This film bears a striking resemblance to Lang's 1944 movie, 'The Woman at the Window' (1944). Not only are the lead actors identical, but the plot is also the same. Both stories depict a middle-aged married man engaging in an illicit liaison with another woman, a femme fatale. The 1944 version sought to avoid controversy through a subtle, cautionary ending—that it was all just a dream—and thus avoided the scrutiny of censors. The 1945 film attracted opposition from censorship boards in three states: New York, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. These boards believed it was their duty to censor films that were 'obscene, indecent, immoral, inhuman, sacrilegious' or whose screening 'would tend to corrupt morals or incite to crime.'
Edward G Robinson portrays the most uninteresting man in the world. Working as a cashier for 25 years with an impeccable record, Chris is trapped in a loveless marriage. Chris's wife, Adele, is a foul-mouthed woman who thinks Chris is a good-for-nothing. She lives in the memory of her first husband, a policeman who drowned trying to save someone. In reality, her first husband was a crooked policeman who was attempting to rob the drowning woman. He also faked his own death to escape his wife's loud mouth.
Chris rescues a pretty lady, Kitty, who is being harassed by a roadside thug. Chris believes the lady is in love with him and tries to start an affair with her. Chris has a hobby: he paints. Unbeknownst to him, his paintings are quite good. Long story short, Kitty and the thug are actually a couple. They try to cheat the love-struck Chris out of his paintings, and Kitty sells them as her own. After discovering he'd been duped, Chris gets into an argument and kills her. Kitty's boyfriend is framed for her death and eventually faces the gallows. Chris gets away free, but his conscience pricks him, and he soon becomes mad, wandering aimlessly without a job or a home.
The censors believed that Chris' not paying for his crime in the traditional sense was not seen as poetic justice. The fact that the police and the courts were condemning the wrong person did not cast the police in a positive light during a time when America was attempting to strengthen the police force.
An entertaining melodramatic film from the past where theatrics took precedence over natural acting, and morality codes dictated how stories were told.
Pakistan or Partition of India (1940, Revised 1945) B.R. Ambedkar Dr Ambedkar is often voted as the single most important icon of India, surpassing Gandhi and the members of the Nehru clan. He has been described as one of the most erudite people from the subcontinent. He is credited with the drafting of the Indian Constitution. One of his many books that seem to be ahead of its times and is especially relevant in these trying times of identity politics is this one. It was written at the tumultuous times when India was fighting a war for the British while at the same time, in the local front struggling for self-rule. Like two siblings fighting for the coveted candy from their parents, it was a time when Muslims were fighting for a separate nation. The Hindus wanted to keep it that way as it had been since time immemorial. As early as 630AD, through the writings of the travelling Buddhist monk, Hsuan Tang (Xuanzang), the Indian subcontinent had been described to spread from Afghanistan. The 8th-century Indian philosopher, via his travels to the four corners of the country, had demarcated the extent of India. So, to carve out part of the country, for sentimental reasons, is considered sacrilege.
Char Dham (4 Abodes) - Holy pilgrim sites
as described by Adi Shankaracharya from
Kerala who united the nation of India through
his travels and philosophical debates to all
four corners of the country.
From the 8th century onwards, waves upon waves of Muslim invaders infiltrated from the North changing the landscape of the country altogether. It is said the destruction of various gems of knowledge were burnt to the ground. Temples were desecrated and looted. Then on it was a series of the path of destruction with kingdoms rising and falling, each new warrior claiming to protect their way of life. Finally, the British East India Company put the final death knell to the once glorious land. By the time the British were ruling India, the dichotomy between the Hindus and Muslims were quite pronounced. The wealthy Muslims who prospered when the Mogul Emperor was ruling had all lost their influence. At about that time, the Ottoman Empire, the sick man of Europe, was no worthy representative of the past glory of the religion. There was a dire need amongst the elite group to reignite this. The last time, the Hindus and Muslims join forces to combat a common enemy was during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. The Colonial Master must have noticed this and using their time-tested 'divide-and-rule' tactic, they managed to create distrust between the two sides. So, when Independence was fought for, the Muslims were fervent on distrusting the Hindus. They claimed that they would get fair treatment in a country dominated by a Hindu majority. Hence, the call for a Muslim nation called Pakistan began as early as the 1930s. The calls for Islamic union started with Khalifat movement in 1919. They were sympathisers of the Ottoman Empire but were disappointed when Turkey became a republic instead of re-establishing an Islamic Empire. Babasaheb Ambedkar was in a unique position to be the best person to critically evaluate all the merits and demerits of creating a Muslimraj nation. He, having the brunt of the discriminations hurled upon for being a Dalit and a Hindu, knows too well about the downside of the ugly treatment of the backward castes in a Hindu community. Being one who delved in different religions (before his mass conversion later), he is also well versed in the Islamic scriptures. Armed with this knowledge, he went on to discuss whether Partition should happen and what are the dangers should Pakistan were not created, from a Hindu and Muslim perspective.
Ambedkar had a lot of criticisms about Gandhi's way of going about getting Swaraj from the British. His cooperation with the Khalifat Movement and his back-bending means of appeasing to their whims and fancies were frowned upon. His inactions after the Mopla Rebellion in Kerala and the use of his secret weapon, fasting, for political gain and Indian unity were admonished. The Hindus, at least the ones in the upper crust (caste) of the society were mostly against Partition. Many wanted to maintain the status quo by clinging on to the civil service. Creation of a new nation would mean loss of their status. They were happy with Muslims living in India within pockets of Muslim majorities. They felt they would be fair. The French-speaking and the English-speaking Canadian can live together. So can the English and the Boers in South Africa. And Switzerland has a harmonious mix of French, Italians and Germans in their populace. During the writing of the book, Czechoslovakia was living proof that two ethnicities, Czechs and Slovaks can come together as a country. But, at the same time, in the case of Czechoslovakia, trouble can start from within. Like the Sudeten German who engaged Hitler to march into their country. Ambedkar accused the Muslim of unable to show nationalism or nationalistic spirit. For them, there is the only allegiance to religion. The religious tie of Islam is the strongest in humanity. There was no assurance that Pakistan would be fair to their non-Muslim minorities and vice versa. The author was also worried that what was left of India could even disintegrate. Unlike proposed Pakistan with a universal language of Urdu (and religion), India was a potpourri of cultures and languages. On top of all of the above, India had to deal with the bad foreign press. He quoted a 1927 novel 'Mother India' which was written by a Miss Mayo who was quick to paint a horrible picture of traditional Hindu way of life - child brides, widowhood etc. It created great dissatisfaction in India. The story was rewritten later and made into a blockbuster movie in 1957 to instil nationalism. To conclude, in the epilogue, the author took the stand that it was inevitable that Partition should happen. Even though India had survived a cultural basket for generations, the creation of two nations was not pre-destined but a deliberate attempt to emphasise the difference when it was more beneficial to find commonalities. Communal antagonism is present everywhere. We should learn to embrace each other's differences.
Brief Encounter (1945) Director: David Lean When we are caught in a twist, it sometimes feels appropriate to solve our problems ourselves without creating a hue and cry. Bringing out in the open, getting numerous opinions and getting their worthless two-cents' worth of advice may occasionally cause more problems. Being truthful out in public to the aggrieved party may not be the best choice too. Honesty is not always the best policy. This obscure film directed by the same man who did classics 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'The Bridge over River Kwai' also did this gem. The screenplay was written by the famous English playwright, Noel Coward. The film tells the tale of a happily married mother of two and a brief encounter with a charming gentleman en route her return from weekly shopping at the railway station. The occasional weekly meeting turned into something romantic. The gentleman himself was a married man, a doctor, who works once a week at a nearby hospital. Soon realising their wayward ways, after many souls searching, the affair comes to an abrupt end when the doctor uprooted himself to South Africa. What do you know? This film was voted by BFI as British's #2 in their list of top 100 movies of all time, after 'Third Man'. A relevant philosophical question that begs to be answered is sexual loyalty. Values change with time. At the time this film was made, after WW2, after being drawn into the working force in droves to meet local demands in the labour force, women felt empowered. With more freedom, came sexual liberation. It was a time of conservatism, however. Morality varied from class to class. For the middle class, the sanctity of marriage is revered, and promiscuity outside the institution is frowned upon. How things change over time? P/S: Hue and cryis a common law process where bystanders are summoned to help apprehend a criminal. (Wiki)
The American photographer who came to Calcutta during WWII and fell in love with the city Clyde Waddell spent around two years in South Asia, but it was Calcutta that fascinated him.
In December 1940, Clyde Waddell, then a 24-year-old photographer with the Houston Chronicle, a Texan newspaper, travelled with several newspapermen to Brownsville, further south in the state. It was an almost 12-hour bus ride from Houston, Waddell’s hometown, along the Gulf of Mexico that borders Texas. At the time, the airport in Brownsville was the first to offer flights to Mexico. The inaugural flight had the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, who flew in from Mexico City.
It was a year before the US formally entered World War II but the airport was already important militarily for servicing war planes and training pilots. As was then compulsory, Waddell had already enlisted himself in the army two years ago.
Apart from this one trip to Brownsville, Waddell had never travelled beyond his hometown. He was born on June 1916, part of a big family that included six other siblings. Little is known about his early life, but by his early 20s, Waddell was already a press photographer, living away from his family. As a local pressman, he covered events of note in and around Houston.
Towards the end of 1943 – two years after the US formally entered WWII – Waddell began a totally unexpected journey to the other side of the world. Between November 1943 and February 1945, he was a photographer attached to the public relations unit of the Southeast Asia Command, serving as “personal press photographer” to Lord Mountbatten, commander of the allied forces.
"Aerial view of Calcutta downtown. In the upper left background is Hindusthan building, U.S. Army HQ. The oldest part of the city starts at the Esplanade and extends upwards. The city was founded in the early 1700s." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
Waddell accompanied Mountbatten on important missions, such as visiting frontlines and hospital stations. In February 1945, a magazine, Phoenix, was launched as a joint Allied initiative and Waddell joined its staff, basing himself in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He became part of important Allied missions, photographing the war front in Burma (now Myanmar) and travelled to Singapore soon after the Allied victory.
The China-Burma-India war theatre was a vital part of the war. The US, Britain (including British India) and China rallied together – despite ostensible differences in very many areas, ranging from personal to the strategic – to fight the rapidly advancing Japanese. By February 1942, Japan, which had conquered Singapore, began advancing toward British India. The Japanese cut off the Burma Road, which served as an important British supply route from northeast India, and began work on the infamous Burma Railway. In response, Allied forces started building the Ledo Road (also called the Stilwell Road) at the end of December 1942.
"Highlight of the out-of-bounds visit is of course, a look-in on the lassies. These dusky ladies of the night ask from $3.00 to $6.00 for the dubious pleasure they offer..." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
The road supplemented, in large part, the gigantic military apparatus the Allied powers put into operation to hold the Japanese advance. Vast swathes of forestland were struck down to construct nearly 35 airfields, stretching from Agra to eastern India and present-day Bangladesh. Pipelines were extended to supply planes that flew daily sorties over the Himalayas to supply Chinese forces at Yunnan. These airplanes also helped the special demands of aerial photography.
Aerial photography
War photography began with the Crimean War of 1853, but by the Second World War, it had become more complex, specialised and, indeed, a necessity. Aerial photography allowed mapping of enemy territory, especially in this part of the world, which was covered by dense mosquito-infested jungles, where different ethnic groups dominated, rendering conventional reconnaissance methods impossible.us
"This coconut market on Cornwallis street is a sample of the haphazard way in which many bazars are operated...""Indicative of the resumption of an age-old struggle for decent conditions is this post-war picture of tram workers on strike. The strike lasted nine days but employeess won par of their demands." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]"Calcutta boasts the third largest cantilever bridge in the world. Its real importance, however, lies in the fact that it serves as Calcutta's gateway to the west, being the city's only bridge spanning the Hooghly. Taking 7 years to build, it cost $10,000,000. It towers 310 feet as the city's highest structure, is 2,150 feet long with a center span of 1,500 feet. It was completed in 1942, opened in February 1943.""Brahmins worhip in the Kalighat temple... Brahmins are the highest caste of Hindus, their mark of distinction being the piece of string seen in the hand of the gray-haired senior Brahmin.""Indians seem to be great travellers. Wartime transportation priorities have forced many weary travelers to remain in stations, waiting for long periods. Because of no other means, many must set up house-keeping during the long vigil, cooking their food on the spot and sleeping on the bare floor.""This coconut market on Cornwallis street is a sample of the haphazard way in which many bazars are operated...""Indicative of the resumption of an age-old struggle for decent conditions is this post-war picture of tram workers on strike. The strike lasted nine days but employeess won par of their demands." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
Waddell, it appears, flew into Colombo in Sri Lanka, which served as Mountbatten’s headquarters in the war’s initial phase. Photographers who saw war action were part of several squadrons operational in this war sphere, some of which disbanded soon after such as the 9th and 40th reconnaissance squadrons.
Waddell spent around two years in the region, but it was Calcutta that fascinated him. His photographs of the city, some of which were printed in Phoenix – often as the cover – became immensely popular among his colleagues. (He was credited as Joe Waddell.) It was at their request that, on his return home to Texas, Wadell self-published several of his photographs in a book titled A Yank’s Memories of Calcutta.
Besides an introduction provided by an old friend, Charles Preston, and an illustration of the photographer himself, the book contained 60 elegant black and white photos (8 x 10 in) in silver gelatin print. The introduction described Calcutta as a “romantic city”, “full of enigmas” and that only Waddell could have successfully captured its mysteries.revious
"A strong contrast to the splendor of the Jain temple is the Kalighat temple, built in the 1600s. It is famous for the practice of sacrificing goats, as many as 1,500 having been slaughtered in one day. On the bank of a canal cut from the original Ganges bed, it is the temple of the Goddess kali.""Believe it or not, this man has just bitten the head of a live Krait snake. He is professor Sher Mohammed and his feats include drinking acid, eating glass, fire-walking..." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]"Indian movie actresses. Dressed in sarees, 19-year old Binota Bose, left, and Mrs. Rekha Mullick, right, are right at home before the camera and lights. Miss Bose earns $360.00 per month and Mrs. Mullick $210.00. Both are well educated and prefer American books, pictures.""'Patty-cake Annie' is the nickname tagged to the makers of India's most plentiful fuel by American Soldiers who must indulge their sense of humor. The sun-baked cow-dung patties are used by the poorer classes who cannot afford scarce wood for fuel to heat their homes and cook their food.""Nimtolla Mosque, the largest Mohammedan mosque in Calcutta. Its prayer hall will accommodate 10,000 worshippers. A modern specimen of Indo-Saracenic architecture, its minarets are 151 feet high.""A strong contrast to the splendor of the Jain temple is the Kalighat temple, built in the 1600s. It is famous for the practice of sacrificing goats, as many as 1,500 having been slaughtered in one day. On the bank of a canal cut from the original Ganges bed, it is the temple of the Goddess kali.""Believe it or not, this man has just bitten the head of a live Krait snake. He is professor Sher Mohammed and his feats include drinking acid, eating glass, fire-walking..." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
Detailed in these 60 photos are moments that capture Calcutta in the time between two momentous events – the famine of 1943 and the riots that would precede Partition. It was a city teeming with people – residents, refugees and soldiers – and interesting characters from a juggler and snake charmer to society ladies.
Waddell’s book and body of work are now rare collector’s items and some of his pictures were auctioned by Christie's in 2011. Kolkata’s Akriti Gallery had an exhibition of Waddell’s work in 2015 and Robert James Kadel’s book Where I Came In... – In China Burma India, published in 1997 contained parts of Waddell’s book.
"A little snooping in Chinatown will turn up the little opium dens stuck down an alley (not recommended without police escort). Actually, the smokers shown in this picture do it legally. Each den is licensed for so many pipes. Each pipe costs a rupee, a phial of opium five rupees. Average smoker consumes a phial a day and there are about 186 pipes licensed in Calcutta." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
Memorialising war
There were other photographers whose documentation of the war in its many facets remain vital today. Frank Bond, for instance, whose work is digitized in the South Asian library of the University of Chicago, was an aerial photographer who set up the first photo lab at Akyab Island off Burma’s coast to process his photos. There was also George Rodger who covered the retreat of the British forces and wrote a story on the Burma Road as he travelled with the retreating forces toward China.
The filmmaker David Quaid also saw war action when he flew with Merrill’s Marauders as they were airdropped into Japanese-held Burma. Artist photographers like the California-based James Milford Zornesmemorialised life along the Salween river in southwest China.
"The indifference of the passerby on this downtown Calcutta street to the plight of the dying woman in the foreground is considered commonplace. During the famine of 1943, cases like this were to be seen in most every block, and though less frequent now, the hardened public reaction seems to have endured." Photo credit: Clyde Waddell/University of Pennsylvania/Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]
The US Air Transport Command had been set up in 1941 with just three people but by 1944, it had over a hundred thousand personnel. Its planes travelled the globe in secret operations to service US and allied forces. Photographer Tom McAvoy, one of Life magazine’s founders in 1936, flew to India in just ten days and back on the Fireball Express, which travelled from Florida, down the coast of South America, to Natal in South Africa before heading eastward across the Indian Ocean to eastern India, spending only a few hours at each base before moving on.
After Waddell returned to Houston by the end of the war, he never left his hometown to undertake a similar journey again. He spent his time taking pictures and worked, later, in the insurance business. He died in 1997, aged 81. Records show he never married and was happy to remain in his large family of cousins and siblings, all of whom lived close to one other in Texas.
