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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by BaftaBaby[/i] [br]This rather too long but thoroughly delightful exploration of the meaning of love captivates on many levels. Director Anurag Basu tempts the eye with the timeless beauty of the Himalyan foothills of Darjeeling and West Bengali villages. He counterpoints such majesty with ultra-modest hovels as well as the overblown mansions of the rich. Like much in the story, the location is not arbitrary. We're in border country, embracing the entwined cultures of Bengal, Sikkim, and Nepal. Set in the 1970s we're also in the slow transition from the rigidity of the British Raj to a much more loosely structured society that's learning more modern takes on the difference between love and marriage. Which is the engine that drives the film - over several decades. Barfi himself is a series of contradictions who leaves very differing impressions of himself on those around him. He doesn't speak, and we discover why. He's a born scamp, entertainer, and hopeless romantic with an almost pathological inability to separate reality from fantasy. He's got an abundance of empathy genes and an unstoppable desire to make things right. He can seem dim, but displays cunning and intuition about human behavior. He's brilliantly played by Ranbir Kapoor, yet another of the legendary Kapoor acting clan. His comic abilities may remind you of Chaplin, Keaton, and Marceau - but he makes them his own. He's only been acting for about 8 years and has already acquired a slew of Best Actor awards. Like Geoffey Rush in Shine, or Gabourey Sidibe in Precious, it's almost impossible to believe this is acting. Barfi becomes involved with two women, both of whom provide equally astounding performances. Like Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, has won many Best Acting awards in a ten-year career. What's incredibly generous about her performance is her ability to subsume her beauty-queen good looks, and concentrate instead on the representation of an autistic, possibly retarded young woman, who's in the throes of discovering what she's capable of. And, more tellingly, how to tell the difference between care and caring. Barfi's other paramour is Ileanna's Shruti, daughter of an extremely wealthy and controlling father, and his wise but ultra-obient wife. She takes the journey from finding Barfi especially endearing and amusing to a discovery of the essence of true affection. Basu reels out his story with the same deep love he imparts to his characters. He knows life's not a straight line, but he navigates well and we're left exhilarated. Find this film and watch it! [/quote]    -  HTML is OFF | Forum Code is ON   Check here to include your profile signature.