Looking back at my vacation viewing, which included heavily intellectual entertainment like… um, ‘Downton Abbey’.
What does a film critic watch while on vacation? I was surprised people even thought this was a question worth asking, but then someone explained why. With “normal” folks (a category I clearly do not belong to), holidays are a time to catch up with films, but when your work is itself day after day of catching up with films…? Anyway, I’d like to report that I used the time away from work to watch seven-hour black-and-white epics by the Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr, but alas, I am made of much shallower stuff. Among my indulgences: the new Star Wars movie, and a back-to-back marathon of the still-entertaining Back to the Future trilogy, the second film of which takes place in 2015. In other words, a year that’s supposed to be the distant future just became part of the past. I felt really old. Imagine. We are now far beyond the “future” imagined in 2001: A Space Odyssey, even if our world looks little like the one Kubrick dreamt up.
As for the past, I ended up, as I always do, re-watching some of my favourite older films. I saw Laura again, the 1944 noir directed by Otto Preminger. It has one of my favourite characters, the suavely venomous newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker, who’s made from the same mould as Addison DeWitt, the theatre critic from All About Eve. The film revolves around the murder of the titular character, and in an early scene, a detective named McPherson interrogates Lydecker. Just see how cracklingly clever the dialogue is. McPherson asks, “Were you in love with Laura Hunt, Mr. Lydecker? Was she in love with you?” Lydecker replies, “Laura considered me the wisest, the wittiest, the most interesting man she’d ever met. And I was in complete accord with her on that point. She thought me also the kindest, the gentlest, the most sympathetic man in the world.” McPherson asks, “Did you agree with her there, too?” Lydecker replies, “McPherson, you won’t understand this; but I tried to become the kindest, the gentlest, the most sympathetic man in the world.” McPherson asks, “Have any luck?” Lydecker replies, “Let me put it this way. I should be sincerely sorry to see my neighbors’ children devoured by wolves.” Who writes lines like these anymore?
Another re-re-re-watch: East of Eden. Of the three movies James Dean made, Rebel Without a Cause is the one I like least, the ultra-Bollywoody Giant the one I like most. This one’s somewhere in the middle, an oddly constricted slice of the sprawling Steinbeck novel. Speaking of literary adaptations, I also saw Room, which is based on the excellent book by Emma Donoghue. The film is very good (as is Brie Larson, as the mother kept captive in the titular space), but I must say I preferred the book, which invites us into that room, to gaze at the things inside that room through the eyes of five-year-old Jack – he makes the ordinary just a little bit off with his insistence on referring to things by their name. (“Hello sink,” “Hello TV,” “Hello rug.”) But here’s the thing with the movie, with its visuals. We see the sink. We see the TV. We see the rug. It’s different from the book, where we saw, through the mind’s eye, the sink, the TV, the rug that the boy saw.
The most fun I had was wasting many, many hours on Downton Abbey. (Rather than keep tracking weekly episodes, I prefer to watch entire seasons at one go.) Everyone’s been telling me to watch this series about the aristocratic Crawley family negotiate a series of upheavals in the post-Edwardian era – and I was hooked right from the opening episodes, thanks mainly to two great female characters. One, the peerless Dowager Countess, played by the peerless Maggie Smith, who keeps mouthing the most peerless lines. (“One can’t go to pieces at the death of every foreigner. We’d all be in a constant state of collapse whenever we opened a newspaper.”) And two, Mary Crawley, whose fascinating mix of virtues and vices kept reminding me of Scarlett O’Hara – she’s selfish, vain about her effect on men, mean to her sister, and yet, kind to and genuinely concerned about the ones she loves, even if they are servants. Another great character: Mr. Carson, the butler. The sight of this starched man letting his hair down by the beachside is one of the happiest images from last year.
At first, I was a little disappointed with the series. When you think “great TV,” you think Breaking Bad, Dexter, Mad Men – shows that have redefined what television can show and do. So imagine my surprise when, after all that you-don’t-know-what-you’re-missing talk, Downton Abbey turned out to be a… soap, the kind of thing where you see a man speeding in a car and you know, just around the corner, there’s a truck speeding towards him. It’s one breathless cliffhanger after another. I don’t have a problem with soaps – it’s just that I wouldn’t actively seek one out. And yet, after a bit of mental recalibration, I found the show quite addictive, even as I kept rolling my eyes at some of the plotlines, like the one around the illegitimate child of one of the Crawley daughters or a murder investigation that goes on and on. At the end of the day, despite our striving to be above certain things, I guess we’re all suckers for a good yarn.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2016 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Radhika
January 9, 2016
Didn’t you think that D.A. was like a Karan Johan movie? All sumptious furnishings and luxurious clothes and people who are flawed in small ways but with inner core of goodness, not to mention all the Ramu Kakas floating around, rewarded for their feudal fealty? Like a good Hindi movie you knew that there would be sadness rationed out in small dribbles but finally everyone would be happy-ish, even the nasty footman who loses his hand in the war but seems to magically reacquire it later, becomes all penitent and paavum.There was something deeply comforting in immersing oneself in that milieu, like settling down with french fries and chocolate pudding, you knew you would regret it later, but the going was such fun.
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tonks
January 9, 2016
I happened to read “East of Eden” only just a few months back but havent seen the movie yet. Not surprised they constricted it, its such a whopping book.
I remember reading a bitty rumination dating to a few years back on how you were about to begin an award winning book (Room) and how you would rather read something less literary and so more enjoyable (like Thornbirds). I was a little outraged on Emma Donoghue’s behalf reading that post, because I’d found Room a page turner (one of those rare books that win awards, are well written and literary but yet are engrossing reads : ‘The remains of the day’ is another such anomaly). Im glad to hear that you got around to reading “Room” and found it excellent.
So no Indian movies on holiday.
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venkatesh
January 9, 2016
@BR: “Laura” , what an absolute joy this film is. This , with Rififi and Maltese Falcon is some of the most fun i have had watching a movie.
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MANK
January 9, 2016
Brangan, so that’s one mystery Solved. So we now know what a film critic does on his holidays. Instead of watching new movies, you watch old movies and TV soaps 🙂 I envy you
I was very interested in your description of Laura. I remember watching it and thinking exactly the same about the dialogue. I am a sucker for film noir and great dialogue and 40s had them plenty. The Maltese falcon, to have and have not, the big sleep- super dialogues and superb actors who can say them. This is an absolute favorite:
Reg: James Dean, have you ever written any piece on him (or his mystique)? I am always perplexed his name is included with Brando, Newman or Clift. I thought he was a rather decent performer, not as great as the others.
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venkat1926
January 9, 2016
Yes Downtown Abbey is addicitive though a soap. You come to know the family and take sides about the members of the family both upstairs and downstairs. Of course sometimes you feel a non intellectural but a yarn is good.
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Mohammed Arif Attar
January 9, 2016
My favourite line from the Dowager is “What’s a weekend?” This from Season 1.
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Anu Warrier
January 10, 2016
Isn’t Maggie Smith absolutely wonderful? She reminds me of why the Empire stood for as long as it did! What rescues the absolutely soap-ish plot line – at least for me – is the wonderful acting, from almost every single person in the cast. I do wish they hadn’t killed off the youngest sister so quickly, and I probably won’t miss it when it ends this season, but Downton Abbey was entertaining while it lasted.
Since Netflix has made its way to Indian shores, may I recommend you binge watch Miss Fisher’s Mysteries? It’s an Aussie series, set immediately after the Great War, and has some excellent acting all around, and some of the best (humorous) lines written for television. It helps that both Essie Davis and Nathan Page are not only dishy, but their chemistry is sparkling. I just now finished watching the last episode in Season Three, and am feeling withdrawal symptoms – Season Four hasn’t been made yet. 😦
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Prasad
January 10, 2016
“When you think “great TV,” you think Breaking Bad, Dexter, Mad Men – shows that have redefined what television can show and do”
Can’t agree more. It would be mind boggling to think how much is the budget for each episode of these shows. Another point how can they have such a tight screenplay ..just for e,g Breaking bad not a single episode has a slack or a scene looks like a filler. How organic everything looks!
In 2015 couldn’t find anything in the league of Breaking bad.
Tried Fargo season 1 and 2, Better call Saul, seeing Mr Robot… now… anything else anybody can recommend?
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Santosh Kumar T K
January 10, 2016
“Rather than keep tracking weekly episodes, I prefer to watch entire seasons at one go.”
you are supposed to say, “i binged“, BR!
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Rahul
January 10, 2016
Yeah BR, its called binging. Now that netflix is available in India, it will soon become the rule rather than the exception.
I have a good mind to attempt to watch Satantango, though I am a bit hesitant since the director had advised that all its 450 mins should be seen in one sitting , notwithstanding bathroom breaks. I think it would be a good meditative exercise.
Somehow, I was never drawn to the Abbey. It seems too idyllic to me , and without the disfunction that David Lynch has made us to expect to lurk underneath the suburban idyll. If you enjoyed it, you may like Parades end and Any Human Heart.
Prasad, try Rectify on Netflix. Its a damn fine how, though has abysmal TRP ratings .
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Akhilan
January 10, 2016
@Prasad… I’d definitely recommend giving these shows a go: The Americans, Halt and Catch Fire, House of Cards, Suits, and Homeland (particularly this season). I personally enjoyed all of them tremendously… And do continue watching Mr. Robot, it’s gripping and simply awesome… 🙂
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arjun_shivaram
January 10, 2016
If you can, Mr. Rangan, do try to catch this amazing series called Person of Interest, created by Johnathan Nolan. It is the best!!
Would love to hear what you think of it 🙂
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Vanya
January 10, 2016
+1 for Miss Fisher’s mysteries. The mysteries themselves are corny and not terribly imaginative, but the characters and their relationships are written excellently. And it’s so refreshing watching adults on TV behave as such! (Shonda Rhimes has done a spectacular job changing how women, LGBT, and ethnic minority roles are presented on TV, but I blame her for the excess of flawed characters and their messy relationships that’s become the norm these days.)
Two other Netflix recommendations — Bojack Horseman (caution: do not binge-watch; this show goes to some very dark places) and Master of None. And if you haven’t watched it yet, please please please check out The Wire!
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
January 10, 2016
MANK : Many Many Thanks for posting the clip from ‘The Big Sleep’ . Ms.Bacall is to die for!
Its one of those movies which remained in my To Do list since my teen years and will remain till my son’s teen years get over and I FINALLY get the leisure and continuous time that we of the Over 45 approaching 50 (but mentally under 20 !) brigade crave.
Friends – Here’s an account of what it felt like to see STAR WARS the very FIRST time it was let loose in Madras on an unsuspecting public in 1979.
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Karthik
January 10, 2016
I guess we’re all suckers for a good yarn.
Truer words…
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Neeraja
January 10, 2016
I am indeed surprised sir. I thought your vacation would not have the trace of any movie/ tv watching and quite imagined you sipping hot chocolate in the mountains (sigh). It has made me ‘re evaluated the sketch I had made of you. Hmm..
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apex
January 10, 2016
“please please please check out The Wire!”
Okie, but will I get paid,,,
Nobody’s in2 ‘mad men’ ?
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Travelling Slacker
January 11, 2016
I watched this series because I’m a closet anglophile. It does not have any of the elements I generally prefer but still kept watching it while I can never stand the soaps on Indian TV.
Wonder why it worked for me. Probably it is just about the competence of the writers, directors and actors that make this one watchable.
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Travelling Slacker
January 11, 2016
Talking of British stuff, has anyone seen Penny Dreadful?
I know BR does not like horror but this one is not about cheap thrills.
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Parvathi
January 11, 2016
If you are taking recommendations from lay people- Foyle’s War. The series is about a policeman solving crimes in a small town while WWII rages on. Michael Kitchen as Foyle is simply fabulous. The last two seasons dealing with MI5 post war were the best. I’m going to miss the show.
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Akhilan
January 11, 2016
@Travelling Slacker
Love Penny Dreadful too…!! Eva Green’s ridiculously good in the show…!!
Another British series that is a worth a watch is Outlander… Ok, I’ll just stop now and slither back to my man-cave 😉
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Vikram Sonni
January 11, 2016
Hi BR, a bit off-topic. Would you be doing a post about the best of 2015 (Hindi films)… thanks in advance…
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venkatesh
January 11, 2016
On binge watching , please don’t miss “Making of a Murderer” and of course like everyone else says , if you have not watched “The Wire” , do yourself a favour, stop everything and watch it now.
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Sifter
January 11, 2016
So glad that you have read Room and watched the movie because I read it and loved it. Am gearing up to watch the movie next.
Must thank you for the wonderful Anne Tyler. There is something wonderfully compelling about her books.
Have watched Unreal and found it riveting. And yes to Miss Fisher’s Mysteries.
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Jupe
January 11, 2016
For some reason or the other, I saw Master of None getting rave reviews and binge-watched S1 and found it not-so-deep-n-insightful at all… Starts off dreadfully and gets better as the season goes on…. Maybe its just me sitting here in India who just cant get the way immigrant protagonists are shown….
On the other hand, I was recommended “You’re the worst” and though S1 serves up std rom-com stuff, S2 takes a very interesting turn and i would recommend it for people who like modern takes on relationships and associated complications…
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apex
January 12, 2016
“I used the time away from work to watch seven-hour black-and-white epics by the Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr”
–yeah that needs patience, even resolve to sit thru …
‘Turin Horse’ was forced down my throat (& drilled into my eyes) somehow. Drudgery, montony, repetition & banality also becomes a character even a ‘trope’ … A ‘different’ experience, may jot something on it (when sane)
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Prasad
January 12, 2016
@Akhilan and Vanya.
Thanks for the reco. Definitely will watch it when get a chance.
Right now watching Mr Robot and was was pleasantly surprised that it won against much hyped” Game of Thrones” on yesterday’s Golden Globe. Even Christian Slater won an award for supporting actor. Very interesting premise and as somebody mentioned in one of the review…it is like The Matrix meets Fight Club!
Has anybody attempted “Game of Thrones’… the ratings and reviews for that show is amazing! But the premise doesn’t look promising for me to venture.
For this year, other than Mr Robot am looking forward “Better Call Saul” second season as there is a strong rumor that some characters of breaking bad can come again in this spin off.
Am still unable to overcome the addiction of BB…. 🙂
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RT
January 13, 2016
@Prasad
I would definitely recommend Game of Thrones. There’s just 10 episodes a season so it’s not too big an investment. I’d say watch the first season and then decide if you want to continue. If that feels too long, give it at least 6 episodes.
There were couple of really good BBC series this year – Wolf Hall and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Both adapted from books, with 6 and 7 episodes respectively. Highly recommended.
On Netflix, I liked both Marvel series – Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The 3rd season of House of Cards wasn’t as good as the first two but overall, I think it’s worth a look.
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Anu
January 13, 2016
I was hooked onto “Downton” too. It’s not really the story – very predictable and very “safe” – but the settings, and the attention to detail and the superb acting that gets your attention and oh yes the “feel goodiness”. Reminds me of “Darling Buds of May”…
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prasunsblog
January 15, 2016
Billions looks promising
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Rohan Nair
January 15, 2016
Wait. You watch stuff even while on vacation?!
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tonks
January 23, 2016
Something that bothered me in the last scene in Laura : the investigating officer places the incriminating murder weapon right back where he finds it and says that they will catch the culprit (who is at large) the next day. It is this highly implausible act of his that sets the stage for the climax. Did no one else have a problem with this major plot hole?
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Aditi
March 27, 2016
Very random – Does anyone else feel like the actress who plays Mrs. Patmore (the cook) in Downton Abbey would have been quite the perfect casting choice for Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter series?
PS- Just finished watching the fifth season of Downton Abbey. The guilt at whiling away hours, days and weeks binge-watching this (very aptly termed “soap-y”) series is immense. But the happiness seems to outweigh the guilt, at least for now. What a joy to watch such a talented ensemble of actors!
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MANK
September 15, 2016
Brangan, just finished watching all the six seasons of Downton Abbey (thanks majorly to the combined Eid onam holidays😃)
Just loved it – at least the first three seasons – immeasurably – even though i have mixed feelings about the last three. Also it reminded me what I have been missing these days from mainstream Hollywood cinema – great writing dotted with great lines and bon mots, an ensemble of great actors working in tandem and a sumptuous visual pallette with the nostalgic golden yellows and greens – in an age when even the comic book films have become darker and darker where you can hardly distinguish between red, blue or black.
Agree with everything you have to say about the series. It’s a combination of those lush classy merchant ivory productions and sooraj bharjatya soap operas .
The look and feel of the series reminded me of a lot of old films like Howard’s end,Age of innocence, Gosford park and Remains of the day -which was the first film where I heard terms like under Butler, housekeeper, footman,valet and stuff like that.
Apart from Mad men, perhaps this is the greatest all round ensemble cast or performance that I have ever seen . My god what great actors and so perfectly cast, from hugo Bonville to the actresses playing Mrs pattmore and Daisy – Sophie McShera is the cutest coolest little actress I have ever seen on screen (big or small) with such a cute way of delivering her lines – with Dame Maggie Smith being the pick of the lot.
But most importantly it creates a fully realized self contained world of its own – like the iconic godfather films and very much like those films, – it’s created from inside out more from the POV of the British aristocracy which helps us to empathize – and to a great extent- sympathize with them and their life style. Usually the aristocracy is treated as clowns or as cruel and wile . Here they have been humanised to a great deal . I think that’s been the main reason why the series became a cultural phenomenon.
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venkat1926
September 16, 2016
the old series I have seen till the driver son-in-law shifting to America. Is what you have seen is new series and if so lwhere have you seen? even though initially I was prejudiced against the richer people of England I slowlly come to appreciate various cross current of upstairs and downstairs. It was very enjoyable series
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MANK
September 16, 2016
Venkat1926,thats at the end of season 5 that chauffeur son in law leaves for America . In the final season he does come back
I think whatever negative feedback the series has received is mainly due to people taking it seriously. This is more of a fantasy and nothing to do with reality like the other great series Mad men or breaking bad
Just to add to what brangan was saying about parallels between Lady Mary and Scarlett o hara , this series is also a lot like Gone with the wind -a melodramatic soap opera that is an ode to a time and a world gone forever.
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