Bla(n)ck...***1/2
Oops...I lost all that I had written because of some curious mix of key presses.
:-(
Ah! Well...
Audience, of course, is the parameter of success. And for a filmmaker, it definitely is. And by that paramater, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has surely succeeded. At least in my book. He made the audience go blank. After the movie. Generally, the noise, the clatter, the laughter, the chit-chat after the movie will give you an idea about how the movie has fared in terms of audience acceptance/rejection. In the case of BLACK, I found the audience curiously quiet. Were all of them affected by the movie? Were they moved? I would not know for sure. But I certainly was. Probably, the people were too. Or, somebody in there would have screamed when an already aged Amitabh touched(or at least gave an impression of) the lips of a young, in all its glory, Rani. Somebody would have whistled. It made me uncomfortable. I was afraid of the people reaction. The scene passed. And the director, too. Nobody moved from his seat. Nobody moved at all.
Technically, the movie is brilliant. No jump cuts, no abrupt changes in narrative, a simple story dealt with sensitivity. Each shot is a poster shot. You can just sit back and enjoy the beauty that unfolds in front of you. The slow emergence and disappearnace of a blank screen, the proverbial Directors cut, does make an imprint on one of the blankness and blackness of some peoples reality. Ultimately, it also defines the movie. And contradicts it. Because the movie, as a whole, is
rich. Rich in treatment, senisitivity, color and yes, boldness.
Performances are also great. Amitabh, for once in recent times, rises above his personality and becomes the wild eyed, alcoholic teacher that he is supposed to play. He never once loses his grip on the character. A true master at work. Although, his depiction of schiezophrenia and oldness induced walk seems a bit melodramatic/theatrical. But that I will attribute to the director. Rani is first rate too. Curiously, in some scenes she resembles Jaya Bhadudi, of a bygone era. Overall, a very good performance by her. The support cast is also good.
Overall, this movie is getting fairly extreme reactions. Some people like it a lot. Some don't. I liked it and you might too. So, go on. Get sentimental...
:-(
Ah! Well...
Audience, of course, is the parameter of success. And for a filmmaker, it definitely is. And by that paramater, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has surely succeeded. At least in my book. He made the audience go blank. After the movie. Generally, the noise, the clatter, the laughter, the chit-chat after the movie will give you an idea about how the movie has fared in terms of audience acceptance/rejection. In the case of BLACK, I found the audience curiously quiet. Were all of them affected by the movie? Were they moved? I would not know for sure. But I certainly was. Probably, the people were too. Or, somebody in there would have screamed when an already aged Amitabh touched(or at least gave an impression of) the lips of a young, in all its glory, Rani. Somebody would have whistled. It made me uncomfortable. I was afraid of the people reaction. The scene passed. And the director, too. Nobody moved from his seat. Nobody moved at all.
Technically, the movie is brilliant. No jump cuts, no abrupt changes in narrative, a simple story dealt with sensitivity. Each shot is a poster shot. You can just sit back and enjoy the beauty that unfolds in front of you. The slow emergence and disappearnace of a blank screen, the proverbial Directors cut, does make an imprint on one of the blankness and blackness of some peoples reality. Ultimately, it also defines the movie. And contradicts it. Because the movie, as a whole, is
rich. Rich in treatment, senisitivity, color and yes, boldness.
Performances are also great. Amitabh, for once in recent times, rises above his personality and becomes the wild eyed, alcoholic teacher that he is supposed to play. He never once loses his grip on the character. A true master at work. Although, his depiction of schiezophrenia and oldness induced walk seems a bit melodramatic/theatrical. But that I will attribute to the director. Rani is first rate too. Curiously, in some scenes she resembles Jaya Bhadudi, of a bygone era. Overall, a very good performance by her. The support cast is also good.
Overall, this movie is getting fairly extreme reactions. Some people like it a lot. Some don't. I liked it and you might too. So, go on. Get sentimental...
Comments