BOMBAY TALKIE

India, 1970, 105 minutes, Colour.
Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Zia Mohyeddin, Aparna Sen, Utpal Dutt.
Directed by James Ivory.

Bombay Talkie is the work of a very creative film making team: director James Ivory, producer Ismael Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. For over a decade they have worked together in India, England and the Unites States. Ivory, an American, made several films in India during the '60s e.g. Shakespeare Wallah. Prior to this film he made The Guru with Michael York and Rita Tushingham and an Indian cast. During the '70s he was to make such films as Autobiography Of A Princess and Hullabaloo Over Georgie And Bonnie's Pictures. He also made The Wild Party and Roselands in America, the Europeans in England.

As an outsider, Ivory is able to look, even satirically, at India and its changing customs. This film making team criticises the longing for the English past and also regrets the invasion of the Americans during the '60s and '70s. This is particularly evident in this film which is a satirical look at the Indian film industry and the Indian succumbing to American influence. These themes are quite marked throughout all of the team's films. Beautiful to look at, with high criticism of a lot of contemporary Indian attitudes but with a rather slow pace and an emphasis on melodrama, the film is not as accessible to western audiences as it might have been.

1. The work of the Ivory- Merchant- Prawer Jhabvala team? The combination of Indians and an outsider reflecting on the Indian situation, customs? For what audience was the film made? Impact on Indians, outsiders?

2. The technical qualities of the film - the beautiful colour photography, sound? The use of Indian locations, exteriors and interiors? The editing and the editorial comment? The special effects - e.g. in the Bombay film studios? The quality of the Indian film industry, the humorous presentation of the credits with its range of advertising in the streets, the melodramatic look of the advertisements?

3. The opening of the film and the portrait of the Indian industry? The discussions about types and symbols? The humour of the Busby Berkeley type musical? The Indian melodrama and its being set in Venice? The later shots of studio work and exteriors e.g. the martial arts filming? The discussions about permissiveness and pornography, the Indian tradition of lovemaking and its symbolism, pornography? The film's laughing at the Indian industry? Its comment on the influence by the West? The pretensions? How did the Americans influence the Indian film industry? The role of the stars in the film and their reputation in India at the time?

4. The plot within the Indian context: the continued comparisons of East and West, England and India, America and India? The importance of male/female roles in India? Social attitudes, the woman's place, marriage, liaisons? The context of theatre and art? Tragedy and comedy? India as a melting-pot for these themes? How well did they blend ? comically, ultimately tragically?

5. The portrait of Lucia, the audience entering the film with her, seeing the Indian customs and manners through her eyes? Her view of the various ways of ritual, the Guru, the Indian film industry, relationships? Her explanation of her own story, her various husbands, the writing of books, her career, her relationship to her daughter and the various phone calls? Her return to her at the end? Lucia and her sentiment and sentimentality? Her loneliness, flirting, her continued use of Hari? Her interest in Vikram, leading him on, his succumbing to her, Lucia's reaction to his wife, the affair? Her look at society and intrusion in ritual, the chase? Her erratic attitudes, her playing with people's emotions and her lack of stability? The importance of her going to the Guru and the humorous satire in her manner and behaviour? The car incidents, the party for her birthday and its being long and drawn out? The various effects on Vikram and Hari, leading them on, breaking away? Her being the cause of the final violence? Lucia seen as a symbol of England and America and their contemporary influence, for the worse, on India?

6. The portrait of Vikram as a star, his status, his self importance, his performing in the musical? At the meal? His flirting, curiosity about Lucia? His worry about his age and his popularity? Contracts and the question about pornography? The infatuation with Lucia, the dinner, discussion about the film? His presuppositions about male assertion? His treatment of his wife, her concern about the child? His decision to leave? The visit to his fortune telling friend and her playing up to him? (The contrast with her reading Lucia's hand and her reluctance to say anything?) Vikram and his emotional instability, cruel to his wife and her decision to leave him? The signing of the contract with the pornographer? His being used by Hari, by Lucia? The celebration of Lucia's birthday? The irony of Hari's killing him?

7. The portrait of Hari, his infatuation with Lucia at the beginning, his being shown so much living alone, his poetry and his pretentiousness? His fighting on the filming location for Lucia? Lucia’s contacting him when she wanted her own way? The outings, the messages and Hari's delivering them to Vikram? The discussion about the Guru? Concealing Lucia from Vikram? His being used at the party, the long sequence and their celebration, drinking, buying gifts in the shop? The knife? The irony of using this for killing Vikram?

8. How well defined were the supporting characters, Vikram's wife and the traditional Indian wife, her beauty, her wanting children, her devotion to her husband, her jealousy, the sequence of her decision to leave and looking at her wedding dress? The contrast with the fortune telling lady and the men at her hone, her enjoying life, her reputation for insight?

9. The presentation of the Guru and the heavy irony of what had happened to Gurus? His self importance, people following him, his words, his slide show, the strict rules, his relying on wealthy American ladies? The satire on the corruption of Indian religion? The lack of effect on Lucia of this spiritual experience? The contrast with the attitudes (satirised) of the other devotees?

10. A glimpse at contemporary India, the use of cinematic devices and cliches? How well were these used throughout the film or did the film become too serious?