An early talkie

M (1931, German)
Director: Fritz Lang
The year is 1931, Germany. Malaysia was still a colony with its subjects still oblivious of self governance and politics. The first Malayan political party, Malayan Communist Party was only established in 1932. Germany, under many capable and creative filmmakers were already making moving talkies.
M is Lang's first talking movie and definitely one of early gems of the industry.

Symbolism - Balloon trapped denoting 

child trapped by murderer

It tells about the a serial child murderer, Beckhert, (Peter Lorre who is seen in many of Hitchcock's films later). It is told in a very smooth way elaborating many police procedural techniques which were quite alien at that time. Even in the 30s, one can see the meticulous manner of the German in solving problems.

M for Mörder  

The frequent police ambushes into pubs interfere with many businesses. The mob bosses and the police go against each other to lay their hands on the child murderer. The mobs use an ingenious way involving beggars to sniff out Beckhert.

The mobs succeed in apprehending the perpetrator to bring him to a kangaroo court, presided by the mob boss and juried by the public. In a non-typical fashion, for a movie at that time, when characters are either good or bad, here we are shown the other side of the wrong doer. He pleads for acquittal when he describes his sickness and inability to control his inner desires.

Peter Lorre A comedian turn villain 

As the era of silent movies were just being phased out, the style of acting (or overacting, over-expressiveness)  still continues. There are a few original ideas of film taking seen here, like the use of mirrors to tell stories and non conventional angles of camera like the ones often seen in Orson Welles' movies.
A true classic!

No pain no gain?

The jury is still out on why runners from certain part of Eastern African, especially of a certain tribe in Kenya do extremely well in middle and long distance races. People of the Kalenjin tribe who comprise 0.6% of the world population have the honour of holding more than 40% of the world honours in distances of 800m and above, all the way to marathon. Many theories have been suggested for their lion's share on these records.
The familiar reasons that have been told to us are their physique, training in high altitude, their low socio-economic status and running as their trump card to freedom, bla, bla...
Now, I heard of a new quasi-genetic explanation for their superiority - their tolerance to pain!
In 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the unforgettable heroic saga to victory of a certain athlete, Kipchoge Keino, started the flood gates of subsequent champions emerging from that side of the world. After the preliminary rounds, Kip was to partake in 3 events, namely 10,000m, 5,000m and 1500m. He collapsed during the 10,000m finals. His doctor diagnosed him to have cholecystitis (gall bladder infection) and advised him to call it quits. Kip defied doctor's orders and ran the 5,000m to win the silver medal. Again the doctor discouraged him to run another race. The gallbladder was apparently at risk of rupture, so the story goes! In spite of the stinging pain at every breath of fresh air, Kip persevered.

The 1500m finals of Mexico City Olympics turned out to be a tale of human endeavour. Jack Ryun of USA, the then world record holder for the event with his 'kick' was favoured to win. Starting as last in the first lap, Kip zoomed past everybody to, not only to beat Ryun but to break the Olympic record with his gall bladder infection. There was a 20m gap between him and Ryun.
A theory suggested for their tenacity is the ritual of the Kalenjin tribe adolescents had to go through as they came of age. This ritual is an elaborate ritual of circumcision with skewers and tying the prepuce in a bow tie fashion. The boys' face are applied with mud which dries up. During the circumcision, the boys are not allowed to grimace as evidenced by flaking of mud on their faces. Failure of this test would result in severe beating and loss of licence to find a partner, hence reproductive opportunities. They are required to run everywhere with the pain. Women are required to undergo their own circumcision rituals.
In the long run, only those with high pain threshold had been selected to continue the progeny!
The newer generation of Kalenjins, of course, do not wish to be tortured this way. Even their parents are quite happy with their offspring having the cut into adulthood with modern analgesic techniques. Does that mean that the Kenyan runners would one day eventually loose their prowess?

So, no pain no gain. Of course they would be aches and they would be pains, only the ones who persevere will live to see the finishing line....
Ref: WYNC's Radiolab, Shorts: Cut and Run

Blind Justice?

So you think the truth will always prevail? You tell me that justice is impartial and is always fair. Is it just me or why is it that I think that it just a farce, just created to pacify a crying child. It is never fair. Justice is blind, deaf, mute, dumb and everything in between.

So, there I was, driving like a good guy, crossing the junction after ensuring that the road is clear. In fact, the cars at the T-junction waited for me to cross. Out of nowhere, comes a motorcyclist weaving through the traffic in between cars to crash directly to the side of my car. No warning, no honk, just like that, like a death wish.
And there I was trying to help him out to be up on his feet. Somehow, I felt the whole accident was staged. Out of nowhere, people appeared to the site offering various services - towing, insurance claims and unwarranted less than 2cents' worth of opinions.
And when, I, as a diligent citizen, made my police report, I was told that I was not totally off the hook. After listening out my story, the investigating officer suggested it was my duty too to ensure that nobody comes my way when I drive!
I was there, I know what happened!
And my father tells me of a civil court case where the presiding judge decreed that in a case of an accident at a junction, even if the traffic light is green on his side, the onus is still on the driver to ensure that there was no oncoming vehicle. What a load of crap? The law is blind alright!

Rare Historical Photos

Thanks to TM and SK for these priceless pictures!

A boxing match on board the USS Oregon in 1897

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Here's his report card! 1896 - highest marks in Algebra - Physics - Geometry and lower marks in languages

Samurai taken between 1860 and 1880.

A shell shocked reindeer looks on as World War II planes drop bombs on Russia in 1941

Roy O. and Walt Disney on the day they opened Disney Studios. 

Young Bill Gates & The Microsoft staff in 1978. 11 people - 2 women 5 beards

The last known Tasmanian Tiger photographed in 1933. The species is now extinct.

A different angle taken of "Tank Man," the man who stood against a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square.

He is standing in the street between the tree trunk and the fleeing man.

You can see the tanks approaching from the right.

Winston Churchill out for a swim. Typical swim suit of the day

The London sky following a bombing and dogfight between British and German planes in 1940.

Martin Luther King, Jr removes a burned cross from his yard in 1960. The boy is his son.

Google begins. 34 people here

Nagasaki, 20 minutes after the atomic bombing in 1945.

A Native American overlooking the newly completed transcontinental railroad in 1868.

The Great San Francisco Fire and Earthquake of 1906.

A Japanese plane is shot down during the Battle of Saipan in 1944.

The original Ronald McDonald -- played by Willard Scott!

Hitler in Paris

Grounded aircraft on September 11, 2001 await orders.

British SAS back from a three month long patrol of North Africa, January 18, 1943.

Disneyland employee cafeteria in 1961.

The first McDonalds. - buy em by the bag ---- on the sign

Fidel Castro lays a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial.

California Iumberjacks work on Redwoods. Thousands of tree rings in these ancient trees each over 1000+ years old or even much older........such a shame - irreplaceable giants- national park treasures all gone but a few - what kind of men would do such a thing for over 100 years ---
Destroy something they cannot ever fix or replace for 2000 years?
It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1200-1800 years or more. ...
An estimated 95% or more of the original old-growth redwood forest has been cut.
In 1850, old-growth redwood forest covered more than 2,000,000 acres
(8,100 acres by... 1968, by which time nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife on the day they were assassinated in 1914, the event that sparked World War I.

The 1912 World Series.

Bill and Hillary Clinton playing volleyball in 1975. A future US President

Elvis in the Army.

The first photo following the discovery of Machu Pichu in 1912.

Child laborers in 1880.

New York's Times Square in 1911.

Construction of Christ the Redeemer in Rio da Janeiro, Brazil, built between 1926-31.

Steamboats on the Mississippi River in 1907.

The Beatles meet Muhammad Ali. (Or was he still Cassius Clay?)

The construction of Disneyland

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Arnold Schwarzenegger on the day he received his American citizenship.

Fourteen year-old Osama bin Laden. He's second from the right. - bell bottom pants - pink car - expensive shops, nice threads, about 24 people out smiling --- looking hip for the day and not one woman has their face or head covered

Construction of the Statue of Liberty in 1884.

Men-made famine 1943

Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder; 1973; Bengali)

Director: Satyajit Ray

In 1971, George Harrison and friends including Ravi Shankar, did a mammoth concert to garner support to feed people affected by a civil war as well as a cyclone in 1970.

In 1943, 5 million people from the Bengali subcontinent died due to its most significant man-made famine. This story essentially is about this. It is not a docu-drama about the devastating effects of or the hopelessness of the calamity but rather a saga about human emotions and reactions to adversity.

Gangacharan Chakravarthy (Soumitra Chatterjee, a regular star in many of Ray's films) is a poor Brahmin who stays in the shack by the edge of a village. He gets on with life with his loving young wife, Ananga, teaching in a village school, treating villagers' ailments and performing religious rituals in return for villagers' respect and food supply. Ganga is respected for his intellect and his high caste.

The sight of flying planes seem to fascinate the simple-minded villagers, but a neighbouring villager warns of the imminent rise of the price of rice because of a looming war. Feeding the fighting Army seems to be the priority of the Government of the day. Slowly we see that as the price of rice increases and the supplies becoming scarce, the mild-mannered nature of villagers gradually changes. Somehow, Ananga still gets a little respect due to his caste.

Life becomes more difficult. Even at a time when hunger is still not satisfied, somehow man's flame for carnal pleasure remains not fizzled. The scariest looking bloke in the village who has a partially burnt face, working in a kiln and shunned by everyone has bargaining power as he has managed to smuggle a large pile of rice stock. 

Ganga has to start working to supplement income. Her friend, a married woman, Chutki, succumbs to scarface's sexual advances for exchange for food.

All her long-held believes about monogamy and chastity go down the drain as hunger builds up.

Even though people from lower caste are dying, the general public shun them. Ganga, the healing touch in him, decides to give a proper cremation for her. The movie ends with the shadow of a group of famine-stricken neighbouring villagers walks towards the Ganga household. Ganga laments that he has another 10 mouths to feed. His wife corrects him by saying '11' whilst rubbing her belly!

The more you watch Ray's movie, the more you appreciate Kurosawa's words - One who has seen the films of Satyajit Ray has lived on earth and has not seen the moon and the stars! How true... sheer pleasure!

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