Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Kino moralnego niepokoju : An outstanding example of the cinema of the moral concern.


Amator directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski.

To an ordinary viewer "Amator" is a film about film-making.However I feel that this is only partially true as this film is much more than a film within a film.Amator is a wonderful film about the role cinema plays in human life along with basic emotions like joy, sorrow, suffering, humiliation, friendship, death etc. Much of the film's brilliance comes in the form of incredible acting performance by Jerzy Stuhr.He has given a masterful twist to his character named Filip Mosz. In "Amator",he knows fully well that he is suffering enormously due to the lack of creative freedom but despite this knowledge he resolutely decides to confront all his emotional crisis. There is no artistic freedom for him as his party officials do not allow him to make the films which he truly wants to make. His wife is against his film-making activities too. This takes toll on their domestic bliss too. In a broad perspective "Amator" talks of the difficulties most of the filmmakers Eastern Europe had to face when they were living under communist times.In " Amator", Kieslowski has shown how subtle films like this one can be made which are mildly critical of party. It would be of great interest to viewers conscious of the honest cinema movement called "cinema of the moral concern". For others it would be a good introduction to one of the outstanding films of East European cinema.

Human weaknesses unplugged !!! Oh Dae Su is an eternal winner.


Oldboy directed by Park Chan Wook.

There are many viewers who have voiced their opinions about this film. Some of them have praised it while for a small minority this film has been an extremely unpleasant experience. There is no point in going into details regarding this film's popularity neither would it be worthwhile to discuss its notoriety. All that can truly be said about "Old Boy" directed by Korean iconoclast filmmaker Park Chan Wook is that it can make one learn more about human weaknesses. This aspect of human behavior is revealed in the character of Oh Dae Su. This part has been amazingly played with heavenly aplomb, tremendous maturity and remarkable agility by Korean actor Choi Min Sik. Good too are the performances by Yoo Ji Tae and Gang Hye Jung.Trust me when I say that a film like this has not been made in the recent past. This is one of those rare Asian films which does not walk even for a second on the crutches of exotic Asian elements. For those who lambasted the portrayal of incest, it must be reminded that it has always been a part of human civilization since olden times. So why are some people making unnecessary noises now about its depiction. The best thing about "Old boy" is that it makes us ware of the fact that the time connection is extremely important for all of us. Everything about the film is brilliant indeed mind boggling. Whether it is catchy music, quick pace,ample suspense, raw violence or maudlin melodrama. "Old boy" is a first class product in the truest sense of the word. It is a film which gives its viewer complete value for money. Whichever format one chooses to watch this film, it is surely going to rest in the viewer's mind for a long, long,long and surely very long time.