Tag: writing

Greed comes true

When I wrote the last post a month ago, I finished it saying I was greedy that I wanted to watch The Godfather Part II also in the theatre.

And this time around, the universe was kind enough.

Yes, The Godfather Part II got re-released last week and I grabbed the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

Even though many regard the first part very highly, it’s the part II that actually works more for me.

Because of one reason.

Rather one man – Al Pacino

It was so awesome to see his performance on the big screen. Especially the eyes – the way those magical eyes emote and can convey what’s going on in Michael’s mind without uttering a word. The mannerisms that he very consistently portrays at multiple times in the movie living Michael in and out. For example:

The way he uses two fingers and rubs both his eyes whenever he comes to a place after dealing with lot of “stuff”

Or the way he moves his left hand fingers when he is making important decisions (such as the below one when he is meeting Hyman Roth at his home in Miami)

Al Pacino also lived the character of Michael with so much consistency in terms how he reacts when people betray him. He is genuinely trying to make the family business legitimate, but when people within his family betray him or do not understand him, he simply shuts the door for them.

A great example is, how he literally shuts the door for Kate when she visits the kids without his knowledge. No words are uttered. Just a strong hatred in his eyes. Walks straight to the door and shuts it.

It’s the same with Fredo. When he discovers that Fredo plotted against him and his family, he simply shuts him off from his life – so much that he decides to kill his own brother. And that too, a brilliant scene where he gives a go ahead to his assistant to kill Fredo after their mother dies – again with just his eyes.

The Nayagan Connect

Of course, it’s inevitable that one cannot find how much inspiration that Kamal had taken from Al Pacino for Nayagan. If Al Pacino moves his left fingers, Kamal moves his right hand over his bald head. All those close up shots where the scenes were focused on Al Pacino’s reaction in his eyes – one could see how much Kamal and Maniratnam embodied it in Nayagan.

If there was a baptism scene in this movie where Michael kills his enemies, there is an equivalent scene in Nayagan where the Reddy family gets killed while Nayakkar performs the last rites for his wife.

Overall, I am super glad that my greed got answered.

And of course, there is no end to one’s greed. I am seeing news that Nayagan is likely to get released in theatres. And that will just complete it for me 🙂

Watching The Godfather in the big screen

Never, ever, in my wildest dreams, I ever imagined that I would see this movie in the big screen.

I was casually checking last Wednesday if there are any good English movies to watch during the weekend and saw this being listed as a “Re-release”.

I saw it was running only in a few theatres across Chennai and just one show in a multiplex that I and my friend regularly watch any movie.

I didn’t bother to check with my friend and I just booked two tickets for the following Saturday. I knew very strongly that my friend would simply drop everything else for this lifetime opportunity.

And, it was a lifetime opportunity for us.

Watching one of the finest craft ever made. On the big screen. The way the director intended it to be seen.

Obviously I had seen this movie a number of times. This friend of mine recommended it back in 2007-2008 times.

In the 90s when I got exposed to Hollywood movies, I was just watching the regular sci-fi, action movies. The Speed, Independence Day, Cliff Hanger type of movies. Crime-Drama as a genre was something that obviously a school/college going kid doesn’t like to see. Especially the ones that goes in a slow pace.

So was my friend until he went to the US and accidentally stumbled upon this genre. He came back and highly recommended to see this.

I tried initially and couldn’t sit through the first 30 minutes – this was sometime in 2007/2008. I normally watch during the night and I dozed off in the first 30 minutes.

A couple of years passed and my friend pushed me to watch it again during the day – like an afternoon.

Sometime in 2010/2011 I saw the first part of “The Godfather” series and was completely blown away.

Ever since, I have come back to this movie at least once every 2 years to notice something new.

Though we now remember every single scene in the movie and of course most of the dialogues, it was still a different experience seeing it in the theatre.

The beauty of watching it in theatre (any good movie) is that you are locked in that dark room for 2-3 hours. And you are completely taken into the world the director has created.

It was the same in this case too. For 3 hours, I was totally in the world of the Corleone family. How the power was being transitioned and all the dynamics within the family and with the outsiders.

And I noticed another brilliant performance

Above is the scene where Al Pacino has come out of the bathroom having taken the gun that was hidden in the bathroom.

He is going to take out Solozzo in the next few minutes.

He comes back to the table and sits in the table. The camera zooms to Al Pacino’s face.

Solozzo continues to chat with Al Pacino.

Al Pacino is listening to what Solozzo is saying.

But he is also listening to something else.

The sound of an approaching train.

He waits for the train to make the crossing near the restaurant where they are dining.

And when the sound of the the crossing train is at the max, he shoots Solozzo.

A brilliant piece of scene staging by the director.

And an amazing performance by Al Pacino. He simply keeps his head titled (to show that he is forcing his ear to listen to the train sound) and he moves his eyes to express what’s going on in his mind.

You need to watch this scene to fully appreciate this.

The train sound is also played out to us in the background when Al Pacino comes out of the bathroom – thats when the character “Michael Corleone” had listen to the approaching train sound. And decided that another train must pass soon and will use that opportunity to make the kill.

I noticed this during the movie (thanks to my friend who pointed it out). Something that I had never noticed in so many times I had watched before.

I am truly grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity of watching this masterpiece in theatre.

And now I am greedy – I want the part 2 to be re-release again. For me, personally, part 2 is still the best in the trilogy.

ps: Of course, I and my friend were discussing and comparing how Kamal and Mani had got inspired and used many techniques in Nayagan. Kamal’s hairstyle, the expression in the eyes, the calmness are all direct lift-off from Al Pacino.

And of course, the opening scene where “Bonasera” describes about the cruelty his daughter faced is a direct life-off and played by A.R.S (the DGP) in Nayagan 🙂