Mississippi Burning

Early in Mississippi Burning, there is a great tracking shot of a car on a desolate highway, disappearing from sight and reappearing as it negotiates the slopes on the road. A few moments later, there is a sideways shot that captures the hugeness of the landscape as a lone moving vehicle races by. The scene is filled with terror and impending doom, the eerie setting exacerbates the rippling tension boiling beneath the surface. Later immediately, as we come to know, the three civil rights activists in the car are shot dead.

The sudden disappearance of three civil rights activists threatens to spark widespread riots as the FBI launches an investigation. The two agents at the forefront of the investigation are Agent Anderson(Gene Hackman) and Agent Ward(Willem Dafoe). The ensuing investigation brings us to the heart of the crisis – a biased administration, a deeply segregated society, a partisan police – all state structures in place to subjugate the Negro.

The opening scene as the credits roll shows two washbasins (in what is presumably a washroom) with a signboard above them saying White and Colored. It is a brilliant expression of the reality of segregation in the United States in the 1960’s, the period in which the movie is set. The emphasis on fire remains throughout, the clinicality of the Klan rioters, their cold bloodedness is terrifying and chillingly realistic. Then there is the brilliant scene in which Anderson(Hackman) drops one of the suspects Lester into a black neighbourhood after questioning him in a car. It shows how fears can be easily replaced, how the bravado or domination of a certain community is nothing but a mere strength of numbers. Lester runs back as fast as he can, his Klan demeanour is nowhere to be seen. The best scene is however when Anderson interrogates Deputy Sheriff in his brusque manner in the barber shop – this is one of those rare moments in cinema that can raise your knuckles.

Gene Hackman as Agent Anderson is absolutely superb. His mordant sense of humour, irreverence for procedures and rules, and his conclusion on baseball (Its the only place where a black man can wave a stick at a white man and not start a riot) is endearing and poignant. In a way, his lack of apparent seriousness offers a deeper analysis into the incorrigibility and pervasiveness of racist mindsets in the South than all of Agent Ward’s (Dafoe) positioning as a serious man with serious concerns. The supporting cast has been well-etched out, each small character representing a distinct reality. The tense score adds to the ever accumulating sense of fear, and is a major asset to the film.

However Mississippi Burning suffers from similar ills as afflicts other serious Hollywood cinema. The tendency to make the characters speak perfect lines sometimes dilutes the realism. The scene in which Mrs Pell (Frances McDormand) tells Anderson about how racist mentalities are assimilated from the age of six is hard-hitting, yet could have been more real had the conversation allowed to become more natural. The theatrical touch has the impact, but harms the realism. This is a common tendency in Hollywood arthouse cinema in its urge to play to the galleries, and it is here I feel European cinema is a little more subtle in its treatment. But the high tone of narrative works in Mississippi Burning because of the indubitable honesty and the graphic power of the images.

Mississippi Burning is a must watch. It is a hard-hitting, powerful motion picture about one of the most tumultous times in American history.

John Lennon’s Imagine

Have been addicted to John Lennon’s most famous solo album, Imagine. Layered with depth, it is truly one of the greatest albums of all time. The album begins with the peerless title song, described by Lennon as ‘anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic’ song. In an album with a title song that has grown to acquire such stature, there’s always the fear that it will come to undermine the album itself. Though the song comes to define the album for all times (and indeed Lennon’s solo career), the rest of the album shows Lennon’s complete repertoire as an artist.

Crippled Inside attacks hypocrisy and false pretences, and takes on religion which as an atheist Lennon did not believe in. Jealous Guy was inspired by Lennon’s troubled relationship with Yoko Ono and is one of the most covered songs of all time, with ninety-two recorded cover versions. It’s So Hard verifies Lennon’s belief that ‘ rock n’ roll will never die,’ and mirrors Lennon’s own attitude towards life. I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier at six minutes long, is a rebellion against compulsory military service and argues for the primal right to not enlist in the armed forces. It talks about ordinary fears of losing one’s life, with a degree of humanity and respect.

Lennon’s exasperation against the manufactured reality of the times and the ambiguity surrounding everything comes out in Give Me Some Truth (I’m sick and tired of hearing things from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites/All I want is some truth now/Just give me some truth now). One of the best tracks of the album, it showcases Lennon’s writing at its very best. Oh My Love (composed with Yoko Ono) is infused with love, longing, regret and desire – and it is one of my personal favourites from the record. How Do You Sleep?, a percieved rant against Paul McCartney, is for me, the weakest song of the album. At five-and-a half minutes, it is a tad too long and has a monotony about it. How? talks about confusion and lack of direction, and its contemplative tone lends poignancy, with uncomplicated emotions expressed in the simplest of words (And life can be long/And you’ve got to be so strong/And the world is so tough/Sometimes I feel I’ve had enough). Oh Yoko! is a peppy, youthful song dedicated to Yoko Ono. It has a country touch to it, and is a fitting last song, filled with optimism and hope.

Imagine has guitars by George Harrison, and this collaboration leads to technical excellence, not surpassed at any time in Lennon’s solo career. Lennon’s songwriting is at its very best, the breakaway from the Beatles seemed to have provided him with a new-found freedom. More than thirty-five years later, Imagine acquires more relevance in our increasingly troubled world. The title song remains an anthem of hope and optimism, love and peace and inspires entire generations to dream for a better world.

Taxi Driver

Watched snatches of Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic Taxi Driver yesterday, one of my all time favourite movies. I once recommended the movie to a cousin and she hated it, and since then, never takes any of my recommendations.

Some thoughts on the movie (hoping this would change her mind and she would again take my recommendations seriously).

Martin Scorsese’s brand of cinema, is according to me, very close to legendary filmmaker Francois Truffaut’s belief that art is a reflection of life than anything else. (Truffaut going on to say that he was more interested in the reflection of life than life itself). In this kind of cinema, all barriers between cinema and reality are sought to be broken – cinema must mirror reality as much as possible. This is usually best done in an outdoor surrounding, since cinematic realism is at its best when the environments the characters inhabit are seen to be influencing and shaping their actions. Scorsese’s 1973 movie Mean Streets and Truffaut’s 1960 classic The 400 Blows, as most of the French New Wave cinema, focus on outdoor surroundings rather than studio settings, for the cinematic effect to be as real as possible.

In Taxi Driver, this is more than evident – the filth, grime and the noise of the streets of New York has an significant effect on Travis Bickle’s (Robert De Niro) mind. When asked by Charles Palantine(the candidate running for President) what he most detests about New York, he is quick to say that the filth ‘really pisses him off.’ Another theme central to Taxi Driver is the theme of urban alienation, which is about the cold and distant attitude that is slowly absorbing urban society. This attitude is partly due to the rising individualism in urban life, whose downside is the increasing loneliness faced by individuals, as Travis (Robert De Niro) faces. It is an interesting fact that Travis has no close friends, apart from a few acquaintances he meets sometimes at the cafe.

The movie had the famous punchline – On every street in every city, there’s a nobody who dreams of being a somebody. This is closely related to class, and Taxi Driver portrays a certain snobbishness arising out of a deeply class stratified society. Travis’ effort to transgress those class boundaries by asking out Betsy(Cybill Shepherd) ends in failure. It confronts him with the brutal truth of rigid class reality and Travis concludes – ‘She was like all the rest, cold and distant.’

Travis slowly starts becoming paranoid and obsessed with becoming a man of some importance. The anonymity of being a taxi driver has become claustrophobic. As the plot progresses, he eventually ends up busting a crime and prostitution ring and elevating himself to a small time hero. In the last scene of the film, Betsy hires his cab for a short distance and clearly aware of Travis’ feat, her perception of Travis is now completely different. Yet Travis is now a content man, and he does not ask out Betsy – which is as much an acceptance of the irreconciliation of class hierarchies as it is about self-respect.

Taxi Driver owes most of its success to the genius of two men – Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro – an enduring partnership that has produced eight films to date. Robert De Niro’s brand of method acting became famous with this picture – he drove a taxi cab all around New York to prepare for the role just after winning an Oscar for The Godfather Part 2. It also launched Scorsese into the big league, earning him an Oscar nomination.

Taxi Driver is a seering indictment on the decadence of urban life, and its relevance remains undiminished.

For God’s sake, give one to him now

Martin Scorsese has been nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Once again. This is the sixth time Scorsese will be walking the red carpet in anticipation of holding the golden statuette. Scorsese has created cinematic masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Mean Streets – and it beats me how he never won an Oscar for those movies. In recent years, he has dabbled in different genres of cinema such as historical drama (Gangs of New York) and biopic (The Aviator) – both attempts won him Oscar nominations. With The Departed, he again returns to his forte – exploring the underbelly of society.

For more than 30 years, Scorsese has been tireless and indefatigable, and his body of work already confirms him as one of the greatest directors of all time. The Departed may not be his greatest work, yet his Oscar is long overdue. Give it for Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and Raging Bull.

(Without him, the world may never have known Johnny Boy – and the genius of Robert De Niro).

New Year’s Day

All is quiet on New Year’s Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you, be with you
night and day
Nothing changes on New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day

It never ceases to amaze me when life can imitate art to the minutest detail. Driving back from a friend’s place having partied all night, U2’s New Year’s Day(from their 1983 album War) fitted the bill perfectly as I was struggling to drive through the foggy morning.

(I took this picture after an unplanned whistle stop on the way back home.)