Quo Vadis,Mr.Director
Just a day ago I watched the movie "Invictus",starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.It was based upon a true story.Throughout the movie,I was conscious of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienar only, and not those who played the roles.The film was well knit,begins and ends aptly,with superb editing and screeplay.I saw that the Director of the movie was Clint Eastwood. My goodness.He has never failed as a Director.
What is the role of a Director in a movie?
The movie's excellence,its appeal and perfection depend upon him. He starts a movie witha bang and ends it very logically.As I feel,he is the pivot and all others who work for the production of a movie are subservient to him,including the heroes and heroines.Why a movie is successful at the boxoffice,why people praise a movie? Because we see the hands of a great Director there.Great Directors from Hollywood in the past as well now attest to this. They handle their actors, supervise editing and cinematography,keep costume period and continuity.Typically, the producers decide to make a movie and buy the film rights from the author of a published and well received fiction or novel.Then they look for a Director who would steer the ship ably.That is where the Director's importance comes.From there on the Director calls all the shots. I just happened to know that John Huston's first directorial venture was "The Maltese Falcon".Producers wanted George Raft in the lead role,a detective;but Huston stood for Humphrey Bogart.He was very firm on that.Finally,that movie made history and Bogart shot into stardom. Of course. when Kirk Douglas made Spartacus he first hired Anthony Mann for its Director spot,but fired him and brought Stanley Kubrick instead.It was not a good move and yet it passed with Kubrick doing pretty little.
I used to hear that in Ben Hur,during the chariot race,someone saw a car in the corner of the movie frame and wondered what William Wyler was doing.Till now, I dont know of this, in spite of seeing the movie more than once.Incidentally,Kirk Douglas was disappointed with Wyler for not casting him in the lead role in Ben Hur, as he expected.Charlton Heston instead got the role.As a spite Douglas produced Spartacus,which,however, turned out to be a mega boxoffice hit at that time,I believe 1960.
This led me to think,well, what is happening here in Chennai movieworld.They call it Kollywood.Supposing Hollywood were to be Hollyholly,it would be followed by Bollyholly ,Kollyholly,and Tollyholly
.How good are the Directors here;what control they have over the production of a movie?
With what I gather and understand, many a Director has become one on his own assumption, and anyone who could put money in the front can elevate himself as a Director too.There are a few good directors,really.Some are made to look like good directors.Recently I heard in a television talk program that the producers decided upon a story and fixed the would be and heroine and finally started looking for a director.Note that a story for a movie is concocted here,and not based on any published work. In this case,the movie was a supposed hit.Hero cornered all the glory and praise of the director was incidental.This is where I want to come.In Hollywood they choose actors according to the characters to be played and the Director does this.Morgan Freeman comes so close to look like Mandela, Damon almost near Francois.
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Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienar
Most of the tamil movies excel in cinematography and that is a redeeming feature.Excepting a few, other Directors do not seem to have done anything that befits the name of a good Director.That is why most films are sloppy and uninspiring.Violence,inane comedy, tin music,the eternal equation only seem to dominate the movie.There is no storyline, an offbeat attempt.Exceptions are there,Mozhi was a lovely movie.Case number 18/9[I think}was exceptionally a good movie.Looks like that,if the actors are new faces,Directors can have full control over them and bring their best into the film.This might not happen with the biggies and wellestablished.The same tantrum throwing guys were in Hollywood too.The producers of Godfather never wanted Marlon Brando in their production as they knew what it would cost them.Cuppola somehow as a Director prevailed and convinced them to have Brando as Vita Corleone.We know the rest.The movie was a thunderous hit.So, a Director knows how his cast should be chosen.Well, whether it happens in Chennai?I should say 'No'..Some directors are praised beyond their worth and if you look at their work you wouldn't find anything extraordinary that rivets your attention.To put it precisely, a few directors here are born, some are made and many are living in a lotusland. And,whenever they come on a television screen it more than confirms my view.
Just a day ago I watched the movie "Invictus",starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.It was based upon a true story.Throughout the movie,I was conscious of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienar only, and not those who played the roles.The film was well knit,begins and ends aptly,with superb editing and screeplay.I saw that the Director of the movie was Clint Eastwood. My goodness.He has never failed as a Director.
What is the role of a Director in a movie?
The movie's excellence,its appeal and perfection depend upon him. He starts a movie witha bang and ends it very logically.As I feel,he is the pivot and all others who work for the production of a movie are subservient to him,including the heroes and heroines.Why a movie is successful at the boxoffice,why people praise a movie? Because we see the hands of a great Director there.Great Directors from Hollywood in the past as well now attest to this. They handle their actors, supervise editing and cinematography,keep costume period and continuity.Typically, the producers decide to make a movie and buy the film rights from the author of a published and well received fiction or novel.Then they look for a Director who would steer the ship ably.That is where the Director's importance comes.From there on the Director calls all the shots. I just happened to know that John Huston's first directorial venture was "The Maltese Falcon".Producers wanted George Raft in the lead role,a detective;but Huston stood for Humphrey Bogart.He was very firm on that.Finally,that movie made history and Bogart shot into stardom. Of course. when Kirk Douglas made Spartacus he first hired Anthony Mann for its Director spot,but fired him and brought Stanley Kubrick instead.It was not a good move and yet it passed with Kubrick doing pretty little.
I used to hear that in Ben Hur,during the chariot race,someone saw a car in the corner of the movie frame and wondered what William Wyler was doing.Till now, I dont know of this, in spite of seeing the movie more than once.Incidentally,Kirk Douglas was disappointed with Wyler for not casting him in the lead role in Ben Hur, as he expected.Charlton Heston instead got the role.As a spite Douglas produced Spartacus,which,however, turned out to be a mega boxoffice hit at that time,I believe 1960.
This led me to think,well, what is happening here in Chennai movieworld.They call it Kollywood.Supposing Hollywood were to be Hollyholly,it would be followed by Bollyholly ,Kollyholly,and Tollyholly
.How good are the Directors here;what control they have over the production of a movie?
With what I gather and understand, many a Director has become one on his own assumption, and anyone who could put money in the front can elevate himself as a Director too.There are a few good directors,really.Some are made to look like good directors.Recently I heard in a television talk program that the producers decided upon a story and fixed the would be and heroine and finally started looking for a director.Note that a story for a movie is concocted here,and not based on any published work. In this case,the movie was a supposed hit.Hero cornered all the glory and praise of the director was incidental.This is where I want to come.In Hollywood they choose actors according to the characters to be played and the Director does this.Morgan Freeman comes so close to look like Mandela, Damon almost near Francois.
Most of the tamil movies excel in cinematography and that is a redeeming feature.Excepting a few, other Directors do not seem to have done anything that befits the name of a good Director.That is why most films are sloppy and uninspiring.Violence,inane comedy, tin music,the eternal equation only seem to dominate the movie.There is no storyline, an offbeat attempt.Exceptions are there,Mozhi was a lovely movie.Case number 18/9[I think}was exceptionally a good movie.Looks like that,if the actors are new faces,Directors can have full control over them and bring their best into the film.This might not happen with the biggies and wellestablished.The same tantrum throwing guys were in Hollywood too.The producers of Godfather never wanted Marlon Brando in their production as they knew what it would cost them.Cuppola somehow as a Director prevailed and convinced them to have Brando as Vita Corleone.We know the rest.The movie was a thunderous hit.So, a Director knows how his cast should be chosen.Well, whether it happens in Chennai?I should say 'No'..Some directors are praised beyond their worth and if you look at their work you wouldn't find anything extraordinary that rivets your attention.To put it precisely, a few directors here are born, some are made and many are living in a lotusland. And,whenever they come on a television screen it more than confirms my view.
Nelson mandela and Francois Pienar in 1995 Rugby World Cup.
South Africal wins trophy.Mandela gives the nation a champion.
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