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REVIEWSPREVIEWS: Brokeback Mountain
Ok, so by now everyone knows what Brokeback Mountain is really about: A life-spanning bucolic romance saga between two men. We know that it won three Oscars, is directed by Ang Lee and is based on a short story by Annie Proulx, a Pulitzer winning writer (for The Shipping News, also adapted into film). But very few people know that Brokeback was first published in The New Yorker in 1997.
With good performances throughout, Michelle Williams especially standing out and Heath Ledger perfecting his off-screen jitters, Brokeback, when it starts, harks back to a film-making style that slowly lets its characters play themselves out in a single-lined uncomplicated story. As it grows into its 134-minute running time, it maintains the integrity of moral fibre of the premise, never once indulging itself into overanxious binges so common to independently made films. One will find himself flowing, almost floating, along the compositions by Gustavo Santaolallas and framings by Rodrigo Prieto. — M. Kamran Jawaid
Taj Mahal
Historical films are rarely attempted in Bollywood, and if one attempts it and that, too, with a magnanimous budget, expectations are bound to rise. That is precisely the case with Akbar Khan’s Taj Mahal — An Eternal Love Story. And does the director live up to these expectations? Well, barring a few loopholes, this writer would say yes.Although many other film-makers have attempted films on the Taj Mahal, Akber Khan’s take is highly original, engaging and technically sound. The director had been researching the subject for quite a while, which is clearly visible in the layers of intricate details in the movie. The narration flows like water and a long story is condensed into a two-and-a-half hour film with taut screen writing by Fatima Meer and Akbar Khan. But what mars the flow are too many extra scenes and songs.
The musical score by the legendary Naushad is a major letdown as well except for Ajnabi thehro zara that has been shot at exotic locales rendering a limited enchanted touch. The cinematography, though, is first rate and every frame is not only a reflection of creative efforts but also the money spent on it. The background score is also highly appropriate to the theme of the movie.
The film Taj Mahal is embellished with some fine performances with Zulfiqar Syed donning the role of the handsome prince and Sonya Jehan looking stunningly beautiful as Mumtaz Mahal. And though she carries off the role well, one expected a lot from her in terms of performance. It wouldn’t be wrong to say she impresses only in parts. Kabir Bedi as an old Shah Jehan, is extremely competent with his perfect expressions and flawless dialogue delivery. Manisha Koirala has a brief but significant role while Arbaz Khan plays the power-thirsty prince. Pooja Batra, however, clearly stands out among all the female leads as the manipulating queen in complete control. All in all, Taj Mahal should prove to be a wholesome cinematic experience; something that Pakistanis were missing for a long time now. — A.H.
Superman
Superman is now on DVD. Starring the late Christopher Reeve as both the mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter and the flying crusader for truth and justice, the four-disc box set is about his adventures against Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn). It includes the beautiful Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) and Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure).In Superman I (1978), Marlon Brando makes a $4 million appearance as Jor-El, the father of Superman a.k.a. Kal-El. He sents his infant son to Earth after the ruling council of Krypton declines his idea that their world will destroy itself. The planet does explode but Kal-El comes to Earth and with the passage of time becomes, Clark Kent alias Superman.
In the first movie, he takes the responsibility of saving the world from what would have been one of Lex Luthor’s greatest real estate swindles of all time. In the sequel, Superman II (1980), the ‘Man of Steel’ fights three equally powerful Kryptonian outlaws, led by General Zod (Terence Stamp) who were convicted at the beginning of the first film. Their demand was simple — hand over Kal-El or face destruction. Lex joined them in their crusade without knowing Superman had abandoned his powers to be with Lois. In the end, he takes power into his own hands to save the Earth and destroy his fellow Kryptonians.
Gus Gorman – the computer genius – turns bad and good with Ross Webster’s help in Superman III (1983) where Clark also meets his first love Lana Lang (played by Annette O’Toole who is Martha Kent in Smallville) during a high school reunion. In what can be termed as the highlight of the Superman movies, a bad ‘Man of Steel’ fights the good Clark Kent after he is exposed to synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar, with the good prevailing as always. In the last movie, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Superman fights the equally powerful ‘Nuclear Man’ (Mark Pillow) and although the idea behind the movie was good, the franchise died soon after the film’s release.
Written initially by Mario Puzo of Godfather fame and directed by Richard Donner, Richard Lester and Sidney J. Furie, the character is truly depicted by recently deceased Reeve. Featuring John Williams’s amazing theme. — Omair Alavi
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