3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009)

3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009) is a film featuring three best friends and their lives in one of the best colleges in India, the Imperial College of Engineering. Ten years after their graduation, Farhan and Raju seek to reunite with their long lost friend, Rancho. En route to locate him, they revisit their college days as engineering students while recollecting the memories of their unconventional friend who inspired them to think differently.

As the highest-grossing Bollywood film, 3 idiots captured its audience with a strong aesthetic typically found in Indian cinema. From there, I would like to discuss about the aesthetic of Indian cinema in terms of the emotional content, themes as well as film dance, music and song.

When discuss about Indian cinema, Indian art is something that must not be overlooked. Indian art stresses on inducing philosophical states toward the audience which eventually evolved to become the Indian aesthetics. Relating to Indian drama and literature, the term ‘bhAva’ (emotion and devotional state of mind) and ‘rasa’ (juice or essence) are commonly refer to the emotional flavours or essences crafted into the work by the writer and greatly enjoyed by a ‘sensitive spectator’ or sahṛdaya (one with positive taste and mind). (“Indian Aesthetics,” n.d., p. 5) Both bhAva and rasa work collaboratively to bring out the best of the work. In addition, the emotional content in the Indian arts is similar to that of a banquet or feast in which there is one overall flavour, whither varieties of feelings and emotions were also included to provide the essential variety and texture. (Booth, 1995, p. 175) The Indian art mentioned was employed successfully by 3 Idiots as the film depicts a variety of significant scenes, from the inspiring scene of Rancho giving encouraging words ‘Aal izz well’ to Raju, to the heartening scene of singing and dancing in the bathroom as well as fixing Joy Lobo’s final project, a wireless camera atop a helicopter, and finally to the heartbroken scene whereby Joy is found hanged in his bedroom with his last words ‘I QUIT’ written on the wall. Concisely, the film had served the audience a fine feast overflowed with diversified flavours.

            In terms of theme, Indian films can be categorized into five general categories including the mythological stories such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Puranas (oral folklore), family melodramas, ‘costume dramas’ which based on historical themes, Indian equivalents of Westerns or spy films, and last but not least, the ‘social’ films centring on contemporary public issue with melodrama traits. (Manuel, 1988, p. 159) Being a social film, 3 idiots illustrates the issues of the Indian Education System, whereby students are taught from the books, with scarcely any practical knowledge. From birth, Farhan indicates that they were taught ‘Life is a race, run fast or you’ll be trampled.’ As a result, students are not thrilled to learn something new, instead they gone into a race only to get more pressure, not knowledge. In contrast to Rancho, the innovator and unorthodox student, Chatur crammed to score in exam. The outcome of rote learning proved to be useless with the scene of Chatur mindlessly cramming the speech for Teacher’s Day and did not even realized that the script was altered by Rancho and that made him became a joke.

            The act of viewing Bollywood film dance is often pleasurable and can also be performative as Bollywood song and dance is a central node of pleasure. (R. David, 2010) According to Goswami, the film or songs are ‘free-floating signifiers’ because of their whimsy gestures to the behind-the-scenes aspect of the film: the dreams still possible in everyday life. (Goswami, 2009) For most Indian spectators, the effect of film music is natural and it is viewed as a continuation of the traditions of the folk theatre forms, where speech, song, and dance are merged into a unified dramatic style. The songs also conveniently express unarticulated sentiments; a song sequence may compress the depiction of 'falling in love' into four or five minutes. (Manuel, 1988, p. 160-161) Such depiction can be seen when Pia fallen in love with Rancho, a song sequence is inserted to visualize her love by showing how she sees him everywhere such as in the album and television, and also she imagining herself dancing with him in the rain.

            In summary, the issues of education system highlighted in the film reflected the society not just in India, but also various parts of the globe. As such, we should not cram blindly in studies. Without doubt, 3 idiots is a very inspiring, humorous and also heart-warming film. I would definitely recommend it to everyone who enjoys great story.

References

Indian Aesthetics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://eiilmuniversity.ac.in/coursepack/humanities/INDIAN_AESTHETICS.pdf

D. Booth, G. (1995). Traditional Content and Narrative Structure in the Hindi Commercial Cinema. In Asian Folklore Studies (Vol. 54, pp. 169-190). Nanzan University.

Manuel, P. (1988). Popular Music in India: 1901-86. In Popular Music (Vol. 7, pp. 157-176). Cambridge University Press.

R. David, A. (2010, November). Dancing the diasporic dream? Embodied desires and the changing audiences for Bollywood film dance.

Goswami, N. (2009). The Empire Sings Back: Aesthetics, Politics, and Postcolonial Whimsy. Retrieved from http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/ca/7523862.spec.213?view=text;rgn=main

Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad, 2004)

Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad, 2004) follows a love story between Orked, a young Muslim Malay girl who admires Hong Kong movie stars and Loong (Jason), a Chinese Malaysian who engages in selling pirated VCDs on a street market and surprisingly has a passion in reading and writing poetry. The plot revolves around the two young lovers from totally different background and how they cope with their families and social pressure throughout the film.

            There were several important issues highlighted in the film that I would like to discuss about. These include the issues such as multiculturalism and hybridity, injustice and discrimination as well as stereotypes that reside in the multiracial society in Malaysia.

As an indie filmmaker, Yasmin explored the issues that were rarely discussed in the majority main stream Malay films. Collectively, indie films including her works represented a more multi-ethnic face of the nation. (Khoo, 2009) The film was also categorized as an alternative cinema which studies about the ethnic relationships and inter-racial love between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. (Muthalib, 2005) In addition, the issue of marriage between different races was further developed in the conversations between Loong and his friend, Keong in the hospital. Being the descendant of Peranakan Chinese, created by the mingling of races during the marriage between Sultan Mansur Shah and Hang Li Po back in the 15^th century of Malacca, Loong presumed that his mother should have no problem with him having relationship with Orked. However when discussing the issue further, Keong commented that the idea of mixing races is considered so much more difficult in the present compared to hundreds of years ago. (Mohamed Al Amin, 2008, p. 4-5) Through their conversations, we get to know how most of the people nowadays perceive marriage between different races. But what Yasmin wanted to deliver was something simpler. According to Robert Williamson, during Orked and Loong’s first brief but meaningful meeting, Orked told her friend, Lin "he doesn't know me well enough to like me, but he's in love with me." The film admits that part of the masses may take a firm stand declaring mankind act according to notions of social acceptability, but in fact, deep down we are dominated by our natural instincts. As such, we do not have to understand someone to love them; we should love someone for who they really are as we need no reason to love. (Ahmad, 2005)

            Furthermore, Yasmin also quietly uncovered the issues of injustice and discrimination through a critique of the arbitrary way scholarships are given. In the film, Orked’s mother and Kak Yam highlighted this in a conversation about Orked receiving a government scholarship to study overseas but not Loong who scored better in the national exams. (Goh, Gabrielpillai, Holden, & Khoo, 2009, p. 110)

Sepet occupies the inversion or blurring of stereotypes. Malaysians evidently traverse cultural and ethnic boundaries in their daily lives. (Wong, 2005) Including the scene whereby Orked dressed up in telekung (Muslim ladies’ prayer cloth or veil) reciting Koran in Arabic. After she’s done with her prayer, she opens her closet to reveal a bunch of Takeshi Kaneshiro’s posters pasted all over the doors. This revelation contradicts with our typical perception of a religious girl, and as if to debate the stereotypic perceptions of certain communities in the nation as well as the stability of common classifications to explain ethnic groups, the contradictions can be found all over the film. Moreover, the scenes did not just challenge the stereotypic perceptions, but also tell us that we can be religious and appreciate other cultures simultaneously. (Beh, 2006, p.4-5)

            To sum up, Sepet is a hybrid product that unfolds a more multi-ethnic face of the nation while smartly unveiling issues that are deemed sensitive in Malaysia. It is a great channel for us to understand the society better and therefore highly recommended to those that have liberal views.

References

Khoo, G. (2009). Cinema: Films Made by Women: Malaysia. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/1987312/_Cinema_Films_Made_By_Muslim_Women_General_introduction_and_Malaysia._

Muthalib, H. (2005, October 13). Voices of Malaysian Cinema. Retrieved, from http://criticine.com/feature_article.php?id=17

Mohamed Al Amin, F. (2008). CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING MALAYSIAN INDEPENDENT FEMALE DIRECTOR YASMIN AHMAD’S FIRST FILM, SEPET. Retrieved from http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/mai/files/2012/07/farahazaleamohamedalamin.pdf

Ahmad, Y. (2005, March 8). A review of 'Sepet' by Robert Williamson at www.filmfestivalfile.com. Retrieved from http://yasminthestoryteller.blogspot.com/2005/03/review-of-sepet-by-robert-_111033253963086072.html

Goh, Gabrielpillai, Holden, & Khoo. (2009). Part II Representing race performing multiculturalism. In Race and Multiculturalism in Malaysia and Singapore. New York & Canada: Routledge.

Wong, S. (2005, January 1). Discussing Sepet over tau chooi. Aliran Monthly, Issue 3. Retrieved, from http://aliran.com/archives/monthly/2005a/3c.html

Beh, C. (2006). The Portrayal of Multiculturalism in Malaysian National Cinema: A Case Study of Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet. Asia Culture Forum 2006 – Whither the Orient. Retrieved from http://www.cct.go.kr/data/acf2006/cinema/cinema-Session%201%20-%20Beh.pdf

Selubung (Shuhaimi Baba, 1992)

Selubung (Shuhaimi Baba, 1992) is a Malay romance-drama featuring a young woman, Mastura and how she develops into a responsible adult through three loves that were consisted of a close friend, the displaced children of Palestine and the cumbrous advances of her persistent male employer. (Heide, 2002, p. 218) During Mastura and her friends’ last year of study in Australia, her close friend, E.J. withdrawn from study and married to Brother Musa as his second wife despite Mastura’s dissent. Upon graduation, Mastura returned to her home country and became a volunteer at Rescaid Malaysia to help the children specifically in Lebanon. Through the stay at Rescaid Malaysia, she fell into a relationship with her employer, Kamal.

            The narrative of the film stresses on the representation of Malay females. Hence, I would like to study about the Fifth Voice of the Malaysian Cinema, feminism as well as the identity and myth of Malay.

The Five Voices of Malaysian Cinema introduced by Dr Anuar Nor Arai indicates the articulation of emotions and feelings about one’s society and its problems through the medium of film. Among them the Fifth Voice is the most eloquent of all. It was aroused by filmmakers who were either educated in film, involved in theatre before or knowledgeable about film as a means of expression. Their films captured the profound understanding of the tensions, frustrations and idiosyncrasies that was concealed in the Malay society. Throughout the film, Shuhaimi has highlighted several topics that deal with young, educated people and their (mis)understanding of Islam that placed her in the category of Fifth Voice. (Muthalib, 2005)

Claire Johnston, Laura Mulvey, Pam Cook and Annette Kuhn suggested that all women possessed an innate ability to judge the authenticity of the representation of women in film and all women filmmakers were feminists. (Hayward, 2000, p. 114) Thus, Shuhaimi is a feminist and this can be seen through the representation of two distinct female characters, Mastura and E.J. as well as different interpretations of Islam illustrated by the changing relationship between them. E.J. believed Brother Musa’s teaching that the only way to suppress temptation is to marry those who are already on the righteous path and she accepted polygamy by becoming his second wife. After marriage, she is forbidden from mixing with Mastura and her friends. For Mastura, she embraces modernity and chooses her own path. In contrast with E.J. she refused to marry with Kamal at first when she knows that he is a married man. Mastura is able to balance between modernity and traditional value as an Islam. (Heide, 2002, p. 221)

Selubung presented a positive portrayal of Malay women within the confines of the conventions of Malaysian cinema. (White, 1997, p. 8-9) It constructed a specific Malay identity through adat, also known as tradition, while still relate closely to modernity for its female characters. The use of performing arts such as the beating of rebana, a kind of traditional large drum is an example of representations of adat. (Levitin, Plessis & Raoul, 2003, p. 232-233)

According to Shuhaimi in a personal interview, she has constructed new Malay myth and tradition in the film. She revealed that the idea of the lucky flying moths was not derived from any specific local belief. In fact, she discovered that there was an existing superstition that moths were lucky after she had written the scenes. (Levitin, Plessis & Raoul, 2003, p. 233)

To conclude, the two distinct female characters, Mastura and E.J. had reflected the women of Malay society during the 1990s. It is a great approach to study about feminism and aware that having a religion is good, but we should refrain from being a religion extremist. Overall, the film had a rather complicated storyline and the editing style was somewhat confusing, it is best to think twice before you go and watch the film to avoid being confused.

References

Der Heide, W.V. (2002). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Muthalib, H. (2005, October 13). Voices of Malaysian Cinema. . Retrieved , from http://criticine.com/feature_article.php?id=17

Hayward, S. (2000). KEY CONCEPTS. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. New Fetter Lane, London & New York & Canada: Routledge.

White, T. R. (1997, June 1). Pontianaks, P.Ramlee and Islam: The Cinema of Malaysia. . Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/4570309/_Pontianaks_P_Ramlee_and_Islam_The_Cinema_of_Malaysia_

Levitin, J., Plessis, J., & Raoul, V. (2003). Womens Films through a Postcolonial Lens. Women Filmmakers: Refocusing (). : Routledge.

Seniman Bujang Lapok (P.Ramlee, 1961)

            Seniman Bujang Lapok (P.Ramlee, 1961) is about the journey of three jobless bachelors, Ramli, Aziz and Sudin of becoming film stars without any special skills and knowledge of the film industry. It also illustrates how they deal with their lively and intriguing neighbours in a funny way while highlighting some of the social issues during the 60s in Singapore.

            In this film review, I would like to discuss about the social issues such as ethics and manners, post-war effects, education, unemployment and poverty that was depicted in the film.

            During the 60s, despite Indian directors had produced numerous of excellent films for the Malay community, many of them believed that some of the basic cultural norms had been overlooked and did not realistically portrayed the Malays’ manner towards certain situations. (Chou & Houben, 2006, p. 167) In the midst of that era, one sole director, P.Ramlee had successfully meet the needs in vividly depicting the common Malay and the dignity of people who work for a living, as well as valuing peace and harmony with friends, family and Allah over wealth in the film industry. (White, 1997, p. 5-6) For instance, the guard of Malay Film Productions had given sharp criticisms to Sudin for his lack in Malay’s ethics and manners when Sudin greeted him with “Oi!” as if he was not human. P.Ramlee was trying to preserve Malay values through this scene when his character, Ramli gave a comment “a man’s manners show his descent” to Sudin. (Aljunied, 2005, p. 12)

            One of the post-war effects such as phobia of bomb attacks was shown in Sudin when he took cover under a table of a coffee shop, right after he heard the sound of a tyre burst and mistook it for a bomb attack during the Japanese colonization in Malaya. Besides of that, Japanese colonization had also greatly influenced the filmmaking of P.Ramlee. According to Timothy White, P.Ramlee’s film style strongly resembles to post-war Japanese films by Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi and especially Akira Kurosawa. (Heide, 2002, p. 131-132) Take for example: Akira Kurosawa’s films have always stresses on social problems and human nature, which is also what P.Ramlee has portrayed in his films. (Nowell-Smith, 1996, p. 716)

            Concerning the education during the 60s in Singapore, a lot of Malays had to overcome the ever-increasing challenges in the post-war era due to the fact that many of them were lowly educated, and they had no choices but to engage in fishing, poultry rearing and crop industries. This situation can be seen in the interview session. When the manager of Malay Film Productions, Kemat Hassan asked the three bachelors about their educational background, Ramli mentioned he had attended Malay school up to Standard Five and English school up to Standard Four and half. As he had dropped out after Japanese attacked Malaya. In addition, Aziz and Sudin also had low educational achievements. (Aljunied, 2005, p. 7-11)

The unemployment issue during the 60s has led to severe poverty in Malaya. One of the jobless bachelors, Ramli had tried to sell his “prized possession”, a tattered undergarment to gain some loose change but was failed to do so. He was also shown to place two bricks on a pillow to iron his pants because he was unable to afford an iron. (Aljunied, 2005, p. 15)

            In conclusion, social issues depicted in the film have reflected the challenges the Malays had to face during the 60s. The film itself can serve as an important source when investigating the social history. It is highly recommended to comedy fans and is a must-watch film for those who want to know further about the social history of Malays in Singapore during the 60s.

References

Chou, C., & Houben, V. (2006). Southeast Asian Studies: Debates and New Directions. Pasir Panjang, Singapore & Leiden, Netherlands: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

White, T. R. (1997, June 1). Pontianaks, P.Ramlee and Islam: The Cinema of Malaysia. . Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/4570309/_Pontianaks_P_Ramlee_and_Islam_The_Cinema_of_Malaysia_

Aljunied, S. M. Films as Social History — P. Ramlee’s “Seniman Bujang Lapok” and Malays in Singapore (1950s–60s). The Heritage Journal, 2nd, 7-16. Retrieved , from http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/mlsasmk/films%20as%20social%20history.pdf

Der Heide W.V. (2002). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Nowell-Smith, G. (1996). Early Cinema. The Oxford History Of World Cinema. Great Britain: Butler & Tanner Ltd.

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011)

            Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011) was set in 1930s Paris. It unfolds the story of an orphan who goes by the name of Hugo Cabret. The boy lives in a train station and kept the station clocks running during his uncle’s absence. Believing that the automaton left by his late father contains a message for him, he tried to fix it by all means, including stealing mechanical parts from a toy shop, which leads to his encounter with the owner, Georges Méliès. Together with Méliès’s goddaughter, Isabelle, they have an adventure that centres on Méliès and his mysterious past.

In this film, I would like to discuss about the aspects of mise-en-scene and cinematography. Also, focusing on the settings, props, shot scale and editing and how these reflects the history of film during the 30s.

            When touch upon the mise-en-scene of Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011), one has to stress on its attentively constructed set which aimed for an authentic re-creation of the past (Hayward, 2000, p. 7). In this case, a sequence from one of the famous historic films, Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (The Lumière Brothers, 1895) had been reproduced into the train crash dream sequence to pay tribute. There was also a pastiche of Why Men Work (Leo McCarey, 1924) recreated as the hero clock shot of Hugo when he was hiding from the Station Inspector.

Besides of all the footages shown in the film, props like automaton can also refers to Méliès’s life, as he used to own one. This revealed that he also possessed the knowledge regarding automaton besides magic tricks. In the film, Méliès was portrayed as a creative and innovative filmmaker who had worked as director, producer, writer, set and costume designer and also inventing lots of magical tricks.

            According to Carroll, film techniques such as shot scale and other cinematography aspects can direct our attention on specific objects on screen, thus allowing the film to communicate information which is essential for us to understand the film (Livingstone & Plantinga, 2009, p. 339). From the footages of Méliès’s creations shown throughout the film, we get to know his filming style, which is also known as the tableau shot. During the shot, the camera was kept stationary, particularly in exterior shots, with only occasional reframings to follow the action (Nowell-Smith, 1996, p. 17). To convey the essence and how Méliès did his works, The Mermaid (Georges Méliès, 1904) and others were remake using the same technique and shots.

Méliès was one of the first to begin incorporating special effects through his use of editing based on his stage illusions (Sklar, 2002, p. 31). He may also have been the first filmmaker to use the first dissolve as well as time-lapse photography (Mast and Kawin, 2000, p. 31-33). This can be seen in the film whereby Méliès is shown directing and editing his works, such as cutting and pasting the filmstrips. These techniques greatly enhanced the narrative of films and have passed down to the next generations. Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011) had made full use of all the techniques introduced by Méliès and further improvised it. For instance, the fire shown during the flashback of the death of Hugo’s father was hand-tinted.

            In conclusion, Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011) had greatly reflected the history of film as well as the life of Georges Méliès through the usage of mise-en-scene and cinematography. I would recommend the film especially to those who seek to know further about the historic films.

References

Hayward, S. (2000). KEY CONCEPTS. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. New Fetter Lane, London & New York & Canada: Routledge.

Nowell-Smith, G. (1996). Early Cinema. The Oxford History Of World Cinema. Great Britain: Butler & Tanner Ltd.

Livingstone, P., & Plantinga, C. (2009). 31 NOËL CARROLL. The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Film. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom & Madison Ave, New York & Canada: Routledge. (Original work published 2008)

Sklar, R. (2002). A World History of Film. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. (Original work published 2001)

Mast, G., & Kawin, B. F. (1999). A Short History of the Movies. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Longman Publishing Group.