A makeover?

The War of the Roses(1989)
Directed by: Danny DeVito

Watching this movie again after 30 years gives a different perspective to this movie altogether. In the first viewing, the message I remember taking back was that divorces are nasty affairs. Period. Now, it opens a different perspective of what is going through the minds of each of the involved parties as they execute each move to prosecute and subsequently persecute their significant other. 

For those in the dark about this movie, it came about at a time when the trio of Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito was riding high after their super-duper blockbusters' Romancing the Stone' and its sequel' Jewel of the Nile'.

The original 'War of the Roses' refers to the feud between factions of English Nobel houses which were eyeing the English throne in the Middle Ages. In this film, however, the war is between the Man and Wife of the Rose family.

It starts with a law student, Oliver, meeting Barbara, a gymnast, at an auction site. It was love at first sight, and they hooked up. They marry, have two kids and prosper together as Oliver's career goes from strength to strength. Over the years, Oliver had become a hotshot lawyer, and Barbara manages the kids and the home. Life was blissful when in melodious lyrics of 'Obladi Oblada' Progressively, Barbara starts feeling that she is just playing second fiddle to the whole set-up. Oliver seems to be doing all the intelligent, correct, and appropriate things whilst she remains socially awkward and not-so-intelligent. Rift builds up.

All the while, Oliver left all the managing of the domestic front to his wife while he concentrated on his role as the provider. He brought the cash, and she managed diligently. He thought everybody cared for each other playing their respective roles for the betterment of everyone in the Rose family. So, sixteen years of his marriage, when he was admitted for a suspected myocardial infarct, he was flabbergasted. Oliver thought he was going to die, but Barbara did not even show concern. She was more engrossed in her newly-found interest in catering. The children were already gone to college. One thing led to another, and Barbara finally admits that the loving feeling is gone. She wants a divorce. In comes the negotiations and the legal wrangle over the possession of the family home. Both parties feel they had invested too much in the house to just give it up just like that. The fight to own the house becomes so explosive and personal until they end up hanging on the chandelier in the phenomenal final scene of the movie, both refusing to give up ownership.

Till death do you apart?
Not stopping just at the kitchen sink. 

How did it end up like this? Snap out of it. This is reality. Eternal love and till death brings us apart only happens in the dreamer's make-believe world. Fairy tales do not tell what happens after the last page that says, "...and they lived happily forever and ever!' Biochemical excitations that spark at the spring of youth fizzles with advancing age in declining virility and altered life priorities. These changes differ between individuals. Rift occurs, and existential crisis may ensue.

Perhaps in man, this midlife crisis may manifest in acts of flamboyance- buying a flashy sports car, renewed interests in new hobbies or even seeking a trophy wife or mistress are sure give away tell-tale signs. In others, maybe, it is an existential crisis- a validation of sorts of their existence. They may re-evaluate all they had done in their life and realise that they had sacrificed too much for others' well-being and forgot their own in the process. They would have found solace in helicoptering their children. But they had overgrown their nest and want to fly solo. Again they feel disposed. They may delve into spirituality to improve their standings in Life 2.0 or dive head-on into something new, away from all their previous commitments. A revolution or just for the kick of it? What the heck. 

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It comes around eventually!

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

They say that there is no such thing as the perfect crime. Even when a seemingly seamless crime is committed, somehow, something would go awry. A slight oversight, a chance DNA evidence or worse still when it involves two or more partners in crime, mutual suspicion and fear of double-crossing would spur one of them to act silly to arouse suspicion of the unsuspecting. The criminals occasionally appear at the crime scene to look at his 'trophy'.

Nature has its own way of punishing the perpetrator. Even though its fixing of things may not appear clear-cut, one can feel that poetic justice is served at the end of the day. Nature has a wicked sense of humour and warped amusement standards. Balance is maintained, nevertheless.

This classic film noir, made in 1946 and acted by John Garfield and the vivacious and sultry Lana Turner, grasps your attention from the word go. The first-person background narration and loud background music add to the suspense and the unpredictability of both characters on their next move. It starts with a rolling stone, Frank Chambers, stopping at a diner to work as a helping hand. There is an instant attraction to the owner's young and flirtatious wife, Cora. One thing leads to another, and a plot to murder the filling station owner - husband, is hatched and executed successfully in a planned accident.

After this, the plot becomes twisted where the members of the legal profession try to confuse Cora and Chambers. Frank hears about an insurance policy bought under the husband's name for the first time. Here, the story attempts to take a jab at the legal profession. It shows how the court makes a charade of the charge, admission of guilt and leniency.

The ensuing tension between Frank and Cora is illustrated beautifully in the rest of the movie to give real meaning to the film's title. Just like how we always hear the postman's second ring of the doorbell, fate has a sure way to trap us in our mistakes. We cannot run away from our wrongdoings.