The River: silent movie feminism FTW!

The above image is very appropriate because last night I saw The River. Not the Jean Renoir masterpiece but a silent movie by that name that was lost and partially found and restored. It’s quite well-regarded and the critics all talk (rightly) about how unusual for a silent is its attitude and focus on physical intimacy, but what struck me much more is how feminist the movie is, arguably the most feminist silent I have seen!

TR has very few characters and develops only the two main ones with any degree of depth (thus creating a small, enclosed, self-sufficient world) so they are the ones I’ll talk about.



Character 1 is Allen John (Mr. Mousie, who watched a part of this with me said they might as well have named him Harold Richard. LOL) who is a young strapping* country guy who, it is made explicit, has never ever been with a woman in his life and probably hasn’t seen any of them up close either, not even his mother, who died when he was very small. His hobbies include making houseboats and swimming in the river naked, showing off his yummy physique.

*As he proudly tells the heroine when she comments on how big he is, he is 6’2”. I expected her to then make a comment on how big his hands are :P

Character 2 is Rosalie, the well-dressed, older, cynical mistress of a man who has just been arrested for murder of another man, out of jealousy (whether Rosalie only flirted with the corpse or had an affair with him is never made clear).

Rosalie is stuck all by herself out in this bumpkinsville middle-of-nowhere, and Allen John just might be a ticket to keep her amused.

( Lengthy lengthy write-up under cut )

The River: silent movie feminism FTW!

The above image is very appropriate because last night I saw The River. Not the Jean Renoir masterpiece but a silent movie by that name that was lost and partially found and restored. It’s quite well-regarded and the critics all talk (rightly) about how unusual for a silent is its attitude and focus on physical intimacy, but what struck me much more is how feminist the movie is, arguably the most feminist silent I have seen!

TR has very few characters and develops only the two main ones with any degree of depth (thus creating a small, enclosed, self-sufficient world) so they are the ones I’ll talk about.



Character 1 is Allen John (Mr. Mousie, who watched a part of this with me said they might as well have named him Harold Richard. LOL) who is a young strapping* country guy who, it is made explicit, has never ever been with a woman in his life and probably hasn’t seen any of them up close either, not even his mother, who died when he was very small. His hobbies include making houseboats and swimming in the river naked, showing off his yummy physique.

*As he proudly tells the heroine when she comments on how big he is, he is 6’2”. I expected her to then make a comment on how big his hands are :P

Character 2 is Rosalie, the well-dressed, older, cynical mistress of a man who has just been arrested for murder of another man, out of jealousy (whether Rosalie only flirted with the corpse or had an affair with him is never made clear).

Rosalie is stuck all by herself out in this bumpkinsville middle-of-nowhere, and Allen John just might be a ticket to keep her amused.

( Lengthy lengthy write-up under cut )

The River: silent movie feminism FTW!

The above image is very appropriate because last night I saw The River. Not the Jean Renoir masterpiece but a silent movie by that name that was lost and partially found and restored. It’s quite well-regarded and the critics all talk (rightly) about how unusual for a silent is its attitude and focus on physical intimacy, but what struck me much more is how feminist the movie is, arguably the most feminist silent I have seen!

TR has very few characters and develops only the two main ones with any degree of depth (thus creating a small, enclosed, self-sufficient world) so they are the ones I’ll talk about.



Character 1 is Allen John (Mr. Mousie, who watched a part of this with me said they might as well have named him Harold Richard. LOL) who is a young strapping* country guy who, it is made explicit, has never ever been with a woman in his life and probably hasn’t seen any of them up close either, not even his mother, who died when he was very small. His hobbies include making houseboats and swimming in the river naked, showing off his yummy physique.

*As he proudly tells the heroine when she comments on how big he is, he is 6’2”. I expected her to then make a comment on how big his hands are :P

Character 2 is Rosalie, the well-dressed, older, cynical mistress of a man who has just been arrested for murder of another man, out of jealousy (whether Rosalie only flirted with the corpse or had an affair with him is never made clear).

Rosalie is stuck all by herself out in this bumpkinsville middle-of-nowhere, and Allen John just might be a ticket to keep her amused.

( Lengthy lengthy write-up under cut )

I simply must see this. And so must you!

Thank you chisakami for the heads-up about Luck by Chance (Bollywood movie, opening January 30, 2009).



I just saw this trailer and I must see it!

It is a look at modern Bollywood, especially one struggling actor's attempt to make it and oh! It looks so amazing!

Not to mention the cast is to die for, whatever the Bollywood equivalent of an all-star cast is (Hrithik Roshan a.k.a. "per Dangermousie the Hottest Star in Bollywood" as the Superstar? Be still my heart!) Not to mention Konkona Sen Sharma, Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor etc.

And I can never get used that this is what Farhan Akhtar (the male lead) looks like. I mean! It's Farhan Akhtar, A-list director/screenwriter, and one of my favorite ones, the one who did my 'gateway drug' movie Dil Chahta Hai (which is one of THE Bollywood movies) and the super-stylish and super-entertaining Don. All that and he is actually young and hot and a good actor to boot? That combo is a scary scary thing to contemplate.

I simply must see this. And so must you!

Thank you chisakami for the heads-up about Luck by Chance (Bollywood movie, opening January 30, 2009).



I just saw this trailer and I must see it!

It is a look at modern Bollywood, especially one struggling actor's attempt to make it and oh! It looks so amazing!

Not to mention the cast is to die for, whatever the Bollywood equivalent of an all-star cast is (Hrithik Roshan a.k.a. "per Dangermousie the Hottest Star in Bollywood" as the Superstar? Be still my heart!) Not to mention Konkona Sen Sharma, Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor etc.

And I can never get used that this is what Farhan Akhtar (the male lead) looks like. I mean! It's Farhan Akhtar, A-list director/screenwriter, and one of my favorite ones, the one who did my 'gateway drug' movie Dil Chahta Hai (which is one of THE Bollywood movies) and the super-stylish and super-entertaining Don. All that and he is actually young and hot and a good actor to boot? That combo is a scary scary thing to contemplate.

I simply must see this. And so must you!

Thank you chisakami for the heads-up about Luck by Chance (Bollywood movie, opening January 30, 2009).



I just saw this trailer and I must see it!

It is a look at modern Bollywood, especially one struggling actor's attempt to make it and oh! It looks so amazing!

Not to mention the cast is to die for, whatever the Bollywood equivalent of an all-star cast is (Hrithik Roshan a.k.a. "per Dangermousie the Hottest Star in Bollywood" as the Superstar? Be still my heart!) Not to mention Konkona Sen Sharma, Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor etc.

And I can never get used that this is what Farhan Akhtar (the male lead) looks like. I mean! It's Farhan Akhtar, A-list director/screenwriter, and one of my favorite ones, the one who did my 'gateway drug' movie Dil Chahta Hai (which is one of THE Bollywood movies) and the super-stylish and super-entertaining Don. All that and he is actually young and hot and a good actor to boot? That combo is a scary scary thing to contemplate.

Bollywood yet again...

Yes, this is turning into a Bollywood day.

Anyone else excited about the upcoming Rab Ne Bana De Jodi?

Trailer:

I have yet to be bored by a Shahrukh Khan movie so please, please, let RNBNJ actually be the third Bolly movie this year I actually like as opposed to go 'not too horrible' over. (Other two are Jodhaa-Akbar and Dostana. It's been a dry year for Bollywood).

And speaking of Jodhaa Akbar, I found my fave scene on youtube. In part because I love movies which embrace the female gaze, and in part because shirtless men with swords can never be bad.

Bollywood yet again...

Yes, this is turning into a Bollywood day.

Anyone else excited about the upcoming Rab Ne Bana De Jodi?

Trailer:

I have yet to be bored by a Shahrukh Khan movie so please, please, let RNBNJ actually be the third Bolly movie this year I actually like as opposed to go 'not too horrible' over. (Other two are Jodhaa-Akbar and Dostana. It's been a dry year for Bollywood).

And speaking of Jodhaa Akbar, I found my fave scene on youtube. In part because I love movies which embrace the female gaze, and in part because shirtless men with swords can never be bad.

Bollywood yet again...

Yes, this is turning into a Bollywood day.

Anyone else excited about the upcoming Rab Ne Bana De Jodi?

Trailer:

I have yet to be bored by a Shahrukh Khan movie so please, please, let RNBNJ actually be the third Bolly movie this year I actually like as opposed to go 'not too horrible' over. (Other two are Jodhaa-Akbar and Dostana. It's been a dry year for Bollywood).

And speaking of Jodhaa Akbar, I found my fave scene on youtube. In part because I love movies which embrace the female gaze, and in part because shirtless men with swords can never be bad.