The Day of the Jackal-Movie

First of all my advice would be to read the novel by Fredrick Forsyth. It's not worth missing. However, for those who would prefer a movie instead, this movie runs quite true to the original novel. The amount of effort and painstaking research that went into the novel has been beautifully translated in the movie.

The Plot

President Charles De Gaulle of France has given autonomy to Algeria, which is being vehemently opposed by certain hardliners in French Army. They consider it as treason and form a group called the OAS to assassinate De Gaulle. After some failed assassination attempts on De Gaulle, the group hires a professional killer, The Jackal , for the task. As the plan leaks out due to infiltration in OAS, the French Police officials are geared up to stall any further assassination attempts.

The movie details the meticulous planning of the Jackal as well as equally determined efforts of the authorities to capture him.

Discussion

The build-up of the movie is slow. The background of assassination of De Gaulle is explained, while subtly outlining the seriousness with which the loyal supporters of De Gaulle tried to foil those attempts.

The hiring of jackal and his planning is what builds up the excitement. He is a no-nonsense customer, who goes into thorough and meticulous planning . His choice of time of assassination, venue, methodology of killing etc, all have been shared with the viewers. No extra efforts have been put to show him extremely dangerous or perverted sort of character. However the intensity with which he is involved in his task can be felt by the audience.

The movie takes a turn as the cover of the OAS is blown and the French government is aware that an assassination attempt on De Gaulle's life is planned. The focus of the movie then shifts towards the pursuit of the Jackal, and the movie gathers further momentum. The viewer is filled with excitement, knowing fully well that the Jackal is way ahead in his plans, when the police are just beginning. However, the co-ordinated efforts of the Police force of France (Suerette) and England (Scotland Yard) , slowly but surely reduce the lead of the master assassin.

The police are almost always shown as a mere buffoon in most of the thrillers and their only role is that of an impressed bystander, overawed by the outstanding ingenuity of the detective (who actually solved the rather silly crime). However in this film, the amount of efforts put in by the police department or the oft-criticised politicians is shown in great detail.

A different approach of making a thriller

In this movie there are no overdoses of women or sex; in fact at the first instant the movie seems too simplistic. This movie is different in the sense that the discipline is always maintained, and not once does the movie loose its focus. Unlike many movie adaptations of various novels, neither the villain Jackal nor his pursuer Claude Lebel is shown as Super Men . The appearances of both are quite deceptive, both are unassuming characters, but they have one thing in common, a sharp mind.

The Jackal is shown to be focused personality, who even after he learns that his cover is blown, nevertheless takes calculated risks and stays put on his goal.

Lebel is shown to understand the kind of person he is pursuing. Not for one moment does he underestimate his adversary.

Review of Sittaford Mystery (By Agatha Christie)

Plot

A sleepy town, Sittaford is witnessing peak winter season. There is a gathering of some common friends around a table for a seance. To the horror of some and thrill of others, spirits do come and answer their playful queries. Things turn nasty when suddenly a spirit announces that a certain Captain Trevalyn (their landlord in a sense) would be murdered shortly. Captain Trevalyn, has a few relatives and fewer friends. He is a bachelor and a rather difficult customer. He has amassed a lot of money but is loathe to share it with his relatives and friends. As forewarned by the spirit, he is indeed murdered in his house. The blood relatives are actually quite relieved by the death of Captain Trevalyn and begin to plan for their cosy life ahead. The investigating inspector believes that the murder was for his money.

A nephew of his who was visiting him on the fateful day has been arrested on suspicion, but his fiancee is determined to rescue him.

Discussion

The novel is not a usual mystery tale by Agatha Christie. Most of us are aware that she had also written a number of romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. In a number of her crime novels, the romantic element comes to forth and the distinct bias of the author towards the romantic endings streams through. One such example is this novel.

Make no mistake with the mystery word; it is a romantic novel all right. The fiancee of the suspect uses her charm and tact to get to the bottom of the affair. The ruthlessness and determined pursuit of a lady to get to the truth to exonerate her lover seems to be a bollywood formula in reverse but interests the reader. One can sense a autobiographical touch in the portrayal of character of this lady. She is essentially feminine and can “cry her heart out”, when she feels like it. But she can also use her considerable charm on an unsuspecting male to accomplish her final goal without a second thought.

Coming to the mystery part, the beauty of the novel lies in the creation of suspense regarding a certain family The Willets . As one reads through the novel, almost entire attention is riveted on them and one cannot help feeling that something is definitely wrong with this gang.

This novel in a sense is quite deceptive. In its slightly slow pace coupled with romantic touch, one journeys rather cosily and tends to miss out some important hints that the author drops here and there. In fact this novel is one of those in which you will definitely want to read once more to know, which points were missed; and once the murderer is known, one really cannot help but admire the ingenuity of this master detective writer.

Ordeal By Innocence

Ordeal By Innocence , by Agatha Christie is a brilliant novel, which focuses not so much on the murderer, but the impact
an unsolved murder

can have on the survivors..... innocent survivors, that is.I was really drawn to the novel by the title, and when once started reading couldn’t get away from it. I hasten to add that unlike other whodunits, this novel does not have too many mutilated bodies, fancy murders or intriguing hints. Almost entire novel moves on a single murder

The uniqueness of the novel lies in its focus . In general , in murder mysteries, although effect of the murder on survivors is undoubtedly discussed, the focus remains on the murder and hints related to it. In this conventional setup, the novel alternates in a crest and trough fashion. Analysing effects on various characters, introducing them, going slow, and suddenly bang comes in another murder or a turn around and the focus returns to the murder. This novel differs in the respect that the murder and its discussion form the background and main focus is really on the EFFECT on characters . In that sense the title Ordeal By Innocence becomes relevant. The shadow of doubt almost turns the life of persons close to the murdered one to hell. Each character is examined minutely and the effect of the murder on his life in relation to his or her psychological state is brought out in an admirable fashion.The Plot One of the several adopted children of a wealthy couple is suspected of killing his (adopted) mother. The suspect was an out & out bad lot, and had a fight with his ’’mother’’ moments before her murder. In view of other powerful evidences, the jury pronounces the concerned “son” guilty. The only hitch being the vehement argument of the accused, in which he mentioned taking lift from some person at some place far away from murder scene. The concerned person, who gave lift, could not be produced, and thinking it as a pretty bad cock and bull story, accused was given life imprisonment, where he died six months later.The story changes course when it turns out that the scoundrel son was indeed not guilty and there did exist a certain person who had given him the lift. The family which had in a way heaved a sigh of relief after the black sheep of the family was pronounced guilty, is totally disarrayed by this new development. The new development meant that there was a murderer among them.......... Other Aspects In the novel Christie has also brought about, a number of other interesting observations. The idea of adopting a child has been analysed not so much in emotional aspect as in the psychological aspects. In particular, the effect on the adopted child and the anger, indignation felt by him/her is analysed. The age-old battle between nature and nurture is portrayed quite beautifully. The mother who adopted various kids feels subconsciously that not enough reverence or gratitude is shown by her adopted children. When their characters shape out to be quite different than what she had planned, she is quite dismayed. Trivia - The Book is published by Harper Collins- No Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple- Christie fans will definately love it -- For beginners on Christie, this will be a rather a slow novel. try ’’And Then There Were None’’ or ’’Lord Edgware Dies’’

Review of "Book of Lists"

Well, the title is a bit out of the way…and some might think about seven persons who died as virgins as quite lucky but the fact remains that when I saw this written on the back of a certain book, I was compelled to read the inside.

As I went on reading it right there in the Universal book shop, Lucknow for over an hour, I was tapped on the forehead, and looked directly in the eye by the owner. I did what was best under the circumstances. Quietly bought the book.

For all you bookworms, this is a book worth collection. A most funny and riveting book I have ever read. It is not a thriller, it is not fiction. It is a very peculiar book. As the name suggests, it is a book of lists. Lists on all possible subjects that one can think of have been prepared…some are extremely informative, some are outright funny, some are extremely scandalous, some surprise one and some really frighten one.

The nice thing is that in most of the cases the basis of the list has been explained.

Some of the major lists included are: The GK ones include (have to include this to show that I actually look for this stuff): 9 breeds of dogs that bite most, 10 weapons named after people, 15 decisive battles of the world (wonderful descriptions), 12 Nazi criminals still at large, 10 best generals of the world, 10 worst generals of the world.

Trivia includes 10 worst films of all times, shoe sizes of 20 famous men, 15 famous events that happened in a bathtub, 15 famous people who took marijuana etc.

Now the list that most of us will read the first though not admit, the scandalous ones: 67 renowned homosexuals and bisexuals, 3 people (of course famous ones) who died during sex, sexual curiosities of 9 well-known women, 8 reasons to marry an older woman etc.

Thriller events: 10 doctors who tried to get away with murder, 10 sensational thefts, 8 important libel cases., 25 deaths from strange causes, 9 great unsolved mysteries, 10 ghastly ghosts etc.

The problem with this particular book is that one cannot review it in great detail. I can only say that there are almost all possible lists that a person can assume and the sheer collection of such an exhaustive and more importantly interesting data in one place is surely not to be missed.

After purchasing this book at Lucknow, I had read this entire volume during a train journey to Kolkata, just couldn't throw it away...It was damn interesting and funny.

Silence of the Lambs

There are certain movies, which one enjoys watching and then with time forgets. However, ’’The Silence of the Lambs’’, is one such movie that in addition to spellbinding the audience
during viewing, it also leaves a definite

impression on the person’s mind. To some extent, if I may say so, it literally disturbs one. I hasten to add that this is not something that I am criticising. In fact it is perhaps this ’’shockingly powerful’’ (as quoted by New York Magazine) quality of the narrative, which really leaves the audience enthralled. Leaving movies like JFK and Cape Fear behind, ’’Silence of the lambs’’ not only clinched the Oscar for the best picture, but also bagged other top Oscars as well; best director, best actress, best actor and best adapted screenplay. This particular movie was so amazingly brilliant in its narrative, direction and acting that one has to see it to believe it. The PlotThere is a criminal psychopath at large, who is kidnapping young women, and then brutally killing them after mutilating their bodies in a certain manner. FBI has in its cell one of the greatest psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins; got best actor Oscar for this role), who has a peculiar bent of mind. In addition to that he also has a peculiar taste; that of human flesh. A female FBI trainee, Clarice Sterling (played by Jodie Foster; got Oscar for this role), is asked to interact with Hannibal, with an idea that he might drop a hint or two about the kidnapper psychopath. Hannibal, the brilliant psychiatrist he is, senses something amiss in Clarice’s past. The movie then proceeds with the deep psychological combat between these two individuals. Hannibal exploring Clarice morbidly for her past, and Clarice repeatedly asking for the clues for the absconding criminal. Finally Clarice is able to face her own deep-rooted insecurities and also gets an idea about the murderer. Acting of Anthony HopkinsThe acting of Robert DeNiro in Cape Fear (I was amazed that this movie is not listed by MS) has to be seen to believe. The amount of fear and repulsion that DeNiro generated by his performance in Cape Fear is really worth admiration. However, Anthony Hopkins in ’’Silence..’’ was also equally brilliant. His mere presence on screen, his posture, his deliberate pauses, his disdain to authority; all these fill the audience with certain awe and a chilling fear. The morbid excitement depicted by him when Clarice (Jodie) tells him her past, is really unparalleled. Infact he is as close to perfect EVIL as ever depicted in movies. That satanic attraction, that charm of evil, the supreme confidence, which simultaneously attracts and repels a person is brilliantly exuded by him Acting of Jodie FosterJodie Foster not only sustains herself in front of an outstanding performance by Hopkins, but infact sets equally good standards. The determination, single-minded pursuit of a dedicated police cop has been beautifully balanced with the anxieties of a disturbing past. In particular, her acting in the climax scene is perhaps one of the very best that I have seen till date. Script & DirectionThis movie is unique in the sense that apart from a Hero(ine) and a villain, it has one morbid character, who is perhaps more scary than the main villain himself. The movie is extremely fast paced. There is not one dull moment. With every change in scene, the audience is almost on the edge of its seat with suspense. The anticipation of something terrible happening never really leaves. The psychological contest between the two protagonists is the soul of the movie. The audience is simply mesmerized by this game of psychological one- upmanship. The final analysis, by which the culprit is finally nabbed, is really worth appreciating and Hannibal’s hints give an idea on this extremely difficult field of psychoanalysis. The usual baggage of smirk and suggestive looks & gestures that a working lady has to cope up with; have also been shown very subtly.

Godfather II - Movie

To begin with let me describe certain things about this movie, any one of which in itself is good enough reason to view any movie:

1. Nominated for eleven Oscar categories- Won six out of above eleven
2. Won Best Picture Oscar
3. Best Director Oscar
4. Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar
5. Best Music Score
6. Best Supporting actor Oscar for Robert DeNiro
7. This movie was the only sequel to win a Best Picture Oscar.

If one has to see what film making is, what level of sincerity and commitment is required in this oft-ridiculed profession, what attention to tiny details means, what background music is all about, what good script means, one should watch this movie.If one wants to know the parent movie, which firmly established the idea of anti-hero as a protagonist in movies not only in Hollywood but also in the entire filmmaking world, one should watch this movie (along with Godfather).

The Plot

It would be better to recall the plot of the movie Godfather here for the sake of clarity. In Godfather the story initiates with Vito Corleone (Played by Marlon Brando) at the peak of his powers as the most powerful mafia don. How circumstances force his reluctant son Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino), to join in the murky family business and how the son finally manages to stamp his authority in the underworld after the death of his father, formed the core of that movie.

Godfather II takes a look at the two completely different phases of the lives of these two individuals. There are two parallel plots. Both totally independent of each other. One shows the ascending incline of the mountain. The early life of Vito Corleone (played by Robert De Niro in this movie) is depicted in this part. How he achieves the peak of his profession as the head of the most powerful mafia gang in USA, from an immigrant orphan form the basis of this plot. In the descending incline of the mountain, the life of Michael Corleone (again played by Al Pacino), after he has consolidated his position as a mafia leader is explored.

## ACTUAL PLOT ##

In the plot pertaining to Vito, his early life and its beginning has been depicted. How his life began as an immigrant from Italy, from where he was sent by relatives after his father, elder brother and mother were killed by a Sicillian Don. How young Vito maintained his cool and calm under adverse circumstances and how he slowly used his wits, his composed nature to become an influential man, is shown in a extremely well connected plot. The plot finally culminates with Vito taking his revenge from the Sicillian Don right there in Sicily. In the plot pertaining to Michael Corleone is shown at the peak of his powers, he is celebrating the birthday of his son Anthony, attended by a lot of influential persons including the US senator of Nevada. The party involves fun, music, fanfare on one hand and shady deals between the Mafia(represented by Michael) and Politicians (represented by the senator)on the other. The seemingly normal routine of the movie gets a sudden jolt with the assassination attempt on Michael. This one incident sets the tone of this plot. From this moment onwards, tumultuous period of the Corleone family begins. Michael is shaken, but is equally resolved to find the main person behind this attempt. His gut feeling is that somebody very close to him has betrayed him. Coupled with this disturbing thought are the increased differences with his wife Kay, who hates this shady business and wants to have no contact whatsoever with this murky world. From the third side Michael and his illegal business also comes under judicial probes. Adding to this is the constant pressure of other mafia groups who want to remove him from the pinnacle. How Michael finally is able to come through this cobweb of ambition, hate, doubt; how his single-minded quest for supremacy takes him away from his wife, his children is depicted in this part. A beautiful balance has been made between two plots: one indicating the slow and steady growth in the power of Vito and the other track indicating the insecurities, the doubts, the challenges which disturb a seemingly all powerful mafia don.## Acting of Robert De Niro ##In Godfather II Robert De Niro has played the part of Vito Corleone which was previously played by Marlon Brando in Godfather. We must keep in mind that Marlon Brando had got best actor Oscar for similar role in Godfather. And what an acting it was, just by his looks, his bearing and his pauses, Brando was able to generate that AURA befitting an omnipotent Don. That marvellous performance of Brando was no doubt an added pressure on De Niro to rise upto the exprectations.To his credit De Niro has completely internalised the character of Vito Corleone as played by Marlon Brando. The pauses, the style of walking, the husky voice, the grave accent, all these were put forth in the most subtle manner. I must insist here that it was not a mere mimicry but a sincere effort of first order that was required to recreate a certain acting style entirely on a new footing. It is to his credit that he was able to redevelop that aura around Vito Corleone which was originally developed by Brando. De Niro’s acting is really worth watching not only for inspiring actors but also for anyone who wants to see a piece of art. The amount of effort that has been put by him is really inspiring, there is no other word for it....He was justifiably given best oscar for supporting role ## Acting of Al Pacino ##Al Pacino was given Oscar much later in his acting life for the scent of a woman. In my opinion if there was one role that deserved an Oscar it was that played superbly by Al Pacino. Unlike his acting in ’’The Scent of a woman’’, Pacino plays this role in a much more subtle and intense manner. The ruthlessness and the single-minded pursuit towards absolute power of a megalomaniac can be seen in his eyes. His vacant expressions, his body language and his superb portrayal of a person just on the verge of emotional collapse at the time of crisis have been portrayed in a superb manner. If one has to see one movie, in which an actor has conveyed so much by mere expressions, Al Pacino’s acting is worth a look. ## Background music ##The background music is the connecting link between two plots. Similar music appears when both father and son are in similar situations. Whenever Micheal is in contemplative mood, thinking about his challenges, the calm and serene background music accentuates his sense of isolation. As the movie switches from one plot to other, oscillating from past to present and then reverting back, the music slowly carries the change through. Final comments:The best part of the movie is that it always leaves something for you to think. When you come to later scenes, the full gravity of a certain sentence casually said previously dawns upon. The aura, the thrill of being a part of an underworld operation throughout sustains the interest. The movie is extremely fast paced and script is really compact. The effort, the sincerity and the attention of details to each and every nuance of filmmaking shown in this movie is really worth appreciating. When one sees movies of this standard, one appreciates the level of effort that goes into creating something original.

Cards on the Table- by Agatha Christie

Detective stories unfortunately invlove the following ingredients:

• A lot of suspicious looking characters
• Silly background music taken from Pink Panther movies.
• Practically imbecile policemen who seems to know absolutely nothing about his job
• An eccentric detective with two assistants: one of them is a buffoon as good as a policeman and another a female, added for all obvious (and wrong) reasons.
• An absurd murder which has been done for no rhyme or reason.

Based on above ingredients, people have written enough stupid novels, made idiotic films and TV serials.

As a die-hard fan of Agatha Christie, I am writing about a novel, which has an excellent plot and is also representative of her style.

The novel Cards on the table was the first novel written by Agatha Christie which I had read and I rate it as one of the very best written by this great mystery writer. In-fact this was one of the few novels, that Agatha Christie wrote a foreword warning her readers as to the different treatment of this novel.

Plot

Mr. Shaitana, a collector of different items, invites a strange group of people to a party in his house.

Four of them are murderers (one an army man, one a doctor, one a widow, and another a young girl). Each one of them had committed murder at least once, and each one is now living a life very different from their past.

The second group comprises of sleuths. All of them have been Christie's characters with proven record as "non-murderor". It includes Supeintendent Battle (the formidable police Superintendent), Colonel Race (the Secret Service Man), Mrs. Araidne Oliver (a detective story writer), the inimitable Hercule Poirot.

The party begins, and subtle hints are dropped by Mr. Shaitana about each of the four murderors. In presence of the sleuths, the murderer strikes again and Mr. Shaitana is killed. All this happens in first two chapters of the book.

What happens next is really a mastery of art of detective fiction personified. You have only four suspects. I repeat only four sure suspects. No chance of an outsider jumping. Well tried and tested Christie characters (who have appeared in other novels as well) are the other four persons and so there is no chance of a hidden fifth murderer. There are no coffee stains, no bullets, no poison, no broken bottles and no secret phone call. It is the detective story genre at its best. The reader is completely mesmerised by the ingenuity of Agatha Christie as she develops her masterpiece, which portrays the ’’Christie style’’.

Here digressing from a topic a bit, I would like to remind the informed readers about Christie’s first novel ’’The mysterious affairs at Styles’’. An excellent novel no doubt and not to be missed, the novel actually shows the effect of Arthur Conan Doyle. A detective with supreme intelligence with a subordinate of mediocre IQ who narrates the novel. In that novel, Hercule Poirot, her Belgian detective is seen, noting coffee stain, drawers, papers, etc. in line with Sherlock Holmes. But in "Cards on the Table", we have a Poirot, who appears in most of Christie’s novels.

His friend and narrator, Hastings is not in the scene. There is no searching for clues here and there, no frantic movement. Poirot simply sits and reflects. His ’’little grey cells’’ are at work when he reviews situation with a cup of ’’hot chocolate’’. He is no Perry mason, he is not a man of action, he is a man of thoughts, logical, sensible and absolutely methodical.

And does he succeed?? Well read the novel to find it!