Fanaa and French Revolution. Yup, they got nothing in common!

[dangermousie]

OK, this is actually about all the people who hated Fanaa because it was unrealistic. You know, Fanaa. The movie whose one-line summary is "A blind girl and a terrorist fall in love." And it's a summary known basically to everyone who went to see it. This is not going to be a slice of real life, kitchen-sink drama, and you know exactly in advance

Comments

[elspethsheir]

I love your whole discussion about the French Revolution! (This is too strange, as I was just Sydney Carton in an LJ guessing game, and Georges Couthon and Danton were also mentioned.)

Speaking of Camille Desmoulins, have you ever read Tanith Lee's The Gods are Thirsty? I'd never even heard of the one you mentioned, but I shall seek it out!

(Weak segue: have you ever read/heard of Camille Naish's Death Comes to the Maiden - Sex and Execution 1431-1933? The French Revolution is one of the areas she covers; the focus is on condemned women throughout history.)

Now I must read this essay - what a great site!

[dangermousie]

I've heard good things about TGaT, and I've read "The Silver Metal Lover" by Lee and loved it, so I am going to seek it out.

Camille Naish's Death Comes to the Maiden - Sex and Execution 1431-1933

I haven't heard of it, but it sounds fascinating. Must seek it out.

And I just have to mention your LoA icon! This is my favorite movie, bar none and this icon is just perfect. Have you read "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" the movie is based on? I found it crazily poetic and very distinctive. I know you are an Amelia Peabody fan (from your lj interests) and I have to admit I always thought she based grown up Ramses a bit on TE Lawrence...

[elspethsheir]

I always felt badly that TGaT didn't receive more recognition; it's so different, and incredibly moving!

Camille Naish's book is difficult to find; I borrowed it from university years ago and then special-ordered it at an outrageous price. It pops up on ABE, from what I've seen!

I adore Lawrence - loved the movie, because I take after my mother (who used to wrap herself in a bed sheet at age ten and pretend to be him). Nothing is written! The quote in this icon! That movie is one big collection of greatness. And Seven Pillars of Wisdom - the dedication page is amazing in itself, and the story of losing most of the book and re-writing it... well, is it any wonder that it's an incredible tale?

I hadn't thought of a Ramses/Lawrence resemblance! I am re-reading the Peabody books from the beginning, and now I'll pay special attention to Ramses as he ages.

[dangermousie]

Guuuuuh, icon! I want that library, whatever it is.

I adore Lawrence - loved the movie, because I take after my mother (who used to wrap herself in a bed sheet at age ten and pretend to be him).

Heeeee. I saw it my senior year of college, with my best friend, and we ended up being in absolute shock. It was a tiny screen and a bad VHS copy, but still, I've never been so bowled over by a movie before or since. Actually, my friend never watched the second half, because she'd fallen in love with the character and told me she couldn't bear to watch stuff happen to him.

Years later I was lucky and was able to see LoA on a giant screen. Wow. I also think O'Toole's performance is about the best I've seen. Have you ever read Dorothy Dunnett? P O'T as Lawrence reminds me greatly of Francis Crawford, the protagonist of her "Lymond Chronicles."

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - the dedication page is amazing in itself, and the story of losing most of the book and re-writing it... well, is it any wonder that it's an incredible tale?My friend gave it

[plazmah]

Re: Fanaa not being about realism. BW period is not much for the whole realism thing. Which is why my brain goes to a completely different state of mind before watching a BW movie. But for some reason my brain didn't prepare itself for watching Fanaa and I couldn't get over the cheese and hard to believe aspects. Bad luck, I guess. Which is why I think I need to see the movie again.

[dangermousie]

The moment I see a realistic BW movie, I'd be quite sad :)

It's funny because I really do watch BW with a different part of my brain. As long as it works for me emotionally, I'd overlook anything :)

[plazmah]

Same.

For myself, a suspension in reality and a sense of humour are required :)

[fivil]

I think one reason why anyone would expect Fanaa to be realistic is Aamir. DCH was certainly masala but very real at its core story, the friendship between the three guys and their characters - everyone knows that Akash joker type and that Siddharth artist type. RDB is Bollywood realism at its best - not boring but fantastically entertaining while real and thought-provoking

[dangermousie]

Heeeee. That's an excellent point about Aamir, and I didn't think about it. I guess when I think Aamir, I think Aamir of things like Raja Hindustani and Dil and QSQT as well as RDB and DCH. Also, I was so surprised by the realism of RDB that I think it sums up my whole Bolly attitude. Any time a movie is going to be realistic, I will be surprised. And if it's an epic romance done by Bollywood, it can't be realistic by definition :)

But I can see why people would expect otherwise.

[lobelia321]

Aamir stumbling through the snow to end up on Kajol's doorstep? An unlikely situation (though fitting picture perfect within the genre and the story. Inevitable. I let out a satisfied sigh when it happened). But her confusion and loneliness and newly found hard edge and his slow thawing and emotional overload and desperate 'what-if' are so real it hurts.

Oh yes! Although is Bollywood a genre? Or is it more of a mode? A style? I don't know; there are genres within Bollywood. Although the concept of genre helps to understand the expectations that audiences bring to the films.

The slowly-recognising scenes in the second half of Fanaa are phenomenal.

[dangermousie]

True, Bollywood is more of a mode, it has genres in it. Or I guess you can call it a genre and the rest are subgenres? But I agree, it's a narrative mode, one I love. In some ways it reminds me of a mix of Victorian novels or silent film.

[lobelia321]

It's pure melodrama. Well, not pure, because when is melodrama ever pure? It hoovers up everything to further its aims. But then, some scholars argue that all of Hollywood is melodrama, too. Just a different kind of melodrama, I'm thinking.