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Indian
blue - Lynda
Del Sasso previews two of the month's best new movies
THE WARRIOR
UK/FRANCE/GERMANY/INDIA 2001, CERT. 12 Director: ASIF
KAPADIA
Star Rating * * * *
India,
in days gone by, and the warrior Lafcadia (Irfan Khan)
serves a harsh lord, punishing villagers who cannot pay
taxes by killing them and burning their homes. He is bringing
up his young son in the ancient warrior tradition, until
a life-changing moment compels him to renounce violence
and start afresh. Lafcadia's superior orders his death
and sends his fellow warriors to bring back his head.
In the desert, the warrior teams up with a thief and the
two help an old woman in her journey to find a holy lake.
From
the opening scene of The Warrior, its visual clarity is
breathtaking. The warrior stands alone against a beautiful
but barren landscape and his tale unfolds in a surreal
world, that of the mythical journey. Plot logic is sometimes
cast aside but its place is more than filled by impressive
characters, flawlessly conjuring raw emotion in scene
after scene, playing against cold blue skies and sun-seared
white deserts.
This
debut feature by writer-director Asif Kapadia has a wonderful
magical quality to it, and signals an impressive new talent,
but credit must also be given to the remarkable cinematography
of Roman Osin and the simplicity of the design.
Duke
of York's from May 3.
Special event: Q&A with director following 6.30 performance
on May 7.
DARK
BLUE WORLD
CZECH REPUBLIC/UK 2001, CERT. 12
Director: JAN SVERAK
Star Rating * * * *
 In
1950, while in prison hospital, Czechoslovakian pilot
Franta (Ondrej Vetchy) reminisces about his WWII experiences
flying with the RAF in Great Britain. Back in 1939, after
the Germans invaded his country, Franta and his young
Czech air force colleague Karel (Krystof Hadek) flee to
England. While training with the RAF, he falls in love
with an English woman (Tara Fitzgerald).
By
using Czech dialogue as well as English, director Jan
Sverak captures the often frustrating experience of foreigners
struggling to adjust to life in an alien culture. Although
chiefly a buddy movie - Franta's close friendship with
the young Karel is the focus - there are enough sub-plots
to sustain audience interest: there's romance, wartime
dog-fights, danger, death and even a cute little spaniel
to provide the 'aaww' factor. Charles Dance and Molly
Parkin are among the British actors who feature, and the
performances are of a high quality. Some may find Dark
Blue World a little over-sentimental, which it is in a
predictable rose-tinted way, but nonetheless it's an engaging
and well-made tale, bound to be a popular hit in the heart-warming
mainstream tradition.
Odeon
and UCG from May 10.
Other
Highlights
Duke
of York's:
KISS AND KILL: Film Visions of Brighton
In conjunction with the exhibition Kiss and Kill: Film
Visions of Brighton (May 4 -September 1) at Brighton Museum
and the South East Film and Video Archive, the Duke's
celebrates Brighton on film with a season of kissing and
killing, including: BRIGHTON ROCK (May 15 &
17), and JIGSAW, with director Val Guest taking
part in a Q&A session following a screening of his
1962 crime film, shot on location in Brighton (May 22).
Other
screenings include OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR, QUADROPHENIA
(plus film location walking tour) and CARRY ON AT YOUR
CONVENIENCE.
Also
at the Duke of York's this month, a splendid Kurosawa
season. Highlights include: SANJURO, SEVEN SAMURAI
, RED BEARD, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, THRONE OF BLOOD, YOJIMBO,
RASHOMON and THE BAD SLEEP WELL.
copyright New Insight 2002
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