Carol's Comments November 2017

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.