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Film Appreciation with K S Sivakumaran :
Business of film criticism
Regular readers of the Daily News would have noticed that yours truly
sometimes refer to the Tamil films as "Indian Tamil Films" In the first
place why do I say 'Indian Tamil Films'? I say this because Tamil films
are not made in India alone, but in Europe, Canada and Australia as
well. Therefore to distinguish the Kodambaakam (where the tinsel world
with studios and stars and the lot) Tamil films from films produced
outside its orbit, this term is convenient.
Next let's talk about film criticism or film reviews. This is a
difficult business - I mean both the writing part and the respectability
one would expect from a critic.
I think the golden age of Film Criticism per se in all three
languages (English, Sinhala and Tamil) has vanished now with the
onslaught of electronic media and the print media as well. Some of the
film critics of yesteryear were bilingual, academics and knowledgeable
in the art of cinema. However, at least in Sinhala there is a conscious
effort to study film as an art and write about them knowledgeably.
Mention should be made of Ashley Ratnavibushana who produces a film
magazine covering the world and local cinema. Please note that I am
talking about the 21st century film criticism only. One or two
contributors to the English press spasmodically write about cinema in
serious terms. That is far and far between.
Let me put on record how I became familiar with film criticism. My
report will also help the present generation of writers and journalists
the gradual development of film criticism in the country. My familiarity
with the subject begins in the 1960s.
A former Ceylon Civil Service administrator, Lloyd de Silva, and I
believe it was a gentleman by name Mirando were members of the Colombo
Film Society. Every month they showed classic continental films in 16
MM. One of the films shown was "Wages of Fear". In those film showings I
came to know big names in the Lankan English Cultural Scene: They
include Regi Siriwardena, Sali Parakrama, Sita Jayawardena (nee
Parakrama), Izeth Hussain, Charles Abeysekera, Mervyn de Silva and many
distinguished elites of yesteryear. I eavesdropped some of the
conversations among them on the films seen.
Then in the early 1960s K Muralidharan and Neil I Perera formed the
Cinema 16 Society and they too showed 16 MM films from European
counties. Some of the memorable films were "Ashes and Diamonds", The
Night Train", Agnes Varda's films, Roman Polanski's films and the like.
Regi Siriwardena, Mervyn de Silva, Fred de Silva, Philip Cooray,
Denzil Pieris and notable first class journalists like Neville de Silva,
E C T Candappa, Gaston Rozario, Roshan Pieris, Jeanne Pinto, Bonnie
Fernando, Edwin Ariyadas, A J Gunawardena, Ajit Samaranayake, Gamini
Hattotewegama, Eshan Sourjah, Rodrigo, Mallika Wanigasundara, Vijita
Fernando and a few others wrote in English appreciable film criticism
not only of films in other languages but also in Sinhala.
On the radio, Vernon Abeysekera, Tissa Devendra, C R Hensman, Tissa
Abeysekera and many others contributed to film criticism in English.
This phase was followed by the formation of Film Critics and
Journalists Association on the initiative of the late Neil I Perera.
This was remarkable because the association embraced film critics and
journalist who write in three different language media. People like
Jayawilal Wilegoda, Leslie Boteju, Piyal Somaratne, Gamini Weragama,Prof
Palliyaguru and many others wrote in Snhala film criticism.
Muralidharan and yours truly reviewed film over the Tamil radio.
Some of us functioned as judges for the OCIC film festivals and
became acquainted with good and arty cinema in all languages.
That was in a bygone era.
So in the absence of 'film criticism' what exists now is 'film
reviews' which means retelling of the synopsis of the films, paying
glowing tributes to the film stars for their glamour and so on than
judging the artistic merits of the film creators or the players.
If one is reviewing a Sinhala film and if he / she is a qualified
person to review (going by the criteria of his / her extensive knowledge
of the film history, industry, ability to compare and pass judgment on
aesthetics or grammar of cinema) then we could consider such people as
critics. Some of them have indeed written fine film criticism of Sinhala
films in English. Maybe there are a few who write in Sinhala in that
manner.
But to my disappointment there is no film criticism or film reviews
written by Lankans in Tamil. What they do in the Tamil press is to
download the 'plugging' available in syndicate format of commercial
films and brand the name 'vimarsanam'(criticism) and claim that what
they have published is their own estimation. Unashamedly they plagiarize
Tamilnadu 'popular' journalist's comments promoting the producers of
such films.
Exceptionally there are two writers in Tamil in the country - Dr M K
Muruganandam and Dr S Muruganandam- who have written understandably
appreciative film reviews in local Tamil papers and magazines.
In this background I fear to tread in the field of 'film criticism'
and 'film review 'of Tamil films in general. That is why I used to
write' film appreciation' of international and Indian regional films
that I happened to actually see at the International Film Festivals in
India, taking space in the Daily News film page that does justice to
inform us by way of news and views of the activities in the Sinhala film
industry. But changing the tempo, as it were, I shall be expressing my
'appreciation' of films I manage to see in Lanka. It could be my choice
in selecting any language film screened here.
As far as Indian Tamil films are concerned four recent Tamil films
seen in Colombo are worthy of mention.
The films are Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya, Yaathumaahi, Angaadi Theru
and Paiyaa. My appreciation of these four films is basically in terms of
the synchronized -symphonic style of the blend of the eastern and
western music. But they are also well produced romantic or love story
films with complicated social issues. The stories are not banal nor are
they too sentimental or melodramatic. They are soothingly pleasing
visually and structurally organic. These films are currently being shown
in theatres and on TV channels. Enjoy if you can.
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