India,
2000, 150 min
Shown in 2000
CREDITS
- dir
-
Rituparno Ghosh
- prod
-
Anupam Kher
- scr
-
Rituparno Ghosh
- cam
-
Vivek Shah
- editor
-
Arghyakamal Mitra
- cast
-
Kiron Kher, Chiranjeet Chakravorty, Sudipta Chakravorty
- source
-
J. Radical Entertainment Company, D/53, 1137 Azad Nagar, Veera Despai Road, Andheri (West), 400 5031 Mumbai, India. FAX: 91-22-671-5031
- premiere
-
North American Premiere
OTHER
A specific form of exploitation, not the political or economic type, lies at the crux of this remarkable film from Bengal. As director Rituparno Ghosh states it, “The issue is not gender-sensitive... but rather one of universal vulnerability to the predatory instincts of the creative person.... It’s an issue I wish to explore because I am not quite sure where I stand on it.” A middle-aged spinster (her intended bridegroom died of a snake bite two days before their wedding) resides alone in a dilapidated, shadowy mansion full of dust, with neither family nor friend for company. Her unacknowledged desire for companionship (and a rising tax bill) prompts her to reluctantly agree to a proposal that her home be used as a location for a movie. She gradually enters the world of film, drawn irresistibly to the director, a debonair man bursting with sensitivity and charm. He even persuades her to accept a small role. What the lady of the house does not realize is that the director’s charm, like a film, may be an illusion.
FACTOID #28
A print of Tonight and Every Night, to be shown at the Rita Hayworth tribute in 1972, was stolen out of a truck on its way to the theater.
