The Social Network : Superb narration..

The Social Network : Superb narration..

Review:

“The Social Network” is film based on the founding of “Facebook” and the aftermath events and problems faced by Mr. Mark Zuckerberg the founder of “Facebook”.

David Fincher has made a very tight and a clean narrative structure to a bio – pic every word uttered by the characters and every event is related to the story told.

The format of taking or telling the story from the legal arguments and letting the audience sit grip to their seats is the unique thing in the film.

Hope this film does well in the Academy awards this year….

Plot as on www.wikipedia.com

In 2003, Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg has the idea to create a website to rate the attractiveness of female Harvard undergraduates after his girlfriend Erica Albright breaks up with him. Mark hacks into the databases of various residence halls, downloads pictures and names of female students and, in a few hours, using an algorithm for ranking chess players supplied by his best friend Eduardo Saverin, he creates a website called "FaceMash", where male students can iteratively choose which of two girls presented at a time is more attractive.

Mark is punished with six months of academic probation after the traffic to the site brings down parts of Harvard's network, and becomes vilified among most of Harvard's female community. However, the popularity of "FaceMash" and the fact that he created it in one night, while drunk, brings him to the attention of Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, identical twins and members of Harvard's rowing team, and their business partner Divya Narendra. As a result, he gains a job working for the Winklevoss twins as the programmer of their website, Harvard Connection.

Soon afterwards, Mark approaches his friend Eduardo and tells him of his idea for what he calls "Thefacebook", an online social networking website exclusive to Harvard University students. He explains this would let people share personal and social information securely. Eduardo agrees to help Mark, providing a thousand dollars to help start the site. Once complete, they distribute the link to Eduardo's connections at the Phoenix S-K final club, and it quickly becomes popular throughout the student body. When they learn of Thefacebook, the Winklevoss twins and Narendra believe that Zuckerberg stole their idea while simultaneously stalling on their website. Cameron and Divya want to sue Mark for intellectual property theft, but Tyler convinces them they can settle the matter as "Harvard gentlemen" without resorting to the courts.

At a lecture by Bill Gates, fellow Harvard University student Christy Lee introduces herself and her friend Alice to Eduardo and Mark. She asks that the boys "Facebook us", which impresses both of them. Christy invites them to a bar, where she and Eduardo have sex in the restroom. Mark later runs into his ex-girlfriend, who is not aware of The Facebook's existence because she is not a Harvard University student. Stung by this, Mark decides to expand the site to more schools.

As The Facebook grows in popularity, they expand to other schools in the Northeastern United States, while the Winklevoss twins and Narendra become angrier at seeing "their idea" advance without them. Tyler refuses to sue them, instead accusing Mark of violating the Harvard student Code of Conduct. Through their father's connections they arrange a meeting with Harvard President Larry Summers, who is dismissive and sees no potential value in either a disciplinary action or in Thefacebook website itself.

Through Christy Lee, now Eduardo's girlfriend, Eduardo and Mark arrange a meeting with Napster co-founder Sean Parker. When they meet, Eduardo becomes skeptical of Parker, noting his problematic personal and professional history. Mark, however, is impressed with Parker, since he presented a vision for Facebook similar to his own. Although no deals are reached, Parker suggests that they drop "The" from Thefacebook, to make it simply "Facebook".

Mark moves the company's base of operation to Palo Alto, at Parker's suggestion, while Eduardo remains in New York seeking advertising support, When Eduardo visits from New York, he is angered to find that Parker is living at the house they have rented and is making business decisions for Facebook. After an argument with Mark, Eduardo freezes the company's bank account and returns to New York. Upon returning, Christy takes Eduardo to task about his Facebook profile, which still lists him as "single", and sets fire to a scarf he gave to her as a gift. While Eduardo extinguishes the fire, Mark reveals on the phone that they have secured money from an angel investor through Parker's contacts. As a result of Christy's jealousy, Eduardo ends his relationship with her.

Meanwhile in England, while competing in the Henley Royal Regatta for Harvard, the Winklevoss twins discover that Facebook has expanded to a number of universities there and decide to sue. Eduardo has also discovered that the deal he signed with Parker's investors allows them to dilute his share of the company from thirty-four percent to three hundredths of a percent, while maintaining the ownership percentage of all other parties. He confronts his erstwhile friend Mark and announces his intention to sue him. Later that night, Parker, along with a number of Facebook interns, are arrested for possession of cocaine during a party thrown on the occasion of Facebook's 1 millionth member.

The framing device throughout the film shows Mark testifying in depositions in two lawsuits: one filed by the Winklevoss twins, and the other filed by Eduardo. In the final scene, a junior lawyer for the defense informs Mark they will be settling with Eduardo, since the sordid details of Facebook's founding and Mark's personality will make a jury highly unsympathetic. The film ends with Mark sending a friend request to his former girlfriend Erica on Facebook, and refreshing the page every few seconds waiting for a response.

Nandhalala – A Travel in search of Love….

Nandhalala – A Travel in search of Love….

The film is a poem, a landmark in Tamil Cinema. Every frame in the film has a deep meaning in it. Not only Ashwath Ram, Mysskin, Snigitha but even the landscapes, and the music has also played very important role in this film.

The film revolves around Akhilesh (Ashwath Ram) a eight year old school boy and Baskar Mani (Mysskin) a mentally ill man who escaped from the asylum and their journey to see their mother. During their journey they meet many people and everyone they meet on their way teach them a lesson and learn from these two. Anjani (Snigitha) a prostitute joins them half way and travels them till the end.

Every character that they meet on their way has an important role to play with the story not even a frame without the characters are waste in this film. Even the character of a drunk lorry driver played by Nazer which comes in the film for just 12 seconds has a great impact on the story.

The Kid Ashwath Ram has bore all the weight of the film on his shoulders. Mysskin as Baskar Mani is simply marvelous. We forget that he is the director of the film and he lives as Baskar Mani when we watch the film. Raja Sir’s music is the central character of the film, even the silence in the very first shot of the film tells a lot.

Mysskin has given a miraculous story to us. Being a drama every scene is a surprise which is a common in a thriller genre of film.

Magesh Muthusamy has changed the conventional way of capturing a frame. This film is a real credit to the chemistry between the director and the cinematographer. Every frame and shot is a poem in this film. It has life in it. Both the director and the cameraman have killed many conventional styles film making. This is what is needed to take Tamil Cinema to the next level. Not even a small catterpiller or a Cobra crawling in silence in the film is waste.

“Thalatu kekathane….” Song pushes all the audience to the bottom of our heart. A Salute to Raja Sir.

And Mysskin Sir you have proved something that is needed in Tamil Cinema to take it to the next level.

**** Note: All the students of Visual Communication, and all the aspiring film makers watch this movie to change the conventional way of film making…..

Guzaarish – Magic in Celluloid

Guzaarish – Magic in Celluloid

Before going and analyzing this film, I would like to share something about the Climax of this film, its simply “Mind blowing”…….! After a long time a very touching Climax…! I owe to give a “Standing Ovation” to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, UTV, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachan, Shernaz Patel, Nafisa Ali, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Suhail Seth and the entire Crew of Guzaarish for giving such a good Film.

Now back to the arena, Guzaarish revolves around Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan) a Magician of world fame, due to an unexpected accident during a performance makes him quadriplegic and his Plea for his Euthanasia (Mercy Killing).

The story is set in Goa, home to one of the most accomplished magicians of the time - Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan). As fate would have had it, Ethan is severely injured when his former best friend who was also a magician betrays him by ruining one of his dangerous magic trick, turning him into a quadriplegic. Confined in his own wheelchair, Ethan's will power only gets stronger and stronger. He becomes the Radio Jockey of an FM Station called Radio Zindagi. His show spreads magic and hope and laughter through his irrepressible wit and humor to every listener and caller, making it difficult to imagine that this is a man who has been immobilised with a spinal injury for the last fourteen years of his life. Sofia D'Souza (Aishwarya Rai) , is his elegant nurse who has been accompanying him like a shadow for the past twelve years, leaving her domineering husband. Ethan's life centers on Sofia and they share a silent tacit love which is both beautiful and spirited.

However, on the fourteenth anniversary of his accident, Ethan decides to take matters into his own hands and files an appeal to the court for mercy killing. This leaves Sofia in an impasse that challenges their relationship and their love. Ethan takes the help of his best friend and lawyer Devyani Dutta (Shernaz Patel) to support his appeal. Devyani , initially hesitates but later, understands Ethan's appeal and agrees to his reasoning and decides to support him in his cause, as a result of which she is sensed as being callous by others. Surprising everyone with her stance, Ethan's mother Isabel Mascarenhas (Nafisa Ali) also supports him in his petition, backing her son's demand. Though Ethan is consistently persuaded by his physician Dr. Nayak (Suhel Seth), a neurologist, to retract his case, he finally relents to Ethan's appeal when he realizes that the friend in him is much stronger than the medic.

Alongside all the confusions, a young man named Omar Siddiqui (Aditya Roy Kapoor) enters Ethan's life with the sole aim of learning magic from this man whom he considers to be the greatest of magicians. Omar is earnest and driven by a passion to learn magic, hyperkinetic, quicksilver in his actions - an antithesis to Ethan's inertness. Impressed by his love for magic, Ethan agrees to pass on his legacy to Omar even as he fights tooth and nail to demand the most basic right to his own life.

The scenario takes an unexpected turn when Ethan begins a radio-vote and asks his viewers to vote on whether he should go ahead with euthanasia or not. Though many of his audience vote against his decision, Estella Francis (Monikangana Dutta) his former assistant and girlfriend and now a wife and a mother with work of her own, becomes the first person to vote in favour of Ethan as she understands his suffering (Ethan had sent her away from his life as he didn't want himself to become burden on her).

The ethics, the morality, the cruelty and the kindness of Ethan's mission causes everyone to be struck by a whirlwind of emotions scaling from rage to sorrow.

Hrithik is at his best, this is a film where only his expression plays the lead role, every frame he speaks, he makes us laugh, he makes us cry. Aishwarya rai where were you for a long time. A classic yet contemporary maid and a lovable women.

I have not seen such a beautiful melodic love story in recent past. A Silk thread woven into a full length pretty saree. Sanjay has made an extraordinary cast. Every character, every word it utters, speaks a lot. Though the film has some negative aspects the positive aspects slashes them off from the minds of the audience.

Sudeep Chatterji’s lens are at their marvel and Sanjay’s music gives a added colour to the film.

As a whole a must watch flick.

***** Note: Go Grab your Tickets at once and watch this film……!

***Note: I have not discussed some points about the film, I would like everyone to watch the film and write your comments, after which we could discuss more of this film.

Uthamaputhiran : No Logic, Few Magic

Uthamaputhiran : No Logic, Few Magic

Uthamaputhiran yet another remake from Mithran. R. Jawahar with his kitty Danush in lead. The Plot of the film is the thing that we already saw in K.S. Ravikumar’s Vijay lead “Minsara Kanna” which was taken to Telugu as “Ready” and then brought back to tamil as “Uthamaputhiran” (As Garments made in Thirupur are exported to foreign countries and importaed back to India in the name of Foreign Brand)….!

As there is not a large thing to speak about the story we could not skip it too, the Story is Simple, Siva (Danush) in an encounter to kidnap his friend’s lady love kidnap’s Pooja (Genilia) by mistakes. On seeing Pooja, Siva falls in love at once then he Goes to Pooja’s uncle’s place to make her family accept their marriage with the help of “Emotional” Ekambaram (Vivek). In this adventures mission Siva is backed by his whole family lead by Bhakyaraj.

The film is full of continuity miss and loss of Logics. At first Danush is introduced to Genilia as Dhandapani by his friends but after a song She suddenly calls him Siva, I don’t know who told his real name…..? The First half of the movie is a total vague.

Only in the second half after Vivek is introduced you sit on your seats. Some comedies like “Washington” Vetrivel and “Chicago” Sakthivel (A concept from a ever unsolved comedy in Sujatha’s Ganesh Vasanth, “Mexico Naatu Salavaikari” Joke), add a good essence to the movie.

As a whole it’s just a “Mega” Serial’s Best of show edited into a 2 Hours recap version.

**** Note: I have not seen Telugu “Ready” yet.

Va – Quarter Cutting

Va – Quarter Cutting : Enter without Expectation, Exit with Loads of Laughter.

Va yet another film by the Director Duo Pushkar and Gayathri has again reminded us of the Funky Genre of movie which they introduced in their last film Oram Po. This is a different Genre of film from which you must not expect rolling stones, stunning visuals or fast pace actions it’s a drama with sprinkled flavor of Stand-up comedy.

The Story is nothing extra – ordinary kind. It’s a film that happens in one night. Sundarrajan alias Sura (Siva) a ardent Vijay Fan lands up in Chennai to catch his flight to Dubai the next morning, where he thinks of enjoying a flamboyant life with “Kudi and Kudithanam”. Marthandam (S.P.Charan) who wants to marry Sura’s sister wants to impress Sura to win over his Heart to get his concern to marry his sister is assigned with a job to take care of Sura till he leaves to Dubai. Sura after hearing from his agent that Alcohol is strictly prohibited in Dubai gets mad about having his Last peg of Liquor before he boards his flight. Sura accompanied with Marthandam go in search of Liquor where they meet Prince and King (John Vijay) the Villian of the movie. Whether the Duo get over all and end up with a peg of liquor or not is the Story.

The director Duo with the funky eyes of Nirav Sha have given a comical outskirt. They show a flamboyant light weighed film with a good comedy. Siva has once again proved that his spontaneous comedy can give the audience a bag full of Laughter. S.P.Charan plays a complete pair to Siva.

Ooh at last I Forgot about Lekha Washington…..! the female lead, it’s not only me who forgot but even the Makers have forgot about her in the whole script. She boards the wagon as an unwanted luggage.

The main plus to the film is Nirav Sha’s Camera and G.V. Prakash Kumar’s music which have brought the real Funky feel to the movie.

**** Note: Please watch the film without expecting some other treat, it’s a Different Genre of film its new to Tamil but Good. Enter Without Expectations, Exit with Loads of Laughter….! is the Advice to enjoy this movie.

Endhiran – Hardwork, Good Try……

Endhiran – Hardwork, Good Try……

As a critic I don’t want to go into the story and reveal it, because before being a critic I am a Rajini Sir’s Fan and I always respect Hard work.

The story is very simple a very old concept, Dr. Vaseegaran a scientist invents a Humanoid Robo called Chitti, Dr. Bhora head of the board and Guru to Dr. Vasee rejects Chitti from using it in Indian Army since it’s a machine which can cause harm to human beings. Then series of incidents take place when Vasee tries to import or incept the Human feelings into the Robo the things change. The Robo falls in Love with Sana the Lady Love of Vasee. Dr. Bhora uses this and tries to take control over Chitti and he attains it. Chitti grows wild kidnap’s Sana and Vasee saves her with his witty ideas and at last Chitti is dismandled and placed in the museum.

The Film is Really worth watching as it is first of its kind to Tamil Cinema and to Indian cinema too. After watching the movie I personally felt two things one is Shankar’s creativity is not executed well because of the budget constrains and If this movie had come up before 10 years as planned today it would have been remade into a Hollywood flick.

This is a typical Tamil Masala Entertainer with all its ingredients but with a different background.

Rajini is Awesome I hope the last half an hour performance as the Robo is a Land Mark performance. It remained me Netrikan’s Rajini. What a performance. No words to express.

Rahman and Resul have done a miracle in BGM as well as Songs, in the climax sequence the seats shook themselves. The symphonic melody that backed the end credits was remarkable.

Shankar great creativity, great great effort, Good sense of visualization and after all he has proved that he could do miracles and more feathers on the way to decorate your Crown.

The art department has really strained a lot in bringing continuity I was afraid of loss of continuity but superb.

Randy great, no flaws in lighting a movie which was in making for 2 years has come out without and difference in lighting that itself shows the effort and Hard Work.

As a Whole Good effort, Good try……

Tamil Cinema always Rocks…………………………..

Movie Projectors

Movie projectors

A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.

Camera Obscura

The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side. Light from an external scene passes through the hole and strikes a surface inside where it is reproduced, upside-down, but with colour and perspective preserved. The image can be projected onto paper, and can then be traced to produce a highly accurate representation.

Using mirrors, as in the 18th century overhead version, it is possible to project a right-side-up image. Another more portable type is a box with an angled mirror projecting onto tracing paper placed on the glass top, the image being upright as viewed from the back.

As a pinhole is made smaller, the image gets sharper, but the projected image becomes dimmer. With too small a pinhole the sharpness again becomes worse due to diffraction. Some practical camera obscuras use a lens rather than a pinhole because it allows a larger aperture, giving a usable brightness while maintaining focus.

Magic Lantern

The magic lantern has a concave mirror behind a light source that gathers light and projects it through a slide with an image painted onto it. The light rays cross an aperture (which is an opening at the front of the apparatus), and hits a lens. The lens throws an enlarged picture of the original image from the slide onto a screen. Main light sources used during the time it was invented in the late 1600s were candles or oil lamps. These light sources were quite inefficient and produced weak projections. The invention of the Argand lamp in the 1780s helped to make the projected images brighter. The invention of the limelight in the 1820s made it even brighter, and following that the inventions of the electric arc lamp in the 1850s, and then incandescent electric lamps all further improved the projected image of the magic lantern. It was also an important invention for the motion picture film and 35mm projector because of its ability to screen moving images. To achieve this, mechanical slides were used to make the images move. This was done using two glass slides, one with the part of the picture that would remain stationary and one with the part of the picture that would move on a disc. The glass slides were placed one on top of the other and a hand-operated pulley wheel was used to turn the movable disc. The magic lantern also led directly to Eadweard Muybridge’s invention of the zoopraxiscope, which was another forerunner for moving pictures.

Types of projectors

Projectors are classified by the size of the film used, i.e. the film format. Typical film sizes:

8 mm

Long used for home movies before the video camera, this uses double sprocketed 16 mm film, which is run through the camera twice. The 16 mm film is then split lengthwise into two 8 mm pieces that

Super 8mm

Developed by Kodak, this film stock uses very small sprocket holes close to the edge that allow more of the film stock to be used for the images. This increases the quality of the image. The unexposed film is supplied in the 8 mm width, not split during processing as is the earlier 8 mm. Magnetic stripes could be added to carry encoded sound to be added after film development.

9.5 mm

Film format introduced by Pathé Frères in 1922 as part of the Pathé Baby amateur film system. It was conceived initially as an inexpensive format to provide copies of commercially-made films to home users. The format uses a single, central perforation (sprocket hole) between each pair of frames, as opposed to 8 mm film which has perforations along one edge, and most other film formats which have perforations on each side of the image. It became very popular in Europe over the next few decades and is still used by a small number of enthusiasts today. Over 300,000 projectors were produced and sold mainly in France and England, and many commercial features were available in the format. In the sixties the last projectors of this format were being produced.

16 mm

This was a popular format for audio-visual use in schools and as a high-end home entertainment system before the advent of broadcast television. The most popular home content were comedic shorts (typically less than 20 minutes in length in the original release) and bundles of cartoons previously seen in movie theaters. 16 mm enjoys widespread use today as a format for short films, independent features and music videos, being a relatively economical alternative to 35 mm.

35 mm

35 mm film is typically run vertically through the camera and projector. In the mid 1950's the VistaVision system presented wide screen movies in which the film moved horizontally, allowing much more film to be used for the image as this avoided the anamorphic reduction of the image to fit the frame width. As this required specific projectors it was largely unsuccessful as a presentation method while remaining attractive as filming, intermediate, and source for production printing and as an intermediate step in special effects to avoid film granularity, although the latter is now supplanted by digital methods.

70 mm

High end movie productions were often produced in this film gauge in the 1950s and 1960s and many very large screen theaters are still capable of projecting it in the 21st century. It is often referred to as 65/70, as the camera uses film 65 mm wide, but the projection prints are 70 mm wide. The extra five millimeters of film accommodated the soundtrack, usually a six track magnetic stripe. The most common theater installation would use dual gauge 35/70mm projectors.

The advent of 35 mm prints with digital soundtracks in the 1990s largely supplanted the widespread release of the more expensive 70 mm prints.

IMAX

IMAX is a motion picture film format and projection standard created by the Canadian IMAX Corporation.

IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than most conventional film systems. A standard IMAX screen is 22 × 16.1 m (72 × 52.8 ft) and they are generally the same everywhere. IMAX theatres are described as either "Classic Design," (Purpose-built structures designed to house an IMAX theatre) or "Multiplex Design." The world's largest cinema screen (and IMAX screen) is in the LG IMAX theatre in Sydney, New South Wales. It is approximately 8 stories high, with dimensions of 35.73 × 29.42 m (117.2 × 96.5 ft) and covers an area of more than 1,015 m2 (10,930 sq ft).

IMAX is the most widely used system for special-venue film presentations. As of December 2009, there were more than 400 IMAX theatres in over 40 countries. Imax Corporation has released four projector types that use its 15-perforation, 70mm film format: GT (Grand Theatre), GT 3D (dual rotor), SR (Small Rotor), and MPX, which was designed to be retrofitted in existing multiplex theatres. In July 2008, the company introduced a digital projection system, which it has not given a distinct name or brand, designed for multiplex theatres with screens no wider than 21.3 m (70 ft). A presentation that is digitally projected is nonetheless represented to be IMAX, contrary to the extent of trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

All IMAX projectors, except the standard GT system, can project 3D images.

Most IMAX theatres have flat, rectangular screens, but IMAX Dome theatres, formerly branded as OMNIMAX, use a GT projector with a fish-eye lens to project an image on a tilted hemispheric dome screen. IMAX also has a special simulator technique which uses seat movement/vibration at specific points in the film.

Prasad IMAX theater hyderabad

IMAX BIG cinemas (formerly Adlabs) in Wadala, Mumbai

- the world's largest IMAX Dome theatre

This whole article is available in my blogs:

http://thiraipattarai.blogspot.com/

http://rizumoleculeinc.blogspot.com/

Rizwan.R.M

Madrasapattinam - A Good Trip.....!

Madarasapattinam

Cast: Arya, Amy Jackson, Nasser, Cochin Haneefa, etc.,

Direction: A.L.Vijay

Cinematography: Nirav Sha

Music: G.V. Prakashkumar

Editing: Anthony

Banner: AGS Entertainment

Madrasapatinam is indeed a good trip on a Time Machine to the past and see the beauty of our Koovam (Bukingham Cannal) and Madrasapatinam as a whole.

Madrasapattinam is a good effort from Director Vijay in bringing up a period film. Though the Bottomline is as old as many films such as Titanic, the Background of the film i.e the old city of madras during the 1940's makes the audience stick to their seats for whole feast.

The twists and turns in the film are laking except in the climax, and when speaking about the characterization some characters lack their importance as their importance is not sold deeply. eg. Nasser's. The script becomes slow in some parts but the comedy that travels along the story without boarding a separate engine makes it feel good.

Arya's (Paruthy) love with Amy Jackson (Duraiammal) could have been told somewhat deep. The concept of "Love at first Sight" could have been altered.

Nirav Sha's cimematography makes the movie go places. The Chemistry between Cinematography and Visual effects works out very well in recreating the old city. The bukingham Cannal, Old Spencer & co, Mountroad, Vintage cars, etc., are the evidences for Vijay's research work.

Cochin Haneefa scores a lot of applauds when he poses for photographs and when he speaks about his "mother toungs" .

and as a last word "Thanks" to Vijay and A.G.S for showing us the pride and beauty of our old City.

And regarding Story....! I don't want to let the Story out.....! Please go and watch the movie in theatres.....

Rizu

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Directed : David Lean

Produced: Sam Spiegel

Screenplay: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman

Novel: Pierre Boulle

Starring: William Holden

Alec Guinness

Jack Hawkins

Sessue Hayakawa

Music by Malcolm Arnold

Cinematography Jack Hildyard

Editing by Peter Taylor

Distributed by Columbia Pictures

Release date October 2, 1957

Running time 161 minutes

Country United Kingdom

Language English

Budget $3 million

Gross revenue $27,2 million

Story or Plot

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa.

In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Two World War II prisoners of war are burying a dead comrade in a Japanese prison camp in western Thailand. One of them is United States Navy Commander Shears (William Holden), who has bribed the guards to get on the sick list to avoid more strenuous labour. He watches as a large contingent of new British prisoners led by Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) arrives, whistling the "Colonel Bogey March".

The Japanese camp commandant, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), addresses them, informing them of his rules, which he chooses not to follow. All prisoners, regardless of rank, are to work on the construction of a bridge over the River Kwai for a new railway line. Nicholson reminds Saito that the Geneva Conventions exempt officers from manual labour, but Saito just walks away.

Meanwhile, Shears and two others attempt to escape. The others are killed, but Shears falls into the river, is carried away, and presumed dead. After many days, Shears stumbles into a Siamese village, whose people help him to escape by a boat. He reaches the Mount Lavinia Hospital at Ceylon.

On parade the next morning, when Saito orders everyone to work, Nicholson orders his officers to stand fast, as the other ranks march off to work. Though Saito has a machine gun set up and threatens to have the officers shot, Nicholson refuses to back down. Saito is dissuaded from carrying through on his threat by Major Clipton (James Donald), the British medical officer, who warns of witnesses. Instead, Saito leaves the officers standing in the intense tropical heat. One officer collapses as the day wears on, but Nicholson and the rest are standing defiantly at attention when the men return from the day's work. The officers are then placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is locked into a corrugated iron box by himself to suffer in the heat.

Saito tries to negotiate, but Nicholson refuses to compromise at all. Saito discloses to Nicholson that should he fail to meet his deadline, he would be obliged to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Construction falls far behind schedule, due in part to "accidents" arranged by the prisoners. Finally, using the anniversary of Japan's great victory in the Russo-Japanese War as an excuse, Saito gives in. Nicholson and his officers triumphantly walk through a jubilant reception, while Saito privately breaks down in tears.

Nicholson conducts an inspection and is shocked by what he finds. Against the protests of some of his officers, he orders Captain Reeves (Peter Williams) and Major Hughes (John Boxer) to design and build a proper bridge, despite its military value to the Japanese, for the sake of his men's morale. The Japanese engineers had chosen a poor site, so the original construction is abandoned and a new bridge is begun 400 yards downstream.

Shears is enjoying his recovery in Ceylon when Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) asks him to volunteer for a commando mission to destroy the bridge. Shears is horrified at the idea and reveals that he is not an officer at all, but an enlisted man who switched uniforms with the dead Commander Shears after the sinking of their ship. Despite his expectation, it did not get him any better treatment. However, Warden already knows. Shears has no choice but to join Warden's unit in return for not being charged with impersonating an officer. He is given the "simulated rank of Major". Untested Canadian Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne) and Captain Chapman make up the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, Nicholson drives his men to complete the bridge on time. He even volunteers his junior officers for physical labour, provided that their Japanese counterparts join in as well.

The commandos parachute in, although Chapman is killed in a bad landing. The other three reach the river with the assistance of Siamese women porters and their village chief, Khun Yai. When they encounter a Japanese patrol, Joyce freezes and Warden is wounded in the foot as a result. Nonetheless, the trio get to the bridge, and under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives underwater. The next day, a Japanese train full of soldiers and important officials is scheduled to be the first to use the bridge; Warden waits to blow it up just as the train passes over.

As dawn approaches, the trio are horrified to see that the wire to the explosives has been exposed in places by the receding river. Making a final inspection, Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. As the train is heard approaching, the two colonels hurry down to the riverbank, pulling up and following the wire towards Joyce, who is waiting by the detonator. When they get too close, Joyce breaks cover and stabs Saito to death, but Nicholson yells for help and tries to stop Joyce (who cannot bring himself to kill Nicholson) from getting to the detonator. A firefight erupts and Yai is killed. When Joyce is hit, Shears swims across the river, but he too is shot, just before he reaches Nicholson.

Recognising the dying Shears, Nicholson suddenly comes to his senses and exclaims, "What have I done?" Warden desperately fires his mortar, mortally wounding Nicholson. The colonel stumbles over to the detonator's plunger and falls on it as he dies, just in time to blow up the bridge and send the train hurtling into the river below. As he witnesses the carnage, Clipton can only shake his head incredulously and utter, "Madness! ... Madness!"

Cast

William Holden as US Navy Commander Shears

Alec Guinness as Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson

Jack Hawkins as Major Warden

Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito

James Donald as Major Clipton

Geoffrey Horne as Lieutenant Joyce

André Morell as Colonel Green

Peter Williams as Captain Reeves

John Boxer as Major Hughes

Percy Herbert as Private Grogan

Harold Goodwin as Private Baker

Awards

Academy Awards

The Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Oscars:

Best Picture: Sam Spiegel

Best Director : David Lean

Best Actor : Alec Guinness

Best Adopted Screenplay: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman, Pierre Boulle

Best Music: Malcolm Arnold

Best Film Editing: Peter Taylor

Best Cinematography : Jack Hildyard

It was nominated for

Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Sessue Hayakawa

BAFTA Awards

Winner of 3 BAFTA Awards

Best British Film: David Lean, Sam Spiegel

Best Film from any Source: David Lean, Sam Spiegel

Best British Actor : Alec Guinness

Golden Globe Awards

Winner of 3 Golden Globes

Best Motion Picture — Drama — David Lean, Sam Spiegel

Best Director — David Lean

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama — Alec Guinness

Recipient of one nomination

Best Supporting Actor — Sessue Hayakawa

Other awards

New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Film

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (David Lean, Assistants: Gus Agosti & Ted Sturgis)

New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Director (David Lean)

New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor (Alec Guinness)

Recognition

The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

British TV channel Channel 4 held a poll to find the 100 Greatest War Movies in 2005. The Bridge on the River Kwai came in at #10, behind Black Hawk Down and in front of The Dam Busters.

The British Film Institute placed The Bridge on the River Kwai as the eleventh greatest British film.

Criticism

Rottentomatoes:

Rotten tomatoes still rates the film as 95%(General) and 83%(Top Critics) fresh on its Tomato Meter

Top Critics:

The Time (Magazine, USA)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Sam Spiegel; Columbia) will be called a tragedy; it is. It will be called a comedy; it is. It will be called a swell adventure story, a slickly calculated piece of commercial entertainment, an angry razz at the thing called war, a despairing salute to the men war makes, an ironic masterpiece; it is in some degree all of these things.

It is a whale (2 hr. 41 min.) of a story, and in the telling of it, British Director David Lean (Brief Encounter, Great Expectations) does a whale of a job. He shows a dazzlingly musical sense and control of the many and involving rhythms of a vast composition. He shows a rare sense of humor and a feeling for the poetry of situation; and he shows the even rarer ability to express these things, not in lines but in lives. Most important of all, he understands the real nature of the story he is telling. The film cries from the depths of personal disaster and impersonal fate that man is not the measure of all things, that life is bigger than the things that live it, that there is a meaning, for those who have eyes to read it, even in the gospel of chaos.

Roger Ebert:

The last words in David Lean's ``The Bridge on the River Kwai'' are ``Madness! Madness ... madness!'' Although the film's two most important characters are both mad, the hero more than the villain, we're not quite certain what is intended by that final dialogue. Part of the puzzle is caused by the film's shifting points of view.

Most war movies are either for or against their wars. ``The Bridge on the River Kwai'' (1957) is one of the few that focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals. Like Robert Graves' World War I memoir, Goodbye to All That, it shows men grimly hanging onto military discipline and pride in their units as a way of clinging to sanity. By the end of ``Kwai'' we are less interested in who wins than in how individual characters will behave.

The scenes in the jungle are crisply told. We see the bridge being built, and we watch the standoff between the two colonels. Hayakawa and Guinness make a good match as they create two disciplined officers who never bend, but nevertheless quietly share the vision of completing the bridge.

Hayakawa was Hollywood's first important Asian star; he became famous with a brilliant silent performance in Cecil B. DeMille's ``The Cheat'' (1915). Although he worked onstage and in films in both Japan and the United States, he was unusual among Japanese actors of his generation in his low-key delivery; in ``Kwai'' he doesn't bluster, but is cool and understated--as clipped as Guinness. (Incredibly, he was 68 when he played the role.)

Alec Guinness, oddly enough, was not Lean's first choice for the role that won him an Oscar as best actor.

The story in the jungle moves ahead neatly, economically, powerfully. There is a parallel story involving Shears that is not as successful. Shears escapes, is taken to a hospital in British-occupied Ceylon, drinks martinis and frolics with a nurse, and then is asked by Maj. Warden (Jack Hawkins) to return as part of a plan to blow up the bridge. ``Are you crazy?'' Shears cries, but is blackmailed by Warden's threat to tell the Americans he has been impersonating an officer. Holden's character, up until the time their guerrilla mission begins, seems fabricated; he's unconvincing playing a shirker, and his heroism at the end seems more plausible.

Lean handles the climax with precision and suspense. There's a nice use of the boots of a sentry on the bridge, sending hollow reverberations down to the men wiring the bridge with plastic explosives. Meanwhile, the British celebrate completion of the bridge with an improbable musical revue that doesn't reflect what is known about the brutal conditions of the POW camps.

Although David Lean (1908-1991) won his reputation and perhaps even his knighthood on the basis of the epic films he directed, starting with ``The Bridge on the River Kwai'' in 1957, there's a contrarian argument that his best work was done before the Oscars started to pile up. After ``Kwai'' came ``Lawrence of Arabia,'' ``Dr. Zhivago,'' ``Ryan's Daughter'' and ``A Passage to India''; all but ``Ryan'' were nominated for best picture, and the first two won. Before ``Kwai'' he made smaller, more tightly wound films, including ``Brief Encounter,'' ``Oliver Twist'' and ``Great Expectations.'' There is a majesty in the later films (except for ``Ryan's Daughter'') that compensates for the loss of human detail, but in ``Kwai'' he still has an eye for the personal touch, as in Saito's private moments and Nicholson's smug inspection of the finished bridge. There is something almost Lear-like in his final flash of sanity: ``What have I done!''

Filmy Bits:

• This film is not a Hollywood film it is a film from United Kingdom.

• This was Canned in Ceylon (now Srilanka)

• This film was the Inspiration for Balumahendra’s interest towards Cinema as it was shot in his place during his School days (Kanndy, Srilanka).

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai

http://www.rottentomatoes.com

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,936806-2,00.html as Lieutenant Joyce

Rizu

Tamil Cinema 2010

Tamil Cinema 2010

2010's Half Yearly report of Tamil Cinema - A Review

Its July now and its time to go around the Pros and Cons of Tamil Cinema in the first half of 2010. When we Speak about cinema "HIT" can be measured in many dimensions like the Revenue earned, The effort, Good Cinema, etc., But now we may just go around and just make a quick review of Jan - July report of Tamil Cinema.

From January 2010 to June 30 2010 totally 55 straight Tamil Films have Hit the Screens. (51 in 2009) out of which the business pandits say only 8 will fulfill their dream of "Profit" . This time Big Stars like Surya, have found a good start. Coming to films, "Ayirathil Oruvan"the most expected magnum Opus from Selvaragavan and Karthi combo failed its hand in the Box Office besides its Technical excellency. The other was Ajith's"Asal" which came with Ajith-Saran brand was a great failiure in the hearts of Audience.. Vijay's "Sura" besides being his 50th film did not do well. Other Expected films like "Goa", "Theeratha Vilayatu Pillai", etc., also lost their hands this year.

Coming to the Successes. "Tamil Padam"from the New commer C.S.Amudhan being a Spoof a real new venture in Tamil Cinema gained its momentum without a large Star Cast. "Vinnaithandi Varuvaya" from Gautham - Simbu combo full filled its desire and ran for 125 days till now a real Musical Hit and Thanks to Rehman... "Singam" from Hari - Suriya combo was back with the bang and became the most successful film ever in terms of Business... it Raced all othe films and Remains as the most Successful film of 2010 till date. "Angadi Theru" from Vasanthabalan though had a delayed release from Ayangran without any Star Cast became the second most Successful film in 2010. It touched the Souls of the audience with its Next Door subject.

Raavanan and Kalavani being just a weak old will not come under consideration.

After grazing around the fact is the word "Expectation" becomes Zero when it comes in the hands of audience. The ticket rates being nominal than compared to other states of the country people dig their way into piracy and make some films fall. Today the"Number of Days" Theory in tamil cinema is no more.. People are very careful and are well aware of their desire, by which the Star casts does'nt do anything with the Audience.

We shall wish Tamil Cinema for more success in the rest of 2010.

Thank You,

Rizu

30.06.2010

Film Genre

Film Genre

Genre is the term used to describe a loose set of criteria for categorization of literature and speech, as well as many other forms of art or culture. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the use of old ones are discontinued.

While the scope of the word "genre" is commonly confined to art and culture, it also defines individuals' interactions with and within their environments. These interactions and environments must be recurring in order to be recognized as genre.

Film Genre

In film theory, genre refers to the method of film categorization based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism. As with genre in a literary context, there is a great deal of debate over how to define or categorize genres. Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary, film genres can be categorized in several ways.

Fictional films are usually categorized according to their setting, theme topic, mood, or format . The setting is the milieu or environment where the story and action takes place. The theme or topic refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around. The mood is the emotional tone of the film. Format refers to the way the film was shot (e.g., anamorphic widescreen) or the manner of presentation (e.g.: 35 mm, 16 mm or 8 mm). An additional way of categorizing film genres is by the target audience. Some film theorists argue that neither format nor target audience are film genres.

Film genres often branch out into subgenres, as in the case of the courtroom and trial-focused subgenre of drama known as the legal drama. They can be combined to form hybrid genres, such the melding of horror and comedy in the Evil Dead films.

* Source Courtesy: www.wikipedia.org