An early Merchant-Ivory film, BOMBAY TALKIE opens with a send-up of India's lavish musicals as dancers cavort on a giant typewriter in a hilarious production number. However, the... more
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step"--Bombay Talkie is Ameena Meer's first novel: a probing, sometimes relentless, tragi-comedy of "Indian" manners which begins, quite literally, at "The End": "Even through the crowd in the temple, Sabah sees the boy lying on the red carpet...She knows him. He belongs to her. Somehow, she knows he's part of her, like the skin that stretches across her jugular vein." Who is he? Who's Sabah? Like a puzzle--and the puzzle of identity for Sabah: Is she "the good Indian girl" of her parents' dreams or "the bad American girl" of her own?--Bombay Talkie pursues the various pieces of its story across continents, cultures and generations as Sabah travels from America to India to "figure out what it was she really wanted to be". This is a "coming-of- age" novel for (at least) three of its younger characters--Sabah, Adam and Alia--at the same time as it records their collision with the lives of their (equally rebellious, irreverent, sceptical) parents: wives and mothers, business men and ageing movie stars, who speak up for what they want from life--and their children. --Vicky Lebeau
step"--Bombay Talkieis Ameena Meer's first novel: a probing, sometimes relentless, tragi-comedy of "Indian" manners which begins, quite literally, at "The End": "Even through the crowd in the temple, Sabah sees the boy lying on the red carpet...She knows him. He belongs to her. Somehow, she knows he's part of her, like the skin that stretches across her jugular vein." Who is he? Who's Sabah?Like a puzzle--and the puzzle of identity for Sabah: Is she "the good Indian girl" of her parents' dreams or "the bad American girl" of her own?--Bombay Talkiepursues the various pieces of its story across continents, cultures and generations as Sabah travels from America to India to "figure out what it was she really wanted to be". This is a "coming-of- age" novel for (at least) three of its younger characters--Sabah, Adam and Alia--at the same time as it records their collision with the lives of their (equally rebellious, irreverent, sceptical) parents: wives and mothers, business men and ageing movie stars, who speak up for what they want from life--and their children. --Vicky Lebeau
Production Year: 2001 - Drama - Director: Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Mikael Salomon, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Leland, David Frankel, Tony To - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over
Actor(s): Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Utpal Dutt
Director(s): James Ivory
Genre: Drama
Classification: Parental Guidance
Production Year: 1970
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Franchise Name: Merchant Ivory Collection
Video Category: Bollywood Feature Film
Country Of Origin: India
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): PRISM LEISURE
Release date: 12/02/2007
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: ODX 20338
Barcode: 5018011203384
Featured: Jennifer Kendal
Languages
Main Language: English
DVD Description
An early Merchant-Ivory film, BOMBAY TALKIE opens with a send-up of India's lavish musicals as dancers cavort on a giant typewriter in a hilarious production number. However, the film is mostly a sombre character study about best-selling English novelist Lucia Lane (Jennifer Kendal), who comes to Bombay in search of creative inspiration. She soon becomes involved with impoverished film writer Hari (Zia Mohyeddi) and handsome and successful married film star Vikram (Shashi Kapoor). Vikram's suffering wife, Mala (Aparna Sen), is barren and Vikram is seduced by Lucia's romantic, self-involved ways. The two begin an affair that soon becomes destructive. Director James Ivory explores the relationship between the cultures of India and England through the analogy of the lead characters' volatile relationship. The film, shot on location on the streets of Bombay, is immersed in a memorable, evocative atmosphere.
Advantages: You'll believe a movie star can hang off a cliff by his fingernails Disadvantages: The rest of the movie
......is to sit through this dull "action" movie!
This film has quite simply one of the best trailers of all time - Tom Cruise looking cool hanging off a cliff and performing outrageous martial arts on a beach, with a heavy rock version of the classic theme thumping on the soundtrack. Unfortunately, that is as good as it gets.
The film has numerous set pieces but none of them are as thrilling as Tom's battle with nature, which is far more threatening than any of the villains in this movie. All of the action scenes instil a vague sense of deja vu - weren't these done better in the last John Woo movie? - and are interspersed with over-talky scenes which continually explain the plot, just in case the 5-year-olds in the audience haven't got it yet.
When you consider that the most entertaining thing is figuring out what stunts Tom didn't do...
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Advantages: It is a really good film Disadvantages: None
...to moving day the boy put all four borrowers in a box with a walkie talkie this was my favourite bit. I won't say all the story everwise it will spoil your enjoyment. You can buy it on video from WHSMITHS ETC....
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![Bombay Talkie [1970]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65499870.jpg)
![Bombay Talkie [1970]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65094988.jpg)
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