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Reviews
Zamani barayé masti asbha (2000)
Unflinching portrait of striving for sustenance amidst near chaos
"A Time For Drunken Horses" (Zamani baraye masti asbha) is the kind of film that unconsciously affords us the prime opportunity to ascertain the state of health of our own humanity. We are of course more apt to especially care for this protagonist because he is a parent less poor child. This film however, does not attempt to wrench sympathy from us by bombarding us with images of this child trying to be mother, father, breadwinner, nurse, and big brother all while employed in a precarious, even life-threatening job the very nature of which has no future. When we see Ayoub pleading for payment for his services, or running for safety while ambushed, the sheer emotion that we feel is but a byproduct of a much deeper stirring in we the viewer. One must ask oneself how do I fit into this seemingly tiny world of Border dwellers whose Kurdish customs both preserve the uniqueness of their way of life, and frustrate their ascent out of the poverty and despair inherent in it......We not only care about the faces we see in A Time For Drunken Horses, we ask ourselves how our own missteps may have contributed to the utter disparity of our overabundance and others so desperate to provide for the rudiments of a living that they would (for all practical purposes) drug a beast of burden against the peril of the pursuit of what is supposed to be a basic provision of any civilized society- life.
Vanity Fair (1987)
Quintisential adaptation of the Thackeray novel
I am truly at a loss as to why this adaptation of Vanity Fair is unavailable to the viewing public. I searched for it everywhere; I once rented it from a video rental store and was so grateful to view it once again......To my utter astonishment, when I returned several weeks later to rent Vanity Fair again, the clerk informed me that they did not carry this version with Eve Matheson as Becky! To add insult to injury, she acted as if they never carried this version! Talking about a "Twilight Zone" moment.....I can only conclude that the clerk/co-owner discovered the true value of that rare find and quietly cashed in on it......If you want to enjoy this story without actually sitting down and devouring the novel, this filming of Vanity Fair is the absolute best. I can't recommend Eve Matheson's portrayal of Becky Sharp with any higher regard than I already give it! She is outstanding here.....Please CBC or BBC or whoever it was that gifted us with this gem- Make this available on DVD so everyone can appreciate it.