Tag: Muslim

VICTORIA & ABDUL

Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim

VICTORIA & ABDUL

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

The true story of Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim is used to illustrate every facet of ageism, racism and sexism as it existed in Victorian England.

In 1887, Karim meets Queen Victoria when she is 68 years old, and has been queen for fifty years. She was tired, bored and ready to die.

As I see it, Karim was not about to let that happen, not on his watch. It was a time when sexual liaisons were popular, but I do not think that this was what was happening.

Her eldest son, and heir apparent, Edward VII, was a notorious womanizer, and probably assumed this of his mother.

What attracted Queen Victoria to Abdul Karim, was his positivity, devotion and kindness to her. Karim was the son that she wished she had.

Reading the history of this era, I discover that there was bad blood between Victoria and her son, Edward VII.

Two weeks after Edward was reprimanded by his father for being a womanizer, the Queen’s beloved husband, Albert, dies. This is not something a wife or mother forgets.

After her husband Albert’s death, with whom she bore nine children, Queen Victoria expressed her deep grief by wearing black for the rest of her life.

With Karim by her side, Queen Victoria gets a second wind, and becomes a popular, benevolent mother figure to her subjects and to Karim for another 14 years.

The argument of which culture was the more civilized of the two, English or Muslim, is another part of this film.

Edward VII is anxious to take over the throne. Here’s where the ageism part comes in.

Edward tries everything under the sun to make that happen, short of taking a gun to her head.

After thirteen years of service, Karim takes a year off to return to India. When he returns, he finds Queen Victoria is markedly aged and feeble. She dies three months later.

The kind and considerate queen did make provisions for Karim. She arranged for him to be given property and a pension in India, which director Stephen Frears and writer Lee Hall did not mentioned in the film.

Karim’s estate was in Agra, where his family resided until the Indian independence.

Karim died eight years after the queen, he did not have any children.

While this film was being made, there were protesters in Agra. They tried to stop the resurrection of the statue of Queen Victoria, which was taken down after the independence revolution.

This is a fascinating story and I am so glad I was able to catch it.

Judi Dench deserves to get a best actress nomination for her role in “Victoria & Abdul.”

Queen Victoria Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria

Abdul Karim (the Munshi) Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Karim_(the_Munshi)

Edward VII’s Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VII

Right wing group stalls shoot of Ali Fazal’s ‘Victoria and Abdul’ in Agra over Queen Victoria’s statue:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Right-wing-group-stalls-shoot-of-Ali-Fazals-Victoria-and-Abdul-in-Agra-over-Queen-Victorias-statue/articleshow/55497083.cms

Queen Victoria and the Munshi in 1893.

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12/3/2017 # Victoria & Abdul

THE BIG SICK

Kumail waits at the hospital with Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano)

THE BIG SICK

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

This is my favorite film, so far, this year.

“The Big Sick” is all about how a brave Muslim comedian, Kumail Nanjiani, (true story) meets an American girl, Emily V. Gordon (Zoe Kazan) in his audience, while he is struggling to become a comedian.

She brings out the best in him, and he responds by loving her forever.

As the story opens, Kumail is fighting his way out of the expectations of his Pakistani, Muslim family, who are not too subtle about hooking him up with a nice Muslim girl.

This is post 9/11, when all Muslims are under intense scrutiny by all Americans. In fact, Emily’s parents, are quick to ask him, point blank, “What’s your take on 9/11?”

Breaking out of his multi-faceted, straight-jacket, after having been confronted with this question, over and over, Kumail responds, “Yeah, it was bad, we lost 19 of our best guys.”

Clearly, Kumail is letting go of all sense of safety. He is saying go ahead and kill me now. A stressed-out Muslim, seeks suicide by stressed-out American parent.

I loved seeing Holly Hunter as Emily’s mother. As always, she is laser-sharp in her approach, but fair. She has disappointments in her marriage, but stays for the love and support.

As soon as we see Emily’s father, Terry, played by Ray Romano, we know immediately what attracted Emily to Kumail. He’s the spitting image of her father. Except, the real Terry Gordon, does not look that way at all. I guess the filmmakers felt a need to explain the attraction.

Kumail puts together a one-man, stand-up show to introduce Americans to his Pakistani culture. He innocently is trying to show us why he is proud of his country of origin.

Emily, a student therapist, suggests to him, that what would make this piece interesting to Americans, would be for him to tell us about how he really feels about his country.

This is the key that unlocks Kumail’s career as a comedian. There is nothing like extreme tension to make people laugh.

In his final stand-up performance, Kumail explains about how his parents do not approve of his chosen profession. “There is doctor, lawyer, hundreds of jobs, Isis, then, at the bottom of the list, is comedian.”

I have to say that before seeing this film, I was aware of the existence of a Muslim comedian, who talked about being a Muslim in America.

This film is a must see on many levels. It’s timely, relevant, real, and it tackles what matters in today’s definition of a marriage.

top to bottom) Movie Emily (Zoe Kazan) and Kumail vs real Emily and Kumail.

Kumail Nanjiani Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumail_Nanjiani

Emily V. Gordon Bio: ( Zoe Kazan)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_V._Gordon

Holly Hunter Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Hunter

Ray Romano Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Romano

History vs Hollywood:

http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/the-big-sick/

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7/10/2017 # The Big Sick

HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING

Hologram for the King, receptionist

Tom Hanks gets the run-around by Saudi receptionist.

Hologram for the King, dinner

Culture shock begins with dinner.

HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING

By Marlene Ardoin

Tom Hanks, as Alan Clay, communicates the feeling of overwhelm as an American executive during the recent financial meltdown in the global market. In fact, he even has a panic attack. His personal fallout includes a disintegrating marriage and the loss of his home. He feels unable to control his circumstances.

He was formerly a Schwinn bike executive, until that business fell to the global competition. His company thought that outsourcing the manufacturing of Schwinn in China was a good idea. He explains that China learned how to make a good bike in the process, and developed their own brands to compete at a much lower price.

So, we arrive in Saudi Arabia with our executive, who is now representing a hologram company. He must deal with jet lag, culture shock, and a nasty cist in the middle of his back. This is all building the stage for his stage-four panic attack. The cist could represent what has been festering inside him that has now positioned itself in the unreachable part of his back. It is like the piece of straw that broke the camel’s back.

His pain causes him to reach out to two Saudi individuals, the broad-minded taxi driver (Alexander Black) and the out of place, female Saudi doctor (Sarita Choudhury). They both rush to his side in the midst of his panic attack.

The film does a good job of hitting all the points in culture shock of an American in Saudi Arabia. 1) They are given a tent to set up their hologram demonstration that has no Wi-Fi signal, no food and no air-conditioning. 2) He gets the run-around from the receptionist. 3) He discovers that they are not the only culture there to meet the king. A Scandinavian contingent has been waiting for about 18 months. 4) Drinking is not allowed in Saudi Arabia, but somehow, everyone is finding alcohol. 5) Women need to hide their hair and their bodies. 6) Men can have several wives. 7) Anyone who is non-Muslim is not allowed within miles of Mecca. 8) Single women are not allowed to be alone with single men. 9) Only the husband can make a decision to divorce. And, 10) women are not supposed to have an education or a career.

Our beautiful female doctor has two children and is trying to get out of her marriage. It seems that her husband has not paid attention to her for some time. Enter a very stressed-out American, who could really use a little tender attention and love.

The buildings in this film about Saudi Arabia are palatial. Our doctor takes our American to her home by the sea. Because of customs, she has to impersonate a man in order to go swimming with him. This turns out to be an erotic surprise, totally unexpected.

Our American is very social, and his attempts at being friendly eventually are reciprocated. He finds that he can start a new life in Saudi Arabia, and his daughter, who is ever faithful to him, may just get that college education after all.

The king does show up, but only after our American develops the nerve to ask for air-conditioning, food and Wi-Fi connection to his tent.

4/29/2016 # Hologram for the King