Whereas Bergman's film concentrates on the old man who is forced to face his past, come to terms with his faults, and accept his approaching death, this film on the other hand, questions the life of his family members and the frustrations the old man has when he is powerless to resolve the issues for the people he loves. But this film is an exploration of typical issues and conflicts an old man face in rural Kerala, especially when he is integrating closely with his extended family members. He is probably in his late seventies and it strike me now that the film is very reminiscent of Ingmar Bergmans 'Wild Strawberies' made 10 years earlier and set in Sweden. The entire story is seen thru the eyes of an old man, Kunjochaman, masterfully played by the veteran Malayalam actor Kottarakkara. The novel won the prestigious Kerala Sahithya (Literacy) Academy Awards way back in 1968, only a few years before the film was made, continuing the then trend of film following hit novel. Mathai (affectionately known widely as Parappurathu) bases the film on the famous novel of the same name. Enough about my dreams, now to the review.
I just hope, one day, these types of classic films will be transferred onto DVD formats. The film is in black and white and the video quality is not that bad either.
But I do believe now that the video is a real treasure to own. I don't remember seeing it in Kerala during my first 12 years there, and even if I did, it would not have appealed to me then. I saw Aranazhikaneram (pronounced ARA-NAAZHIKA-NAYRAM) recently on VHS video and I loved every minute of this deeply emotional film and since it brought back a lot of my fond memories of my younger life with my loving Granddad in Kerala, I went out and bought it.
0 kommentar(er)
