Sat Sep 25 01:53:32 MDT 2004
For those just joining us, this was the movie I ran all over town trying to find several weeks ago. Though I searched multiple stores and asked several clerks to check their databases, none had any copies in stock. But I did not give up. Eventually, I found that it was available from a well-known online vendor, and placed on order. It arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago, but it wasn't until tonight that I worked up the wherewithal to see it.
It was indeed the same film I had seen during its theatrical run in Boulder 8 years ago. Back then, I don't think I was ready to appreciate it to the degree that I am now.
After looking over a few of the imdb reviews, I have to conclude that a majority of the people writing on imdb are clueless idiots. Some disappointed souls seemed to be expecting porn (which this movie is not, though it does have more than a few tastefully erotic scenes), some apparently thought it was "cheesy", and as for others who criticized the acting or plot... Well, I don't know what they were smoking, and I don't particularly want to.
The setting is a mythical world patterned after medieval India, but the exaggerated archetypcial portrayals and poetic symmetry of the story signal that what we are watching is not a historical recreation, but a symbolic fairy tale. A fairy tale for adults. (This, I would think, should be fairly obvious, but some of those silly folks on imdb criticized it for lacking "accuracy", so I thought I'd spell it out.)
With that said, I'll also point out that the fairy tale setting is far from perfect. In many regards, the world in which the story takes place could be classified as downright dystopian, at least when viewed through the eyes of the two principle characters. But this would also be an oversimplification, as the extravagant beauty and wonder of this ancient realm dance to life in virtually every shot.
The movie follows the journey of Maya (brilliantly acted by Indira Varma), a girl born into the caste system as a servant and subordinate, but whose irrepressible spirit carries her into situations which bring immense suffering as well as pleasure, heartache along with compassion, and sadness along with love. This is the journey of life.
During the first half hour, it's hard not to cry, not only for Maya, but for Tara, her childhood friend born to royalty, as we see that despite Tara's higher standing in society, her burden is even greater, and her fate in life more miserable. Because it portrays these sad realities with such stark brutality, I suppose the movie could be viewed as a general indictment of arranged marriage, monarchy, and even the entire structure of society in that era. But it doesn't come off that way, because every misery is counterbalanced by an appreciation of the beauty, pleasure, and meaning which also directly result from the existence of these institutions.
It's rife with a sense of poetic justice; every action taken by every character is meted with fitting consequences. This is a large part of what makes the film so emotionally satisfying.
Indeed, Maya's own tumultuous fate in life comes about as a direct result of her own indulgence. Even still, with this knowledge, would she change her past behavior? In certain moments, such as when she expresses her shame to Rasa Devi, her teacher, she indicates quite clearly that she would have acted differently. (BTW, I loved the statement about honor and shame being two sides of the same coin. That, along with several other quotes in the movie, fall into the ultra-profound category.) Yet ultimately, she sees that every action she took, including perceived transgressions, were part of the greater picture of her life; her motivations and reasoning, by definition, were sufficient cause for everything she did at every moment. Thus, when she gains the maturity to recognize this, she is able to transcend guilt and regret, and live with compassion and dignity, which is what gave her the immense spiritual power required to survive and thrive even in the most adverserial and heartbreaking situations. My heroine!
Have I gone on enough?
About the title: Perhaps it was a bit silly to have titled this movie "Kama Sutra", as it was obviously only tangentially related to the original kama sutra texts. Then again, the same could be said of many other commercial products which, I suspect, bear the label mostly for marketing reasons.
(Though I have not read through them all yet, the original Kama Sutra texts, themselves distillations of even more ancient writings now lost to history, contain many pieces of wisdom about how to lead a happy and successful life, particularly in regard to sexual matters; the advise dispensed is individualized for differing situations and walks of life. It reads a lot like what the book of Proverbs might have been if Solomon hadn't turned into such a stuck up, guilt-ridden, bitter old misogynist in his elder years. That doesn't mean I don't also have some criticisms regarding the content of the Kama Sutra, but I'll save that for another day. Suffice it to say that I can see why it has inspired so many derivative works of art, information, and practices which adopt the same name.)
Kama = Love. Sutra = Study.
Nothing more, nothing less.
With that, I'll conclude this entry and go to bed.