The hills are still alive with the Sound of Music

An article I wrote for Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana.

Unlike other big screen movies which generally hold the characteristic of gradually fading away with the time, ‘The Sound of Music’ chimes like a gentle bell ringing in pleasant memories of yesteryears. Today, after all these years, it still stands as a timeless classic.

It has an unassuming plot that gently tapers down to a musical windfall, surprisingly culminating in an exhilarating escapade. But, how does this seemingly enrapturing movie unravel?!  The plot opens with Maria (Julie Andrews) an effervescent nun, melodiously rendering ‘The Hills Are Alive’ in the vast expanse of mountains of greenery. The nuns at monastery, guessing she’s going to be late again for the nth time, find humor in Maria’s childish actions as they musically ponder ‘How to solve the problem of Maria’. The song is a powerful and hilarious song that in short summaries Maria’s personality.

It’s mother Abbess who asks Maria to find her true calling before she contemplates of becoming a full-time nun. Subsequently, she is assigned the task of a governess for Captain George Von Trapp’s children (Christopher Plummer). Not the one who’s afraid of facing new challenges, Maria comes singing ‘I Have Confidence’ and dancing into the lives of the Von Trapp’s family members.

The Captain’s seven children, who are predominantly notorious for their mischief and for making many a governess run for her life, initial weave every conceivable plan to rid her off the palatial villa. But their wicked schemes fall to ground as Maria proves to be a tough yet gentle governess who warms her way into the children’s hearts. Music to a great extent proves to be a potent and binding factor.

The Captain’s eldest daughter falls in love with the mail delivery boy. That’s when the euphonious number ‘Sixteen Going On Seventeen’ takes place. After a brief meeting with the boy, she climbs through window into the villa only to meet Maria, who questions her whereabouts of the evening, but promises to keep her secrets provided she discloses everything to her as a child would in her mother.

The enchanting number ‘My Favourite Things’ is sung soon after terrifying thunder and lightning strike fear in the children’s hearts on a rainy night and they all come scurrying into Maria’s room. The song is the starting of a beautiful relationship. Maria starts music lessons to these children, introducing the song ‘Do Re Mi’ .The children take to singing as fish to water.

When the Captain returns from Vienna, bringing his fiancée Baroness Elsa Schraeder, a wealthy socialite and a common friend Max Detweiler, he finds his children inappropriately dressed and their behavior like that of hooligans, he reprimands Maria and orders her to leave the place.

However, on hearing beautiful music, that emerges from the house, the captain rushes in to discover his children singing for the Baroness. He joins them in singing after many years. Knowing who’s truly behind this, he requests Maria to stay back. Later, Maria and children put on a Marionette show, which sees them delighting the Captain, Baroness and Max with a peculiar but haunting melody ‘The Lonely Goatherd’. When Max suggests that Captain’s children enroll in Salzburg Festival, the Captain out rightly denies it saying his children won’t sing in public. But promises to organize a grand party at the villa, as the party at the villa almost concludes, the children sing the melodious number ‘So Long, Farewell’

At the behest of Maria, the captain sings ‘Edelweiss’. Baroness senses a rising affection between the two. Later she suggests Maria that she return to the abbey. When Maria leaves the villa, the children sorely miss her. At the Abbey, Mother Abbess urges Maria to face life instead of running away from it. Maria returns only to discover that Captain is marrying the Baroness. But she promises to remain at the villa until a new governess is found.

But the quick succession of events see Captain professing his love for Maria and getting married to her. While the couple are away honeymooning, Max enrolls the children in the Salzburg Festival.

When the Captain finds out that Austria is annexed into the Third Reich in the Anschluss, the couple return home. On his arrival, he finds a Nazi flag boldly hanging atop his front door. Merely after angrily ripping it apart, he receives a telegram ordering him to report to German Naval Headquarters to accept an assignment with the German Navy. A man strongly opposed to Nazi regimen, the captain along with his family plans to leave Austria immediately.  At night, when the family is making good their escape, they are suddenly stopped by German soldiers. When questioned, the Captain explains he and his children are going to the Salzburg Festival to participate in the competition. The German soldiers insist on escorting the family to the festival and after which to escort the Captain to his new place of assignment with the German Navy.

At the Salzburg Festival, after their final performance, the Von Trapp family puts on a disappearing act and takes shelter in the nearby abbey. Mother Abbess aids them by hiding them. However, when the soldiers search the Abbey, they find that the family has escaped in the caretaker’s car. The German soldiers’ cars won’t start as they have been tampered with. Later, two nuns confess of removing certain ‘engine parts’ to Mother Abbess. Meanwhile, the Von Trapp family arrives at the border the following morning. From where the family crosses over the mountains on foot to Switzerland.

‘The Sound of Music’ received appreciation in the form of Academy Awards as well as Golden Globe Awards apart from many other awards. This delightful movie even after completion of 50 years still comes across as a breath of fresh air. The plot, the actors and actresses, the scenic locations…never fail to regale the audiences. The anniversary is the right occasion to revisit this classic musical and relive the memorable scenes.

For quick review of the e-paper follow the link below...

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/482856/SUNDAY-HANS/19-Apr-2015#page/8/2

 

The Jungle Saga

Here's an article I wrote for The Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana.

There is a certain genre of film that touches you in such an inimitable way, you never get over it. Action, of course, is an inseparable part, but we are referring to flicks that have impermeable jungles as the backdrop of their storyline. The charm of watching the green canopy festering with a mind-boggling variety of flora and fauna coupled with a tight script is indeed a visual treat for any audience.

The movie ‘Avatar’ is one classic example. Well, maybe the flora and fauna are a tad different but they hold the mystical allure of the jungle. In particular, Pandora Islands, the spectacular hanging mountains in midair, where the Na’vi tribe pick their rides, the flying dinosaurs to traverse the mysterious skies. The scene hasn’t failed to draw gasps of awe-inspiring wonder. In fact, the entire story draws its strength from the significance of preserving flora and fauna, which is distinctly dissimilar and intriguingly potent. Little wonder the audiences are enamoured with his beguiling flick.

A movie which has a similar compelling factor is: ‘Jurassic Park’, the island with its gorgeously rich bio-diversity of plant life, is cordoned off to breed dinosaurs. The dense jungles stand as a perfect dwelling spot for the creeping, flying and strutting dinosaurs to survive as well as to hunt prey. The underlying logic being: the greater the biodiversity of the flora, the greater the variety of pre-historic creatures. The fascination for the wild and its inhabitants though not in the face, projected in a fascinating light, are leverage points for the overall flick’s success.

 ‘Congo’ is another intriguing cinema, based on Michael Crichton’s book. The movie is all about relocating a lost ape back into the wild and about discovering the city of Zinj (King Solomon’s Mines) in the impenetrable jungles of Africa. An intelligent scientist is aided by a dashing young lady in the rescue and relocation of the ape. Right from the expedition team, which is hunted down by unknown creatures, to locating the city of Zinj which nestles secluded in the midst of a thick jungle, the movie is breathtakingly shot with its enchanting picturesque locations.

A flick that ranks no less in terms of its viewing quotient is ‘The Hunt for Blood Orchids’. The search for the elixir of youth takes a few scientists chartering into the mysterious and deadly jungles of Borneo. Blood Orchids are supposedly the secret to longevity of life. The anacondas’ prey, which consume these, indirectly aid in prolonging Anaconda’s life. The result, of course, is the reptile growing to 30 to 40 feet in length.  The decisive fight to stay alive against these mammoth beings is what makes the movie a nail-biting finisher. 

It’s always a treat to watch action thrillers against the backdrop of impermeable jungles. While these movies come as a breath of freshness, underscoring subtly the importance of keeping this world green, they also act as portals in transporting us to different worlds. The amazing directors, who capture life in its varying shades, undeniably deserve an applause.

For a quick e-page review, please follow the link below...

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/478271/SUNDAY-HANS/12-Apr-2015#page/8/2

Hotel California

 

'Hotel California’, when Eagles first sang this song in 1977, they didn’t think it would turn immortal. The album not only won a Grammy Award for the ‘Record of The Year’ but gone on to carve a distinct niche for itself in the genre of rock.  The song’s guitar solo was voted as one of the bests. The rest we know is all history. Even today, the song never fails to hold a sway on the youngsters and the old alike.

I distinctly remember, during the graduation days, we had our own college band called ‘Blue Jeans’ (still wonder why they couldn’t think of a better name) that was so enamored with this number, they used to play it at the drop of a hat. Whether it was fresher or farewell party, the celebration wasn’t complete until the official song ‘Hotel California’ was sung. Though, the band couldn’t replicate the number on a same plateau, you could say they weren’t bad.

What perhaps takes one by surprise are the bamboozling lyrics.  

During our college days, we used to call it the devil’s song. The ‘hotel’ in the lyrics referring to ‘hell’ and the words ‘ You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave’ indirectly meaning you probably could never get out. Of course, ‘You can’t kill the beast’ is quite decipherable.

One Johnnie, with his far-fetched imagination, hoodwinked many of us into believing that the lyricist of this song actually had half-written the song and dozed off. In the morning he found the song complete. Lending a whole new twist to ‘ghost-writing’.

However, Don Henley, one of the co-lyricists, explains, “It’s our interpretation of the high in life in Los Angeles” and later reiterates, “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about.”

Whatever it be, I still find the lyrics little tight. There’s an unholy tinge about the whole thing. Nonetheless, I can never deny the beautiful weaving of this mesmerizing and enticing composition. But, why am I talking about this song?! Well, it was something I found on the web. A fusion of west and east.  A fusion of ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Odissi Dance’.  Go ahead and enjoy this titillating merger. If it doesn’t give you the chills, then perhaps nothing else will…

 

 

 

 

 

Books & coffee on a Sunday

What could be worse than being called to work on Sundays? Anyway, moi colleagues had decided to come tardy and I was kind of stranded alone at the office.  Had time to kill, so thought it befitting to kill it at Landmark – the bookstore. Cozy ambience, impeccable service and loads of books to indulge in...It’s tempting enough.

At the bookstore, I chanced upon a few interesting books. One was Suhel Seth’s ‘Get to the Top’. Frankly, I don’t know much about Suhel Seth except that he features every now and then on political and business news channels. The next was Brian Tracy’s ‘Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success’. I have always been a great admirer of Brian Tracy. Read his books many times over. Still keep track of his upcoming books.  I picked up another book by Timothy Ferriss’ ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’.

There were other volumes I would have died to lay my hands on. However, the pre-eminent part of living in Hyderabad is you get almost all the titles in the Sunday market at jaw-dropping prices. This dicey logic refrains me from committing the crime. However, much to the amazement, I found ‘Get to the Top’, got my eyeballs. Picked it up more for the decisive title than for the immaculate look. The moment I started reading the book, though it didn’t seem very subterranean, it had me completely glued in.

Some of the insights Suhel Seth throws around in the book are eye-opening, and insightful. I liked the part where he says “Sometimes you need to call a spade, a spade”. He was in particular referring to an incident with Mr. Subbirami Reddy, a well-known industrialist and politician of Andhra Pradesh. Suhel Seth once criticized him in front of media saying he is a boring person to be with. I believe, in a subsequent meeting, Mr. Subbirami Reddy cornered him saying, “Do you think I am a boring person?”. Suhel Seth without ever denying the fact handled the matter tactfully, saying, “That day I had said lot of unpleasant things to lot of people”. That kind of put the whole thing in the right perspective. Then, Suhel Seth goes on to write, “Having said that, I still think he is a boring person”.  A person who knows Mr. Subbirami Reddy, wouldn’t agree less.

For the middleclass society, the book might seem a little over the top. However, it could be a good learning for the rich or the ubber rich who have nothing better than throwing parties of inconceivable magnitude. Or else why would a middle class person spend so much time distilling who needs to be called; how one needs to stay in the good books of invitees’ wives; on what topics to speak on... Pretty old-fashioned. I ain’t much into hobnobbing with anybody. I hate forceful interactions, leave alone creating such circumstances. I don’t deny that there isn’t a bit of truth in what he says of fraternizing the right individuals who can pull strings for you. But definitely it may not be everybody’s cup of tea.

All said and done, the book proved to be a good read. For the primary reason that it was a light book and I could do it in an hour or two over two cups of coffee.