‘Jobs’ gets pulped in laborious film

‘Jobs’ gets pulped in laborious film

With few exceptions, nice guys don’t change the world. Especially in the digital universe. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, according to “The Social Network,” appears to be quite a handful. And Apple founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011 of pancreatic cancer, was such a piece of work that he requires two biopics to do him justice. This one, directed by Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”), suggests that Jobs will fare better with the upcoming version from Aaron Sorkin, Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Network.” If one were to compare this film to one of Jobs’s own products, it would be more like the Cube than the iPod. Nonetheless, “Jobs” does offer some redeeming features — Ashton Kutcher in the title role, for one. In preparing for it, Kutcher practiced Jobs’s austere “fruitarian” diet and ended up in the hospital with a wonky pancreas for his troubles. He also adopts Jobs’s lopey, vaguely Cro-Magnon walk; the piercing stare; the explosive, abusive tirades. He nearly captures the soul of the man, except when he sounds like Keanu Reeves. At first, it seems like the filmmakers are up to the task, too. Though a bit corny, an early montage set in 1974, in which the latter-day hippie Jobs trips on acid with friends in a cornfield, packages many of the themes of the man’s life in a few minutes. Gazing into the heavens, Jobs weeps about being an abandoned, adopted child; but then, like Kevin Costner in “Field of Dreams,” he hears a voice calling out to him, “There’s no time to waste!” He spins in ecstasy, and the film doesn’t waste time either, as it intercuts images from the next few years of his life: his pilgrimage to India in which a guru tells him “Life is but a journey,” a calligraphy class where he learns the beauty of fonts, and then an IBM ad that lauds the future of man and computers, all set to a Bach Brandenburg concerto. Yes, this is a man who will transform the world, even though he kicks out his girlfriend when she gets pregnant, and betrays many of his friends along the way. JOBS 2 out of 4 stars MPAA rating: PG-13 MPAA rating reasons: some drug content and brief strong language Running time: 127 minutes Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine, J.K. Simmons, Lesley Ann Warren Director: Joshua Michael Stern Writers: Matt Whiteley Playing at: Boston Common Well, maybe the sequence seems inspired compared with what follows, a chronicle of high and low points in Jobs’s career put together like a PowerPoint demonstration. In 1976, the first Apple computer is born in Jobs’s garage; though designed by his geek pal Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad), Jobs does the visionary work of selling it — in this case at a local computer store. Next, Apple launches the groundbreaking Apple II, which, as Jobs intones, “puts the power and beauty of technology in everyone’s possession.” In 1984 he unveils the Macintosh, and the award-winning commercial that posits this machine as the only hope of avoiding Orwellian totalitarianism. Then his own company betrays him, only to beg him later to return, which he does, triumphantly, with another world-changing product, the iMac, and another world-convincing promotional campaign featuring the legendary “Think Different” commercial. Meanwhile, Kutcher goes through a routine of staring into space as he gets another brainstorm, flying into a savage tirade at those too dumb to comprehend his vision, and giving yet another inspirational pep talk. They are not persuasive; the Apple commercials that Stern unwisely shows are more cinematic than the film.




news sours  www.bostonglobe.com

Politics and casting cameos undermine otherwise solid 'Butler'

Politics and casting cameos undermine otherwise solid 'Butler'

"The Butler" is alternately touching, sobering, depressing and even unnerving. Half of this movie will make you feel like a better person for having watched it; the other half will leave you wanting to pick fights on Internet comment boards. "The Butler" is alternately touching, sobering, depressing and even unnerving. It is a beautiful example of how time allows us to set aside politics, but current events will still get under our skin. Half of this movie will make you feel like a better person for having watched it; the other half will leave you wanting to pick fights on Internet comment boards. "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (named for its director) offers its audience a near-comprehensive take on the civil rights movement of the 20th century, told through the perspective of an African-American butler named Cecil Gaines. Gaines, played by Forest Whittaker, is a real-life character, hence the "inspired by" at the beginning of the film. The story begins in the Georgia cotton fields of the 1920s, where Gaines worked with his parents in near slave-like conditions. Emancipation feels like mere lip service as his mother is assaulted and his father murdered in quick succession, without a whiff of accountability. This experience shifts Gaines from a field worker to a "House Negro," starting a journey that will eventually lead him to the White House as a butler, where his childhood frames his observation of the decades to come. As a high-profile servant in the White House, Gaines effectively becomes a fly on the wall for all the great moments of the second half of the 20th century. His "inside man" perspective is mirrored by his son, Louis (David Oyelowo), who dives headfirst into political activism while his father takes the more reserved approach. This polarity between Gaines and his son drives the film's central question: What is the best way to affect real change? Gaines chooses to be the quiet example, biting his tongue when those around him (frequently the current president) talk about his plight as though he isn't standing at attention in the back of the room. Louis chooses a more proactive path that initially brings him into the fold with Martin Luther King Jr., but veers into uncertain waters when the Black Panthers choose to fight fire with fire following King's assassination. To its credit, the film seems to have a good grasp of the pros and cons of each approach, and for the most part manages to keep any party from feeling too picked on. The all-star cast that peppers the screen in everything from lead roles to glorified cameos is one of "The Butler's" most interesting elements, but also its most distracting. Whitaker is perfectly balanced and sympathetic as Gaines, Oyelowo shows great depth as Louis, and Oprah Winfrey plays Gaines' wife Gloria with grace and reserve. But as interesting as it is to see John Cusack's take on Richard Nixon and Alan Rickman's interpretation of Ronald Reagan, a more anonymous cast for the laundry list of historical icons might have allowed for better audience immersion than "The Butler's" game of "spot the celebrity." Some of the casting choices, such as Jane Fonda's role as Nancy Reagan, will no doubt fire the flames of political controversy. And here is where "The Butler" stumbles. (Mild spoiler alert.) After spending the bulk of the film chronicling the critical mass of the civil rights movement through the ’50s and ’60s, Daniels moves at high speed to use the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the celebratory capstone of Gaines' journey. It's a pretty obvious move that is hard to debate, but the move to feature a sitting president whose own legacy is still being written leaves the film feeling a lot more political than it needed to be. It's easy to set aside politics when you have a 50-year buffer between you and someone's interpretation of history; it's something else when that same someone is telling you how to feel about current events. "The Butler" has some wonderful moments that are powerful and moving, but its scope will ultimately (and unfortunately) polarize its audience. "Lee Daniels' The Butler" is rated PG-13 for scattered language (including racial ephitets and one use of the F-word), some brutal but largely bloodless violence, and some mild sexual content. Joshua Terry is a freelance writer and photojournalist who appears weekly on the "KJZZ Movie Show" and also teaches English composition at Salt Lake Community College. You can see more of his work at www.woundedmosquito.com.




news sours   www.deseretnews.com

Michael Jacksons Ex beschuldigt "idiotische" Ärzte

Michael Jacksons Ex beschuldigt "idiotische" Ärzte

Ihre Aussage war mit Spannung erwartet worden, US-Klatschseiten wie etwa "TMZ.com" wollten gar schon vorher wissen, was Debbie Rowe in dem Zivilprozess um den Tod von Michael Jackson aussagen würde. Am Mittwoch dann erschien die 54-Jährige vor dem Gericht in Los Angeles, und brachte mit ihren Schilderungen tatsächlich Bewegung in das Verfahren. Rowe, die von Michael Jacksons Mutter als Zeugin benannt worden war, um dem Konzertveranstalter AEG Fahrlässigkeit nachzuweisen, schilderte ausführlich, dass der im Jahr 2009 verstorbene Sänger schon seit Jahren Schmerzmittel nahm. Ausgangspunkt all seiner Beschwerden war ihr zufolge jene Kopfhautverbrennung, die sich Jackson 1984 bei Werbeaufnahmen für die Getränkefirma Pepsi zugezogen hatte. Bis zum Ende seines Lebens habe "Jacko" unter den Spätfolgen des Unfalls gelitten, zahlreiche Ärzte hätten versucht, die Schmerzen mit immer neuen Medikamenten zu lindern. Ankunft vor Gericht: Debbie Rowe, 54, sagte als Zeugin für Michael Jacksons Mutter Katherine aus Foto: AP Ankunft vor Gericht: Debbie Rowe, 54, sagte als Zeugin für Michael Jacksons Mutter Katherine aus "Michael war sehr schmerzempfindlich, und seine Furcht vor Schmerzen war außergewöhnlich", sagte Rowe unter Tränen. "Ich denke, die Ärzte haben ihn in der Hinsicht ausgenutzt", so ihre klaren Worte. Bizarrer Wettbewerb auf Kosten des Patienten Die Mediziner hätten sich in den 90er-Jahren einen bizarren Wettbewerb geliefert, und sich gegenseitig mit immer neuen, noch härteren Schmerzmitteln zu übertrumpfen gesucht, so ihr bitteres Fazit. Rowe, die von 1996 bis 1999 mit Jackson verheiratet war, porträtierte sich vor Gericht als die beste Freundin und Beschützerin ihres Mannes. Jackson sei "bedauerlicherweise" ein viel zu gutgläubiger Mensch gewesen, sagte Rowe weiter, die sich vor Gericht übrigens nicht als Krankenschwester, sondern als "medizinisch-technische Assistentin" vorstellte. In dieser Funktion hatte sie Jackson denn auch in den Achtzigern kennengelernt, als sie in der Praxis von Dr. Arnold Klein arbeitete, Jacksons langjährigen Hautarzt. Klein und den plastischen Chirurgen Dr. Steven Hoefflin nannte sie im Verlauf ihre Aussage dann mehrfach namentlich. "Diese beiden Idioten" Beide, so ihre These, hätten Jackson mit gefährlichen Betäubungsmitteln in Kontakt gebracht. Die Mutter von Jacksons beiden Kindern Paris und Prince sagte laut "New York Daily News" dann weiter: "Diese beiden Idioten machten mal dies, mal das, ohne sich wirklich um ihn zu kümmern." Sie selbst habe gesehen, wie Jackson das Mittel Propofol in der Praxis von Hoefflin verabreicht wurde. Zweimal sei der Sänger infolge des Beruhigungsmittels sogar ohnmächtig geworden. Ein anderes Mal, in den 90er-Jahren am Rande eines Konzertes in München, seien zwei Ärzte sogar direkt in das Hotelzimmer des Künstlers gekommen, um Jackson den lang ersehnten Schlaf zu verschaffen. Jackson nannte das Mittel später "meine Milch". Die beiden Ärzte, wird Rowe in der "Los Angeles Times" zitiert, hätten genug Behandlungsmittel mitgebracht, um das Zimmer wie einen "Operationssaal" wirken zu lassen. Jackson sei infolge ihrer Behandlung dann, wie offenbar gewünscht, in eine achtstündige Bewusstlosigkeit gefallen. Drei Tage später habe er sich der Behandlung erneut unterzogen. Dies sei jedoch das einzige Mal gewesen, wo sie mit eigenen Augen gesehen habe, dass Jackson anästhetische Mittel bewusst genutzt habe, um zu schlafen. "Was, wenn Du daran stirbst?" Sie selbst habe damals Bedenken geäußert. "Was, wenn Du daran stirbst?", hätte sie damals zu dem Sänger gesagt. "Aber er hatte schon so viele Behandlungen mit Hoeffelin hinter sich, dass er sich keine Sorgen mehr machte. Seine größte Sorge war, nicht schlafen zu können." Jackson starb wenige Wochen vor dem Beginn seiner Comeback-Konzerte an einer Überdosis Propofol, die ihm sein damaliger Leibarzt Dr. Conrad Murray verabreicht hatte. Murray wurde bereits zu einer Haftstrafe wegen fahrlässiger Tötung verurteilt, die er derzeit noch absitzt. In dem aktuellen Prozess nun wirft die Mutter des "King of Pop", Katherine Jackson, dem Konzertveranstalter AEG Live vor, die Gesundheit ihres Sohnes aus Profitsucht aufs Spiel gesetzt zu haben. AEG Live hatte die für den Sommer 2009 geplante Comeback-Konzerte organisiert, weist den Vorwurf der Fahrlässigkeit aber entschieden zurück. Der Konzertveranstalter argumentiert, dass Jacksons bereits vorhandene Abhängigkeit von Schmerz- und Schlafmitteln ihm am Ende das Leben gekostet habe. Nach Experteneinschätzung könnten Debbie Rowes Aussagen dies unfreiwillig untermauert haben. Rowe wird auch am heutigen Donnerstag noch einmal als Zeugin aussagen.



news sours   www.welt.de

Why 'Duck Dynasty' rules reality TV

Why 'Duck Dynasty' rules reality TV

A proposal for a TV show about a Louisiana family that makes duck calls didn't have to go far to find doubters. They were seated at the dinner table. "I said, 'This will never work. Nobody's going to watch that,'" remembers Jase Robertson, who works for the family business. "My dad (Phil) echoed that. I think he said something along the lines of 'A redneck family, they're not going to run that.' " Well, they did run it, and people watched. Lots of people. A&E's Duck Dynasty, which opens its fourth season Wednesday (10 p.m. ET/PT), has become a ratings phenomenon, ranking behind only AMC's zombie hit The Walking Dead last season among cable series. The reality series that follows the bearded Robertson clan and their Monroe, La., outdoor sporting-goods business grew 95% in viewers last season, averaging 8.4 million viewers. Dynasty is designed as a modern-day sitcom with a rich cast of characters including patriarch and duck-call creator Phil; his wife Kay and sons Willie, the CEO; Jase, who makes the duck calls but would rather be hunting or fishing; and Jep; and Phil's offbeat brother, Si. The couple's oldest son, Alan -- uniquely clean-shaven -- joins the show in the fourth-season premiere, which features a surprise wedding-vow renewal ceremony for Phil and Kay on their 49th anniversary. "He's kind of the troubled one in my family. He's good looking, he's clean shaven, he bathes regularly and he wears nice clothes. We've always tried to figure out what exactly is wrong with him," Jase says. The show's success has much to do with how engaging the Robertsons are, says Andy Dehnart, editor of realityblurred.com, a blog about unscripted TV shows. "The No. 1 thing is just that the cast members are really appealing, nice, funny, warm, awesome people to spend some time with on TV. I think that's what makes all the difference," he says. Fans tweeted their feelings about the show to USA TODAY. Sherie Hinton of Fairfax, Va., says, "Watching (the) show takes u back to what's important. Church, Family, Fun," while Laura Hill of New Castle, Ind., relates to the tight-knit family you can love "even when you want to wring their necks like a duck." That's a typical response: "We get that a lot on social media, 'How I wish this was my family,' which is the best compliment we can get," says A&E's reality-programming chief Lily Neumeyer, also an executive producer on the series. Jase says he believes sincerity is the key. "I think the smartest thing we did was stay true to ourselves." Producers get episode ideas from the family members, but the episodes resemble sitcom plots: Willie wants to lose weight before a reunion. Jase thinks Willie is going through a midlife crisis. "We all sat down around a table and had them tell stories and we just listen. They always have the most amazing, funny stories and moments," she says. Producers often re-create situations for the show, so like most such series it isn't entirely unscripted. Once the cameras are rolling, the Robertsons take it from there, Neumeyer says. Still, when producers try to film or re-create events from their lives, family members don't necessarily go along with their plans. Jase says he's not told what to say and that he has balked at requests, refusing to wear knickers in an episode where he and Willie go golfing. "A lot of the ideas that they have, they always take a turn somewhere because that's just not what we would do," he says. "I think it's difficult for them to trust us enough to know that they're going to get something they can use, and that's been the biggest battle. They want to control it, but we're uncontrollable. So, finding that balance is the genius part of the show." Dynasty's success already is leading to imitators, Dehnart says, but it will be hard to reproduce the on-camera genuineness of the Robertsons. Discovery Channel on Tuesday unveiled Porter Ridge, a comedic series from Dynasty's producers that centers on an auto salvage yard business in the hills of Indiana. "I fear for the day when a bunch of Duck Dynasty clones come on the air, in part, because it's lightning in a bottle," says Dehnart. The family just got a big raise, Deadline.com reported Tuesday, enabling A&E to promise "several" more seasons of the show, but Jase dismisses reports of acrimony."We were having normal negotiations and people blew it out of proportion just for a story," he says. "A&E has been good to us. It says a lot of them to allow us to do what we do on the show, which is not normal television. They took a risk on us and we've been happy with them, and I think they've been happy with us." The high profile has helped the family business, too, with many people who aren't hunters buying the duck calls and other items. A&E says an extensive line of merchandise is a big seller at WalMart and other big retailers. The family members are in demand at various events, and Willie and Si will appear, as other characters, on the season premiere of ABC's Last Man Standing (Sept. 20, 8 p.m. ET/PT). "It's changed our lives, because I can't go to the grocery store without people gathering (around), but I think the difference in us and most people on TV is this was not something we set out as a goal," he says. "So, it didn't really taint the important things, our faith and our family and our perspective on life."




news sours   www.usatoday.com

The Civil Wars Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

The Civil Wars Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Though the duo may be on a touring hiatus, the Civil Wars are celebrating their first No. 1 album this week. The act's new self-titled set debuts atop the Billboard 200 chart, selling 116,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. LATEST FROM CIVIL WARS It's easily the best sales week for the pair (Joy Williams and John Paul White) who previously saw a one-week high after the Grammy Awards in 2012, when their full-length debut, "Barton Hollow," shifted 36,000. Its sales that week were buoyed by the duo's performance on the Awards, which shot the album from No. 41 to its peak of No. 10 on the chart. The Civil Wars has been on hiatus since last November, citing "internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition." While the act is not performing shows to promote the new album, Williams has been giving interviews to the press. White, however, has been keeping a low profile and has not spoke to the media. A sturdy 69% of "The Civil Wars'" first week sales came from digital retailers. Its download sales of 81,000 easily place it at No. 1 on the Digital Albums chart as well. Last week's No. 1, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," falls to No. 3 with 65,000 (down 63%). The runner-up title last week, Five Finger Death Punch's "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1," falls to No. 8 with 35,000 (down 69%). The new "Now 47" compilation arrives at No. 2 this week with 82,000 -- a figure slightly lower than the 91,000 that the "Now 46" set started with in May. All 47 of the regular, numbered, "Now" albums have reached the top 10, and all but the first debuted in the top 10. The Civil Wars: Track-By-Track Review Jay Z's "Magna Carta… Holy Grail" slides 3-4 with 48,000 (down 22%) and the "Teen Beach Movie" soundtrack holds at No. 6 with 38,000 (down 19%). Rock band Asking Alexandria nets its highest-charting album and best sales week yet, as "From Death to Destiny" debuts at No. 5 with 41,000. It surpasses the No. 9 debut and peak of its last release, 2011's "Reckless & Relentless," which moved 31,000 in its first week. Imagine Dragons' "Night Visions" profits from a $7.99 sale price in the iTunes Store, as the album vaults from No. 11 to No. 7 with 37,000 (up 46%). In terms of download sales, it rose by 87% for the week (climbing 10-3 on the Digital Albums chart). Gospel artist Tye Tribbett claims his first top 10 album, as his new "Greater Than" bows at No. 9 with a career-best sales frame of 30,000. He had previously gone as high as No. 16 with "Stand Out" (with his group G.A.). "Greater Than" also enter at No. 1 on the Gospel Albums chart -- Tribbett's fourth leader on that tally. Rounding out the top 10 on the Billboard 200 this week is Florida Georgia Line's "Here's to the Good Times," which is a non-mover at No. 10 with 26,000 (down 8%). THICKE HOLDS, JAY Z RISES ON DIGITAL SONGS CHART Over on the Digital Songs chart, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (featuring Pharrell and T.I.) holds at No. 1 for a tenth non-consecutive week, selling another 346,000 downloads (down 14%). Jay Z's "Holy Grail" (featuring Justin Timberlake) rises 3-2 with 166,000 (up 2%), Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" falls 2-3 with 158,000 (down 10%) and Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" is steady at No. 4 with 132,000 (down 15%). Anna Kendrick's "Cups" is a non-mover at No. 5 (114,000; up 4%), Avicii's "Wake Me Up!" jets 9-6 (113,000; up 13%) and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (featuring Pharrell Williams) is stationary at No. 7 (just under 113,000; up 10%). Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" is the chart's highest debut, as it starts at No. 8 with 109,000. The track features Canadian duo Majid Jordan and the latest preview single from Drake's upcoming studio album, "Nothing Was the Same." Lana Del Rey's breakout single "Summertime Sadness" (with Cedric Gervais), zips into the top 10, rising 13-9 with 101,000 (up 24%). 64% of the song's overall sales this week come from the uptempo dance remix produced by Gervais. The song was originally recorded as a dreamy ballad for Del Rey's "Born to Die" album. The track concurrently rises 22-17 on the Pop Songs airplay chart (known as Mainstream Top 40 on Billboard.biz) with a 47% gain in audience on top 40 radio. Drake's OVO Fest Surprises With Kanye West, Lil Wayne Capital Cities' "Safe and Sound" closes the top 10, as it falls 8-10 with 99,000 (down 3%). Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Aug. 11) totaled 4.71 million units, down 7% compared with the sum last week (5.08 million) and down 5% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (4.96 million). Year to date album sales stand at 171.01 million, down 6% compared to the same total at this point last year (182.24 million). Digital track sales this past week totaled 22.10 million downloads, down 3% compared with last week (22.76 million) and down 8% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (24.03 million). Year to date track sales are at 820.24 million, down 3% compared to the same total at this point last year (845.43 million). Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2012 when: 2 Chainz's "Based on a T.R.U. Story" debuted at No. 1 with 147,000. The previous week's No. 1, the "Now 43" compilation, fell to No. 2 with 75,000 (down 32%).



news sours  www.billboard.com

Badar Azim: Does the Queen's ex-footman live in a slum?

Badar Azim: Does the Queen's ex-footman live in a slum?

Recently, like many other journalists in Calcutta, I was trying to find the Queen's former footman, Badar Azim, who returned to India when his UK visa expired. British papers had written about his journey to Buckingham Palace from the "slums of Calcutta"... but this did not go down well with his family. When I and a few other journalists knocked on the door of the house where Badar lived, his uncle opened it. Among the throng were a few of us who worked for British-based media organisations. He stared at us while he asked why foreign newspapers wrote lies about his nephew. And he finished by saying: "They think that all of we Indians live in slums." Some of the local journalists nodded their heads in agreement. Continue reading the main story From Our Own Correspondent Insight and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world Broadcast on Radio 4 and BBC World Service Listen to the programme Download the programme Outside Badar's house I met a friend of mine who works for a local news agency. She had a big smile on her face as she said, "You slumming it today?" Before I could reply, she added: "How do you define what a slum is... I mean how do you guys know which area is a slum and which area isn't?" It was a good question. Answering with more confidence than I really felt I said: "You don't seem to know yourself - so to avoid any arguments about this why don't we Google it." Badar Azim with the Royal press secretary in front of Buckingham Palace Badar Azim played a public role, helping to announce the recent Royal birth Before she could respond, I was typing away on my phone. Within seconds I had a definition from that most trusted of sources - the Oxford English Dictionary. I read it aloud: "A squalid and overcrowded urban area inhabited by very poor people." Continue reading the main story What is a slum? UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of people living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following: Durable, weatherproofed housing Sufficient living space, no more than three people sharing a room Safe, sufficient and affordable drinking-water Adequate sanitation Security of tenure in living accommodation UN Habitat We all then looked up at the building that Badar lived in. He and his two brothers, his mum and dad, and maybe a few more relatives, lived on the top floor. From the outside the structure looked shabby and the building which must once have been white was now a dirty grey colour. There were open sewers outside it and the area was full of people - many of them children, who probably should have been at school. There was silence for what seemed like a minute or more. Then one of Badar's neighbours, Ghulam Mohammed, who had been listening to the conversation announced: "This cannot be a slum - because decent people live here." He then told me he had a proper job in an office - so how could he live in a slum? "I have a television and a motorbike, sir. Do slum-dwellers have these sorts of things?" he asked. A man cuts hair near the residential complex where Badar Azim lives Local residents do not always see their surroundings as slums This is not the first time that people in India have been upset with the use of the "S" word. Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire may have won a host of Oscars but there were protests about its title across the world's largest democracy. Children protest, holding a poster saying: I am not a slumdog, I am the future of India I remember walking around one of Mumbai's largest so-called slums and seeing posters that said "I am not a slumdog but the future of India." In a way, this anger has grown as India's economy has grown. India's new middle class wants the world to look at their success, not the poverty that still exists in many parts of this country - something which, at times, they seem to ignore. A friend of mine recently told me, "The problem with you foreigners is that you still think we are a land of snake-charmers and beggars." When I pointed out that it was the United Nations, not journalists, who said that 50% of Mumbai's population live in slums, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "They are foreigners as well." Recently I had to visit one of the poorest parts of Calcutta when an 11-year-old girl was burned to death after resisting attempts to rape her. Locals took me to the field where she had died. Continue reading the main story More from BBC News Slum tourism: Patronising or social enlightenment? (2012) Vertical gyms solve Caracas slum space shortage (2012) Dark side of the Dubai dream (2009) We walked through large puddles of sewage water and past lots of small houses that looked like they were about to collapse and were crowded with families. There were no toilets - people had to get their water from a dirty-looking well, and what little electricity there was would come and go. At one stage I asked one of the locals who had tried to save the girl whether it bothered him that people call this area a baasti, a slum. "Only the rich have time for such debates," he replied. "Nobody would want want to live here but we have no choice - whether you call it a slum or not makes no difference to us as it is not going to change our lives." You can listen to Rahul Tandon's report on From Our Own Correspondent on BBC World Service, Thursday 15 August at 18:50 GMT and 01:50GMT on Friday. See the World Service programme schedule for more information. You can also listen online and download the podcast. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook




news sours  www.bbc.co.uk

Michael Kohlhaas. "J’ai souhaité parvenir à l’épure"

Michael Kohlhaas. "J’ai souhaité parvenir à l’épure"

Michael Kohlhaas, 2h02, réalisé par Arnaud des Pallières. Présenté à Cannes cette année, ce film époustouflant
 est l’adaptation d’une nouvelle d’Heinrich von Kleist. Entretien avec Arnaud des Pallières, son réalisateur. D’où le désir vous est-il venu de travailler à partir de cette nouvelle d’Heinrich 
von Kleist, écrivain allemand 
du XIXe siècle ? Arnaud des Pallières. C’est un texte que j’ai découvert il y a très longtemps. Sa lecture fut un choc. Je me suis dit alors que j’en ferai quelque chose. J’ai gardé ce texte en moi, avec moi. Je n’ai pu le travailler ciné-matographiquement qu’à partir du moment où j’ai eu une raison intime, personnelle, de le faire. C’est en passant par l’expérimentation d’un grand sentiment d’injustice, habité de cette envie d’aller « jusqu’au bout » que je suis parvenu à me décider. Michael Kohlhaas, marchand de chevaux, vit au XVIe siècle. Un puissant baron va lui arracher tous ses biens, tout ce qu’il aime. Il va se battre à mort. Transporter le récit au cinéma ne s’est pas produit par le biais littéraire. La germanité du texte me posait problème. Tout est devenu limpide dès lors que j’ai admis que les problématiques de Kleist n’étaient pas les miennes. La Réforme protestante s’est produite en Allemagne. J’ai cherché dans l’histoire de France, la géographie, la langue, les moyens d’une transposition. Dans les Cévennes, entre 1510 et 1530, catholiques et protestants coexistaient. J’introduis donc un personnage quasi religieux, qui est à la fois Luther et Calvin mais ne sera jamais nommé. 
Je fais du prince de Kleist la princesse d’Angoulême, sœur de François Ier, assez proche 
des protestants. J’invente à 
Kohlhaas une petite fille, j’appuie son amour pour sa femme. Tout cela donne corps au personnage mais également à une possibilité critique. Il rencontre des obstacles, se confronte aux désaccords de ceux qu’il aime ou estime. Je voulais créer un cadre respectueux mais plausible. Le personnage de Kleist est un héros romantique. Vous l’incarnez dans ses contradictions, son humanité… Cela vous semble plus proche de notre époque ? Arnaud des Pallières. Ce qui m’intéresse dans ce personnage, c’est sa force de conviction mais aussi ses doutes, ses failles. Je le montre moins halluciné, moins dans la folie. Dans le film, il est plus têtu et plus rationnel. Plus proche de moi. Le cinéma que j’aime le mieux est un cinéma matériel. Il ne consiste pas à raconter une histoire au spectateur mais à lui faire vivre une expérience physique. C’est frappant dès les premiers plans. On est comme sidéré par le souffle du paysage, la ligne de crête que parcourent chevaux et cavaliers, au son assourdi des tambours. Comment avez-vous travaillé cette « physicalité » 
du film ? Arnaud des Pallières. Je voulais un film en pierres sèches comme ces maisons des Cévennes. Elles tiennent parce qu’elles sont minutieusement choisies et posées, avec beaucoup d’aspérités. La musique a sa rudesse, notamment celle des percussions mais sa retenue laisse le spectateur libre de ce qu’il ressent. À partir du contexte politique, historique et religieux de Kleist, j’ai conservé le protestantisme de Michael Kohlhaas. Le film en porte l’austérité, une certaine rigueur. Écriture, décors, couleurs, costumes, son, toutes les décisions de mise en scène sont sous le coup de cette rigueur. Les paysages, aussi, la météorologie, car quatre-vingt-dix pour cent du film se déroulent en extérieurs. C’est surtout vrai durant le tournage et plus 
encore au montage, qui a pris un an et demi. Nous étions deux à temps plein. J’ai passé au 
total cinq ans de ma vie à opérer des choix, en tentant toujours de les orienter vers le plus juste, le plus vrai, le plus vivant. Mon travail oscille sans cesse entre documentaire et fiction. Là, je devais réaliser un documentaire au XVIe siècle. Je me suis placé sous influence, me laissant porter par le souffle et l’esprit de la nouvelle de Kleist puisque je ne souhaitais pas m’en tenir à la lettre. Comment donner chair à cette représentation, aux croisements de consciences qui se jouent à l’époque et imprègnent si fortement la nôtre ? Arnaud des Pallières. Il fallait inventer un monde. Rien n’allait de soi, ce qui est un jeu passionnant pour un cinéaste. Héritiers du cartésianisme, nous ne savons pas comment se construisaient les dialogues. Les corps devaient être montrés, car ils étaient alors tellement exposés, aux intempéries, à la maladie… Il n’y avait aucune bravoure dans la violence, seulement massacres et souffrances. Je n’en montre jamais les conséquences charnelles pour ne pas que l’on en jouisse. Question de point de vue. Les intérieurs étaient obscurs. Mais c’est l’extraordinaire talent de Madds Mikkelsen, la relation entre son expression et ce qui l’entoure, qui incarne le mieux ces carrefours d’humanité. Tendresse et terrible exigence, sa victoire sera une défaite, sa défaite une victoire. J’ai dû augmenter la réalité par la traduction sonore de ce que nous vivions sur le tournage et qui ne passe pas forcément à l’écran. L’odeur des chevaux, la dureté du soleil… Sinon tout a été soustraction pour parvenir à l’épure. force politique et révolte. Les paysages des Cévennes et les chevaux ne font pas une chevauchée cévenole ou un western du XVIe siècle. Arnaud des Pallières, depuis son premier long métrage, Drancy avenir en 1996, sur les traces et la mémoire de la déportation des juifs en passant par Adieu, Parc et Poussières d’Amérique, produit un cinéma exigeant où la fiction se veut au service du vrai. Il le redit ici et le combat à mort de Michael Kohlaas pour la justice, sa révolte contre l’oppression, ancrés dans les temps de la Réforme et de la guerre des paysans en Allemagne, quand bien même ils sont ici transposés en France, allient la force politique à la puissance esthétique. Il s’agit bien d’un film majeur, servi 
par des acteurs remarquables de justesse et de tension.



news sours   www.humanite.fr