I enjoy writing about all sorts really. I love travel and am pregnant at the moment so expect a lot ...
I enjoy writing about all sorts really. I love travel and am pregnant at the moment so expect a lot of baby reviews to come. I also post on Dooyoo under the name Whizz11
Member since:07.09.2007
Reviews:412
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The Kite Runner After reviewing the book last week, I then found it at Sainsburys at the weekend and decided to watch it as I was very interested in how they would tell the story on film. The Kite Runner film has been adapted from the 2003 book written by Khaled Hosseini which was his debut novel. The film is directed by Marc Forster who also directed Monster's Ball and is produced by Dreamworks. The first thing I really liked about the film is that it used pretty much all Afghani actors. I liked the fact that it did not cast a Tom Cruise or the like and make out that they were actually from Afghanistan. I think this made the film and story more believable, more real and definitely worth watching. A lot of the film is actually subtitled as the actors speak Persian Dari. There is a little bit at the start which is in English and then probably about 30 minutes at the end in English. I also like the fact that they used the real language as this again brings an authentic feel to the film.
The film tells the
story of a young boy called Amir. He is growing up in 1970's Afghanistan and faces many trials and tribulations. At first he lives a fairly great looking life on the surface of it. His father is well off and they live in a big pink house away from all the run down houses in the village (the village is actually Kabul, the capital and largest city in Afghanistan but shown on film is portrayed as more like a local village). He has a great friend, one he can really rely on and trust, Hassan. Hassan and his father are actually servants for Amir and his father and although they have a great bond, Amir often feels embarrassed by Hassan and that embarrassment leads to shame when he questions his actions. Amir's father is very cold and shut off and he is always desperately trying to win approval from his father. Amir then resolves to win the local kite fighting tournament and hopefully prove he can be a man to his father. Hassan helps him in his quest but events after the tournament change their lives forever. When Russian forces invade Afghanistan Amir and his father flee to America and so the story continues with tales of their new lives there and Amir's eventual trip back to Afghanistan to face the demons of his past. The film pretty much follows the book and doesn't at all deviate from the story. I like the fact that they have done this and not tried to change anything to be more dramatic. There are a few parts left out but these do not hinder the story or take away from it. There was some controversy surrounding the film. There is a very unfortunate scene involving one of the young boys and apparently the Afghan government banned the film from movie theaters and DVD shops because of this scene and the ethnic tensions that the film highlights. Also the families of the boys involved in the movie are worried about their situations now and how the filming of this could have affected them. It seems like even though Hollywood thinks it owns the world, it cannot always account for different countries and the values they hold. This story for me is a great tale of relationships and a lesson; I feel, in how to treat people and how that resonates through the rest of your life. The way the pairing plays out between Amir and his father is truly heartbreaking at times but also heart-warming in the end. I don't feel like the movie totally delved into their relationship as much as the book did and I would have liked to see this developed a bit more. The friendship between Amir and Hassan is pure and real but also tested. I think it makes you look at your own friendships and be glad that they are there.
The film was actually mostly filmed in Kashgar, China because it was too dangerous to film in Afghanistan. Although I have never been to Afghanistan so I have nothing to compare it to it did seem very real to me and definitely looked like the areas which the author of the book had written about.
Like I said I found the film in Sainsburys for £11.97 but it is pretty much available in all the usual stores. It is rated 12 due to strong language and runs for approximately 122 minutes. Special features include, "Words from the Kite Runner, Images from the Kite Runner and the Theatrical Trailer. The official website can be found at www.kiterunnermovie.com
Probably, as always, I think the book was much better than the film. It could be because I read the book first and knew what to expect in the film but both were still good. All in all, the Kite Runner is one film that you really must see!
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Not seen this one, not sure if it's my cup of tea, great review though
Soho_Black 16.09.2008 13:09
Sorry for the H, but if this is to be a full DVD review, I would prefer to see a review of the extras in similar detail to the way you've reviewed the film, rather than just a passing mention of them.
lorna_call 27.08.2008 17:58
Great review, definitely a film I am going to watch.
Based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel about Amir a well-to-do Pashtun boy from ... more
Afghanistan who is still haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan son of a family servant. Having lived in California for a number of years ...
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Advantages: Pretty compelling viewing, interesting story with a twist, some nice cinematography Disadvantages: Lots of subtitles, a couple of disturbing (violent) scenes, not recommend for younger teens
IzzyS 03.05.2009 (03.05.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Kite Runner (DVD)
Advantages: Pretty compelling viewing, interesting story with a twist, some nice cinematography Disadvantages: Lots of subtitles, a couple of disturbing (violent) scenes, not recommend for younger teens
IzzyS 03.05.2009 (03.05.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Kite Runner (DVD)
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