Irish Troubles in Film

As all of Chicago’s proud Irish wake up this morning with massive Jameson- and Guinness-induced headaches after yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a new storm is rising in the motherland’s northern reaches. As a kid, I grew up in one of America’s most densely populated Irish-American areas, that is, the far South Side of Chicago in Beverly. To me, Ireland was all leprauchans and shamrocks and connoted the hearty ability to drink everyone else under the table. Lord knows why Chicago’s Irish love to embrace the worthless-drunk stereotype imposed on the Irish by their colonial overlords. Maybe it’s a kind of clever subversion?

As the Troubles reared their ugly head last week, perhaps now is a good time to remember the Ireland beyond its liquor distilleries and green pastures. I’ve been to Ireland twice (though never to Ulster) and have made it my duty to learn about the Ireland outside its South Side reputation.

Here is a list of some of my favorite movies about the Troubles and beyond:

1. In the Name of the Father

Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this long, brutal epic about a mistake of Kafkaesque proportions. Gerry (Day-Lewis) is a punk who’s been in the wrong place at the wrong time; he and his friends are mistaken for members of the I.R.A. and hauled off to prison. This film accurately portrays 70’s Belfast and all its anarchy and terrible fragility. It’s also directed by Jim Sheridan, who made two other stupendous movies about Ireland or Irish people, those being My Left Foot and the heartbreaking In America.

2. The Wind That Shakes the Barley

This movie won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2006, though it didn’t really deserve it. (Almodovar’s Volver did, by golly!) This movie stars heart-throb Cillian Murphy in Ireland’s War for Independence against the British in 1920. Brit Mike Loach directs. This is definitely another movie featuring loads of heartbreak, betrayal, and lovely shots of the charmingly dilapidated peasant houses of rural Ireland.

3. Michael Collins

Okay, so this movie isn’t that great, but it’s the most historically-accurate movie about the hero of Irish independence, Michael Collins. Liam Neeson stars in his early days (along with Julia Roberts! Woah! Flashback to the 90’s!) This movie is a decent history lesson for people wanting to learn about how Ireland went about establishing their own country in 1916. Easter Sunday shoot-out at Dublin’s National Library included.

4. Hunger

Alright, so I haven’t seen this one, but I know it’s supposed to be very good (and, as is tradition, brutal!). Steve McQueen directs this 2008 movie; it didn’t get very wide release but I bet you can Netflix it by now. I know I’m scrambling to rent a movie about Bobby Sands’ six week long hunger strike at the Long Kesh prison! Spoiler alert: he dies of starvation.

5. Breakfast on Pluto

This whimsical film follows Patrick, aka Kitten, after he leaves podunk Ireland to be a glam-rocker in London. I guess he’s not so much part of glam rock as he is part of the sexually androgynous, tight-panted, coke-snorting, Roxy-Music-listening subculture of England’s mid-70’s. But the politics Kitten has so diligently ignored during his childhood follow him all the way to London. We learn about the intersections of politics and self, and the inevitability of nation defining identity… Starring Cillian Murphy. Directed by Neil Jordan (who also directed Michael Collins.)

After researching these five films, four of which I have enjoyed very much, I realized that the pool of actors and directors making serious movies about Ireland are few. But after watching any or all of these listed here, you may feel you have a better handle on the IRA, the Troubles, or Ireland as a whole.

by Anna

The Slumdog Millionaire and His Damsel in Distress

My come-hither eyes are asking for help.

Indira had asked me to do an Oscar prediction round-up, but I had only seen one of the movies featuring a nominated-best actress (that being the depressing Frozen River) and I hadn’t seen Frost/Nixon, Benjamin Button, or The Reader. I really fell down on the job this year…or maybe I was just watching awesome movies that weren’t nominated for Oscars, like Gran Torino, Cadillac Records, and Synechdoche, New York.

But I did see Slumdog Millionaire. Certainly I found its fairy-tale qualities enchanting, its cinematography breathtaking and its heart big and bursting, but I also found it naive (regardless of Boyle’s & Tandan’s stylistic intentions) and–at risk of sounding like an uptight feminist–offensive to the capacities of women.

Like all fairy tales, there is a woman (Latika, played at her oldest stage by the gorgeous Freida Pinto) who must be rescued from some evil villain. As a young girl, Latika first appears melancoly but plucky; in her adolescence she is resigned but wise and world-weary as a brothel-worker, and as her full-grown self she is helpless and apparently lacking in slumdog street smarts.

But perhaps I am just playing my role as the Western feminist, in which I underestimate the limited social mobility for a woman like Latika in Mumbai society. Maybe she really doesn’t have many options available, least of all an option to be brave and self-sufficient, and it would be foolish and insensitive to insist that she inherit these traits.

But the whole film is one fantastical and serendipitous event after another; and if Jamal can overcome his lowliness, why can’t Latika? Argh.

The movie presents three different models for getting out of slums.

Model A: Be Cunning and Display Disregard for Morality

Salim is an archetype Americans recognize; he follows the gangsta narrative of get out the ‘hood, get money, get paid.  Doesn’t matter what/who gets in the way.

Model B: Pull Yourself Up By the Bootstraps

I recall a Colbert Report episode in which Stephen is dictating a list of gifts he will provide for the young people of today. He says he will provide boot straps, by which the recipient will pull themselves up. I attempt to approximate his strange and hilarious syntax. In any case, poor Jamal is doomed to the old Protestant archetype of work, work, work to earn.

Model C: Be Beautiful and Hopefully Someone Rich Will Marry You

The last model clearly requires the least agency. Latika suffers her fair share under the tyranny of her gangster/pimp/ring-leader crime boss. And I know it would be easier to get killed than it would be to run away from her cruel husband. But still… it is disappointing that in a film so rich in the unreal that Latika falls deeper and deeper into her fate without pulling very hard in the opposite direction. If the movie is all about the dichotomy of “slumdog” vs. “millionaire,” she is doomed to slumdoghood, while her compadres reached for a milli. Why is this?

In the end though, I am glad this movie won Best Picture. It has started an interesting debate about poverty, realism, and Danny Boyle, and also sheds a little light on one of the biggest slums in the world.

But I stand firm that the movie’s push-pull dynamic–the “slumdog” mode vs. the “millionaire” mode–does not apply very well to Latika. Even Salim, arguably the film’s biggest villain due to his Fall from good to evil, eventually redeems himself through an act of good will (that is, stalling for time and allowing Latika to escape). Other characters are pretty statically evil or statically good. It’s a good thing that the statically-good Jamal saved Latika, or she might still be making sandwiches for her stupid husband.

-by Anna

Don’t worry Christian…

…I still love you. This in spite of your verbal tirade on the set of your latest movie, the circumstances of which point to some justification.

You’re still the most beautiful man alive. Need proof? Look below.

-Indira

India’s reality

The concerted effort to depict India as a sleek metropolis has come a long way from the images we’ve usually associated with the country- slums, illiteracy, the caste system and a host of other problems. Every now and again, though, we’re reminded that India still has a long way to go. Weirdly, it’s a Hollywood movie that is calling attention to this.

Yesterday, Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches story about a young man who participates in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, was released in Indian theatres amidst concerns that the movie wouldn’t be well received by moviegoers there. The movie, while receiving a great deal of positive attention from the West, has been criticized for its depiction of Indian slums and poverty. Indian movie legend Amitabh Bachchan (think Clint Eastwood but even bigger) had this to say on his blog, comments that he later clarified.

If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. Its just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not.

There is something to be said about Hollywood’s fascination with the dark side of India- Salaam Bombay and Born into Brothels come to mind. Lighter fare like Lagaan and Monsoon Wedding (one of my all-time favs), on the other hand, received less adulation from Western media. But, in watching Slumdog, I never once felt like the director Danny Boyle was looking down on India’s poor. In fact, I was struck by the humane depiction, the attempts to capture these people as an integral part of society. At the same time, there was no sanitizing and sugercoating of things in the movie.

It is understandable that Mumbaikars are rather defensive about the brutal images that are part of Slumdog but the reality is this- India is still struggling with poverty, destitution and religious zealotry. We can refuse to acknowledge this but these problems won’t go away. When people start to call for bans and other such nonsense, we forget ultimately that Slumdog is just a movie. And as such things go, we need both films like Slumdog and Monsoon Wedding in order to show that India at heart remains a bundle of contradictions and improbabilities.

-Indira

Batman and Project Runway

So I watched The Dark Knight this weekend and I absolutely loved it. I’m not really a huge comic hero fan but I saw Batman Begins in a freshman mythology class and I was hooked. The thing that I love about both movies is that they aren’t really typical action movies. Sure, they feature the usual- gratuitous gun violence, damsel-in-distress etc. But, the characters are really rich and well-developed. Plus, Christian Bale is probably the hottest guy alive. As most critics have noted, Heath Ledger also delivered a stunning performance as the Joker. He was definitely the highlight- well, him and Christian Bale. The only disappointment was Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent, the new D.A of Gotham City. He was way over the top and his “transformation” just wasn’t convincing.

Also, Project Runway’s new season premiered last Wednesday. Yay! If you haven’t seen the show and have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re seriously missing out. I will probably be doing a weekly wrap-up/recap of PR episodes if only to talk about how much I love Tim Gunn. Read no further if you don’t want to know what happened this week!

Wednesday’s challenge was a rehash of the very first episode in Season 1, when contestants had to make outfits from items found in a grocery store. Most of the designers picked the predictable table-cloth as a substitute for fabric and Gunn called these designers out for their laziness. Umm, and what’s the deal with Blayne and his incessant use of the word “girlicious?” I get the feeling that he’s trying to cast himself as Christian Siriano (remember “fierce?”) I’m not sure this is the best way to win fans considering that I want to smack someone when I hear the word fierce (I also want to smack Siriano but that’s a different story).

They were some highlights- Daniel made the cutest sweetheart neckline blue dress using plastic cups and it looked totally believable. Jerell made an assymetrical blue dress that looked really cute and Joe created a dress using oven mitts. The bottom two designers were Jerry and Stella and while both their outfits were absolutely hideous, Stella should’ve been out, not Jerry. Stella literally sent a garbage bag down the runway, which actually fits right in with her “rocker-chic” design sensibilities. I’m sorry but when I see Gwen Stefani or some other rocker in a fashion mag, I don’t think “cute”- I just want to gag.

While it’s still early to pick favorites, I’m really looking forward to Wesley’s designs- he’s previously worked for Marc Jacobs and I love Jacobs. I can’t really afford any of his stuff right now but I’m saving up for this. I’m also looking forward to Joe’s work- he lists Yves Saint Laurent and Betsey Johnson as his favorites and I really can’t think of two more different design aesthetics. You can view photos from the show here and all the contestant/judges bios here.

-Indira

The bigotry of Hollywood

A few days ago, I watched The Happening, the latest film offering from Manoj Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan is best known for flicks like The Sixth Sense and The Unbreakable and except for his previous directing venture (Lady in the Water), I’ve enjoyed his work. I read reviews of the movie beforehand and based on their negativity, I thought I was in for a rehash of Lady. This was not the case. I actually liked the movie, except for one major plot hole- the movie is about air-borne toxins and yet, for some inexplicable reason, the actors run around corn fields trying to escape. What? Couldn’t they just lock themselves in a basement and wait for the whole thing to pass?  

This isn’t the first time that Shyamalan’s movies have garnered such terrible reviews. So, I wonder, could Hollywood have a problem with a successful Indian-American filmmaker? Kim Newman, over at the Guardian certainly thinks so and I am inclined to agree with him. The particular viciousness with which film critics and movie viewers alike treat Shyamalan is truly breathtaking and alarming. His critics often claim that Shyamalan is a talentless hack who tends to rely on similar plots, an unfair characterization that he has tried to fight. Honestly, how many talentless hacks do you know whose movies have grossed over 800 million?Others have claimed that Shyamalan has a bloated ego and his fall is appropriate for a man who lacks humility. Umm, this is Hollywood. There are hundreds of film makers who think a great deal of themselves and yet, articles aren’t dedicated to their egos.

The truth is, we’re not often privy to the ugly side of Hollywood but episodes like these expose the bigotry that permeates the industry. Last year’s release, A Mighty Heart, about Mariane Pearl and her slain husband featured Angelina Jolie as Pearl. They got a white woman (in brownface, no less) to play a role that should have gone to an African-American actress. Struck, a new movie by Stuart Gordon, revolves around an African-American woman and her experience with a hit-and-run accident. The woman will be played by Mena Suvari, who will be sporting cornrows (wtf?) for the movie. Notice a pattern yet? Finally, you have Spike Lee who raised legitimate criticism of Clint Eastwood when he noted that Eastwood’s recent flicks about WWII lacked a single African-American actor. Eastwood responded by telling Lee to “shut his face.”

The presence of Shyamalan and his success (despite the odds) is not taken lightly by the folks in Hollywood. They bristle at the thought of a “foreigner,” a dude with a funny name, who makes better movies than most of Hollywood. The negative backlash and harsh personal commentary are people’s way of dealing with successful minorities- lord knows, this wouldn’t be the first time.

-Indira