The same law which punishes others will punish you too!

One Summer of Happiness (Hon Dansade En Sommar;1951, Swedish)

I do not know how I landed viewing this film, but this is one of those films that earned Sweden the reputation of being very liberal in their outlook. Its release met many resistance and controversies because of a scene of skinny dipping and exposure of the mammary gland. As controversy also courts publicity, it was feted with a few international accolades.

A tearful young man arrives at a funeral where the pastor admonishes the seducer of the dead lady to be tied a millstone around his neck and cast into the sea. The tearful man runs into fields and reminisces the last summer that ended.

Not your typical farm girl with rotten teeth

and stinking like a cow as described by the

protagonist's city friends!

Goran, a university student, a town boy, returns to his uncle's farm for summer to spend some time there. He befriends Kerstin, a 17-year-old girl at the farm. Goran gets close to the youths in the countryside and helps to organise recreational events for them. The local school is closed, and the powers that be (controlled by the village holy man, the priest) decided that they will not be any more youth activities as they do not appease their belief and the teachings of the good book. The village is conservative, with a minister of the church taking charge of village matters. He seems unhappy with the youth's lackadaisical attitude towards the church's activities.

Goran's uncle, feeling the plight of the youth, loans his old barn to the youths to organise their own dance and drama activity whilst repairing the debilitated barn. The youth also help the uncle with his planting and farm work.

The minister is not happy with the uninhibited mixing of the sexes during one of the meetings.

Once, the holy man sped past the uncle in his car, the angered uncle gave chase on his cart but went off course and broke his leg.

Summer love?

Another single lady, an aunt, Sigrid, seem to be frowning all the time as if as she is carrying all the world's problems on her shoulder blames the accident as a punishment. Goran and the young ones help to finish off the work as the summer almost reaches midsummer. Midsummer calls for dance, and Goran and Kirsten's love blossoms and flourishes.

Another crisis sets in when Goran decides to stay back in the village to be a farmer. His father knocks some sense into him and coaxes him to continue varsity.

Amidst all this, a village bumpkin, a side character, sets fire of the barn either under the purview or full view of the priest. We are left to wonder whether he is privy to the fire as he always opposed the youth movement. Again, people are murmuring that it is God's punishment.

The controversial scene

The memories of Kristin and his summer love kept tormenting Goran. He leaves university to rejoin the simple village life.

Despite hardships, the young ones managed to put up a stage show to all audience and performers' joy. After a satisfying performance, the lovebirds speed against the wind, two bodies as one, clung together on the motorbike. Speeding along the pebbled country road is what appears like the pastor's car knocks them off the road. Kirsten is mortally wounded and dies on the spot.
The film rolls back to the beginning of the film, of the funeral scene...

As the priest goes on and on, implying that death was just for the immoral activities done, Goran's uncle, in his eulogy parts saying, "The same law which punishes others will punish you too!"
A simple story. Times may change, but the issues remain the same; the youth are immoral through the ages, and the law of nature will punish the wrongdoers. We talk and talk, but the sinners and wrongdoers go on doing what they do best, but no thunderbolt of lightning seem to be striking their evil deeds. We pacify by saying that our mind is too simple to understand God's elaborate plan for the children he loves. And time throttles on through the universe...

NB. Every generation proclaims that the nay is near... Kaliyuga, Kalki, Armageddon, all fancy names to denote the same endpoint!

2013 Sony World Photography Awards Shortlist (2)

Part of a series about gorillas. These apes losing their natural habitat due to the greed and diseases of humankind.(© Regis Boileau, France, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

On the edge of Oklahoma's Ozarks, where prairies ascend to rolling hills, an outgrowth of American tradition thunders in the air. Under a summer sun, gun enthusiasts peer down the sights of devastating weapons at the annual Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot and Trade Show (OFASTS), one of the country's largest fully automatic machine gun expos. In the valley below, explosive-laden cars, airplanes, and old appliances lie in wait; incendiary prizes for the sharp or lucky. Story Rush, a kindergarten teacher from Greenwood, Alaska, fires an M1919 Browning .30 caliber machine gun on the first night of OFASTS. "It is such an adrenaline rush," she explained with after stepping back from the weapon. She had traveled to OFASTS for the first time with her husband and eight-year-old son. "I grew up hunting with my Dad so guns are nothing unusual for me," she said. (© Pete Muller, United States, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Ways in the sky. Branches aligned in a forest of poplars. (© Jose Ramon Moreno, Spain, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Portrait. (© Ali Asadi, Iran, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Face to face with a whale shark. (© Christian Vizl, Mexico, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Havana, Cuba. Havana weather in July and August counts as brutally hot. Short but heavy rains are very common and welcomed by locals, especially kids. (© Val Proudkii, USA, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Tree. (© Marek Andrzejewski, Poland, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Native Doctor Lekwe Deezia claims to heal mental illness through the power of prayer and traditional herbal medicines. While receiving treatment, which can sometimes take months, his patients are chained to trees in his courtyard. They are not given shelter or protection from the elements. One patient tells the photographer they are sometimes beaten for no reason. The Niger Delta, Nigeria, October 2012.(© Robin Hammond, New Zealand, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

A greyhound ends first in his race, and although the lure is right in front of him, he's looks straight into the eyes of the photographer (me) and continues his run. I had to jump for my life taking this picture. Photographed in Belgium.(© Rob Van Thienen, Belgium, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

My cat is multilingual?

Felix (aka Ubi)

If my cat were human, I am sure that he would be a somewhat confused child. Probably, not to the extent of mental derangement, needing a veterinary psychologist but stressed out, no doubt.

My cat gets many earfuls (usually of the loving type) from many family members. Instructions in many languages are passed on daily. My wife gives her instructions to Felix (the cat) in Hindi; children converse in English and some kind of molly-cuddly gibberish language; a dose of Cambodian language and song is also thrown into the spanner! The surprising thing is that the feline-beings obey obediently to orders, sometimes. At other times, he does not give a damn. He just maintains visual attention and carries on his own life, unlike a canine counterpart who would jump in joy looking at your presence!

That just brought back to a time in 1982 when Rexxie, my dog, used to wander around our household in Penang. When my cousin visited us back, he was surprised that Amma spoke to him in Tamil. For him, animals only understood English!

Speak in riddles, Parseltongue!

Lord Yama

It is interesting to see men who had been in the limelight of late for deeds not deemed moralistic by an average simple minded plebeian, a simpleton, is invoking the quiet sleeping giants, i.e. the Gods. One was seen religiously performing religious rights and seen regularly in the temple. Whilst the other, thanked the Divine one and the spirits of the unceremoniously departed for saving him from the clutches of The Reaper and the Man on the Bull recently.
I always thought, which shows how naive I am, that a man should say what he means and mean what he says. I also thought that it is as succinct and precise as that. A mark of a true gentleman is just that. There was a time when man would hold by their word to the grave. But then, that was a time which seem so distant, almost eons away. Now,words are just words, a means to impart orders but not intentions. Only the wrong doers, the conniving mavericks and lawyers are allowed to play with their words and bend the truth by introducing elements of doubt and technicalities.
The Gods must be taking a step backward and smiling to the antics of man invoking His name in all their deeds and misdeeds, oblivious to Master plan that He has planned.....Hee..hee..hee...
When the going was too good, nobody complained and God or The Force was nowhere near the equation. Fast forward when the churning was in disharmony, people dissociate themselves from the union and start blackmailing with piecemeal information to spend most time grabbing the microphone and hoarding the rostrum!
And I always thought, one good deed deserves another.
In Tamil language, they have a saying.... It is no use performing sun worshiping rituals when the floods have risen your neck level. Go figure!

Mother of all spaghetti westerns!

Django 1966
The music score starts with a catchy tune 'Django'. A blue eyed cowboy drags along pulling his coffin through the muddy road.
In next scene, this cowboy (FrancoNero), shoots a gang of Mexicans and a group of cowboys who ungentlemanly shoves around a blonde damsel. The silent cowboy rescues the damsel in distress and heads to town.
A certain Major Jackson who terrorizes the town and has a bone to pick with our hero as the 5 men in the beginning scene were Jackson's henchmen. The Mexicans whom our hero, Django shot, come to town to avenge and take back Maria, the damsel in distress. Django had come to town to kill his wife's killers.
Django, with his secret weapon on the coffin that he drags - an automatic machine gun!, bulldozed the Mexicans. Django has a sad past, his wife had been gunned down during his absence. In the final showdown, Django with his broken hands, managed to gun down Major Jackson and his henchmen all his 6 barrel pistol at the cemetery scene.
This is one classic film in the genre of spaghetti western where the story defies logic but one should just watch for its entertainment value. Do not ask how a cowboy comes in possession of a machine gun which I think was invented in WW2. [Actually, check with Wikipedia reveals that early version of machine guns predates American Civil War, but was too expensive to be used, so it makes sense].
Also don't ask how a cowboy with broken hand can shoot a 6-barreled Smith and Western to finish off easily 10 bandits (or was it just 6?)!

Spy vs. Spy

Prestige 2006

This is a very interesting Christopher Nolan movie set at the end of the 20th century with his trademark twisting story-telling which goes freely into the future and back as well as dabbles with a bit of history of the epic rivalry between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Alva Edison over AC current.

It tells a story of two rival illusionists from London who would go to great lengths to outdo the other. Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) starts together as apprentices not in best cordial of relationships. They become arch rivals when Angier's wife dies during an escapist's trick and  Borden is blamed for tying the wrong knot. 

David Bowie as Tesla

Actually the film is told in a non linear narration form and the viewer can make sense of the story as the story progresses. The story starts with Bolden in jail accused of killing Angier and is to be hung. 

Both remain bitter rivals. When Borden  perform an impossible trick where he appears through another door almost as instantaneous as he enters one 20 feet away, Angier is perplexed. He sends his girlfriend/assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansen) to spy on his foe. 

Angier is told to visit Nicola Tesla (David Bowie) in Colorado Springs to get his inspiration. The disgruntled scientist, whom has his own issues with Thomas Alva Edison (Just like Borden and Angier), runs some research for him. The work is hijacked by Edison's men but he manages to discover a duplicating machine!

Angier and his faithful mastermind (Michael Caine) perform their new trick to a roaring audience. 

Be prepared for a surprise ending!
It is a philosophical comparison between masters of illusion and masters of science to illustrate what lengths they would go to seek fame and fortunes - Angier and Borden vs. Tesla and Edison!

Teenage Swedish love

Sommaren med Monika (Summer with Monika, 1953; Swedish)
Ingar Bergman is a reputable director who holds a special place in the hearts of film makers like Satyajit Ray, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen and even Spielberg and Ang Lee. This is the first of Bergmann's many movies that I have started watching. The reviews would come on rolling as I watch them one by one.
Being liberal in his outlook of protrayal of women in his movies, especially of Harriet Anderson with whom he had an intimate relationships, he manage to earn the stereotyping of Swedish films of being 'R' rated!
It starts with the usual fashion of any great film, with the help of black and white cinematography for romanticism, of the day to day hard work of our hero, of the working class section of Sweden toiling with his loaded tricycle. The protagonist, Harry, is in an unsatisfying job as a helper in a glassware shop manned by nagging supervisors and bosses. In a bar, he meets an outgoing girl, Monika, who seems to be quite friendly. She is living in a poor noisy neighbourhood with his drunk father in a small one room flat. After a tiff at her workplace and her father, she leaves home to meet Harry. Together, in Harry's father's boat, they spend the whole summer lazing around the islets near Stockholm. The seeming angelic dame slowly turns devilish and transforms into a demanding, nagging and almost hysterical witch! By then, she is pregnant and they decide to marry.
Marriage is no bed of roses. Monika is not prepared for motherhood whilst Harry tries to improve his family by attending night school. Monika still misses the care free life before meeting Harry. Things hit the ceiling when another man is caught in bed with her. Monika leaves home and Harry is left with his daughter. He moves on.....