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50 POWERFUL PHOTOS CAPTURE EXTRAORDINARY MOMENTS IN THE WILD

http://www.the-open-mind.com/50-powerful-photos-capture-extraordinary-moments-in-the-wild/#HRZVv7z7hSyZujDK.99

When cross dressing was a fad

Mrs Doubtfire (1993)


I could not help but tend to compare this movie with its copycat off-shoot, Avvai Shanmugi (1996) starring Kamalhaasan and the rib-tickling rolling on the floor witty script by Crazy Mohan.
Maybe because I had watched the latter and not the former, I found Avvai Shanmugi more of riot with gut rolling laughter. The plot in AS is more complicated. Maybe because it was a Tamil movie and nobody would watch any movie which last less than 2.5 hours (low on money worths' scale), they had to make the characters more deeply entrenched in the masala of seeing an attractive single working Indian lady!
The frequent tongue-in-cheek double speak dialogue penned by Crazy Mohan must have been the primary reason why Avvai Shanmugi reached enviable heights in modern Tamil cinema.
Mrs Doubtfire stars two great actors - Robin Williams and Sally Field. The movie won the Academy awards for Best make-up for that year but unfortunately did not impress the reviewers then as it itself was viewed as a copycat movie from Dustin Hoffman's 'Tootsie' (1982). Cross dressing was also seen in 1959's 'Some like it Hot' (Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon). Rafoo Chakker was Bollywood's adaptation of 'Some like it Hot'.

Beware! They may be laughing at you, not with you.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944)

"People say I can't sing, but they can't say I didn't sing!"

Sometimes fame and fortune goes to our head. We think people around us who appear happy laughing away actually laugh with us. We believe we have such an aura that draws us to our wit and charisma. We think we have that innate charm to seduce people to yearn to be in our presence. We believe that they are having such a good time, laughing with us at our jokes. The truth, however, may be far from that. They may actually be laughing AT us!

I heard a podcast recently of a lady in the early twentieth century who refused to accept her inadequacies of being an operatic singer.

Since she was young, she had been interested in being a singer. Seeing her lack of aptitude, her father denied her of her wish. Luck came to Ms Jenkins in the form of a handsome inheritance after her parents separated and her mother subsequently passed away.

With her newfound wealth (she earlier struggled to make ends meet with her meagre income as a music teacher), she enrolled the best teachers and trained in Europe. Many were disheartened with the ability of the student but admired her courage.

After that, it was a party and singing to a group of people who 'enjoyed' her work. She would criticise her detractors as being jealous of her ability. She managed to avoid big public performances till the age of 76, when she bowed to the pressures of her fans. She performed to a packed Carnegie Hall, which had never seen such a turnout since its inception.

The reviews in newspapers were scathing, to say the least. They crucified her performance and ridiculed her every note - even though the audience had a whaling good time. Even one of the songs was aptly named 'The Laughing Song'.

This final outing turned out to be the coup de grâce for Ms. Florence Foster Jenkins. She died of a massive heart attack a week after her Carnegie Hall performance!

... true path of the profession?

Red Beard (赤ひげ Akahige, Japanese; 1965)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

The message in this 1965 film is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. It explores humanity, our existence and the true path of how the practice of medicine should be. It tries to drive the point that people involved in this noble profession should be socialist at heart and capitalism may be their enemy. That poverty and ignorance is the real reason why people remain sick and become ill because medical service desert the very people who logically need more attention. Every individual who appears helpless and unimpressive at the end of his life may actually have a heart wrenching tale associated with his life. There may be a string of mourners or well wishers crying behind him or they may carry a secret to their grave. If we understand the dynamics of the life of an individual, we would understand why he is acting the way he is acting.

This 3 hour movie is set in the early 19th century Japan where modern medicine was slowly creeping into Shogun Japan.
A cocky young Dutch-medicine trained doctor, Yasumoto, is tricked to work at a rundown village hospital for the poor which is perennially short of hands and supplies. It is headed by a dedicated chief doctor Niide nicknamed 'Red Beard' for the colour of his beard. The haughty young doctor refuse to partake in any of their activities or don their uniform. He was hoping that his services would be terminated and be sent off back to city where he plans to work as a doctor treating the rich and famous members of the Shogunate. That was where the money was and he wanted to enjoy the fruit of his hard work.

Dr Yasumoto, slowly realises the real meaning of practicing medicine through the patients that he is exposed to. A rich gold leaf painter in his death bed like an orphan. Yasumoto is assigned to accompany him in his last moments which is supposed to be most solemn.

Then there was a philanthropist who is liked by everyone and has a dark secret. He reveals on his death bed the death of wife who jilted him.

During Dr Niide's tour of duty treating patients in the village, he rescues a 12 year old child from a brothel. She is emotionally disturbed by her ordeal. She is taken in to the hospital and she becomes an important pillar for Dr Yasumoto's acceptance of the concept of medicine for the masses.

In a secluded hut near the hospital also housed is a mysterious lady who has the reputation of hurting her lovers.

A subplot involves a small boy who steals from the hospital kitchen to feed his ailing family. He finds it more convenient to steal than to beg for alms. At a sad moment, his misdemeanour is discovered and his family attempts suicide. The boy is saved.
After all the events that happened, Dr Yasumoto realises that he is much needed in this tiny hospital for the poor than the rich. He follows the path of Dr Niide.
This feel good movie is a good wake up call for all those in the medical profession. With all the increasing pressures from the growing capitalistic demands, practitioners tend to go astray from their intended intention to serve the sick and needy.

The take home lesson from this movie is that the world can be a cruel one. We cannot singlehandedly change all this it our lifetime. At the same time, we cannot just lift our hand in surrender. Every little small thing that we do may actually alter the course of someone's life. That little thing that we do may indeed make this place a better place to live in. It is a timely reminder that medicine is a great deal more than an avenue into a fashionable career of attending parties of the rich of famous, looking pretty and donning the pages of the 'Tatler'!

The violent past

Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城 Kumonosu-jô, Spider's Web Castle, 1957; Japanese)
Written and Direction by: Akira Kurusawa

Since I have not been lucky enough to endowed in an environment splashed with culture and art, nevertheless, I try to educate and enrich the right side of the brain through the back door.
Instead of reading and digesting the moth filled papyrus scrolls, I choose to watch movies instead.
Through my latest escapade, I managed to venture into Shakespeare's darkest tragedy, Macbeth. This, I discovered about watching Kurosawa's 1957 offering of 'Kumonosu-jo', which is quite closely based on the former. The story is set in the 16th century feudal Japan, a tumultuous and violent times indeed.
Washizu and Miki are victorious generals returning to meet their Lord in Spider's Web Castle through a fog filled forests only to be lost and to come face to face with a spirit. Unprovoked, the spirit foretold their futures, that Washiku would be a Commander and subsequently the Lord of Spider's Web Castle and that Miki be a Commander of another fort, a short life but his son would be the Lord of the Castle! They laughed it off only to realise that the first prediction came through.
Washizu confesses the event to his wife, Asaji. Asaji proved to be the evil one, masterminding all of Washizu's subsequent moves. Washizu, in spite of his masculine prowess, seem powerless in front of his wife. The conniving wife prods him further and further to kill and con his way to ensure that the prophecy of the spirit actually materialises.
Washizu actually wants to name Miki's child as his successor after he becomes the Lord of the Spider's Web Castle, after killing the present, no thanks to Asaji's impish plans. But then Asaji becomes pregnant, shelving the plan. The pregnancy ends up as a stillbirth and Asaji has post partum depression.
The carnage goes on. Even Miki is killed on Washizu's orders. The guilt of Wishizu takes its toll on Asaji. Even Washizu's man mutinied against him and shot him down when the castle was attacked by enemies.
The whole show is acted in the traditional Japanese drama style called Noh where actors do not show much emotion but wear a pale face. It only further adds on to the hopeless and melancholic life that feudal society is leading.
The philosophical look in history shows that every civilisation goes on to the next level through violence either through nature's wrath - clash of asteroid, volcanic eruption, earthquake or global warming; or through wrath of men himself (war, fire, famine). Fear of the unknown or paranoia of malady is a strong stimulus for man to plan for his future. At the same time, spreading the fear of a life beyond the realm of conscious mind is another way to rein them to behave in a kind fashion to each other and hopefully peace can reign and the weak can survive.
Is our fate decided or do we decide our fate?
In 'Macbeth' and 'Throne of Blood', the prophecy of witches/spirit comes true. It can argued that the first prediction was due to materialise anyway as they were returning victoriously from they were supposed to do. Just because the first prediction came through, they is a human desire (greed) to make the subsequent predictions to materialise. Sometimes our actions are geared to make it a reality!

O' Captain, my captain!

Dead Poet's Society (1989)

All of us had that favourite teacher in school who could motivate and connect with you. He would have been that sympathetic ear that could understand all the teenage angst that you went through. He probably would have also changed the direction of your future as you had struggle through the aimless journey in those trying years.
This coming-of-age film is one which depicts such a teacher.
 In spite of all turbulences that Robin Williams had to go through as he manoeuvred through the crypts of life, he managed to inspire many a teenager to indulge in poetry and literature when he took the role of an English teacher, Mr John Keating, in this movie. Many still remember the verses 'Carpe diem' and 'O' Captain, my Captain'.
Just like 'The Paper Chase' with Prof. Charles Kingsfield and his sarcastic remarks to his Year One Law Students, the dialogues exchanged between Mr Keating and his students is simply poetically entertaining.
In essence, Dead Poet's Society is a story about a group of first year of a preparatory school students, their teacher who motivates them into liking poetry and literature, a student who defied his father's wishes for him to become a doctor but become an actor, his heartbreak, his suicide and the final expulsion of Mr. Keating for inciting chaos to age old traditional practices of the school.
The film is filled with many heart wrenching poetic lines that are worth sharing.