Posts Tagged ‘india’

Vanity Fair (2004)

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Genres: Drama | Romance
Countries: UK | USA
Actors: Gabriel Byrne | Angelica Mandy | Roger Lloyd-Pack | Ruth Sheen | Kate Fleetwood | Reese Witherspoon | Lillete Dubey | Romola Garai | Tony Maudsley | Deborah Findlay | John Franklyn-Robbins | Paul Bazely | Rhys Ifans | Jonathan Rhys Meyers | Charlie Beall
Directors: Mira Nair
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The British Empire flowers; exotic India colors English imaginations. Becky Sharp, the orphaned daughter of a painter and a singer, leaves a home for girls to be a governess, armed with pluck, a keen wit, good looks, fluent French, and an eye for social advancement. Society tries its best to keep her from climbing. An episodic narrative follows her for 20 years, through marriage, Napoleonic wars, a child, loyalty to a school friend, the vicissitudes of the family whose daughters she instructed, and attention from a bored marquess who collected her father’s paintings. Honesty tempers her schemes. No aristocrat she, nor bourgeois, just spirited, intelligent, and irrepressible.

Sharpe’s Peril (2008)

Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | War
Countries: UK
Actors: Sean Bean | Daragh O'Malley | Amit Behl | Michael Cochrane | Jonathan Coyne | Martin Hancock | David Henry | Raza Jaffrey | Deepak Jethi | Rajesh Khattar | Pascal Langdale | Jonathan Moore | Ryan Pope | David Robb | Steve Speirs
Directors: Tom Clegg
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Our story begins at the end of Sharpe’s Challenge. Sharpe and Harper are en route to Madras when they encounter a baggage train from the East India Company traveling through hostile territory. Chitu, a legendary bandit leader in control of the area, strikes fear in the members of the party. When an attack occurs Sharpe takes control of the situation, leading the group 300 miles through enemy territory and training the disorganized, rag-tag group to be proper soldiers. Despite all these responsibilities, Sharpe still manages to find time for a little romance…

Passage to India, A (1984)

Friday, December 19th, 2008
Genres: Adventure | Drama
Countries: UK | USA
Actors: Judy Davis | Victor Banerjee | Peggy Ashcroft | James Fox | Alec Guinness | Nigel Havers | Richard Wilson | Antonia Pemberton | Michael Culver | Art Malik | Saeed Jaffrey | Clive Swift | Ann Firbank | Roshan Seth | Sandra Hotz
Directors: David Lean
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Adela Quested, a young Englishwoman, travels to India in the late 1920s to visit her fianc?, a British magistrate posted in a small town; her traveling companion is his mother Mrs. Moore. They want to see something of the country and to meet everyday Indians, but are frustrated by the British community’s insistence that relations with the locals are best experienced from a distance. Finally, a friend introduces them to a Muslim doctor whom Mrs. Moore had seen briefly on her visit to a mosque. He takes them on an outing to the nearby caverns (a local attraction), but what happens there threatens to destroy any civility between the British and Indian societies.

Black Narcissus (1947)

Friday, December 19th, 2008
Genres: Drama
Countries: UK
Actors: Deborah Kerr | Flora Robson | Jean Simmons | David Farrar | Sabu | Esmond Knight | Kathleen Byron | Jenny Laird | Judith Furse | May Hallatt | Shaun Noble | Eddie Whaley Jr. | Nancy Roberts | Ley On | Maxwell Foster
Directors: Michael Powell
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Five young British nuns are invited to move to a windy “palace”, former house of the concubines of an old general, in the top of a mountain in Mopu, Himalaya, to raise the convent of Saint Faith Order, a school for children and girls, and an infirmary for the local dwellers. Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is assigned as the superior sister, and her liaison with civilization is the rude government agent Mr. Dean (David Farrar). The lonely and exotic place and the presence of Mr. ‘Dean awake the innermost desires in the flesh of the sisters, and Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) becomes mad with the temptation.

Gandhi (1982)

Friday, December 19th, 2008
Genres: Biography | Drama | History
Countries: India | UK
Actors: Ben Kingsley | Candice Bergen | Edward Fox | John Gielgud | Trevor Howard | John Mills | Martin Sheen | Ian Charleson | Athol Fugard | G?nther Maria Halmer | Saeed Jaffrey | Geraldine James | Alyque Padamsee | Amrish Puri | Roshan Seth
Directors: Richard Attenborough
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When ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ (qv) first set foot in British India, he had already been to Britain and South Africa, and had created quite a stir for the betterment of the people. But in India, he realized that he had first to live the life of a peasant to understand what it is to be an Indian. This resolve will lead him to shed his westerners clothing, and don a simple loincloth, be subjected to racial slurs from none other than Winston Churchill (Half naked Indian Fakir); Mobilize awareness of local industry and less dependence on imported clothing and material; the historic dandee march for withdrawal of the salt tax; a fast unto death to stop the virtual slaughter of British troops by irate Indian mobs; and be imprisoned several times. His resolve was to work with stalwarts such as Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Sardar Valabhbhai Patel, Professor Gokhale, J.B. Kripalani, Maulana Azad, and Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru to ensure first of all to get the British to quit India, and then run an Indian Government under the Congress party. Gandhi will soon realize that it is not enough to be just an Indian, for India has many facets - Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, and Christian. The British relied on these many facets as an excuse for their continuance as they wanted to ensure that the minorities are not oppressed by the Hindu majority. Concerned over the inroads made by Gandhi to unite the Hindus, Muslims, and all others under a common umbrella, the British invited Jinnah for talks, and it is here that a seed was laid for a separate country called Pakistan. When Gandhi came to know about this, he pleaded with Jinnah to unite the Muslims, even take over as the first Prime Minister with his choice of Muslim candidates for Parliament, but separatist Jinnah had already made his mind. The World Wars of 1914 and 1944 having taken it’s toll on Europe and Britain in particular, the weary British finally decided to leave India in 1947 - not the India they had conquered - but an India that was ready to be divided in East Pakistan and West Pakistan. Now after the much awaited independence was the real test for Gandhi - a test that will make him or break him - as he started a fast unto death to try and stop the violence that was threatening to break out into a civil war, not realizing that he had indirectly fanned Hindu extremism, which would later be called the Shiv Sena, into taking the matter directly in their hands to ensure that Muslims are kept out of their Hindustan forever.

The Jungle Book 2 (2003)

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
Genres: Adventure | Animation | Family | Musical
Countries: Australia | USA
Actors:
Directors:
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Mowgli feels out of place in his new home, despite the efforts of his friend Shanti and his new little brother. So when Baloo arrives for a visit, the man-cub takes the opportunity to return for some fun in the jungle. However, Shanti, believing her friend was taken, follows them. With Shere Khan still on the hunt for him, Mowgli must protect himself and the ones he cares about from the dangers ahead. The new adventures make him reconsider his decisions and decide which he wants more - a life of laid back hilarity with Baloo in the jungle or a simpler existance in the man village with Shanti.

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Thursday, November 27th, 2008
Genres: Action | Adventure
Countries: UK | USA
Actors:
Directors:
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” The Man Who Would Be King” is about two ambitious ex-soldiers stationed in India who set out to become the rulers of an entire country. After finishing their tour of duty in India, Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan have decided that India is “too small for the likes of them,” so they decide to bribe a local ruler and extort money from him, in order to buy twenty Martini rifles, which they will use to take over villages in Kafristan. They face many challenges and perils along the way, including difficult terrain, hostile natives, freezing temperatures, and an avalanche high in the mountains. They eventually come to a small village, Urheb, where they meet Ootah and Billy Fish, an Indian who speaks English; he then becomes their translator. They then train the natives of this village to use the rifles, and soon conquer village after village. During a battle, Daniel is struck by an arrow that seemingly sticks out of his chest. The ignorant natives believe that he must be a God for not having died, and fall down and begin worshiping him. Daniel and Peachy decide that it would be easier for a “God ” to take over the country, so they pretend that Daniel is a god, the son of Alexander the Great who has returned after 2200 years to again rule Kafristan. The entire country celebrated the return of their new ruler, the Son of Segunda (”Alexander”). As a token of their admiration, the holiest of holy men gives Daniel all of the gold and riches left by Alexander in 328 B.C. It is enough to make them the richest men in the world . . . All goes well until Daniel’s ego and greed gets the best of him. He asks Peachy to bow when he walks in front of him. He later tells Peachy that he has decided to stay, and now believes that he is the son of Alexander ( ‘in spirit, anyways”), and that to fulfill his destiny, he will marry Roxanne, like his “father” Alexander did before him. The Kafiri’s believe that a mortal cannot marry a God, but Daniel goes ahead anyway. Peachy was set to leave with his share of the treasure, but Daniel convinced him to stay ” for old time’s sake” for the wedding. At the ceremony, Roxanne, believing that she would soon die, bites Daniel, drawing blood. The entire crowd realizes that since Danny is bleeding, that he is a man, not a God, and that he has been deceiving them the entire time. Peachy grabs Daniel and they run off with their twenty soldiers, shooting at the crowd of monks who set out to kill them. They are eventually captured, and Daniel is forced to walk out on a rope bridge. The monks cut the ropes, and Daniel bravely falls to his death. Peachy is later crucified; when they come to see him the next day, he is still alive, and they say that it is a miracle that he lived and they cut him down. He eventually climbs down into the valley and retrieves Danny’s head, still wearing the crown. He brings it back to Rudyard Kipling, a writer for the Northern Star, as proof that Daniel accomplished his goal, and became the King of Kafristan. Themes developed in the story: 1. ambition 2. friendship 3. taking risks 4. perseverance (not giving up) 5. power 6. honor and dignity

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Monday, November 17th, 2008
Genres: Drama | Musical | Romance
Countries: Australia | USA
Actors: Nicole Kidman | Ewan McGregor | John Leguizamo | Jim Broadbent | Richard Roxburgh | Garry McDonald | Jacek Koman | Matthew Whittet | Kerry Walker | Caroline O'Connor | Christine Anu | Natalie Jackson Mendoza | Lara Mulcahy | David Wenham | Kylie Minogue
Directors: Baz Luhrmann
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Christian, a young wannabe Bohemian poet living in 1899 Paris, defies his father by joining the colorfully diverse clique inhabiting the dark, fantastical underworld of Paris’ now legendary Moulin Rouge. In this seedy but glamorous haven of sex, drugs and newly-discovered electricity, the poet-innocent finds himself plunged into a passionate but ultimately tragic love affair with Satine, the club’s highest paid star and the city’s most famous courtesan. Their romance is played out against the infamous club - a meeting place of high life and low, where slumming aristocrats and the fashionably rich mingled with workers, artists, Bohemians, actresses and courtesans.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Monday, November 17th, 2008
Genres: Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Harrison Ford | Kate Capshaw | Jonathan Ke Quan | Amrish Puri | Roshan Seth | Philip Stone | Roy Chiao | David Yip | Rick Young | Chua Kahjoo | Rex Ngui | Philip Tan | Dan Aykroyd | Dr. Akio Mitamura | Michael Yama
Directors:
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Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones, is back in action in the 2nd Indy film. He teams up with a night club singer and a 12 year old named Short Round. They end up in an Indian village, where the people believe evil spirits have taken their children away after a sacred stone was stolen. Indiana agrees to try and retrieve the stone for the villagers.

The Razor’s Edge (1946)

Sunday, September 7th, 2008
Genres: Drama
Countries: USA
Actors: Tyrone Power | Gene Tierney | John Payne | Anne Baxter | Clifton Webb | Herbert Marshall | Lucile Watson | Frank Latimore | Elsa Lanchester | Fritz Kortner | John Wengraf | Cecil Humphreys | Harry Pilcer | Cobina Wright Sr. | George Adrian
Directors: Edmund Goulding
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Well-to-do Chicagoan, Larry Darrell, breaks off his engagement to Isabel and travels the world seeking enlightenment, eventually finding his guru India. Isabel marries Gray, and following the crash of 1929, is invited to live in Paris with her rich, social climbing, Uncle Elliot. During a sojurn there, Larry, having attained his goal, is reunited with Isabel. While slumming one night Larry, Isabel and company are shocked to discover Sophie, a friend from Chicago. Having lost her husband and child in a tragic accident, Sophie is living the low-life with the help of drugs an abusive brute. Larry tries to rehabilitate her, but his efforts are sabotaged by Isabel who has tried in vain to reignite Larry’s interest in her.