Lagaan

I keep waiting for the ideal moment to write my reviews of movies and books, but that moment never arrives. Since I intended this "blog" mostly to document what I've seen and read and to jog my failing memory, I guess I don't need to insist on the ideal writing conditions (which include motivation and time). I just need to document enough to jog my memory...

So I'm starting with Lagaan... I liked it. It was like one of those old Hollywood epic film made modern, with scenes that have wide camera pans across a dramatic landscape in a far away land. The cast is also huge. The movie feels a bit like a fairy tale with a strong moral component to it. And with song and dance. The musical aspect of it is slightly weird at the first musical number, but I think that's true of any musical when the characters suddenly break out into song and dance at a dramatic moment. But after the first song, you come to expect it. The musical numbers also move the plot forward, so they're important to the story.

The acting is great and Amir Khan is wonderful, and the leads are attractive! (The lead female character, Gauri, reminded me of an Indian woman I once saw at the INS office in San Francisco - very pretty, heavily made up, decorated in bright colors and jewelry, and very flirty with coquettish gestures. Her man was definitely smitten). The love song is wonderful. The gender roles are generic, but not insultingly so. I also like how the movie roots for the underdog. Though the Indian characters are in this cricket game ostensibly for their livelihood, it is easy to forget that. Pride dominates the story and it seems like that is what is really on the line for them. The Indian men cry a lot at moments when they might lose, which is interesting and doesn't detract from the pride issue at all. The pride aspect is more compelling than the livelihood issue, especially since the British characters are such arrogant and capricious swine.