Friday, March 15, 2013

Mature democracy

As it happens from time to time, after a long gap, I was compelled to visit my blog and update. The reason - a remark by the Italian ambassador. In the context of the row about the marines who were allowed to go home and are now refusing to return, he remarked the two mature democracies would sort this out.

Mature democracies - ha, ha, ha - I laughed my head off, had to really wipe my tears. Hilarious comments if one knew what is really going on in the Italian politics and in Indian politics.

Friday, March 08, 2013

Brokeback Mountain

I have great respect for Ang Lee that I knew it was going to be difficult for me to not like Brokeback mountain. Not that I tried.

I was asked how I could forgive a movie where two men cheat on their wives. I think the answer
lies in the shot in which Ennis explains about the blokes who were killed, most likely by his father.
That fear that runs through him till the very end absolves the other issues.

Ang Lee has mastered the ability to show steady progression of things with clever framing of shots. The whole initial sequence depicts so beautifully the slow pace of life, the amount of time they both have in hand. And it also shows the two characters the taciturn Ennis gradually opening up and talking 'more than he had probably talked in a year'.

There is no melodrama even at the end when Heath comes to know of his lover's death, only immense sadness at the way things are.

Beautiful, beautiful movie.