The Power of Saying “Dude I don’t get it”
Peer pressure is a tough thing to deal with both as a kid and as an adult. As a kid you really want to conform and be a part of the group so you end up doing stuff you hate doing but all your friends love to do.
As an adult the need to undertake unwanted activities is drastically lessened but one thing that goes up exponentially is the ability to speak our mind. You see children are considered paragons of innocence cause they wear their hearts on their sleeves and speak their mind.
If they like someone or something they will let you know and will let their dislikes be known as well. That’s the reason schoolboy poetry is equal parts charming and dreadful. 
Another thing that happens when you reach maturity is the realization that you are not immortal and that there will always be someone who are smarter and more talented. It’s best that one has this epiphany as early as possible because those that try to deny this end up with severe psychological problems. They end up having a persecution complex and can’t come to terms with the fact that they are not masters of the universe.
A well documented scientific study shows that the higher IQ a person has, the lesser chances that he will be happy in his life. Look around and you will find that this is not conjecture but an axiom. How many brilliantly talented people do you know have self destructed while those living their dreams are actually the kids who used to sit at the back of the class.
But before I digress any further let me get back to my original point. Now as an adult peer pressure reverses itself in an fascinating aspect. Now instead of being an conformist we seek our identities as rebels with esoteric tastes and interests far removed from the madding crowd.
Our motto especially as filmmakers is “What is popular isn’t always good and what is good isn’t always popular”.
In most cases the above statement is true but with enough exceptions to make it a 60:40 split. But here comes the rub. So very often we are confronted with something that is so acclaimed by the intelligentsia that we dare not say that “Dude I don’t get it” lest we be branded as philistines or worse. So we pretend to get it and wax rhapsodic bout stuff we don’t have the slightest clue about. Another reason for doing so is to offend the person involved lest we get on his shit list.
When we say I don’t get it it’s a different thing from saying that it sucked. All it means that at this particular juncture in our lives we lack the intellectual and emotional capability to understand what you are saying. Also sadly many creative people take criticism on their work as criticism of themselves and respond pettishly to it. So it’s actually easier to pretend to like stuff you don’t rather than get into a brawl.
And there is the other category who are intellectual showoffs. They talk in metaphysical terms without actually understanding 2 cents of the concept. Such people are very dangerous especially when working for they profess knowledge, expertise and experience in matters they have no clue about.
It’s my great joy in life to identify, bait and eventually trip up such poseurs. I once had the pleasure of meeting such an individual on a shoot who professed to be an expert on how Ridley Scott designs and lights his films. After hearing him blabber on for half an hour about Blade Runner, I very innocently asked him how did he use Tachyon Beams to light the sets. Without breaking his stride he told me that Scott had Tachyon Beam Lights especially made for the film. I burst out laughing and explained what Tachyons actually were and would he please stop bullshitting. He kinda slunk away and avoided me for the rest of the shoot.
When we were living in Nigeria I had to attend Sunday School run by Jesuits who used to make us recite lines from the Bible most of which I have forgotten but one remains etched in my memory. “The truth shall set you free.” After much trial and error I have come to realize the veracity of this phrase.
So here are things I still don’t get after 26 years on the third rock from the sun.
Fellini, Godard, Rohmer, Ghatak, Bresson, Mani Kaul, James Joyce, Indian Classical Music, Mike Leigh, Iranian Cinema, Jazz, Jackson Pollock, Passolini, Italian Neo-Realism, Mumblecore, Harmony Korine, Beat Poetry, Picasso, ………..
To slightly paraphrase Tolkien, the list goes ever on. Some of them I’m sure I will eventually get but I’m not gonna force the issue or pretend I do. Life is too short to live it for pleasing and appeasing others. That is not zen.
Filed Under
Movies
 10 readers recommend this post  Loading ... |
 Email This Post To Friends
|
|
Related Posts | |
87 Responses to “The Power of Saying “Dude I don’t get it””
Leave a Reply
(Ref smilies)
Our Comments Policy : The following kinds of comments are troll capped, blocked and/or commenter's identity reported publicly: Verbal abuse, personal attacks, hate statements, spam, trolls, advertising. Please assist us in keeping the comments clean. Use the contact form to let us know if you find unwarranted comments on PFC. Thank you.
- Storytelling Jeopardy!
- Pal Bhar Ke Liye..stuff you thought, but Shashant had other things in mind..
- FILMBOOTH – Emerging Short film festival - Call for Entries
- Dilemma for a first timer
- Dark World of Tim Burton-Big Fish
- Bollywood in the 90
- Oye Lucky Lucky Oye Dibakar Banerjee Blogs on the m
- Pal Bhar Ke Liye..stuff you thought, but Shashant had other things in m
- Dostana - D
- Dilemma for a first
Recent Posts:
Hottest Today:
indeed, and eloquently said.
i made a similar list some weeks back of films that are very critically acclaimed but I didn’t find them more than a blip on my consciousness.
Though I do get some of the directors/art-forms that you mention in the end. Some of Iranian cinema, for example, is quite easy to get (see Persepolis as a recent example).
Mithun - very nicely written. All your 3 posts have been original and nuanced. Keep them coming.
I have a similar list of books as well. But as you rightly put, the list both grows and dwindles over the years. Grows, as one reads/watches more and dwindles as you go through life and start understanding what the fuss was about.
btw - have you worked on Eklavya?
Yeah I was on Eklavya. Awesome experience but I left once the married print was done. Also the Fifa World Cup was gonna happen.
“When we say I don
very good post..liked it..you write weill..”dude i understand your posts”..:P
im a mithun fan !?!
anyways since such a topic is on….ive been watching lynch[im 18 spare me] and i saw mullohland drive..
i love his attitude towards cinema and every lynch film in someway intrests me and makes me watch them..
but why are they supposed to be unbeleivable,superb,etc etc
can someone try explainging…im itching to know
cause “dude i just dont get them”
sorry if im insulting any cinema-snob
Since we are in Kashyap’s website how ’bout admitting u didnt understand ‘No Smoking!’:d
@ Sohil,…I hate that reference,…Its as much “Kashyaps Website” as any else amongst us ! The truth is its OZ’s site!
@Jahan and @Saurav
thanks guys
@Vivek
what normally happens is that when you are affected by a film it’s either a emotional or intellectual response which is sometimes difficult to quantify. The reason why Lynch is considered a master is that he uses non-linear narrative and elliptical structures to create worlds which draw you in. Take a film like “Lost Highway” with its Maya Deren inspired repeated motifs. But he can also make simple straightforward films like “The Straight Story”
@Sohil
The kind of pains I go through to write your script. Sigh
Mea Culpa. I also don’t get Ozu, Almodovar, Fassbinder, your existentialist philosophy etc etc. But most of all what I absolutely don’t get is why have I not been paid as yet ??? Why why why?
@Mithun : You ll be paid when i see the f*&^ing draft. We need to talk something else has come up and why the f*&^ are we conversing here ?
Mithun,
You can never get existentialism correctly.. Existentialists are driven by a sense of negativity that seems to sorround them for no apparent reason… A hazy perspective about many things is the base of existentialist theories.. And, an existentialist might just vent it out more openly than others..
Touche !!! He’s like my best friend and I still don’t get him. :d
:@ Sreehari
what you happen to talk about sreehari is existential angst,which does happen to some existentialists..
i on the other hand happen to be a cheerful existentialist,somehow i find existentialisim the most empowering philosophy
anyways each to his own..
thanks for trying mithun…i guess i still have to read some books on lynch..
I have always found the most happy go lucky people to be Hedonists with a touch of zen. Like me :d
@Shreehari
‘Existentialists are driven by a sense of negativity that seems to sorround them for no apparent reason’
You seem to have misunderstood existentialism completely. Like Vivek said ‘what you happen to talk about is existential angst.’
i may not be a bubble gum happy go lucky guy but i certainly dont have any negativity .
Existentialsim is a very evolved theory and maybe you should just say ‘Dude I dont get it’ instead of making remarks that are completely off.
@ Mithun
i am defintely more happy and cheerful than you in many ways even though i ve postponed hedonism for a short while …
and u dont get me cause u aint senstive but i still love u !
@ Sohil , the Rookie,…what do u understand existentialism as and what does it mean to you ? …U are a sad comment on the new Indian generation !
@ PLAYBACK . ‘U are a sad comment on the new Indian generation !’
Sir who are u to make such a comment without me having told u what existemtialism means to me ?
me thinks u suffer from verbal diarrhoea.
@ Sohil,…your diagnosis withstanding,…you havent told me what it means to u ?
No dissing my homeboy. GRRRRRR
Lemme tell you that if in fact that if the new Indian generation was as socially aware and morally conscious as Sohil the world would be a better place to live in.
Oh and hedonism is an impatient mistress btw. If you keep her out too long she never comes back and sends her sister Avarice instead. Trust me you don’t ever want Avarice.
Vivek,
I guess a virtue or a philosophy is largely dependent on one important consideration. Whether to you subscribing to that philosophy has come naturally or is it a cultivated form of adherence… In other ways, maybe your “to each his own” statement..
Sohil,
Yeah.. I dont get existentialism.. dont have the mental acumen for that.. I am just faking a depression here…
Playback,
Yeh naye Zamaane ke pille.. They just dont seem to get the sentiment of us oldies… hehehe..
@ Sreehari ! Right said Sreehari
@ Mithun
i remember my purpose. Not to worry ! ‘Tramps like us .. Baby we were born to run.’
For those nice words i ll expedite ur mac !
@ playback
the problem wid the old indian generation was they never thought forward in any decisions they made only existed in their myopic ideas. if u ll did then perhaps in ur words we wont have been a ’sad comment.’
Mac ???? Wtf??? The deal was for a Varicam !!!!!!
wow Mithun, what an awesome read!
Dude I got it!
Thanks. Now if I could only get my fucking homework.
:((
Very Very nice post….
and a pretty interesting debate about existentialism…
wudnt someone just prefer to be a badass instead?
@sreehari..
i guess its come to me naturally after adhering to a lot of other philosophies..
anyways it works best for me
do check out forums.philosophyforums.com….a lovely,lively philosophical forum…
@mithun
whats your homework…what do you study
@All bored members still reading me
and i repeat this over and again…
is anyone intrested in a meet where we just talk about cinema and hwatever over tea…and smokes :p
or is everyone too busy trying to educate themselves.. or trying to earn something as common as money…
days and times can be sorted out …
email me at -venkat.vivek@gmail.com
note:-im from bombay nd even if youre mildy intrested do e-mail me..
if youre broke i dont mind paying for your tea etc as long as you have something to say about any film
sigh i say this everytime i see someone intresting on pfc
@Vivek
Im studying Advertising at UCLA and after the rough and tumble world of Grip and Electric, planning media buying and an devising an advertising campaign is fucking tough to deal with. I only keep my sanity intact with my 35mm class where I get to fondle Arriflex and Panavision cameras.
Btw Im totally broke but if you do send me some money I’ll buy some Kahlua and Vodka and drink White Russians and talk about cinema online all you want. A drunk/stoned Mithun is a happy Mithun.:d
Oh and a word of advice. Me n Sohil spent the better part of our adolescence (which ran until we were 24) searching for the perfect woman with whom we could make passionate love and discuss Bertolucci for hours afterwards. Didn’t happen for a long time which was totally our bad. So keep trying and don’t get disheartened. :d
hahah! @ Vivek, who is this someone U found interesting in PFC?
@ Mithun, did U finish homework? and good luck the studies plus finding this passion for woman, oops I mean passionate woman.
You should see the way I do Homework. The TV is on playing Nip/Tuck with the sound off, The Killers is blasting on my laptop and Im reading through Nielsen reports.
Oh and I did find them eventually. Im still a sucker for happy endings. :d/
Do you guys ever get laid?!
@ Rashid ! HAHAHAHAHAHA !=))
omg Rashid! Mithun answer him. hehehe
:d If you would read my previous posts you would know that I’m a hedonist and I think that pretty much explains it all.
What I was referring to in case it wasn’t clear that we never got great sex + intellectual stimulation in the same package when we were busting our asses as AD’s. We only got one or the other at any given time. Happily enough that’s changed ever since we stopped acting like horny teenagers and gave up a lot of old habits like binge drinking, smoking and chemicals.
Go organic my friends. The sex is amazing.
Oh advertising is it, Mithun? Ho Ho Ho, you don’t know what’s coming to kick you where you don’t like it. ACN tomes, brand salience, top-of-the-mind and tosh are the best known potions that kick out existentialism and how!
I’ve been in copy for 10 years now and look at me! I mean, zonked out brick layers are known to live more satisfied.
Go rot. Ha ha ha.
Hi, this is Debashri again …. from Honolulu, remember?
Interesting post!
@Inca
Ive never been an existentialist myself but I can feel my hedonism definitely being kicked in the balls. Oh man I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out Nielsen Reports and predict forthcoming trends. Can’t wait for the business related course to get over and the creative courses to start in Spring. No I understand why the guys who used to do client servicing used to behave like they had a butt plug stuck up their ass on set. :d
@Debashri
You have no much idea how inspired I am that you have blazed a trail before me. I’m def going next summer after I get my surfing chops to hit the waves in Hawaii. And maybe if I’m really really lucky I will get to witness the 50 year storm ala “Point Break”
Why do you guys remind me of Dawson from the Creek!?
Ah, misguided youth!
Though Im not familiar with the show at all isn’t the whole rite of growing up to be misguided / adventurous / confused / enlightened ?
Im pretty certain that us Indian Gen Y folks were the first to fully embrace our sexuality and not be shackled by “dakhiyanusi baatein” characteristic of the ones who came before.
We kinda like to live life on our own terms and ain’t really bothered by what other think of us.
We don’t think like the older generation and have a different set of values and morals.
That is why I predict within the next 5 years almost all of the pre Gen X filmmakers in Bombay will realise that the generation gap is waaay to much and they don’t understand their audience. So they will turn to producing and leave the actual filmmaking to the young turks. Most of the big names are already doing it.
To quote Saigon
You lying, all the gunplay talk
Knowing behind closed doors
you be practicing on ya runway walk
I been in the kill, been in the cap,
been in the box and back
I been in the ville, tripping the gat,
trimming a boxing match
And I still walk around this fucker
with not a scratch
And thats way more then I can
say for alot of cats
After 5 years ,…what age bar will be considered “young turk” by u Mithu ?
Considering that guys don’t reach their emotional maturity till about 30 I would say within the 30-40 age range.
Of course there will always be exceptions of people who make films in their twenties but if I can recall correctly the only person of note who has done that recently is Farhan Akhtar.
A lot of the turks won’t have staying power but Darwin will ensure the best survive.
Oh and please don’t call me Mithu. I hate parrots so much I won’t even eat them.
Do they eat parrots ? …
“guys don
Parineeta was a nice film. A frsh look of Vidya and oooh I love Saif in this film. And then Eklavya came, I still cant understand despite of the cinemotagraphy what was so awesome abt the film? Oh God, I hate the red eyes look of Bachan Saab.
But wow, Mithun working with the filmy ppl including the directors, isnt Mithun just awesome.
@ Mithun, how was the Neilsons report?
@ Playback, what happened to Ur (L) its gone yaar!:d
http://www.yumyum.com/recipe.htm?ID=6340
I once tried it but couldn’t swallow the gamey taste.
Well I was basically talking bout directors rather than the other crew members but Im 26 now and Im totally aware that Im not emotionally mature enough to make direct a feature film with any emotional resonance. I can make a time pass film that really won’t be challenging for me. So I try and direct shorts every 3 months or so to chart my increasing grasp on human emotions. Technique is irrelevant when directing.
Of course since I don’t wanna be a director anymore but a cinematographer it doesn’t really apply to me as much but again all top DP’s hit the big time around 30-35 as well.
As for the advertising course I wanna be a part of something as radical as the erstwhile Propaganda Films which gave a whole generation of brilliant filmmakers like Fincher, Jonze, Proyas, Romanek, Savides, Schwartzman, Totino etc carte blance to hone their craft before eventually making features.
Also Im an HD fiend, so am looking to specialize in that which is not possible in Bombay as the technology is 2-3 years away.
@Sheen
I think Im finally getting the hang of it. The trick is to study while cooking which I love so that Im distracted by how boring what Im reading actually is.
Did someone mention Saif in Parineeta?
Man! does he look sexy in that movie!
Sheen, who said that Ekalvya is an awesome movie? You are talking to wrong people.
and yeah I was also wondering, is PLAYBACK same as P(L)AYBACK?
Whoever you are, people eat crickets and flies! then why not parrots?
@Mithun
Or you can try out the way I study.
DON’T STUDY
@ Sheen & Neeraja,…The Admin said I cant have my (L) cos it gets stuck in spam filetrs ! :(( So from now on I am PLAYBACK !
oops ! typo : *filters*
Keep up the good work Mithun…Your articles are 2nd on my To-read-list….first of course being Anurag Kashyap’s (a hint of a smile)
@ Neeraja! I am also asking abt how Eklavya become an awesome movie, lol, cos ppl on some forums say so.
@Mithun, I think U should give up those Neilson’s report, and stuck to cooking. lol whats cooking? btw I just love cooking and BBC Food is the best.
@ Playback, aww, atleast U could be able to handle that L
omg, Brokeback mountain actor Heath is dead! Just heard so I cant help mentioning him.
one second …did u just say heath ledger died ? wtf ? he was part of the batman movie as joker ..omg i have to find this out
is anyone a vincent gallo fan here …? arizona dream any one ?
@mithun
you succeded at making advertising look boring :/
@mithun
My first experience with something beyond my comprehension was Fellini’s 81/2. I was 18 year old and the film club in my art collage screened this film. As you said I didn’t ‘get it’ either. May be because of peer pressure or what i didn’t revolt against the film, or stayed away from watching more of that kind of cinema. (I thank god that) i wanted to know more…
It was the starting point for a wonderful journey which i thoroughly enjoyed and still enjoying it even after 16 years (now with more enthusiasm than ever)
As an experienced traveller i am telling you don’t worry if you don’t get it, please watch a lot of Fellini, Abbas Kiarostami,……they are wonderful experiences.
…..you don’t know what you are missing. (in this case literally:) )
G
@ Mithun: Hi…. What is the 50 year storm that you were talking about? :)I have no clue.
@Vivek
‘Arizona Dream” is one of my fav films but I’m not a Gallo Fan. “Buffalo 66″ was interesting but have you seen “The Brown Bunny” ? It’s hideous. Add to that the fact that he’s a racist and anti-semite so he can basically go stuff himself.
@girish
I didn’t get “Baran” 5 years ago and still don’t get it. And I have enough stuff I know I don’t get to realize that it’s like not happening right now. It will all happen in due time. I didn’t get Guru Dutt the first time I saw his films either but now he’s a God. Whenever one does something which is a passion it can’t be forced but rather must happen organically.
Debashri
Ahh the 50 year storm ? Just watch the climax of “Point Break”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1ud7EnrZHQ
@ Vivek! Yeah, Heath is dead and this star who was rising and so much potential, in him. Its said that choosing such dark roles and to be in the skin of those roles drained him. I feel sad for him, cos when we love cinema we love the actors who perform so well, and losing them in such tragic ways are really awful. So we’ll be seeing Batman’s darkside as Joker after his tragic death. RIP Heath!
@ Mithun: Checked out the scene. But I wouldn’t wish anything like that on our tiny island :). There’s no place to evacuate. We’ve been through an earthquake and that was rough. No more calamities please :).
But we do have Monster surf days….. and we checked out one such day recently. That is awesome!
@Debashri
Sorry I didn’t mean that a calamity should befall you. I was just referring to the surf as Im dying for summer to come so that I can finally learn after years of trying it in the shower. :d
i didn’t get ‘Raising Arizona’ for the first time, neither do i get it now… ‘Miller’s Crossing’ never did much to me either…
but importantly one should not stand in judgement of films just for the fact that they don’t ‘get it’. like calling coen brothers over-rated would be completely irrational for me, since iam yet to understand their language.
sometimes its just really nice to say ‘i didn’t get it’ and people accepting that as is and not trying to kill you for blasphemy!
@Jayzee
Hmm Coen Brothers overrated ??? Anybody who would say that would be in a very small minority. Raising Arizona is one of the funniest films I have ever seen along with the Big Lebowski.
But yeah it’s def not blasphemy if you don’t like em. Hell I don’t like eating rice and Im half Bengali. :d
hmm.. as is say, i didn’t get coen brothers and that makes me so apprehensive to watch ‘No country..’!
weird how we want to ‘like’ movies that are critically appreciated so that we are not seen as either stupid or snobbish. Not so dissimilar to an average film-goer who’s forced to appreciate something like ‘Taare Zameen..’, irrespective of whether he likes it or not, so as to fit into his peers’ mainstream choices.
@ Mithun
i think the trouble is that you are trying to ‘get something’ out of a film. Most of the film makers you have mentioned (as you don’t get it) doesn’t believe in ‘give’ the audience something, some kind of message or something. Instead most of their films are an invitation to start a conversation, it is a platform for a heathy collaboration between the audience and the film maker. So may be next time when you watch any of their film try and give something to the film than trying to get it. It will be a great experience….i promise.
‘Baran’ is not ‘the’ representative for Iranian Cinema. But in your list you have mentioned you don’t get Iranian Cinema in general. How many Iranian films have you seen? ….this is the problem i am referring to, with this kind of an attitude you close lots of doors and loose some fantastic films.
Try watching better Iranian films like Abbas Kiarostami’s: Close-up, Through the olive trees, Taste of cherry, Ten, Where is the friends house. Makhmalbaf’s: Actor, Salam cinema, moment of innocence. Jafar Panahi’s: Circle, Offside…….list is long.
As you have said, life is too short to miss any opportunity to engage with some great art.
@Girish
Definitely “Baran” isn’t representative of Iranian cinema. No one film can ever be representative of such a vibrant cinema. I don’t claim to be an expert on Iranian cinema but I have seen a few and honestly speaking the films didn’t strike a chord with me. The films are probably brilliant but the fact that I couldn’t form a bond with them is my fault and not the films.
Let me use your conversation analogy. I’m at a party which has 50 people in it. Now I will probably try to have some perfunctory conversation with everyone but soon enough I will identify the people I seem to share a mental wavelength with and gravitate towards them. The other people I will probably ignore but that doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with them. It’s just that I like something better and would prefer to spend time doing what I like rather than being polite and PC.
I’m not an intellectual by any stretch nor am I sophisticated but I don’t think my cinematic preferences have anything to do with that. I think it all comes down to chemistry. As an example even hardcore film buffs have a problem watching the films of Kim Ki-Duk, Bruno Dumont and Catherine Breillat because of the often cruel sexual behavior depicted in them but I find it fascinating to see how low the characters can descend. I have a penchant for complex, conflicted and morally ambiguous characters but that’s just me.
Final analogy. Last week I went to visit a friend whom I hadn’t met in years. He offered to open a great bottle of wine so that we could get drunk. I strenuously declined stating that it would be akin to putting perfume on a pig. I don’t have the palate for it and won’t be able to tell the difference between a 200 dollar bottle of wine and a 5 dollar bottle of wine. The wine should much rather be drunk by someone who appreciates and cherishes it. So we happily got drunk on Tequila and Beer, something I can discern easily while the wine lies there awaiting it’s destiny,
Oh and what I really said and meant is that life is too short to not do things which you feel strongly about rather than tow the party line and go through life pretending to be someone that you’re not.
All the films / art forms I don’t get have legions of devoted fans so I’m sure one less won’t make any difference.
Mithun, there are two kinds of audience for cinema.
1. Someone like my mother: she is a passive viewer of cinema (malayalam commercial cinema). If i tried to make her watch Fellini (which i did), she won’t like it. I will be surprised if she likes it… it is a film made 50 years back, in a place like Italy which she has no bonding with, people in the film talk in a language she doesn’t understand, they were strange cloths, subtitles…and to make the matters worse the story doesn’t move anywhere as it is supposed to be in a movie she got used to.
She has got a fix ideas of cinema, it should have either Mohanlal or Mamooty, familiar stories, enough to laugh, enough to cry, good songs etc……that is her taste, that is what she is used to. She doesn’t expect anything more form cinema. At the end of a hard day at work and home she just want to have a nice distraction (majority of the cinema viewers across the globe belong to this category) So if i try to show her a Fellini she will say ‘this is not my kind of cinema, i can’t bond with it, you please leave me alone.’…..there is no argument with her.
2. People with a ’special interest in cinema’: This is a minority of people. They show a special interest in cinema - for whatever reason, may be they work in this field, or study cinema, or wanting to become filmmakers, or just passionate about the medium…there could be many reasons. Apart from watching films, they find books and read about cinema, they spend a lot of time researching on internet, attend film festivals, they engage in discussions, they write about cinema etc. So their response to a film is never a simplistic ‘ it is not my taste’ kind. Nor they hang out with films which they have grown up with. Instead they see all kinds of films, engage in a dialogue with them, no matter what the taste is. They keep the curiosity alive and never miss any opportunity to see a new kind of film………..After all that is what you have signed up for as a person with ’special interest in cinema’
Mithun, i assumed that you belong to the second category, that is why i have tried to have conversation with you when you have made a black list of filmmakers and countries based on your i don’t get it- attitude. But as per your last response if you are saying you are a passive viewer of cinema, and you choose to ignore some landmark films and filmmakers because they are not in your taste, then it put a big question mark over your passion and commitment towards cinema as well as the genuinely of your articles.
Usually i don’t use analogies in discussions, because i believe every subject has its own complexities. Using an analogy will be oversimplifying the issue. But anyway since you like them let me try one:
Busloads of Gujaratis (no offense pls) go every year on foreign trips. 20 days all of Europe - kind. When they leave Bombay they carry big food packets with them for all the 20 days. Theplas, Kachoris etc. etc. And they eat no local food available in the countries they are visiting. Because it is not in their ‘taste’. They will be passing by some of the finest food joints in Paris or Rome sitting in the bus and eating Theplas. I don’t understand this attitude….you have signed up for this journey and you travel all the way to Europe and demand your mummy’s cooking?..what sort of travel is this?
May be we can give them the benefit of doubt, because of so many years of conditioning they won’t be able to appreciate another new taste immediately. Point taken. But imagine if all of them come back and start writing about ‘food’ as a passionate foodie. It is a bit hard to digest (sorry for the pun).
Now imagine a situation in which they write about the need for ‘experimentation in food’……..
wow that take the cake (or Dhokla) isn’t it.
Wake up Mithun!
lol, Girish, it’s not about mummy’s cooking, well, it is. but majority of Gujaratis are vegetarian and they only eat at Pure Vegetarian place. ‘Sides, they are not going to Paris or Italy for food, but for the ‘Bollywood’ scenery…
anyway, i know what you trying to say… but you picked a slightly wrong analogy..
@Girish
I haven’t arbitrarily or hastily concluded that I don’t get whatever stuff I have admitted I don’t.
I may not get Fellini but Im a hardcore Visconti fan. I may not get Iranian cinema but I watch each and every Turkish film I can lay my hands on especially the films of Fatih Akin. I do not claim to understand Jackson Pollock but have memorized the works of Edward Hopper.
The kind of stuff I do get and am a rabid fan of include Tarkovsky, Paradjnov,Sokurov, Kim Ki-duk, Guy Maddin, Atom Egoyan, Truffaut, Medem, Hsien, Bela Tarr, Antionini, Wenders, Breillat, Clouzout, Cocteau, Murnau, Haneke, Herzog, Ichikawa, Jodorowsky, Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, Quay Brothers, Ozon, Mizoguchi, Ming-liang, Roeg etc etc.
My intention in writing this particular article is not to act superior cause I have an eclectic taste in films but rather to demonstrate that we do not always have to toe the party line.Far from being a black list all I said that right now I lack the capability to fully comprehend what the filmmakers I had mentioned were trying to say.
Have you heard of the fairy tale called “The Emperor’s New Clothes” where the entire town conspires to lay praise on non-existent clothes lest they be court the displeasure of the king and be called dunces? Only one boy dared to call a spade a spade in the tale.
In this case though the roles are reversed and though the clothes exist and are magnificent it’s the little boy who is blind and can’t see what’s clearly there. Yet he does not claim to see what his eyes cannot fathom.
I think it is highly presumptuous to assume things about me without having a clue as to who I am. Don’t be so quick to label people just because their point of view differs from what you take to be gospel. This article was written for the sole purpose of laying bare the charade of intellectual snobbery and not to deify myself as the keeper of the cinematic flame.
There are other more qualified persons suited for that role. Knock yourself out if you think that one size should fit all.
“I think it is highly presumptuous to assume things about me without having a clue as to who I am” ………Mithun, the best way to know a person is through his work, so i really don’t have to know who you are (in a biodata terms) to comment on something you have written. Everything i have said and the assumptions i have made so far purely based on what you have written. But if any of those comments hurt you in anyways my apologies, i will be more careful next time. Instead of making any more comments, i like to ask you few questions based on your article. (If you find i am wasting your time, please raise your hand, i will shut up……I have got all the time in the world and i am very much enjoying this chat)
Question No: 1
You have said you don’t get Iranian cinema. I am still fascinated by this statement, and trying to understand how did you arrive at this generalization and conclusion. Take these three Iranian films: The Actor, Trough the Olive Trees and Offside.
To start with these are films made by different people - Makhmalbaf, Kiarostami and Panahi. The story lines are very different, first one is the story of an actor who is frustrated by doing stereotypical comedy roles in commercial Iranian cinema. Second one is a kind of love story shot in a place just recovering from a serious earthquake. Third one is about few girls trying to sneak into a football match. There is nothing common between these films. So my question to you is this:
On what basis have you generalized these filmmakers (also the rest of Iranian films) and said you won’t get what they are trying to say?
@Girish
Out of the three you have mentioned I have only seen Offside which I liked actually.
I think the main reason I have a problem relating to most of Iranian cinema is the complete lack of sexuality / sexual behavior in them. It’s not the filmmakers fault coz they live in an conservative country but as a consequence the stories they tell tend to be simple and whimsical, almost approaching the level of a fairy tale or a fable. While I’m a huge fan of fairy tales they are restricted to the ones I learnt when I was a kid.
Let me take the example of the cinema of Brazil of which Im a rabid fan. I’m not talking bout the obvious pyrotechnics of say “City of God” or “Pixote” but rather the stories which delve into both cause and effect of human failings and desire.
Films like “Meninas”,”Carandiru”,”Lower City”,”Abril Despecado”, “The year my parents went on vacation” etc do more for me than a film like “Where the wind will carry us” which is an absolute masterpiece but failed to leave any emotional resonance in me.
It’s not really fair to compare the two cultures or their cinema but my liking for something is mostly visceral and not intellectual. I don’t really care to dwell on the reasons but rather do what comes naturally to me.
I laud the fact that you feel so strongly about Iranian cinema but the fact remains that we are the product of our experiences and for some reason the intricacies and subtleties of that particular form escapes me. It’s my shortcoming and not that of the films.
Question No: 2
Take these films made by Fellini - Nights of Cabiria, 8 1/2, City of Women, La Dolce vita and Satyricon. All these films are very different films. From a prostitutes life…to the story of a filmmaker who lots his inspiration…. Paparazzi…feminist world… ancient Rome….all kinds of stuff. my question to you is this:
How did you generalize these films and said you won’t get what Fellini is trying to say?
Fellini is perhaps easy to explain. I just lack the intellectual acumen to relate to the themes that he tries to address. Perhaps in other 5 years I’ll be ready.
Its funny that while I can’t really relate to Fellini, I am a huge fan of Emir Kusturicia who is one of his self confessed disciple. “Underground” has so much Fellini in it.
gIRISH,
La Strada and Nights of Caribia were rather easy to get. They werent made at a time when Fellini had started to explore themes and sequences that stemmed out of his own subconscious. NOC in fact, is just a third person account of a woman’s( the fact that she was a prostitute was just incidental) never-ending search for true love.
However, 81/2 and La Dolce Vita were both highly personal and ought to be grasped right from its opening sequences to get that flow correctly. In fact starting from La Dolce Vita all of Fellini’s films are highly rigorous and austere. That is becos, maybe all of his films starting from LDV had Fellini playing the protagonist. The actor’s were just an exterior prop used to protray Fellini and his mind.
Hence, the true Fellini, that is his second assembly of films, can actually be a bit difficult to get
Yep I guess thats the reason. I watched 3 of his most acclaimed films ie 81/2 , La Dolce Vita and La Strada. Didn’t get em coz I couldn’t really relate to the characters.
An example of a filmmaker I grew into is Antonioni. I remember the first time I saw “La Adventura” at a festival when I was 19, I was like “Where the fuck is the story ? Where is the resolution ?”
When I saw it again at 24 my reaction was “OMG what a fucking genius. Who needs a story or a resolution ?”
What happened between ages 19-24 ? LIFE.
I watched Fellini, and I love it,
just mainly because of Visuals,
I love ‘Casanova’,..
and Claudia Cardinale in 8 1/2
he uses Lights in Dusk time that is so sublime,..
I dont want to understand the story and all,.
just love to watch the visuals.
I watched Fellini’s Roma a year back and dude! I didn’t get it!
I have 8-1/2 on my laptop but haven’t dared to watch it but with so many people recommending it here, guess I’ll watch it. Or should I wait until I am 24, what do you say Mithun?
@Neeraja
I wouldn’t go by my example as getting it is totally subjective. My buddy Shreyas I think got 81/2 when he was 12 years old or something.
I don’t recall the movie that well but I heard a very interesting theory at a bar that the film is an allegory of Fellini suffering from ED.
Any opinions?
@Mithun
Ya ya you are right. I was just kidding.
By the way, for some weird reason, I was unable to post a comment on your other piece. Just wanted to say that don’t worry! I am not a mathematics fanatic
and I do agree that 2+2 is not always 4 
@Mithun
Question No:3
You didn’t get a simple film like La Strada because you couldn’t comprehend what Fellini was trying to say. But it seems you do ‘get’ Tarkovsky.
What you understand in films like Andrei Rublev, Mirror, Nostalgia, Stalker etc.
Yeah Girish,
Me too think that he is faking ignorance here… hehhe…
LMAO :d
Why would anyone fake ignorance ? Never heard that one before.
I like Tarkovsky mainly for his stunning compositions,long takes and metaphysical themes. But I do scratch my head sometimes at stuff like the Highway sequence in Solaris where the guy is just driving for 20 mins. The opening shot of the weeds however is pure magic.
But to be really honest I dig Tarkovsky coz if I watch a film of his I don’t need to make the effort to score a joint.
thank you mithun yet again for giving me some 3425695 different films and filmakers i have to sit and research and watch…
damn it i feel that life is rather short after reading a mithun post.. :@
same to you girish :@
and yes that emir kuristica is really lovely ,i saw arizona dream when i was 16 and it stayed in my head ever since,somehow it really struck a deep chord with me…:)
funnily enough i saw it on a saturday on zee movies..and i continued watching it because they usually used to show some soft porn at that time on saturdays..
@Mithun
Question No:4
what do you understand of Paradjanov…..colour of pomegranate?
Hmm I think its mainly coz I love films which portray the life of an artist. The soundtrack of the film is just incredible.
I must admit I seem to like “Shadow of our Forgotten Ancestors” more than “Nayat Soya”. The imagery in it is just fucking awesome and the experimentation with technique is gorgeous.
Using handheld cameras in a period film was something I had never seen before. Normally period films employ a tableaux style of shooting to evoke the feeling of old paintings and photographs.
@Mithun.
last one.
When i was asking those questions i thought being a Zen student you might observe your own answers and find the contradictions in them. But you haven’t.
From your article and responses to my comments, this is what i understand: When you say ‘ Dude, I don’t get’ it means many things in many occasions. In case of Iranian cinema you completely understand what they are trying to say, but you think they are just being too simple fairy tale kind of films. (which is not true at all if you have seen few other iranian films….but anyway i am not talking about that issue here) So in case of Iranian cinema your ‘I don’t get it’ mean ‘I don’t like it’. In case of fellini you have a comprehension problem so ‘I don’t get it’ means i don’t understand or ‘I don’t relate to it’. These reasons are completely based on your personal taste. As you have humbly put it ‘the films are probably brilliant but the fact that I couldn
@ Girish ! Lol !
… would appreciate if you mail me sometime at playback2007@gmail.com ! Cheers ! 
Girish
man … you hate mithun for writing this article… because you would give away your nuts to write it yourself.
and … precisely that’s why you should be the last person to write it.
and that’s why mithun is the right man. for this article. his is with honest intention.
—
aur mujhe poori ummeed hai ki uper jo likha hai wahi tumhare samjh main nahien ayega. isliye aur aage ki koi jaroorat nahien hai.
———–
about two words ‘contradiction’ and ‘zen’
zen is
a ‘pathless path’ which leads to ‘gateless gate’
[-o<
@ vishrant
sachi….samjh main nahien aya.
what is your point? if it is a personal comment on me please don’t waste you time it doesn’t affect me at all.
or if you have anything to contribute to the debate you are most welcome.
G
….a
@Girish
Dude I seriously don’t know what your problem is but u obviously suffer from a big chip on ur shoulder. Dunno what it stems from and I don’t honestly care.
It seems you spend an inordinate amount of time and effort in criticizing anything and everything which I really find bizzare. Do you really think anyone gives a shit about what you think about them ? You’ll keep whining and complaining while the world will keep turning.
Wake up dude. The extent of ur delusions are laid forth in a foolish freudian slip where you lay claim to being a zen master. Dude u couldn’t master ur way to finding a glass of water in a flood going by ur inane remarks.
Wish you all the best in life and hope you resolve whatever demons plague you. I’ve got better things to do in life than play wet nurse to a severe case of penis envy.
Do us both a favor and ignore all further posts of mine.