Fire

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I have recommended to all my friends and all of them loved it. The manner in which Deepa Metha get's the message across is just incredible. I highly recommend all you guy's watch this movie once, you love to debate on it many times. Such a complex situation and so beautifully handled. This film is outstanding. It takes your breath away. I have watched this movie a couple of times and enjoyed every moment of it. This movie deserves all and more of the international awards that it has bagged so far.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic!!!!!!!!
Review: this film open our eyes to the controversies of female desire. the men are portrayed like scovinist pigs simply because most of them still persist in behaving that way. Women find confort in each other and a way to feel alive, happy and fulfilled...for once, this saves them instead of killing them...What a refreshing novelty!!!

Rating:
Summary: Fire is a sumptuous, thoughtful and thought-provoking film
Review: Contrary to Mr. Maltin's view, I don't believe this film is singularly about female outrage. The "fiery" heroes are as much victims of an oppressive religious, social, and economic environment as the heroines. Though I thrilled at the ladies' escape in love, I remain compassionate for the men trapped by the social constructs designed to empower them. Ms. Mehta's treatment of complex social issues is elegant rather than simplistic. I also commend Azmi's beautiful and thoughtful portrayal of Rahda. In a time when American film-makers seem to believe that close-ups are designed just to show the audience a "pretty" face, Azmi's expressiveness and depth of character is refreshing. Despite Mr. Maltin's "lump of coal" review of this film, I found "Fire" to be a true diamond.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Ingenious
Review: A must see movie. The movie is both innovative and sexy. Shabana and Nandita (the actresses) are sensational. Shabana Azmi is a feminist, a great actress and a member of the Indian parliament. The struggle depicted in the movie is not just something Indian or south asian women face, women all around the world face opression - only the details are different. While this is an excellent movie you should be aware that India is a diverse culture and you cannot represent the people in that culture with some of the generic statements that other reviewers have made here. There are several flavors of middle class India. Many Indian middle class women have excellent careers both in and outside the home and find partners (men and women) who believe in the equality of sexes. There are excellent women scientists, homemakers, engineers, doctors, teachers, members of parliament, etc. who have a great sense of self respect - self respect is not unique to western women :-)

Rating:
Summary: Great movie with effective symbolism concerning the theme.
Review: I saw this movie twice, and enjoyed it on both occasions. It was very well-written, and accurately reflects the conventional barriers that are evident in India. This movie depicts the way of life for women in that country very well. While focusing primarily on the aspect of lesbianism in India, Mehta also incorporated other restrictions placed on the women. By doing this, the way in which the two main female characters conducted themselves with others made sense, and provided for a realistic portrayal of how some people live in India. Upon watching it the second time, I saw parallels between Mehta's writing and that of Shakespeare's. The similarities are prevalent throughout the movie. One example is the symbolism of the element of fire, and how it is believed to decide if a person is pure. This ties in with the theme of the movie- that homosexuality is not a sin and impure. There are also many other symbols and sub-plots which support this theme. Another example of Mehta's Shakespearean style is how she incorporated the performance of a religiously based play within the production. Like Shakespeare's incorporation of a play within a play, the play in Mehta's script is reflective of the major plot, again incorporating the element of fire. Overall, I believe that a great deal of research and exploration was done in order to create such an accurate portrayal of the reality, towards which many people in India have been ignorant. The subject of homosexuality has not at all been acknowledged over there, and this film is a major break-through in delivering a sort of "wake-up call." The fact that there isn't even a word in the Indian language for homosexuality supports the need for more films like this one, which help to educate people about the issue. Mehta is to be commended for a job well done.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!!!
Review: Don't believe Maltin; this film is wonderful. A wonderful story of two women finding fulfillment in each other. I liked the way the individual lives of the family members interact with each other. The character development was good, though the story lagged only a little bit in some places. If you only have a few bucks, definitely rent this film.

Rating:
Summary: insightful and truthful to the bone
Review: I was disappointed but not too surprised with Maltin's review. I can see how someone with little to no knowledge of South Asian culture and a biased stance against feminism writing such a review. It definately is important if wanting to get a fuller effect from the movie to be able to see it with an open mind. The movie was wonderful in how it was made in Hindi movie style, making it easy for someone familiar with Hindi films to follow. This definately made the movie more comfortable and gives someone without previous knowledge of Hindi movie an idea of what their style. One reason why I can see people having objections to this movie is how it brings out every day life realities for someone raised in this or a similar culture, making it very easy to relate to. It did not follow the same "men objectifies women, women eventually falls in love with that" formula that other Hindia films that I have seen do. It was also humorous. I highly recommend watching it in a group setting so to be able to discuss the different messages that the movie was sending, and the different perspectives into the movie. A great and important movie!!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant...the best film I've seen in years.
Review: First of all I have to agree with the viewer from Ohio regarding Leonard Maltin's review of this film. The film very astoundingly captures the essence of life and stuggles among women in India and its surrounding countries. It's not hype and it's not fiction, it's the truth. Understandably, most westerners would find it difficult to relate to the reality of a culture which has traditionally allowed men to get away with such MCP attitudes. The portrayal of the characters, everyone from Azmi to the mute mother-in-law to the over-sexed servant boy, was astoundingly real. So much so that it made the movie that much more intense and vivid. I cannot recall watching a movie stemming from the east that was more truthful. Much kudos to Mehta for her excellent story-telling and wonderful insight not to mention courage in dealing with an issue that has been strictly taboo, and still is, in the Indian subcontinent. If only other Indian filmmakers would step up and make a statement as bold as Mehta's. I can't praise this movie enough, so in an effort to avoid any repetition, I end here. Thank you for such an mesmerizing and entertaining piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie!
Review: Leonard Maltin's review of this film completely lacks cultural awareness and sensitivity. Maltin mistakes the reality of a culture for a director's desire to portray all men as stereotypical "chauvinist pigs." This movie offers an enticing plot, rich characters and a view into a culture that is unknown to many Westerners.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!! Excellent!! Excellent!!
Review: Do not miss this Video. This film is outstanding. It takes your breath away. I think this is the best movie ever made. I have watched this movie a couple of times and enjoyed every moment of it. This movie deserves all and more of the international awards that it has bagged so far.