Earth

Rating:
Summary: Another raw element
Review: "Earth" is a totally different movie to "Fire" but just as controversial. While "Fire" touches on forbidden relationships and the dominance of men, "Earth" explores religion, an incendiary topic at the best of times.

Set in Lahore, India in 1947, this is a story of friendship, love, jealousy, betrayal, politics and ethnic cleansing. The main character is a young disabled Parsee girl named Lenny, who lives a comfortable life with her wealthy parents. Her nanny Shanta (Nandita Das, who also stars in Fire) is Hindu, and together with Lenny, enjoys the company of a diverse group of friends, including two Muslims, another Hindu and a Sikh.

Shanta falls in love with Hasan (Rahul Khanna) a peaceful, intelligent Muslim masseur, despite the affection of Dil Navez, known as "Ice Candy Man" (Aamir Khan).

The partition of India splits the group wide apart, and in the ethnic violence following independence, Dil Navez' sisters are brutally butchered. Turning to Shanta for support and love, his marriage proposal is rebuffed, and the final straw comes when he watches an intimate act between Shanta and Hasan.

The violence eventually reaches Lenny's household, as an angry Muslim mob descends on the property looking for Hindus, and she learns the hard way that even your friends can betray you under the right circumstances.

This movie graphically depicts the violence of ethnic cleansing, the horror of which overshadows the beauty of romance, the closeness of friendship and the happiness of families.

Well directed and acted, this movie may bring tears to the eyes of even the most jaded viewers.

Amanda Richards, December 30, 2004



Rating:
Summary: The others have already given excellent background info...
Review: ...but I just want to add to the praise for this movie. Having just watched it, I feel that I have just witnessed as perfect a movie as I have ever seen. This is an important film that captures the essence of one of the most cataclysmic events in human history. I wish everyone could see it.

Rating:
Summary: Earth
Review: A very very powerful film. Best seen together with the earlier film Fire. The soundtrack is incredibly haunting. Desperate to obtain a copy of the CD.

Rating:
Summary: moving beyond words
Review: Anyone with the slightest interest in Indian culture will find much to enjoy in this film will enjoy it. I am also desperate to find the soundtrack on CD.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful and Courageous Film
Review: Deepa Mehta's film "Earth" is at once tragic and courageous. It follows the lives of several people during the harsh times of Indian independence, in 1947. So many times, the portrayl of this era in cinema - which itself is very rare - idolizes only the events leading up to independence, usually following Gandhi. What is ignored by most of the media, though finally brought to light in "Earth," is the near anarchy that followed as religions that had survived peacefully for centuries aside one another erupted in a clash of ethnic warfare. Muslims and Hindus, brothers in the subcontinent for hundreds of years, clashed against one another over land and religion. Sikhs, too, who had been in India for hundreds of years as well, fell into this pot of warfare.

"Earth" discusses these events plainly but beautifully. The film itself is wonderful cinema: the plot continues to develop, the characters are real, and the tragedies are terribly saddening. There are moments of humor, of course, but most of the movie involves seeing those images of oppression and violence that have been shielded from view for so long. At one point, an entire traincar arrives, only to be filled with the bodies of dead Muslims - slaughtered, presumably, by Hindus, Sikhs, or others - from a nearby city. Later on, when a Hindu tenement in the city of Lahore (where the movie takes place) catches on fire, the Muslim firefighters douse the building not in water, but in petrol, escalating the flames. And after this has happened - after the audience and the characters have bore witness to horrible, unforgivable atrocities - the movie makes a very important point, that, though disturbing, is truly exemplified in the Indian subcontinet of 1947: everyone - be they Sikhs, Hindus, or Muslims - can be bad, and they can all do horrible acts to each other. The movie makes a point not to side with any individual religion. We see elements of Islam, elements of Sikhism and Hinduism, elements of the Parsees, and the movie remains non-judgemental. Everyone (well, not the Parsees too much) perform terrible acts to everyone else. By not being judgemental, "Earth" shows how these religions, these people that fought against each other with vehement, all have a very potent similarity. They are all capable of viciousness and inhumanity. "Earth" is a fabulous film, and is a must-see. Even if one is isn't interested in the workings of the wars that seperated India and Pakistan in 1947, one should see "Earth," as it finally shows those hidden deaths, those hidden tragedies, to the public eye. Bravo, Deepa Mehta.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful and Courageous Film
Review: Deepa Mehta's film "Earth" is at once tragic and courageous. It follows the lives of several people during the harsh times of Indian independence, in 1947. So many times, the portrayl of this era in cinema - which itself is very rare - idolizes only the events leading up to independence, usually following Gandhi. What is ignored by most of the media, though finally brought to light in "Earth," is the near anarchy that followed as religions that had survived peacefully for centuries aside one another erupted in a clash of ethnic warfare. Muslims and Hindus, brothers in the subcontinent for hundreds of years, clashed against one another over land and religion. Sikhs, too, who had been in India for hundreds of years as well, fell into this pot of warfare.

"Earth" discusses these events plainly but beautifully. The film itself is wonderful cinema: the plot continues to develop, the characters are real, and the tragedies are terribly saddening. There are moments of humor, of course, but most of the movie involves seeing those images of oppression and violence that have been shielded from view for so long. At one point, an entire traincar arrives, only to be filled with the bodies of dead Muslims - slaughtered, presumably, by Hindus, Sikhs, or others - from a nearby city. Later on, when a Hindu tenement in the city of Lahore (where the movie takes place) catches on fire, the Muslim firefighters douse the building not in water, but in petrol, escalating the flames. And after this has happened - after the audience and the characters have bore witness to horrible, unforgivable atrocities - the movie makes a very important point, that, though disturbing, is truly exemplified in the Indian subcontinet of 1947: everyone - be they Sikhs, Hindus, or Muslims - can be bad, and they can all do horrible acts to each other. The movie makes a point not to side with any individual religion. We see elements of Islam, elements of Sikhism and Hinduism, elements of the Parsees, and the movie remains non-judgemental. Everyone (well, not the Parsees too much) perform terrible acts to everyone else. By not being judgemental, "Earth" shows how these religions, these people that fought against each other with vehement, all have a very potent similarity. They are all capable of viciousness and inhumanity. "Earth" is a fabulous film, and is a must-see. Even if one is isn't interested in the workings of the wars that seperated India and Pakistan in 1947, one should see "Earth," as it finally shows those hidden deaths, those hidden tragedies, to the public eye. Bravo, Deepa Mehta.

Rating:
Summary: an excellent film
Review: Earth is a second film in Deepa Metha's trilogy "Fire," Earth," and "Water." While I find the plot to be a bit slow, the script, the music, and the political message is absolutely outstanding. The dialogue between different characters,(Hindus, English, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsees)is captivating and intense. The love story is romantic and innocent. The historical narration is frightening. At one point, one of the character summarizes an important message, "[We're all like the lion in the cage, [people] are afraid of. When the cage is open, may God help us all.] The story is about love, exploration of human emotions, betrayal and inherant voilent nature of people. Earth is the most powerful movies I've seen in years.

Rating:
Summary: Very IMPORTANT information about this amazing movie!
Review: EARTH is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it my uderstanding from reading the other reviews that others feel this way, too. If you are a fan of the movie, I have some VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION to share with you:

First, I want you all to know that the movie is based DIRECTLY on the book CRACKING INDIA by Bapsi Sidhwa (and if you haven't read the book--you must! Add it to your cart right now--Sidhwa is a wonderful writer and you cannot fully appreciate the movie until you have read the book). So to begin, I wanted to make sure that Sidhwa was recognized. I think it is only fair to give the "mother" of the idea full respect. Ok, for all of you desperate to find the SOUNDTRACK, I know where you can find it! To find it, you must know that when the movie first came out (in India I believe)it was entitled "1947" so the soundtrack is of the movie "1947" (Earth is exactly the same as 1947). Now, as if your life couldn't get any better...I know where you can order the CD soundtrack. Go to [...] and type in "1947". It should take you directly to a page where you can buy the CD. So, I hope that this gem of information will prompt you to read the book CRACKING INDIA, as the movie cannot be fully appreciated without having read it. Any more questions, you can e-mail me at [e-mail]. Happy viewing, listening, and READING!

Rating:
Summary: A Review of Earth
Review: Earth, by Deepa Mehta is a historical and interesting portrayal of partition, which happened in August in 1947. Partition was the work of the British rule over India, and their divide and conquer technique of rule. As they decided to give the power to the people they had one last controversy they had to put in place. Their last action in power was to separate India into Muslim (Pakistan) and Hindu (India) countries. Once put in place, chaos and massacre rose amongst the once peaceful people. Over 15 million people were forced to move to unknown territories, while many were killed.
Deepa Mehta's film, which is based on this tragedy, portrays this horror through the story of an 8 year old girl named Lenny. The film is set in the city of Lahore, which ended up in Pakistan but saw much of the violence. The girl's family is not biased toward either side since they are of the religion Parsee, neutral in this fight.
Lenny's family is a rather rich family and has many servants of different beliefs. Lenny has a warm and loving family and a life free of care. Her caretaker, Ayah Shanta, is a beautiful young Hindu girl. From the beginning, it is obvious that she is popular with the men which causes much jealousy and eventually her death in the end. Life is good for the characters until the separation movement is put in place.
As the day of action grows nearer, tension grows more and more within the town. Good friends engage in harsh political debates of separation and threats. Ice Candy Man, one of the men fighting for Ayah's love, is driven into depression when his sisters are killed on a train trying to reach Lahore before the day of separation. Then when his marriage offer is turned down and Ice Candy Man sees Ayah with Hasan, another Muslim, Ice Candy Man is driven to insanity for revenge on all Hindus, including Ayah. When a mob of blood thirsty Muslims headed by Ice Candy Man comes to Lenny's house, the parents of Lenny try to protect Ayah by saying she has left. Lenny, deceived by Ice Candy Man tells him the truth of Ayah's whereabouts. After realizing what she has done, Lenny watches as her nanny is dragged away by the mob.
I had mixed feelings about the movie, "Earth". In the beginning of the film, it set the scene by letting you meet the family that the film was based upon and view their everyday life. The movie centers around a Parsee family in which I learned took a neutral position in the partition. They didn't attack, and were not attacked by either side. In Lahore where the movie takes place, the people were very peaceful and lived comfortably together. The city was mostly Muslim populated, but the Hindus owned the majority of the businesses. When the idea of partition was introduced, they really didn't know to which country they would belong.
I really didn't enjoy the beginning, as I though the English being spoken was difficult to understand, and reading the subtitles was bothersome. There was no action, people were performing their everyday tasks and constantly debating the pros and cons of partition. As a result, at the beginning, I didn't think that the movie was going to be very interesting.
After the actual partition occurred, which was very confusing, one day all was well, the next, everyone was dying. The viewer knows that the partition was happening but I found it to be confusing. As I said, the central family was going for a drive, then suddenly you see people marching and carrying all of their belongings. I think there could have been a better way to show that the partition had begun. I thought that it was interesting to view the actual riots and a little taste of what actually happened to people when the fighting began. In Lahore, which was given to Pakistan, so the Muslims were in control, they sought out all Hindus that remained. Everyone was corrupt, even the police and fireman. If one was a Hindu, mobs of Muslims would come and take them away. I think that the movie would have been better, if a parallel was made to a city that stayed in India, so one could view what the Hindus did, as well as the Muslims. It would have been interesting also to see what happened in rural villages and in the countryside.
What I really enjoyed, was the train event, the train massacre. I didn't like the train station appearing with all the dead bodies. They didn't actually recount the history of the train burning. The movie explained some of it in a radio broadcast, but some of it was still unclear.
I felt that throughout the entire movie, I was trying to figure out what religion each family was, and what side they took, what side each city supported, and all the little details. It made it difficult to enjoy the movie. It was hard to distinguish between the secondary characters, and determine which belonged to which religion. I think there should have been a distinguishing look, or dress, something to aid you in trying to determine the religion of each member.
The movie did give me an inside look at the trials that the people had to endure during the partition, their life, although I still felt it to be confusing. I felt that the plot wandered, it was difficult to understand and analyze. The movie was an excellent tool used to teach about the life at that time, but it did not portray well the actual events and facts surrounding the partition.

Rating:
Summary: A Review of Earth
Review: Earth, by Deepa Mehta is a historical and interesting portrayal of partition, which happened in August in 1947. Partition was the work of the British rule over India, and their divide and conquer technique of rule. As they decided to give the power to the people they had one last controversy they had to put in place. Their last action in power was to separate India into Muslim (Pakistan) and Hindu (India) countries. Once put in place, chaos and massacre rose amongst the once peaceful people. Over 15 million people were forced to move to unknown territories, while many were killed.
Deepa Mehta's film, which is based on this tragedy, portrays this horror through the story of an 8 year old girl named Lenny. The film is set in the city of Lahore, which ended up in Pakistan but saw much of the violence. The girl's family is not biased toward either side since they are of the religion Parsee, neutral in this fight.
Lenny's family is a rather rich family and has many servants of different beliefs. Lenny has a warm and loving family and a life free of care. Her caretaker, Ayah Shanta, is a beautiful young Hindu girl. From the beginning, it is obvious that she is popular with the men which causes much jealousy and eventually her death in the end. Life is good for the characters until the separation movement is put in place.
As the day of action grows nearer, tension grows more and more within the town. Good friends engage in harsh political debates of separation and threats. Ice Candy Man, one of the men fighting for Ayah's love, is driven into depression when his sisters are killed on a train trying to reach Lahore before the day of separation. Then when his marriage offer is turned down and Ice Candy Man sees Ayah with Hasan, another Muslim, Ice Candy Man is driven to insanity for revenge on all Hindus, including Ayah. When a mob of blood thirsty Muslims headed by Ice Candy Man comes to Lenny's house, the parents of Lenny try to protect Ayah by saying she has left. Lenny, deceived by Ice Candy Man tells him the truth of Ayah's whereabouts. After realizing what she has done, Lenny watches as her nanny is dragged away by the mob.
I had mixed feelings about the movie, "Earth". In the beginning of the film, it set the scene by letting you meet the family that the film was based upon and view their everyday life. The movie centers around a Parsee family in which I learned took a neutral position in the partition. They didn't attack, and were not attacked by either side. In Lahore where the movie takes place, the people were very peaceful and lived comfortably together. The city was mostly Muslim populated, but the Hindus owned the majority of the businesses. When the idea of partition was introduced, they really didn't know to which country they would belong.
I really didn't enjoy the beginning, as I though the English being spoken was difficult to understand, and reading the subtitles was bothersome. There was no action, people were performing their everyday tasks and constantly debating the pros and cons of partition. As a result, at the beginning, I didn't think that the movie was going to be very interesting.
After the actual partition occurred, which was very confusing, one day all was well, the next, everyone was dying. The viewer knows that the partition was happening but I found it to be confusing. As I said, the central family was going for a drive, then suddenly you see people marching and carrying all of their belongings. I think there could have been a better way to show that the partition had begun. I thought that it was interesting to view the actual riots and a little taste of what actually happened to people when the fighting began. In Lahore, which was given to Pakistan, so the Muslims were in control, they sought out all Hindus that remained. Everyone was corrupt, even the police and fireman. If one was a Hindu, mobs of Muslims would come and take them away. I think that the movie would have been better, if a parallel was made to a city that stayed in India, so one could view what the Hindus did, as well as the Muslims. It would have been interesting also to see what happened in rural villages and in the countryside.
What I really enjoyed, was the train event, the train massacre. I didn't like the train station appearing with all the dead bodies. They didn't actually recount the history of the train burning. The movie explained some of it in a radio broadcast, but some of it was still unclear.
I felt that throughout the entire movie, I was trying to figure out what religion each family was, and what side they took, what side each city supported, and all the little details. It made it difficult to enjoy the movie. It was hard to distinguish between the secondary characters, and determine which belonged to which religion. I think there should have been a distinguishing look, or dress, something to aid you in trying to determine the religion of each member.
The movie did give me an inside look at the trials that the people had to endure during the partition, their life, although I still felt it to be confusing. I felt that the plot wandered, it was difficult to understand and analyze. The movie was an excellent tool used to teach about the life at that time, but it did not portray well the actual events and facts surrounding the partition.