Resources
Books
Videos
Ajith
There are millions of videos on the Internet that we come across. Like anybody else I also have watched many of them over the years. This page contains the links to some of the movies/plays that I found interesting. Someone else may find them interesting, at least it will help me if I prefer to watch any of them again, provided it remains available.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet directed by Emanuel E. Garcia. A Bard in the Yard production by the Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe (bctt.org.nz) performed on 5 March 2015 in Eastbourne, New Zealand, and filmed by Riddell Productions
Peter Brook’s The Mahabharata. Peter Brook’s original 1985 stage play “The Mahabharata” was 9 hours long, and toured around the world for four years. In 1989, it was reduced to under 6 hours for television.
Mrs Warrenn’s Proffession by George Bernard Shaw Mrs. Warren’s Profession, play in four acts by George Bernard Shaw, written in 1893 and published in 1898 but not performed until 1902 because of government censorship; the play’s subject matter is organized prostitution.
Caesar and Cleopatra. In this philosophical coming-of-age film, an aging Julius Caesar takes possession of the Egyptian capital city of Alexandria, and tries to resolve a feud between young Princess Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy. During the resulting sometimes-murderous court intrigues, Caesar develops a special relationship with Cleopatra, and teaches her how to use her royal power.
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Presented by Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe, 2015. Directed by Florence McFarlane. Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological figure. It was first presented on stage to the public in 1913. In ancient Greek mythology, Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures, which then came to life.
Red Sorgham. Red Sorghum is a 1987 Chinese film about a young woman’s life working on a distillery for sorghum liquor. It is based on the novel Red Sorghum Clan by Nobel laureate Mo Yan. The film takes place in a rural village in China’s eastern province of Shandong during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
To Live. Produced in 1994, the film was banned in China because of its implied political content. As punishment for its negative portrayal of a recent period in Chinese history, the director, Zhang Yimou, and his wife Gong Li, the lead actress in the film, were banned by the Beijing authorities for two years from filmmaking. The film is a frank examination of mid-20th century China covering four decades. “To Live” moves from the heady 1940s when the old class system flourished, through the fierce hardships of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, to the transitional period of the 1970s. The powerful story follows a family whose lives are bound up in the political twists and turns that took place during this dynamic time. We watch with sympathy and understanding as they both prosper and suffer through bizarre twists and tragic losses.
Raise the Red Lantern. Raise the Red Lantern is a 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. It is an adaptation by Ni Zhen of the 1990 novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong. The film was later adapted into an acclaimed ballet of the same title by the National Ballet of China, also directed by Zhang. Set in the 1920s, the film tells the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines of a wealthy man during the Warlord Era. It is noted for its opulent visuals and sumptuous use of colours. The film was shot in the Qiao Family Compound near the ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province. Although the screenplay was approved by Chinese censors,[2] the final version of the film was banned in China for a period. It may be interesting to contrast it with the malayalam movie Parinayam.
