Carol’s Comments
November 2017
Hello Everyone! Welcome to another issue of Carol’s
Comments. While watching the Academy Awards telecast in February, I
immediately became very fascinated by Best Picture nominee Lion. I definitely knew I
wanted to eventually see the film as well as read Saroo Brierley’s memoir which
inspired the movie. So when I finally finished my Jane Austen tribute blog in
August, I checked out the book Lion soon afterward.
Originally titled A Long Way Home, Brierley’s
incredibly amazing autobiography written with Larry Buttrose recounts how at
age five he becomes separated from his older brother in Calcutta. After living
in an orphanage for a month, Saroo’s ordeal finally ends when an Australian
couple Sue and John Brierley adopt him in 1987 and he starts a new life in
Hobart, Tasmania.
Saroo remained curious about his Indian roots and
heritage throughout his childhood and adolescence and was still haunted by the
memories and traumatic events of losing his Indian family. In fact, when Saroo
was a young boy, he told his adoptive parents he still wanted to find his birth
mother but was very reluctant about visiting India.
Then in 2007, after deciding to earn a degree in
Hospitality Management in Canberra, Australia, Saroo’s thoughts return again to
searching for his childhood home in India after befriending several Indian
students. They encourage him at age 26 to become more inquisitive and further
explore his Indian cultural and geographical origins. That’s when he starts to
search the Internet for more information. Determined to find the whereabouts of
his mother, younger sister and two older brothers, he painstakingly uses Google
Earth to locate them. Miraculously, he pinpoints the exact location of his
hometown and reunites with his family after 25 years on February 11, 2012.
Brierley’s compelling and absorbing narrative,
especially his vivid description of his early years in abject poverty makes the
reader feel like they are actually experiencing Saroo’s unbelievable and
courageous journey. It reminded me somewhat of Malala Yousafzai’s intriguing
memoir I Am Malala that I reviewed in November 2014. I
highly recommend this uplifting book to readers of all ages.
After reading such an exceptional book, I couldn’t
wait to watch the film adaptation starring Oscar nominees Dev Patel and Nicole
Kidman. Directed by Garth Davis, the movie begins when Saroo (perfectly played
by young actor Sunny Pawar) follows his older brother Guddu to the train
station where they become separated. Using a documentary film style, Luke
Davies’ screenplay realistically depicts Saroo’s determination to survive and
escape Calcutta’s dangers and finally being adopted by Sue and John Brierley, sympathetically
portrayed by Nicole Kidman and David Weham when he starts a new life in
Australia.
The movie doesn’t rush Saroo’s struggles. The
screenplay devotes 45 minutes to show the poverty and degradation this young
boy must endure. Most notably, in this early segment, the actors speak in Hindi
– English subtitles included- which makes this part of the film more authentic.
However, the screen adaption does
exclude some of the more unsavory and brutal experiences Saroo witnesses on
Calcutta’s streets.
Later in the film, Dev Patel’s genuinely engaging portrayal
of adult Saroo greatly enhances the young man’s determination not only to make
a fulfilling life for himself in Australia but also to use Google Earth to help
him miraculously reunite with his long lost Indian family. These reunion scenes
are especially emotional and heartwarming.
I wholeheartedly recommend reading Brierley’s memoir
first to fully appreciate the movie. Lion is truly an unforgettable film
and deserved its Best Picture Academy Award nomination. It’s a must-see for
everyone.
After browsing through Bill Goldstein’s new literary
criticism biography The World Broke in Two, I learned that in 1922, British
literature ushered in the modernist age when T.S. Eliot published his epic poem
The
Waste Land and Virginia Woolf started Mrs.
Dalloway completing it later in 1925. Most importantly, E.M. Forster, after
overcoming a massive writer’s block, returned to his classic novel A
Passage to India. I knew I definitely wanted to read it because the book
and movie Lion had piqued my interest in Indian culture, religion and
politics. It was the perfect choice.
Unfortunately, all copies of Forster’s novel
(including the large print edition) were checked out at the public library for
quite some time. So I resorted to watching David Lean’s magnificent film
adaptation first.
Set in 1920’s British colonial India, David Lean’s
direction and screenplay marvelously brings Forster’s novel to life. The 1984
film centers on Adela Quested portrayed by Judy Davis who makes her first trip
to Chandrapore, India with her elderly companion Mrs. Moore played by Best
Supporting Actress winner Peggy Ashcroft.
Looking for an unconventional adventure, Adela and
Mrs. Moore decide to tour the mysterious Marabar Caves with the amiable Dr.
Aziz so they can see the “real”
India. Unfortunately, the outing takes a tragic turn when Adela returns home
confused, hysterical, scratched and bloodied with her clothes in disarray.
British authorities assume she was attacked and sexually assaulted by Dr. Aziz
and strongly encourage her to press charges against him. Despite efforts by
Aziz’s friend schoolmaster Cyril Fielding and Mrs. Moore to prove his
innocence, Aziz’s trial ignites the turmoil of class conflict and injustice.
Although much more subdued and understated than some
of his more spectacular epics like Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence
of Arabia, Lean’s adaptation of A Passage to India instead
strikingly and tragically illustrates how bigotry, prejudice, social
inequalities and racism can irrevocably ruin a virtuous man’s life. Nominated
for 11 Academy Awards, Lean’s mesmerizing classic running nearly three hours
powerfully captures Forster’s social commentary about racial injustice and
class distinctions in early 20th century British controlled India.
Nearly two weeks after watching the film version of A
Passage to India, I finally got to read the book. Published in 1924,
Forster begins his final novel with an atmospheric prelude to events that will
happen later in the story. Unlike the movie, in Forster’s book, Dr. Aziz
becomes the central character rather than Adela Quested. Even before his unjust
arrest for assaulting Miss Quested at the Marabar Caves, Aziz is also more
cynical and extremely wary and suspicious not only of the British colonists
(including his good friend and ally Cyril Fielding) but of his fellow Indians
both Hindu and Muslim. After a very public trial, Aziz is finally vindicated
but with an enormous price that tears all of Chandrapore’s residents both
British and Indian apart.
A
Passage to India is a very difficult book to read mainly
due to its overly descriptive early 20th century writing style. I would
strongly suggest watching David Lean’s superb film before tackling the book.
The movie’s screenplay makes the novel easier to understand especially in comprehending
Dr. Aziz’s backstory and the cultural clash between the Indians and the
British. Despite these challenges for the reader, I highly recommend A
Passage to India primarily because the novel’s themes seem strangely
relevant in these uncertain times.
The books and movies reviewed in this blog can be
found at most local public libraries. My readers in St. Joseph County, Indiana
can visit the St. Joseph County Public Library’s web site at libraryforlife.org
for additional information. Thanks for reading! Happy Thanksgiving! See you all
next time.
