Midnight Oil:Movies and More

“Monsoon Wedding” (2001) gives a glimpse of  a wedding day in modern-day India that has lots to say about the institution of marriage, families and India as it is today. Director Mira Nair lovingly constructs a multi-layered picture of an extended middle class family as it goes through the Hindu ritual. The gathering of the clan and the awkward introduction of two strangers who are soon to be husband and wife present the perfect opportunity for both flamboyant display and clandestine concealment. moviescreenshots.blogspot.comMultiple revelations take place during the course of the film. Some are funny and fun and some stumble upon the great tragedies and imperfections of life as it really is. Nair’s film is enjoyable because it captures “the way things really are” today in a specific state in India. The movie reaches beyond the frivolous and the cliché because it simultaneously reveals “the way things have always been” on a universal level. Who’s to say that the torrential downpour of a monsoon would not be the perfect ending of a grand celebration of a very imperfect life? It’s a different way of looking at things. It might just be a very lucky thing.

Be sure that you don’t miss the SNAM Interview dedicated to examining the intricacies of “Monsoon Wedding”.

Also shown on Saturday Night at the Movies was “Father of the Bride” (1950) , another movie along the wedding theme previously reviewed on Midnight Oil.

 >>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

>>Real Life Story: Shawna went from the fairytale wedding to disappointment in her marriage to real happiness.

 See the official trailer for “Monsoon Wedding” (2001). I decided some words of explanation (in English) were necessary to tell the story even though this video clip does an great job of capturing the visual story of the film through colour, texture, song and dance.

Proper Proposals

I'm sure that the young man visiting our home and paying call on our tenant over the last week will find much instruction from these films on how proper proposals are carried out. To be sure, Mr. Beans' example from the infamous Christmas turkey episode, which we happened to watch together, finds much to recommend itself in terms of comedy. However, such models should be forsaken in favour of more appropriate means of conveyance toward matrimonial bliss.

TVO recently screened "Northanger Abbey"(2007) , "Mansfield Park" (2007), and "Persuasion"(2007) in a festival of seldom seen Austen novels on film. Those permanently afflicted with the Austen bug may wish to find solace and companionship online at the Jane Austen Society of North America. For those who missed seeing the Austen movies on TVO, I have found these films produced for television on YouTube in installment format, if you really must see them. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

See also the cool Austen mini docs for TVO's Sunday Specials: the Jane Austen series

People may also wish to read the Midnight Oil archived entry for the Emma Thompson 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility" previously screened on SNAM.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?