Name Santosh Sivan
Born Trivandrum. Kerala. India Background Following in the footsteps of his celebrated documentarian father. Sivan studied at the Film and Television Institute of India west of Mumbai. from where he graduated in 1984 and subsequently shot 15 features before founding the Indian Society of Cinematographers in 1995. He wrote and directed his first film. the children '8 drama Halo. two years later, and two years after that received international recognition for The Terrorist, an emotionally and morally complex film about a young woman on a suicide mission. His 2001 historical epic Asoka starring Shah Rukh Khan. broke box office records. Sivan has continued to direct and/or photograph an average of three films a year. What’s he up to now? Sivan has just written. directed and shot his first English-language film, the Merchant Ivory-produced period drama Before the Rains. which stars Linus Roache. Nandita Das and Rahul Bose.
What he says about Before the Rains ‘When our producer showed me an Israeli short film called Red Roofs I was struck by how universal the stOry was. I wanted to reset it in the jungles of Kerala. a place rich with culture. history and beauty. We decided to adapt the slow to take place in the 19303, and to focus on the tragic consequences of an illicit affair between and English spice farmer and his housemaid. Their relationship is a metaphor of colonialism. Though the characters fight to straddle the great cultural divide, they ultimately suffer for their attempts. But I also wanted to convey a sense of hope for the independence of the Indian people. and I feel that theme will resonate most strongly for the audience.’
Interesting fact Sivan has two brothers. Sanjiv and Sangeeth. who are also filmmakers. Collectively. they're known as the ‘South Indian Scott brothers'. (Miles Fielder)
I Before the Rains is on selected release from Fri 7 Aug. See review, page 23.
26 THE LIST Iii Jill I Ant) 900B
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
* Indicates Listpicks entry
Alvin and the Chipmunks (t') .0. (Tim Hill. IS. 2007) Jason Lee. David (‘ross. ('ameron Richardson. ()lllllll. Likeablc pre-school comedy featuring a bunch of pint si/ed chipmunk pop stars and their long-suffering human guardian (l.ce). lint/tire (‘lviIe/mnk; ('inewm'hl. Iii/inlnugh. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging ( l2..\) .0. ((iurintlcr ('hadha. 1S. 2008) (ieorgia (iroome. Aaron Johnson. Alan Davies. 100mm. After the disappointitig lira/e (Hill I’re/iulh‘e. \\ t‘ilcl‘hlit‘ccloi‘ ('hadha takes a step into younger territory with this adaptation of two of Louise RL‘lllllSUll‘S books. The lillll lacks the sharp w it of slick American comedies such as ('lue/en and .tlean Girls. btit earns points for featuring actresses. inclttding lead (iroomc. who really are the age of the characters they re playing. See profile. page 25. (ir'lIi'I‘u/ I'('/(’(I.\('. Azur and Asmar: The Princes’ Quest (l') 0... (Michel ()cclot. Spain/Italy/Belgium/l‘rance. 2000) ('yril .\lourali. Karim M'Riha. lliam Ahhass. ‘Nmin. ('hildhood buddies A/ur and Asmar become rivals and enemies in a medieval Maghreb. With the action taking place in .\'orth African Islamic architecture and over- populach ha/aars. the colourful palatte of the animation and Ara/nan .\'ig/il.\-stylc story line is a w elcome throw back to the day s before l’ixar tore up the rulehook. A compassionate and mature film based on classic legends rather than popular culture. ('i'nen'nr/il Park/teat]. (i/(lsgim .' ('fneu'm'h/ [cilia/Hugh.
Baby Mama I 12A) .000
(Michael .\lc(‘ullcrs. l'S. 2008) Amy l’oehlet'. Tina l‘ey. (ireg Kinnear. 98min. When her doctor bluntly tells her that he "doesn‘t like the shape‘ of her uterus. Kate (l‘ey ) engages the surrogate services of baby mama Angie ()stowist (l’oehler). a trailer trash (iw en Stefani-wannabe. liach gcllt‘l'aliolt gets the Mary Tyler Moore it
a.
\ t
DavidLean
deserves; as creator and star of NB(“s 30 Rack sitcom. l-‘ey has earned herself the right to he 2008's funny-girl. General release. Before the Rains ( IZA) COO (Santosh Sivan. [TS/India. 2007) Linus Roache. Rahul Bose. Nandita Das. 98min. See review. page 23 and profile. left. Film/muse. [filth/Hugh. Bra Boys ( 15) (Sunny Abbenon/Macario de Sou/a. Australia. 2007) 90min. The most commercially successful Australian documentary ever released. Bra Boys offers a rare insider’s glimpse into the notorious surfing tribe of south Sydney's working class beachside suburbs. Narrated by Rtissell (‘rowe. Part of Australian Film Festival. I'i/rnhous‘e. Edinburgh. Braveheart ( 15) .00 (Mel (iibson. IS. 1995) Mel (iibson. Patrick Mc(ioohan. Sophie Marceau. l77tnin. Mel (iibson’s long and bloody account of the life of Scottiin warrior hero William Wallace hoasts sotnc retnarkable battle scenes and great performances. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Ifrareheart's Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments touches of sentimentality and ‘dramatic' historical inaccuracy. ()rleon.‘ Brae/read. Ken/rent Bridge on The River Kwai (PG) 0... (David Lean. lTK. 1957) Alec (iuinness. Jack Hawkins. William Holden. lDlllllli. (‘lassic POW saga. in which Alec acts as foreman in the building of a large railway bridge. Lean's extravagant study of British wartime grit is most memorable for (iuinncss' detailed portrayal of the obsessive (‘olonel Nicholson. The film also won a string of Acadetny Awards. Part of l.ean retrospective. Film/rouse. lirlinlmrg/i. Cassi l8) 0... (Jon S Baird. (K. 2008) .\'onso Ano/ie. Nathalie l’ress. l.co (ircgory. l08min. See review. page 23. Shun-ease ('l'nemu. (‘rutl/n‘hlge. Glasgow. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG) 00 (Andrew Adamson. l'K/lTS. 2008) Liam Neeson. Tilda Swinton. Ben Barnes. l-Hmin. In the second instalment of the Narnia films. the l’evensie children are summoned hack to Narnia for a slick. fast-paced romp through dark woods. underground caverns and fierce
r\ . I
battles. Will) a simplistic plot. and Caspian (Banies) reduced to a pretty face. Disney may have finally brought Namia to the big screen. but for a real journey of the imagination. stick to the books. General release.
A Complete History of my Sexual Failures ( 18) 0”. ((‘hris Waitt. UK. 2008) Alexandra Boyarskaya. Danielle McLeoad. ()livia Trench. 93min. Documentary filmmaker Waitt sets out to contact all of his ex-girlfriends. to discover what makes him such a rubbish boyfriend. leading to a trip to Edinburgh. A brisk pace. a desire to bare all (literally) and (‘hris' very
ordinary but anxious humanity makes this
slightly insular premise engaging viewing. Glas'gmi' I’i/m Theatre. Glasgow: The Dark Knight ( 12A) .000 ((‘hristopher Nolan. US. 2008)
f (‘hristian Bale. Heath Ledger. Maggie
(iyllenhaal. l52min. Nolan's revamp of the superhero franchise reaches its apotheosis with this sequel to Batman Begins. a supremely well-imagined. perfectly executed film that combines blockbuster
' spectacle with indie cinema cool and
smarts. Psychotic. chaos-loving clown 'Ihe
Joker (Ledger) is introduced as the dark
knight‘s ultimate nemesis and a thrilling battle slowly terrorises the populace of
(iotham. General release.
Donkey Punch ( l8 ) 00
(Oliver Blackbum. UK. 2007) Julian Morris. Nichola Burley. ()9min. Tammi (Burley) joins her two girlfriends on a holiday in .‘vlallorca. only to be lured onboard a luxury
yacht by some unscrupulous boys. Messy
drug taking. DlY porn-making and a series
' of violent deaths by knife. rope. flare gun
and outboard motor follow. A misguided British attempt to muscle in on the already hackneyed torture-porn genre. (inert-arid Ken/reii' Sln't’l. Glasgow".
The Edge of Love ( IS) 000 Maybury. 2008. UK) Keira Knightley. Sienna Miller. (’illian Murphy. Matthew Rhys. 1 10min. Welsh chanteuse Vera Phillips (Knightley) happens upon old lover Dylan Thomas (Rhys) who is now married to (‘aitlin (Miller). 'lhey become a firm
(John
threesome until Vera falls in love with young officer (Murphy) and group
dynamics shift unpleasantly. Based around
9
Retrospectives marking the centenary of the birth of this great British filmmaker kick off in both cities this week. In Glasgow the retrospective is edited down to six films including the
recently restored The Passionate Friends (which has already screened in Edinburgh) and the rarely seen Glasgow-set 1950 film Madeleine. In Edinburgh all of Lean’s films will be shown. Lean and Noel Coward’s wonderful 1942 wartime drama In Which We Serve (pictured) opens the retrospective in Glasgow and will be introduced by Mitch Miller, editor of The Drouth magazine. Lean's much loved 1957 POW drama The Bridge on the River Kwai gets things going in Edinburgh.
I Film/rouse, Edinburgh from Sun 3 Aug. GFT, Glasgow from Tue 5 Aug.