Danny Boyle: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

[oscar jubis]

I stand by my earlier post but I'll refrain from expanding my comments until later. This film is being debated informally among students in my Contemporary Cinema course and only MILK can possibly keep it from winning Best Film at the Oscars. Which means, this is likely to be selected as "Film of the Week" in my class. Consequently, I'll have to watch it again and write an essay about it to be read and debated in class. At that time, I will post it here.

For the time being, I'd like to say that PERSONALLY I don't see how finding a film "too fun and exhilarating" precludes any serious thinking or consideration about its explicit or implicit meanings. On the other hand, I found that Chris Knipp's defense of its narrative structure as an ingenious device used in respectable works of literature (and film I imagine) to be quite pertinent and convincing. Not that it means one has to like it.

[cinemabon]

Some interesting tidbits:

Dev Patel (Jamal) was born and raised in England. He had never been to India until he made the movie, "Slumdog Millionaire." To help him prepare for the role Indian co-director Loveleen Tandan took Dev to the "slums" in Mumbai where they interacted with people there for a week prior to filming. Dev stated that two million people are crammed into an area the size of an airport.

"I had never seen a (Indian) slum in my life," Dev revealed. "They aren't that bad... really."

Stewart: "Oh, come on... the conditions..."

Dev: "No, it wasn't like that. They are peaceful. They live in a community where they all know each other and get along. They kid each other and speak in code. I was amazed."

The main plot according to Dev: "The whole purpose of him (Jamal) being on the gameshow was not to win but to stay on television long enough to be noticed by the girl (whom he spent his life trying to find). It wasn't to win the game."

Revealed last night by the excited eighteen-year-old actor interviewed on The John Stewart Show.

[Chris Knipp]

Yes, Dev Patel is from England. Maybe I should have mentioned that. He is part of the cast of the hip and award-winning UK youth TV series Skins. I didn't know about his reaction to Mombai slums though. He's right about Jamal's purpose in competing on the 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' show being just to be noticed by Latika. I like Dev Patel's performance a lot. Some of said it's lackluster, but I think he's priceless, especially when he's on the show confronted by the emcee, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) and manages to appear both dazed and cool.

[cinemabon]

Patel said cast members waited until Anil took a break. Then they took turns sitting in his seat and mimicked his heavy Indian accent in say: "Who wants to be a millionaire?" breaking up the cast and crew.