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He had no dearth of
pre-release hype, what with ads that said "Size does matter", city buses
with signs, "His foot is as long as this bus" or "His claw is as long as
this sign" and even 20 floor building painted in green with the sign, "He
is as tall as this building". But pre-release word-of-mouth gossip casting
doubts whether the version of |
 Neve
Campbell |
Godzilla, brought to theatres by Tristar Pictures, (A Columbia Tristar
Motion Picture Group company) seem to be coming true. Tristar apparently
borrowed the copyrighted character and design from Toho Company for use in
the motion picture. Godzilla had the long (actually extended) weekend of
Memorial Day like Jurassic Park: The Lost Word has. But while the latter
earned US $90.2 million in its opening weekend, Godzilla could amass only
$ 55.5 million. And that figure is smaller than even the collections recorded
by another Memorial Day weekend release, Mission Impossible, which grossed
57 million dollars in 1996.
Godzilla opened at an unprecedented, 7000 plus theatres. The movie cost is
an estimated 120 million and in order to be proclaimed a hit has to at least
make double that figure in box-offices here in the United States. But Sony
Pictures, which owns Tristar, puts up a brave front with estimates that the
gross in nearly 74 million for the first six and half days and it is a pretty
good take in. Volker Enguel, Godzilla's special effect supervisors, puts
the speed of the creature at 150 miles an hour. "He is not a raging, man-eating
monster. It is just that people won't get out of his way fast enough," Engel
had explained. But at the box-office, it looks like Godzilla is
outdistanced----at least in the initial days! A theme like this has immense
| potentialities. How far screenplay writer Dana Stevens and director Brad
Silberling have been able to cash in on this is debatable. The sensitive,
hilarious situations and dilemma of an angel are saved by the flawless
performances of Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. |
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The movie is watchable because of them. A word about real life and reel
life. Most of the hospitals in north America have a good percentage of Indian
American doctors, nurses and other professionals. But in Hollywood movies
and television serials (series here), they are always missing. In City Of
Angels, there is an Indian doctor with no lines to speak.
Victor Hugo's Les Miserables gets another movie treatment, this time from
director Bille August (earlier movies----Pelle The Conqueror, The House of
Spirits). The three-timed filmed novel was also adopted for television series
and is one of the long running musical on Broadway. August's movie never
diviated from the book, yet scores on many counts. He is ably aided by Lian
Neeson as the central character, Jean Valjean, a man convicted for twenty
years of hard labour for stealing a loaf of bread. Prision life makes him
almost an animal and when he vilates parole, Jean tries to strangle the bishop
who gave him shelter and food in a bitter cold night. He steals silver
candlesticks, is caught and brought before the bishop. An act of kindness
from the bishop turns Jean the beast into a gentle and noble man.
For many years he lives a peaceful, prosperous life as the owner of a factory
and mayor, but is soon identified by a police officer who takes charge in
the town. He is on the run again, this time the daughter of a woman worker
who dies of illness. He gives protection to the girl, Cossette, as her father.
Cossette grows up as a strong woman and for her love, Jean willingly surrenders
himself to the police officer, javert, who keeps following him everywhere.
A change of heart by Javert in the end gets Jean the freedom he yearned for.
Hugo's indictment of the system and powerful statement of the system and
powerful statement, how an act of kindless and understanding can help change
the character of people, are presented se well by August that he did not
think these should be underplayed or presented with restraint. The message
is clear and will linger for long. The situations are heart-touching and
the character of Jean towers above all. Neeson triumphs once again as the
hunted exconvict and the most misunderstood individual and father. Geofrey
Rush offers stiff competition in the form of former jail guard and police
officer, fully convinced a bad guy cannot transform. Uma Thurman is Fantine,
a woman labourer loosing her job because of her unwed mother status and Clarie
Daines in Cossette, torn between her love and father. Les Miserables has
the revolution (that fizzles) backdrop for the last couple of roles--Cossette's
lover is one of the revolutionaries. August's recreation of the period is
brilliant and his picturisation keeps the viewer glued to screen. |
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