Friday, August 17, 2007

Sanae El Alaoui, a Bollyphile for ever.



Sanae El Alaoui is a Moroccan girl aged 10. She has painted some virtual works hoping that Bollywood would get the message of love through her painting .Sanae loves Indian movies and finds them highly emotional and inspiring .

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Satyajit Ray, the exquisite Indian filmmaker.



: সত্যজিত রায় Sajayit Ray help·info)) (May 2, 1921–April 23, 1992) was an Indian filmmaker regarded as one of the greatest film directors of the twentieth century.[1] Born in the city of Kolkata (then Calcutta) into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and letters, Ray studied at Presidency College and at the Visva-Bharati University, at the poet Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing the Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves during a visit to London.

Ray directed thirty-seven films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali, won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Document at Cannes. Along with Aparajito and Apur Sansar, the film forms the Apu trilogy. Ray worked on an array of tasks, including scripting, casting, scoring, cinematography, art direction, editing and designing his own credit titles and publicity material. Apart from making films, he was a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, graphic designer and film critic. Ray received many major awards in his career, including an Academy Honorary Award in 1992.
(wikipedia)






New directions (1965–1982)

In the post-Charulata period, Ray took on projects of increasing variety, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to detective films to historical drama. Ray also made considerable formal experimentation during this period, and also took closer notice to the contemporary issues of Indian life, responding to a perceived lack of these issues in his films. The first major film in this period is Nayak (The Hero), the story of a screen hero traveling in a train where he meets a young sympathetic female journalist. Starring Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, the film explores, in the twenty-four hours of the journey, the inner conflict of the apparently highly successful matinée idol. In spite of receiving a Critics prize in Berlin, the reaction to this film was generally muted.[25]

In 1967, Ray wrote a script for a film to be called The Alien, based on his short story Bankubabur Bandhu ("Banku Babu's Friend") which he wrote in 1962 for Sandesh, the Ray family magazine. The Alien had Columbia Pictures as producer for this planned U.S.-India co-production, and Peter Sellers and Marlon Brando as the leading actors. However, Ray was surprised to find that the script he had written had already been copyrighted and the fee appropriated. Brando later dropped out of the project, and though an attempt was made to replace him with James Coburn, Ray became disillusioned and returned to Kolkata.[26][27] Columbia expressed interest in reviving the project several times in the 1970s and 1980s, but nothing came of it. When E.T. was released in 1982, Ray saw similarities in the film to his earlier script — Ray discussed the collapse of the project in a 1980 Sight & Sound feature, with further details revealed by Ray's biographer Andrew Robinson (in The Inner Eye, 1989). Ray believed that Spielberg's film would not have been possible without his script of The Alien being available throughout America in mimeographed copies (a charge Spielberg denies).[28]

In 1969, Ray made what would be commercially the most successful of his films. Based on a children's story written by his grandfather, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha) is a musical fantasy. Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, equipped by three boons allowed by the King of Ghosts, set out on a fantastic journey in which they try to stop an impending war between two neighbouring kingdoms. Among his most expensive enterprises, it turned out to be very hard to finance; Ray abandoned his desire to shoot it in colour, turning down an offer that would have forced him to cast a certain Bollywood actor as the lead.[29] Ray next made a film from a novel by the young poet and writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay. Featuring a musical structure acclaimed as even more complex than Charulata,[30] Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) traces four urban young men going to the forests for a vacation, trying to leave their petty urban existence behind. All but one of them get engaged into revealing encounters with women, which critics consider a revealing study of the Indian middle class. Ray cast Mumbai-based actress Simi Garewal as a tribal woman, who was pleasantly surprised to find that Ray could envision someone as urban as her in that role.

After Aranyer, Ray made a foray into contemporary Bengali reality, which was then in state of continuous flux due to the leftist Naxalite movement. He completed the so-called Calcutta trilogy: Pratidwandi (1970), Seemabaddha (1971), and Jana Aranya (1975), three films which were conceived separately, but whose thematic connections form a loose trilogy. Pratidwandi (The Adversary) is about an idealist young graduate; if disillusioned, still uncorrupted at the end of film, Jana Aranya (The Middleman) about how a young man gives in to the culture of corruption to make a living, and Seemabaddha (Company Limited) about an already successful man giving up morals for further gains. Of these, the first, Pratidwandi, uses an elliptical narrative style previously unseen in Ray films, such as scenes in negative, dream sequences and abrupt flashbacks. In the 1970s, Ray also adapted two of his popular stories as detective films. Though mainly targeted towards children and young adults, both Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) and Joy Baba Felunath (The Elephant God) found some critical following.[31]

Ray considered making a film on the Bangladesh Liberation War but later abandoned the idea, commenting that as a filmmaker he was more interested in the travails and journeys of the refugees and not politics.[32] In 1977, Ray completed Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Chess Players), an Urdu film based on a story by Munshi Premchand, set in Lucknow in the state of Oudh, a year before the Indian rebellion of 1857. A commentary on the circumstances that led to the colonization of India by the British, this was Ray's first feature film in a language other than Bengali. This is also his most expensive and star-studded film, featuring likes of Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Victor Bannerjee and Richard Attenborough. Ray made a sequel to Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne in 1980, a somewhat overtly political Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom of Diamonds) — where the kingdom of the evil Diamond King or Hirok Raj is an allusion to India during Indira Gandhi's emergency period.[33] Along with his acclaimed short film Pikoo (Pikoo's Day) and hour long Hindi film Sadgati this was the culmination of his work in this period.(Wikipedia)

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Sunday, August 5, 2007

Anand Dev and Tony Curtis












Hindi star, producer and director .Born in Gurdaspur,Pujab,as Devdutt Pishorimal Anand .Arts degree from Punjabi University;went to Bombay to join elder brother Chetan Anand in the IPTA.Started acting at Prahbat ( 1945) where he met Guru Dutt.First hit,Ziddi,At Bombay Talkies .lainched Navketan (1949) with Chetan Anand,later (1953) joined by younger brother and star director Vijay Anand ( e,g GUIDE).
Produced Guru Dutt 's directorial début?Baazi.Navketan spawned much new talent :directors Guru Dutt,Vijay Anand Raj Khosla,composers S.D and R.D .Burman ,jaidev,lyricists Sahir Ludhaianvi and Neeraj;cameraman Fali Mistry,V.Ratra and D.K.Prabhakar,actors johnny Walker
.(Indian Cinema by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen.)





Zeenat Aman ,Ekta Sharma,Tina Munin.Top star at Filmistan;made several of his most famous hits with Subodh Mukherjee ( Munimji,paying Guest ) and other Filmistan trained directors like Nasir Hussain and Shakti Samanta .Turned director in 1970.Directed ,produced and starred in fim lainching his son ?suneil Anand ( Anand Aur Anand ).Now mainly produces and directs own starring vehicles deploying a more conventional heroic persona .Together with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar,he ushered in the dominant acting idiom of post-Independence Hindi cinema .His style is demarcated from the naturalist method -acting modes of Motila,Balraj Sahni a,d the Ashok Kumar of Kismet ( 1943).
Amit Khanna noted:'Dev Anand 's forte was the boy next door , part lover ,part clown and part do-gooder.' Although never the reviewers favourite, he claimed that filming should be brought as close as possible to the making of newspaper'.His deliberatedly awkward pastiches invoke various sources ' e,g Gary Grant,Gregory Peck ). With directors Chetan and Vijay Anand , Guru Dutt and Subodh Mukherjee ,along with playback singer Kishore kumar,he satirised and reconstitued genric styles such as Capra 's ( Nau Do Gyarab),john Huson's (Jaal), the thriller (Jewel Thief ,CID) ,The love story (Tere Ghar Ke sammne,paying Guest) and the Hollywood epic in Guide .
Directional concerns include the alleged ailessness of today's youth contrasted with the civilisational glory of the freedom struggle ( e,g Hare Rama Hare Krishna)). Acted in the films he directed .Married actress Karpana Kartik in 1954.








* Hum Ek Hain (1946)
* Mohan (1947)
* Aage Badho (1947)
* Ziddi (1948)
* Vidya (1948)
* Hum Bhi Insaan Hain (1948)
* Udhaar (1949)
* Shayar (1949)
* Shair (1949)
* Jeet (1949)
* Nirala (1950)
* Nili (1950)
* Madhubala (1950)
* Khel (1950)
* Hindustan Hamara (1950)
* Dilruba (1950)
* Birha Ki Raat (1950)
* Afsar (1950)
* Stage (1951)
* Sazaa (1951)
* Sanam (1951)
* Nadaan (1951)
* Do Sitare (1951)
* Baazi (1951)
* Aaram (1951)
* Zalzala (1952)
* Tamasha (1952)
* Jaal (1952)
* Aandhiyan (1952)
* Rahi (1953)
* Patita (1953)
* Humsafar (1953)
* Armaan (1953)
* Taxi Driver (1954)
* Kashti (1954)
* Baadbaan (1954)
* Munimji (1955)
* Milap (1955)
* Insaniyat (1955)
* House No. 44 (1955)
* Faraar (1955)
* Pocket Maar (1956)
* Funtoosh (1956)
* C.I.D. (1956)
* Paying Guest (1957)
* Nau Do Gyarah (1957)
* Dushman (1957)
* Baarish (1957)
* Solva Saal (1958)
* Kalapani (1958)
* Amar Deep (1958)
* Love Marriage (1959)
* Sarhad (1960)
* Manzil (1960)
* Kala Bazar (1960)
* Jaali Note (1960)
* Ek Ke Baad Ek (1960)
* Bambai Ka Babu (1960)
* Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961)
* Maya (1961)
* Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961)
* Hum Dono (1961)
* Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)
* Asli-Naqli (1962)
* Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963)
* Kinare Kinare (1963)
* Sharabi (1964)
* Teen Devian (1965)
* Guide (1965)
* Pyar Mohabbat (1966)
* Jewel Thief (1967)
* Kahin Aur Chal (1968)
* Duniya (1968)
* Mahal (1969)
* Prem Pujari (1970)
* The Evil Within (1970)
* Johny Mera Naam (1970)
* Gambler (1971)
* Tere Mere Sapne (1971)
* Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971)
* Yeh Gulistan Hamara (1972)
* Shareef Budmaash (1973)
* Heera Panna (1973)
* Chhupa Rustam (1973)
* Banarasi Babu (1973)
* Joshila (1973)
* Prem Shastra (1974)
* Ishq Ishq Ishq (1974)
* Amir Garib (1974)
* Warrant (1975)
* Jaaneman (1976)
* Bullet (1976)
* Saheb Bahadur (1977)
* Kalabaaz (1977)
* Darling Darling (1977)
* Des Pardes (1978)
* Man Pasand (1980)
* Lootmaar (1980)
* Swami Dada (1982)
* Anand Aur Anand (1984)
* Hum Naujawan (1985)
* Sachche Ka Bol Bala (1989)
* Lashkar (1989)
* Awwal Number (1990)
* Sau Crore (1991)
* Gangster (1994)
* Return of Jewel Thief (1996)
* Censor (2001)
* Aman Ke Farishtey (2003)
* Love at Times Square (2003)
* Mr Prime Minister (2005)




Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz, June 3, 1925) is an American film actor. Famous for his thick black wavy hair, good looks, flashing long eyelashes and trademark New York accent, he was most popular during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his light comic roles, especially his musician on the run from gangsters in Some Like It Hot (1959). He has also essayed a number of more serious dramatic roles over the years, such as his escaped convict in The Defiant Ones (1958), for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He has appeared in over 100 films since 1949, and has also made frequent television appearances.(Wikipedia)










Filmography

* Criss Cross (1949)
* Bedrock Across the River (1949)
* The Lady Gambles (1949)
* Take One False Step (1949) (scenes deleted)
* Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)
* How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border (1949) (short subject)
* Woman in Hiding (1950)
* Francis (1950)
* I Was a Shoplifter (1950)
* Sierra (1950)
* Winchester '73 (1950)
* Kansas Raiders (1950)
* The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951)
* Meet Danny Wilson (1952) (cameo)
* Flesh and Fury (1952)
* No Room for the Groom (1952)
* Son of Ali Baba (1952)
* Houdini (1953)
* The All-American (1953)
* Forbidden (1953)
* Beachhead (1954)
* Johnny Dark (1954)
* The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)
* Six Bridges to Cross (1955)
* So This Is Paris (1955)
* The Purple Mask (1955)
* The Rawhide Years (1955)
* The Square Jungle (1955)
* Trapeze (1956)
* Mister Cory (1957)
* Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
* The Midnight Story (1957)
* The Vikings (1958)
* Kings Go Forth (1958)
* The Defiant Ones (1958)
* The Perfect Furlough (1958)
* Some Like It Hot (1959)
* Operation Petticoat (1959)
* Who Was That Lady? (1960)
* The Rat Race (1960)
* Spartacus (1960)
* Pepe (1960) (cameo)
* The Great Impostor (1961)
* The Outsider (1961)
* Taras Bulba (1962)
* 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962)
* The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) (cameo)
* Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)
* Paris, When It Sizzles (1964) (cameo)
* Wild and Wonderful (1964)
* Goodbye Charlie (1964)
* Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
* The Great Race (1965)
* Boeing Boeing (1965)
* Chamber of Horrors (1966) (cameo)
* Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966)
* Arrivederci, Baby! (1966)
* Don't Make Waves (1967)
* On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... (1968)
* Rosemary's Baby (1968) (voice)
* The Boston Strangler (1968)
* Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
* You Can't Win 'Em All (1970)
* Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970)
* Mission: Monte Carlo (1974)
* Lepke (1975)
* London Conspiracy (1976)
* The Last Tycoon (1976)
* Casanova & Co. (1977)
* Sextette (1978)
* The Manitou (1978)
* The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978)
* Double Take (1979)
* Title Shot (1979)
* Little Miss Marker (1980)
* It Rained All Night the Day I Left (1980)
* The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
* The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980)
* Othello, the Black Commando (1982)
* Where Is Parsifal? (1983)
* BrainWaves (1983)
* The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (1985) (documentary)
* Club Life (1985)
* Insignificance (1985)
* The Last of Philip Banter (1986)
* Balboa (1986)
* The Passenger - Welcome to Germany (1988)
* Lobster Man from Mars (1989)
* Midnight (1989)
* Walter & Carlo In America (1989)
* Prime Target (1991)
* Center of the Web (1992)
* Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time (1992) (documentary)
* Naked in New York (1993)
* The Mummy Lives (1993)
* A Century of Cinema (1994) (documentary)
* The Immortals (1995)
* The Celluloid Closet (1995) (documentary)
* Hardball (1997)
* Brittle Glory (1997)
* Alien X Factor (1997)
* Stargames (1998)
* Louis & Frank (1998)
* Play It to the Bone (1999) (cameo)
* Reflections of Evil (2002) (narrator)
* Where's Marty? (2006)
* Funny Money (2007)
* The Blacksmith and the Carpenter (2007) (voice)
* David & Fatima (2008)
* Oceans 14 (2009)

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