I first learned about playwright Rajiv Joseph (pictured above) from a brief theater piece on PBS. Though only in his early 40s, he has achieved much in his brief career, including being a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize.
Yes, that is comic genius Robin Williams (above w/ castmates)- he appeared a few years back as the tiger in Joseph’s critically-acclaimed play, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.
Mr. Joseph dramatizes a dark myth about its building that stands as a grim allegory of the supreme divide between the powerful and the powerless in 17th-century India and, perhaps by extension, many places today.
Babur’s lively imagination drives the conversation, as he fantasizes about elaborate flying machines and wonders about the provenance of the stars. “I think God wants us to learn more and more things,” he says.
-Charles Isherwood (NYT Review: June 11, 2015)
This play can be seen from FEB 1-28 at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in DC. It consists of only 2 characters, Humayun and Babur, lowly imperial guards in the city of Agra, India (referred to then as Hindustan). Their duty it is to stand in front of the building site of the Taj Mahal, facing away from it. Babur has the energy of an overgrown kid. He arrives late and keeps breaking the silence that the guards are supposed to maintain, to the disapproval of Humayun. Obeying the rules is something Humayun takes seriously. There are severe punishments for various levels of civil disobedience.
I saw an existential allegory about the struggle of incompatible universal impulses within human nature. –Comment from NYT reader
We will probably never know what was done to the artisans who built the Taj, but we do know, like those who slaved for years to build the Pyramids, the Taj artists have remained invisible. –Comment from another NYT reader
The Taj is a memorial tomb for Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, has been hidden by a wall during its 16 years of construction. The guards, longtime friends (who call each others “bhai,” meaning brother) are awaiting dawn, when the tomb will be unveiled to the public.
Yale grad/recovering drug addict/ex-con- David Milch (Hill Street Blues; NYPD Blue)- created, wrote, and served as executive producer of Deadwood- a show about a place with no laws at all. The story (w/ real historical characters and character composites) starts in 1876, when Deadwood is an illegal community, the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory having been ceded to the Sioux in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. The gold discovered by Custer during an 1874 expedition has drawn thousands to the area (for each 200 men, there is 1 woman). However, this series has four very strong, yet unique, women in its cast.
The show asks some big questions: How do people govern themselves, left to their own devices? How do institutions form? How does a social contract develop without any established laws?
Language
If you are easily offended by foul language, this is NOT the show for you (as w/ several other HBO dramas)! But unlike in the modern world (where lower classes aren’t given many words to vocalize their thoughts, esp. in mainstream media), Milch wanted the opposite for characters in Deadwood. As a result, you hear a LOT of profanity and vulgarity, BUT w/ an unique almost-Shakespearean formulation. Characters even have monologues at times! It does take 2-3 eps to get used to this type of language, though if you LOVE words (like me), then check it out. Deadwood is the thinking person’s Western- quite different from the classic, straight-forward Westerns of our parents’ and grandparents’ generation.
Main Characters (Beginning of Season 1)
Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant): A former Montana sheriff (grew up in Ontario, Canada); seeks his fortune by setting up a hardware store w/ his business partner/friend, Sol; a man of few words; doesn’t want to go back to the life of a lawman; works hard to control his hot temper.
Deadwood (Season 1): Timothy Olyphant and John Hawkes at The Gem
Sol Star (John Hawkes): A first generation American (born in Vienna, Austria and raised in Ohio); Jewish; has a background in business (unlike Seth); laid-back and congenial (also unlike Seth).
Al Swearengen (IanMcShane):The owner of The Gem Saloon (yet so much more); brutal; evil (perhaps?); cunning; has a complicated relationship w/ one of his prostitutes, Trixie; of English heritage (unlike the historical figure, thanks to the actor’s slight accent); considered one of the most compelling/multi-faceted villains in TV history (comparable to Shakespeare’s villains).
E.B. Farnum (William Sanderson): The owner/manager of the town’s hotel; a composite of different historical figures; reminiscent of someone from Dickens (sniveling, conniving behind the scenes, and wearing a moth-eaten suit).
Brom Garret (Timothy Omundson): An upper-class “dude” (newbie to this environment) from NYC who is staying in the hotel w/ his wife, Alma; was curious to find out about the Wild West; bought a gold claim in Deadwood.
Alma Garret (Molly Parker): Brom’s wife; most likely the only respectable woman in the camp; takes laudanum; charming (having lived in high society); smarter than she appears at first glance.
Trixie (Paula Malcomson): One of the pros working for Al (though she is on a higher status than the other girls, having shared Al’s bed and some of his secrets); a mix of vulnerability and strength; she has depth and secrets, too- slowly revealed over time.
DEADWOOD: Brad Dourif photo: Doug Hyun/HBO
Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif): A doctor who was in the Civil Way (Union side, notice his uniform in some scenes); intense; raspy voiced; knows that he is not the “hero” type; one of my fave characters (so far) on the show.
Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine): Based on a real celeb of that time period; very good w/ a gun; forms a friendship w/ Seth; loves to gamble (poker); seems tired and disillusioned w/ life.
CalamityJane (Robin Wiegert): She travels w/ Wild Bill; can curse and drink (like a man); has had a hard childhood (like many others in this show); her character is slowly revealed as a caring person over time; one of my faves, too.
Reverend H. W. Smith (Ray McKinnon): Works as a security guard for Seth and Sol’s hardware tent (when they first come to camp); becomes friends w/ them; carries his Bible everywhere (having “heard the word of God” several years ago); performs funerals; works two jobs to bring his family from the Midwest.
A.W. Merrick (Jeffrey Jones):Tall, burly, and very verbose (being the only journalist in town); quite proud of his humble paper; likes company and generally being in the know.
…even with such a large ensemble, each character is incredibly layered, and painfully, complexly human: the noblest individuals have moments of selfishness and rage, and the most contemptible figures have instances of vulnerability and grace. There are no stock characters… -The Unaffiated Critic
Five minutes into the movie, you were probably marveling, as I was, at the way production designer Colin Gibson created an entire civilization that looked (dys)functional to every last detail. (Gibson and his team also created the movie’s insane lineup of vehicles.) -Detroit Free Press
I know what you’re thinking (esp. if a regular reader): Why did YOU watch this movie!? It’s definitely NOT my type of film, BUT I heard several positive reviews (podcasts, radio, online folks, etc.) Also, I know almost nothing about the Mel Gibson films- played Max first. I wanted to see Tom Hardy (who appeared in Wuthering Heights shown on PBS years back). I saw this reboot on HBO this past SAT, when the channel premiered it.
In those days, we were far removed, They’d ship everything over, so you’d get magazines like four months after they’d been released in the United States and Europe, so we were always quite a way behind the trends. But Kiwis are really innovative people, and we try to make up a lot of our own things. -Lesley Vanderwalt (Hair & Makeup Designer)
The FIRST thing you will notice is the wild, wacky look of the film- TRULY like nothing I’d seen before! As for ALL that sand- it was shot partly in the desert of Namibia. The music is quite effective, and unusual. Over time, you discover that Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is the REAL lead of the story; she is seeking some sort of redemption after years of being the right-hand of the warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, an Australian veteran actor who also appeared in the original films). Nicholas Hoult (a young Brit) does a fine job as a Nux, a formerly fanatical supporter (“War Boy”) who learns that there is MORE to life than fighting to get into “Valhalla” (Heaven).
Mad Max: Fury Road should be recognized for the ground it broke: slipping in a feminist, elaborately constructed world in a moment, and a genre, where those things are typically at odds.-Katharine Cusumano (Bustle)
So, is this a feminist film (as MANY critics have commented)? Well, that’s up to YOU to decide! Max (the loner) helps Furiosa (a take-action gal w/ NO apologies) on her quest to get the wives of Immortan Joe (including Zoe Kravitz) to a place of safety. There is NO romance between them, BUT a gradual growth of respect- how refreshing! This film was mainly about world-building (Ali Mattu, a fan of this film, agreed w/ me on that); he replied (tweeted) that there will be sequels in the near future. Even if you’re skeptical, give Fury Road a shot.
The film was first announced in 2003. Sanjay Leela Bhansali initially wanted to cast Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but plans fell through when the real life couple had a messy, highly publicized breakup. Bhansali then kept Khan on and approached Kareena Kapoor to play Mastani and Rani Mukerji to play Kashibai, but shelved his plans and moved on to other projects. Over the following decade, several major actors were rumored to be linked to the project (Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif).
Coming out on the same day as Dilwale(2015), this marks the third time that a Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed film and Shahrukh Khan starring vehicle were released on the same day after their common Devdas (2002) in July 2002, and later the competing Saawariya (2007) and Om Shanti Om (2007), both released on Diwali 2007.
Production designers created more than 21 sets, which required extensive research.
Priyanka Chopra (star of the ABC drama Quantico) followed a 15 day coaching course to learn the Marathi language as spoken during the time of Peshwas.
The narrator of this film (Irrfan Khan) may sound familiar to some viewers; he has appeared in many American/English language films (including Life of Pi; The Namesake; New York, I Love You).
Disclaimer
This film begins and ends with a lengthy disclaimer:
The Filmmaker fully acknowledges and respects other perspectives and viewpoints with regard to the subject of the film. The Filmmaker does not intend in any manner to belittle, disrespect, impair or disparage the beliefs, feelings, sentiments and susceptibilities of any person(s), community(ies), society(ies) and their culture(s), custom(s), practice(s) and tradition(s).
SPOILERS: Don’t read from this point if you don’t want to know details from this film.
Set-Up of the Film
Love is its own religion.
In early 18th century India, a proud/respected/ young warrior Bajirao (Ranveer Singh) is chosen as the new Peshwa (the equivalent of a modern day prime minister) by a Maratha king.
While traveling, an emissary (dressed as a soldier) infiltrates Bajirao’s tent and demands his help in fighting invaders to her land. She is a bold/gorgeous/warrior princess called Mastani (Deepika Padukone). The audience soon learns that she is the daughter of a (Hindu) Rajput King and his (Muslim) consort. Since her parents are of different faiths, their union is illegitimate, as is Mastani herself. Also, she is considered a Muslim, like her mother. (Here lies the crux of the controversy of this film- Muslims and Hindus in love relationships.)
Impressed by her skills as a warrior, Bajirao assists her with his army and defeats the invaders to her land. Mastani and Bajirao develop feelings for each other and he presents her his dagger, which is always at his waist. This is also a symbol of marriage among her people, the Rajputs. Of course, Bajirao doesn’t know this tradition!
After this battle, Bajirao departs for his opulent estate in Pune, where his beautiful/childlike/adoring wife Kashibai (Priyanka Chopra) awaits him. When they joke about her husband being away so much, she proudly declares to her servants that “he has never looked at another woman.” No wilting wallflower, Mastani (with only one complaining young handmaiden), decides to pursue Bajirao- a love triangle is formed!
My Thoughts
I went to see this film in my neighborhood Regal theater (rare to see Bollywood films there) w/ one of my gal pals (also Bangladeshi-American and near my age) and my mom (who rarely watches these types of films; she prefers Indian indies). The theater was nearly packed- a BIG surprise to us! Being desis, we knew it was going to be long (duh!) and have dance/singing (a staple), BUT were still impressed w/ the scale of the production, costuming, and even the acting (Chopra can’t ruin this). I’d never seen Singh or Padukone before, but they did a good job w/ the material. Padukone is very graceful and strong in her role, but also has a VERY innocent/other-wordly aura about her (maybe it’s her FAB skin).
One of my other gal pals (South Indian heritage) LOVED the film and all the 3 leads; she saw it the week after it debuted on DEC 18th. This is one of those epic films that knows it’s an epic, so the music can be bombastic and lines are proclaimed (not merely spoken in a natural manner). However, I think that it’s a LOT better than Bollywood films I’ve seen in the past (several years ago, so may NOT be the best judge). I liked the dances, BUT my friend wasn’t impressed w/ the songs (she watches Bollywood films once in a while). I suggest you check it out IF you have an interest in Bollywood (BUT take it for what it IS, don’t put TOO much interpretation into this genre)!
Cast: Damian Lewis (Homeland), Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff (Mad Men), & Malin Ackerman
Synopsis: U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) goes after hedge fund king, Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Lewis) in a battle between two powerful New York figures.
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Hannah James (newcomer), AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Gray Cole (recently on HBO’s Veep), Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline; theater actor), Donna Murphy (theater vet), & Jack Falahee (How to Get Away with Murder).
Synopsis: This 6-part miniseries follows the lives of two volunteer nurses at a Union hospital during the Civil War- New England abolitionist Mary Phinney (Winstead) and Confederate supporter Emma Green (James), along w/ the Greens (whose mansion houses the hospital), doctors (including Dr. Jedediah Foster, played by Radnor), and two young black characters (one free, one slave).
Location: This series was shot primarily on location in Richmond, VA.
