INDIA - FIVE FILMS

THE STORY OF INDIA - 2007


LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB


SUMMARY - This is the PBS documentary in six one hour segments narrated by Michael Wood. A good place to start to get the overall picture of this amazing country. The blu-ray version is as cheap as the regular version and brings the country and people alive through great camera work. 4.5/5, 4/5, 8.7/10 ratings.

GANGES - 2007

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

STORY - You can't understand India without understanding the Ganges River and this three part BBC production is simply stunning in its photography of the river, the wildlife and the people that live on its banks. Almost 10% of the ENTIRE world's population lives within the Ganges' basin.

MOTHER TERESA - 2003


LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB


STORY - Starring Olivia Hussey as Mother Teresa, this made for TV movie is a wonderful portrayal of an amazing woman. Mother Teresa has become synonymous with Christian works of charity because of her work with the dying in Calcutta. Not only a family friendly story of her work but more insight into a segment of India's culture and the steel will of this woman who was determined to love the unlovable as Christ would love them. 4.5/5, 3.9/5, 7/10 ratings.




MOTHER TERESA - 1986



LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB




STORY - This is a documentary about Mother Teresa. Follow her around Calcutta and the world as she ministers to those forgotten by the rest of society. Her powerful witness to the love of Jesus is seen not only in the slums of the world but as she speaks to students at Harvard, the UN and world leaders around the globe. Her drive and determination to help those rejected by their communities are an inspiration to everyone. 5/5, 3.6/5, 7.3/10.

BORN INTO BROTHELS - 2003

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

STORY - This film won the 2005 Oscar for BEST DOCUMENTARY. It is the story of eight children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red light district, an area of extreme poverty and crime. Zana Briski is a free lance photographer who has been trying, unsuccessfully, to do a picture story of the red light district and the prostitutes who live there. She decides to choose eight children of the 'workers' and give them cameras and teach them photography to tell their own stories. She falls in love with these children and sets on a mission to get them out of their environment and break the destructive patterns they are most likely to live out. This is their story, the successes AND the failures. At the same time, both heart breaking and uplifting. One person can make a difference in someone Else's life if they care enough to sacrifice. 4/5, 3.8/5, 7.8/10 ratings.

I was inspired to watch these films as a result of our son's recent trip to India. He was profoundly affected by what he saw in the country and particularly in the slums as well as his visit to Mother Teresa's facility. Here is a link to his blog. It is hard for those of us who live in the West to understand the culture and the way of life in that fascinating part of the world where the majority of the world's population lives.

STONE PILLOW

STONE PILLOW - 1985

RATED - NR but probably PG for mild language & non-graphic violence.

RATINGS - 23 Amazon (4.5/5), 9,312 Netflix (3.5/5), 150 IMDB (7.5/10)

STARRING - Lucille Ball ( her last film at the age of 74)

THEMES - Homelessness, charity, poverty, integrity, humility.

STORY - This made for TV movie was Lucille Ball's final film and she wanted to make a serious statement. Not everyone realizes she was a serious actress and starred in a number of movies before making her fame as I LOVE LUCY. This is a story about age and youth, about street-wise and naivete, about someone who has no hope and someone who wants to change the world. This is a story about Florabelle, a homeless woman, who 'owns' her corner in New York City. Everything she has is in her grocery cart. The merchants on her corner know her and help her. She knows the ways of the street. She's a survivor. It's also the story of Carrie, fresh out of college in her first job as a social worker in a woman's shelter. She's told to go interact with people on the street to better understand them. She meets Florabelle who thinks she's a runaway and tries to show her the ways of the homeless. She takes her underground and into the dark world of living on the street where you survive by your wits and with some help from your friends. Lucille Ball was a great actress and she 'Carries' the day in this outstanding film about what it's like to be one of millions of people living on the street. There's nothing comic about this movie and the serious message it had back in 1985 is perhaps even more appropriate today. As someone once asked the most famous rabbi of all, 'who is my neighbor?' This film will help to define who our neighbors are. As Carrie said near the end, 'how can I stay warm when you're cold'. How do we manage to stay warm when so many are living in the cold? This one may prick your conscience as it did mine. Available for immediate play on Netflix. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 04/04/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TURNER CLASSIC

THE ROBE

THE ROBE (Special Edition) - 1953

RATED - NR but probably PG for non-graphic violence. Family friendly for 10+.

RATINGS - 116 Amazon (4/5), 82,158 Netflix (3.6/5), 2,431 IMDB (6.7/10).

STARRING - Richard Burton (Marcellus Gallio), Victor Mature (Demetrius)

AWARDS - 1954 Academy Awards for BEST COSTUME DESIGN COLOR & BEST ART DIRECTION COLOR & nominated for BEST PICTURE, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY COLOR & BEST ACTOR (Burton).

THEMES - Forgiveness, spirituality, relationships, truth.

STORY - THE ROBE is the first film ever released in CinemaScope, a major innovation in film at the time, basically wide screen instead of a box shaped picture on the screen. It is the story of Roman Tribune Marcellus Gallio, who falls into disfavor with the Emperor and is assigned to the 'pesthole' of the Roman Empire, Palestine. He brings his personal slave, Demetrius, with him. His first assignment is to carry out the Crucifixion of a man named Jesus. Marcellus has never driven spikes thru a man's wrists and ankles before. At the Crucifixion site, he wins the robe of Jesus by throwing dice. Something about the whole experience starts to drive him mad and he is sent back to Rome to recover. He realizes he must recover the robe and get to the bottom of who is this man Jesus, called Messiah & Son of God by His followers. What happens to him as a result of this search is at the heart of the film. This film has a much broader base than just simply those who profess to follow this man who claims to have risen from the dead. It is an intriguing story and the movie, the set and the music were all excellent. The picture quality in the special edition is sharp and almost as good as today's quality (it's available in blu-ray). Fun to see Richard Burton and Richard Boone (Pilate) in their younger days. Also, the insights into life in the Roman Empire at that time are interesting. Well worth spending an evening viewing this classic. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 04/04/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TURNER CLASSICS, TRAILER