culture, as well as, the religious and ethnic turmoil that exists in a country of extremes today. But, I've never been to India, even though I've known quite a few people native to the country, read books written by Indian writers, and watched a few Indian films. Most of my knowledge, unfortunately, comes from British and American films as well as books on the country, which have a definite slant. So my knowledge is cursory at best.
( potential spoilers for the film, I saw the film more or less blind, in that I knew very little about the plot or story, except that it was loved. )
I highly recommend this film. It makes you think. The only quibbles I've read regarding it are subjective complaints that seem to be isolated to that critic or reviewer. I have not read any objective ones.
But it is also a good litnus test to how much I'm enjoying the film, that and how often I've checked my watch. I didn't check it at all. I forgot I was uncomfortable. And I stayed until after the credits rolled, I usually leave during them. We all - the entire audience - stayed until they rolled - because of the cool bollywood number.
Wales has become a bit obsessed with Slumdog. She sent me three emails regarding it last night, after we discussed it at the bar over magrittas. She's not into writing, her emails consist of two links and a two sentences regarding the character of Salim who she can't get out of her head and really became fascinated by, more so, than Jamal. I'll include the links below. The first one gives a complete synopsis on the film. By the way - the casting director of the movie - was promoted to co-director. She's an Indian woman by the name of Laveen Tandan. The movie was directed and produced by the British - which is sort of ironic, if you know anything about the history of India.
Slumdog Millionaire, a film directed by Danny Boyle - who is the same guy who directed the cult hit Trainspotting , is about an uneducated poor young man who goes on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" and astonishs everyone by winning and answering all of the questions.
I was surprised by the movie, even though I had read a smattering of reviews concerning it.
What surprised me was the narrative structure and the depth of the content. I'd gone in expecting a fairly run-of-the-mill poor boy does amazing thing story - the sort of tale that is told repeatedly on Hallmark or in American cinema. I was not expecting the layers of irony this one contained. The film begs to be analyzed on a sociological-political level, but I'm wary of that type of analysis. It can, if you are not careful, lead to emotionally charged and unconsciously self-righteous exchanges. Also if you are wrong about something, you can without knowing it - offend. So I will leave that analysis to those who are more familar with the sociological and political history of India as well as the UK, than I. I'm only peripherally familar - in that I know about the British Colonization of India and it's rather divisive effects on the culture, as well as, the religious and ethnic turmoil that exists in a country of extremes today. But, I've never been to India, even though I've known quite a few people native to the country, read books written by Indian writers, and watched a few Indian films. Most of my knowledge, unfortunately, comes from British and American films as well as books on the country, which have a definite slant. So my knowledge is cursory at best.
( potential spoilers for the film, I saw the film more or less blind, in that I knew very little about the plot or story, except that it was loved. )
I highly recommend this film. It makes you think. The only quibbles I've read regarding it are subjective complaints that seem to be isolated to that critic or reviewer. I have not read any objective ones.
