First 5 to Cinema

We all have our reasons to watch movies, which we may still be willing to discover. I believe our personalities are reflected quite well from the types of films we watch. Movies have become one of the most accepted forms of entertainment. However, for many film enthusiasts like myself, movies are more than just entertainment. Well, I will definitely love to talk more about this particular topic and there is a way to do so, by sharing every five movies that I have watched.

Films have made me more observational and it has made me see more through the lens of the photographer. Every story that we come across, the cinematic experience adds depth and syncs our understanding of the situation through the lens of the director and cinematographer.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) is one of such movies, through the whole movie, Top Ripley tries to sync with the personality, body language, fashion sense, etc. of Dickie Greenleaf and numerous scenes are presented in the film which divides these two characters in their subjectivity in one frame.

So, watching this movie think of what I just said and try to be more observant. If you do, then you will appreciate each frame of this film and appreciate the power of cinematography. This will take you in towards the roller coaster of thriller and mysterious change of character which you get to experience on rare occasions.

One of the reason, I am starting to write this blog is because of my holistic view towards different aspects of films that I am starting to appreciate in different phases of 8 years of film enthusiasm; when I realized the element of story, the element of acting, the element of music, and now, the element of framing. Akira Kurosawa always gives that treat, a treat you witness with your vision, connect with your instinct, and cherish with your passion.

Seven Samurai (1954), the story is set in the era of Japan where a samurai profession was heavily practiced as you could always find a man carrying a samurai sword, just wondering in the streets. A great plot: a poor village which feels the sense of danger from bandits, hires seven samurai to protect the village that might be attacked in the future.

I am always fascinated by the farming technique to Kurosawa. These two frames clearly explain the message it is trying to convy which you can only understand after watching the film. ‘Seven Samurai’ has portrayed the poverty of the village with a scene where villagers are not even able to afford rice (categorized as high-class crop at that time) for themselves as they have promised cooked rice to the samurais. It really takes passion to give your 4 hours to a single film which was made in 1954 and understand these hidden symbolism.

Talk about another movie with 4-hour length, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) which I came across almost a year ago but the length always stopped me from watching it; breaking that barrier was like passing through the tunnel of stereotypical, witnessing the landscape of filmography. Quite metaphorical!!

Plot: a British lieutenant is sent to Arabia to support Prince Faisal to fight the Turkish force. Throughout the story, the character development of the lieutenant is a journey that takes the audience towards the aftermath of colonial times. The film is filled with the dry landscaping beauty of Arabia which expresses its harsh weather and climate, untouched by British colonization. When watching classical movies we need to sidestep the technical aspects and quality of the picture, then only we will truly understand the perspective of filmmakers of the 90s.

Have you ever felt the reason behind you coming across a particular film at that particular time? Well, I always do and I feel there is a far greater reason behind certain things happening for certain reasons. The meaning is hard to derive, is it necessary though? That is for you to decide.

Solaris (1972) is one of such films. I came across this movie in a comment on facebook’s post. At the time I was rereading Sapiens, just after finishing Guns, Germs, and Steel (Jared by Diamond). Both these books explore the human existence throughout history and the evolution of human, influenced by agricultural revolution, industrial revolution, and then digital revolution.

We are so much curious about gods, aliens, another planet, and another universe that we might have missed out understanding ourselves and our conscious; Yuval Noah Harari said that there is so much still to explore about human conscious but without understand it completely we have already started to manipulate human conscious. This movie has one clear answer about the existence of god, alien, and this so-called boundary which we claim as our world. This masterpiece does test your patience but it comes with the prize of our inner spirituality.

After hearing Mira Nair in The Hollywood report (director’s roundtable), I became fond of listening to her insight towards making films. Having said that, I was so upset that I came across The Namesake (2006) just a few weeks back and I just couldn’t watch it due to death of Irrfan Khan. Out of respect and deep appreciation for his contribution to the cinema I had to watch the film.

The film reflects the aspects of cross-culture which can deeply affect a married couple and their children who are born in the so-called dreamland “United States of America”. The story starts with two traditional families joining ties with the wedding knot of their son and daughter. After marriage, the couple moves to abroad for a new journey far away from their culture and tradition. ‘The Namesake’ is so delicate and sensitive that one needs to give attention to every second of it to witness the character development and essence of the film.

The world of cinema is full of such mentioned films that take you to the subjective journey of emotion, empathy, and spirituality. Why ruin our valuable time with just entertainment when movies can be much more with the exploration of our inner-self and our world. If you knew exactly how much time you had, then would you still be selecting that particular movie to watch?