Lagaan - Film Review
April 10th 2006 02:08
Last night at 9:30, SBS showed Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, a fascinating film that brings out the 'cheer for the underdog' sentiments in all of us.
Lagaan was nominated for Best Foriegn Film in the 2002 Academy Awards, and has been celebrated as "an enormously entertaining film" by Roger Ebert. The director, Ashutosh Gowariker, did a marvelous job of bringing 19th century India to us in full, spectacular colour, and his stunning landscapes are nearly enough to cause mass migration to the drought-plaugued Indian provinces.
Bollywood films usually contain, I'm sure you know, a series of song and dance routines that often seem incongruous to the story. Indians like their movies to be hard-hitting with the love, and the songs from the films usually climb their way on the pop charts.
At the heart of the film, it's about the English colonial effort in India at the turn of the 20th century... the natives suffer under the heavy taxes imposed by the cruel English military. In order to stand for their rights, the villagers challenge the soldiers to a cricket match, with the taxes as the prize.
I didn't see Lagaan in the movie theatre. No, I saw it in the street, during the Montreal Film Festival, where they show a different free film every night on rue Ste. Catherine.
Rue Ste. Catherine is a commerical hub of sorts in Montreal, with shops lined up and down on both sides, with strip clubs and churches next to each other, and heavenly poutine available for consumption at any time of day.
It was summer, and while it wasn't as hot as Sydney, the humidity made it despicably uncomfortable. Watching Lagaan, watching those villagers practice the then-bizarre sport of cricket in the dusty desert flats, I could almost feel the beating sun pushing down on the back of my neck.
That night, I ate a lot of ice-cream, trying to stay cool. My friends fanned themselves with club flyers, and suggested that we leave and have a Rum and Coke on ice. 'After,' I said forcefully.
Dancing in Bollywood movies never impressed me; other than the colourful costumes and the voluptuous women, the dance routines felt so out-of-place, disturbing the timing of the movie. Lagaan suffers from the same - the enchanting story is jolted by the Hindi musical numbers, causing me to tap my fingers impatiently.
On the street, we were all siting on the ashphalt, oily residues marking our hands and bottoms. Low-cut jeans were popular that summer, and in front of me there was a veritable field of visible thongs and ass cracks. That's not as pleasant as it may sound... some cracks are not to be looked at.
Roger Ebert compares Lagaan to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is, I think, a very apt comparison. Both movies show a dreamlike portrait of their respective countries, with the hero struggling to become more than he/she appears.
Watching Lagaan gives you a real fiery rage towards the English, and it's predictable ending is heartwarming, even in the muggy, overwhelming heat of a Montreal summer. The film is an incredible story of hidden strength, and Aussies that feel the burden of high taxes would love, I'm sure, to challenge John Howard to a cricket match.
Lagaan Movie Poster
Bollywood films usually contain, I'm sure you know, a series of song and dance routines that often seem incongruous to the story. Indians like their movies to be hard-hitting with the love, and the songs from the films usually climb their way on the pop charts.
At the heart of the film, it's about the English colonial effort in India at the turn of the 20th century... the natives suffer under the heavy taxes imposed by the cruel English military. In order to stand for their rights, the villagers challenge the soldiers to a cricket match, with the taxes as the prize.
I didn't see Lagaan in the movie theatre. No, I saw it in the street, during the Montreal Film Festival, where they show a different free film every night on rue Ste. Catherine.
Rue Ste. Catherine is a commerical hub of sorts in Montreal, with shops lined up and down on both sides, with strip clubs and churches next to each other, and heavenly poutine available for consumption at any time of day.
It was summer, and while it wasn't as hot as Sydney, the humidity made it despicably uncomfortable. Watching Lagaan, watching those villagers practice the then-bizarre sport of cricket in the dusty desert flats, I could almost feel the beating sun pushing down on the back of my neck.
That night, I ate a lot of ice-cream, trying to stay cool. My friends fanned themselves with club flyers, and suggested that we leave and have a Rum and Coke on ice. 'After,' I said forcefully.
Dancing in Bollywood movies never impressed me; other than the colourful costumes and the voluptuous women, the dance routines felt so out-of-place, disturbing the timing of the movie. Lagaan suffers from the same - the enchanting story is jolted by the Hindi musical numbers, causing me to tap my fingers impatiently.
Indian Desert (from Wikimedia)
Roger Ebert compares Lagaan to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is, I think, a very apt comparison. Both movies show a dreamlike portrait of their respective countries, with the hero struggling to become more than he/she appears.
Watching Lagaan gives you a real fiery rage towards the English, and it's predictable ending is heartwarming, even in the muggy, overwhelming heat of a Montreal summer. The film is an incredible story of hidden strength, and Aussies that feel the burden of high taxes would love, I'm sure, to challenge John Howard to a cricket match.
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Not really. They remake them. No joke.
They remade Fight Club, but adding the singing and the dancing. A friend of mine went to see it and said it was terrible... they took out all the cool dialogue and plot twists, and left just the cheesy, John Woo-knockoff fighting.
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Comment by rachel
I watched Lagaan in my little country town, in a tiny little church with my neighbours and family. We had homemade curry, cheered for the good guys, booed for the bad guys, and generally had a romping good time! So I blame your unfortunate circumstances; perhaps you would've enjoyed it better with less ass cracks offending the view!
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Don't get me wrong, Lagaan is a terrific movie, and I'd watch it again... it's hard not to cheer for the villagers, and the British are just dastardly!
Comment by Sara