Slumdog Millionaire

[poliphilo]

The story is traditional fairytale- a carcass on which to hang a slap-bang-whallop impression of modern India. The characters are types- he's the widow's son, she's the princess in the castle. Alternatively he's Nicholas Nickleby and she's Madeline Bray; neither of them  particularly interesting in themselves. The character who does interest me is the older brother- who plays both good and evil angel- alternately thwarting and rescuing the lovers.  If they were always destined to find one another, then he's the agent of destiny- and his final words- as he dies in a bathtub full of rupees having saved them one last time- more than hint at something metaphysical going on.

It's a feelgood movie that never glosses over the horrors it goes streaking through. I love the energy- and the colour. And what a stroke of brilliance to regognise- and use- the mythic structure of the TV gameshow.

Comments

[zeeshanmn.livejournal.com]

Slumdog is essentially a Brit film, written-produced-directed by non-Indians and has a hero with an unconvincing accent who doesn't belong in Bombay.

The traditional fairytale is an important template of commercial Indian cinema, which is what Boyle made good use of. Most of the films made in India have a similar structure and style: beating down adversaries.

What I liked most was that Boyle made superbly of viewers' curiosity by interspersing the film with Jamal's quests for the answers.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I had been wondering about the accuracy of the movie. The actor who plays Jamal is a Brit, I think. It's a pity they couldn't find a local actor.

I feel the same about Hollywood actors playing Brits. They almost always get the accent subtly wrong- and part of it is that they always seem to be trying too hard.