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Jacques Demy & Indian Films (Musical
Comedies): 6.30 p.m, AFM Auditorium.
This July breeze brings to Chennai film buffs
an excellent package of French and Indian movies classified
under the general term of 'Musical Comedies'. This term is more
specific to the '60s French film-maker Jacques Demy whose six
famous films showcased alternatively with three Tamil films from
different eras - one Kannada, one Malayalam and one Hindi film -
all of which have celebrated 'music' through their visual
images.
Jacques Demy (June 5, 1931 - October 27,
1990) was one of the most approachable film-makers of the French
New Wave. Uninterested in the formal experimentation of Alain
Resnais, or political agitation cf Jean-Luc Godard, Demy,
instead, created a self-contained fantasy world closer to that
of Franqois Truffaut, drawing on musicals, fairytales and the
gOlden age of Hollywood.
Monday, July 16: Jacquot de Nantes (1991)
Agnes Varda
Jacquot Demy is a little boy at the end of
the thirties. His father owns a garage and his mother is a
hairdresser. The whole family lives happily and likes to sing
and go to the movies. Jacquot is fascinated by every kind of
show (theatre, cinema, puppets). He buys a camera to shoot his
first amateur film... An evocation of French cineaste Jacques
Demy's childhood and vocation for the cinema and the musicals by
his wife Agnes Varda.
Tuesday, July 17: Meera (Tamll)
 Within the general framework of musical
films, 'Meera', one of the first talkies of the 30s in Black and
White with many later versions, showcases not only the devotion
of Meera, an epic figure in our spiritual universe, but projects
also the pre-eminent qualities of the young M S Subbulakshmi -
the singing-actress. Tamil cinema owes a lot to the achievement
of MS in the field of social reformation and also to Ellis R.
Duncan, the excellent American film editor.
Wednesday, July 18: Lola (1960) Jacques
Demy
In Nantes, a bored young man named Roland is
letting life pass by him when he has a chance meeting with a
woman he knew in his teens: she's Lola, now a cabaret dancer.
She's also the devoted single mother of a young son, and she
harbours the hope that his father, who deserted her during
pregnancy, will return. Roland realises he's in love with Lola,
and this gives sudden purpose to his life. But how does she
feel?
 Thursday, July 19: Thillana Mohanambal
(Tamil)
This late '60s film, directed by the famous
scriptwriter A P Nagarajan, presents the uniqueiy Tamil dance
form Bharatanatyam and the music tradition of nagaswaram.
Moreover, this is a tribute to the two great stars Sivaji
Ganesan and the famous danseuse Padmini. A P Nagarajan had
directed this immediately after 'Saraswathi Sabatham', starring
Sivaji among others.
Friday, July 20: La Baie des Anges (1963)
Jacques Demy
La Baie des Anges is a simple story of love
between bank clerk-turned-novice gambler Jean and the delectable
Jackie, a seasoned veteran of casinos, as they surf the waves of
fortune in search of the next lucky splash. Jean is seduced in
almost equal measures by the charms of the game and those of the
girl, gradually relinquishing control of his morals and his
money. Their journey merely wanders amongst casinos.
Sunday, July 22: Hamse Geethe (Kannada)
The Swan Song
This film of the mid-'70s is an adaptation
from real life of the great master of Carnatic music of the 19th
century, Bhairavi Venkata Subbiah, affectionately known as
Venkanna. G V Iyer's production, coupled with camera techniques
of Nemai Ghosh, take us on a voyage of discovery of the great
soul of the excellent musician.
Monday, July 23: Les Parapluies de
Cherbourg (1964) Jacques Demy
Genevieve, 16, lives with her widowed mother
who owns an umbrella shop in Cherbourg. She and Guy, an auto
mechanic, are in love and want to marry. But her mother does not
agree. She thinks Genevieve is too young and Guy not wealthy
enough. Guy leaves for two years in the army, and Genevieve is
pregnant. She still loves Guy, although she has a little news
from him. Because the baby needs a father she marries Roland
Cassard, a rich gem dealer, who fell in love with her at first
sight and promised to bring up the child as his own. A movie
whose dialogue is entirely sung.
Tuesday, July 24: Uthama Puthiran (Tamil)
This historical film of the late 1950s is an
adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 'The Man in the Iron Mask'. This
is the story of a prince whose lineage to the throne is
threatened by the twin sons of the queen, his sister. Sivaji
Ganesan in opposing roles exemplifies the benevolent twin in
love with Amuthavalli as well as the violent one, Vikraman, who
clamps an iron mask over his brother. Music galore, fast beats,
lovely dances and Sivaji's unique gestures pep up the intrigues.
Wednesday, July 25: Les Demoiselles de
Rochefort (1967) Jacques Demy
Delphine and Solange are two sisters living
in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes
and teaches the piano. Maxence is a poet and a painter. He is
doing his military service. Simon owns a music shop. He left
Paris one month ago to come back where he fell in love 10 years
ago. They are looking for love, looking for each other, without
being aware that their ideal partner is very close...
Thursday, July 26: Aaram Thampuran (The
Sixth Lord)
This late '90s film, directed by Shaji Kailas,
comes from the pen of Ranjith who invents new ideas on vestiges
of lordships of nostalgic landed gentry. Only the
larger-than-life image of Mohanlal, the actor, becoming human
while falling in love with a young girl, can salvage the rights
of the temple complex and thus save the rural folk from an evil
landlord.
Friday, July 27: Peau d'Ane (1970) Jacques
Demy
On her death bed, the queen of a strange and
distant land asks her husband, the king, never to marry again
any one less beautiful than she. In the whole kingdom, only one
woman is more beautiful than the dead queen - her young
daughter. In respect of his former wife's wishes, the king asks
his daughter to marry him. Shocked, the princess appeals to a
garden fairy to help her. The fairy tells the princess to set
the king a series of impossible challenges to dissuade him from
marrying her...
Saturday, July 28: Hum Aapke Hain Kaun
(Hindi) (Who am I to You)
Sooraj Barjatya and Raam Lakshman had assured
success through a whopping 14 songs underscoring the various
lavish north Indian ceremonies in the life of the romantic
couple acted by Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit. This remake of
1982 from Hindi film 'Nadiya Ke Paar' not only collected around
1,500 million in all, apart from winning various awards, had
inspired young film makers like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar.
R Rangaraj |
