The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) this time round brings a package of 'theatre films' that blends two most popular genres associated with entertainment - cinema and theatre.
Equus is a 1977 British-American drama film, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Burton. The film features Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Eileen Atkins, and Jenny Agutter. Psychiatrist Martin Dysart investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable at Hampshire, England. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming 17-year-old stable boy named Alan Strang, the only son of opinionated but inwardly-timid Frank Strang and his genteel, religious wife Dora. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face to face with his own. Unlike the play, the film version was placed in a realistic setting, using real horses.
Of the six films in the ‘theatre films’ package, three are from the U.S., two from India and one from Russia. The lone theatre film from Russia is the 140-minute long ‘Hamlet’, directed by Grigori Kozintsev who had was a founder member of the Russian avant-garde artist group called the Factory of the Eccentric Actor (FEKS).
'Streetcar Named Desire' (1951) is a subversive, steamy film classic that was adapted from Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. Playwright Williams adapted his own play for the screen version. This film masterpiece was directed by independent director Elia Kazan, a socially-conscious director who insisted that the film be true to the play.
The film tells the feverish story of the pathetic mental and emotional demise of a determined, yet fragile, repressed, and delicate Southern lady (Blanche) born to a once-wealthy family of Mississippi planters. 'Streetcar Named Desir''e holds the distinction of winning Academy Award for actors in three out of the four acting categories. Oscars were won by Vivien Leigh, Best Actress, Karl Malden, Best Supporting Actor, and Kim Hunter, Best Supporting Actress. Marlon Brando was nominated for his performance as Stanley Kowalski, and although lauded for his powerful portrayal, did not win the Oscar for Best Actor.
Among the other films in the package are ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Aravindan’s 'Kanchana Sita' and Jayarajan’s 'Kaliyattam'. The film ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and has starred Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture.
Equus is a 1977 British-American drama film, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Burton. The film features Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Eileen Atkins, and Jenny Agutter. Psychiatrist Martin Dysart investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable at Hampshire, England. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming 17-year-old stable boy named Alan Strang, the only son of opinionated but inwardly-timid Frank Strang and his genteel, religious wife Dora. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face to face with his own. Unlike the play, the film version was placed in a realistic setting, using real horses.
Of the six films in the ‘theatre films’ package, three are from the U.S., two from India and one from Russia. The lone theatre film from Russia is the 140-minute long ‘Hamlet’, directed by Grigori Kozintsev who had was a founder member of the Russian avant-garde artist group called the Factory of the Eccentric Actor (FEKS).
'Streetcar Named Desire' (1951) is a subversive, steamy film classic that was adapted from Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. Playwright Williams adapted his own play for the screen version. This film masterpiece was directed by independent director Elia Kazan, a socially-conscious director who insisted that the film be true to the play.
The film tells the feverish story of the pathetic mental and emotional demise of a determined, yet fragile, repressed, and delicate Southern lady (Blanche) born to a once-wealthy family of Mississippi planters. 'Streetcar Named Desir''e holds the distinction of winning Academy Award for actors in three out of the four acting categories. Oscars were won by Vivien Leigh, Best Actress, Karl Malden, Best Supporting Actor, and Kim Hunter, Best Supporting Actress. Marlon Brando was nominated for his performance as Stanley Kowalski, and although lauded for his powerful portrayal, did not win the Oscar for Best Actor.
Among the other films in the package are ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Aravindan’s 'Kanchana Sita' and Jayarajan’s 'Kaliyattam'. The film ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and has starred Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture.
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