Courtesy photo
In ‘Monsoon Wedding,’ Vasundhara Das plays Aditi Verma, a young woman who accepts
an arranged marriage; the film’s directed by Mira Nair.
Motel 6 Eugene South
Reserve your rooms NOW for
GRADUATION!
Time is Running Out!
Only I mile from U of O
Take 1-5 to exit 191
Tel: (541) 687-2395 Fax: (541) 687-6828
“38 years of Quality Service”
Mercedes • BMW • Volkswagen • Audi
Berman Auto Service
• MERCEDES • BMW • VOLKSWAGEN •
342-2912 • 2025 Franklin Blvd.
Eugene, Oregon, 97402
Film captures passion, love
■ iviuiibuun vveuumy iuuks
at the life of a family that lives
in India and is preparing for an
elaborate, arranged marriage
‘Monsoon Wedding’
★★★★★
By Ryan Bornheimer
for the Emerald
Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding”
has an organic charm that springs
up from the screen. It’s funny and
heartfelt, and there isn’t a false note
in the whole film.
“Monsoon,” which won the top
prize at the 2001 Venice Film Festi
val, follows the Verna family of
New Delhi, India, through the days
leading up to the youngest daugh
ter’s wedding. The movie drops us
into the center of the chaos, then
withdraws to juggle three main sto
ry lines with style and ease.
There’s the bride-to-be, Aditi,
who’s using the arranged marriage
as an excuse to escape an ongoing
affair with a married man. There’s
Rahul, a family friend, who falls for
the bride’s beautiful cousin, Ayesha.
There’s another cousin, Ria, who
hides a dark secret of abuse at the
hands of a much-loved uncle, who
sue i«ars may ue zeroing in on a
younger victim in the family.
The father of the bride is Lalit, a
well-meaning man who adores his
children but is blind to the larger is
sues that define their lives. In one
scene, Lalit stares down at his
sleeping children and wonders
where the years went, even as he
remains distracted by practical
matters of the ceremony such as
money and weather.
The most enjoyable story line is
that of the wedding planner, P.K.
Dubey, a hyperactive young man
who finds true love with the Ver
nas’ maid, Alice. The innocent ro
mance puts Hollywood produc
tions like “40 Days and 40 Nights”
to shame. When P.K. shows up at
the girl’s home with a heart made of
marigolds, the audience swoons
right along with Alice.
The only relationship that may
leave some people cold is that of
Aditi and the man she is to marry,
Hemant. Though it’s wonderful
how the two begin to truly fall for
each other after having met just
days before the wedding, it lacks
the erotic charge of Rahul and
Ayesha’s flirtations or the tender
ness of P.K. and Alice’s budding ro
mance. Perhaps it’s no accident that
the weakest relationship is between
the two people getting married.
The charm of “Monsoon Wed
ding” lies in its unassuming style.
Nair and cinematographer Declan
Quinn put us smack in the middle
or me craziness yet maintain nuiai
ty and grace throughout. The action
moves along at a dizzying pace, but
Nair knows precisely when to
linger on the expressive faces of her
actors to clue us into the joy or an
guish they are feeling.
The way characters drift be
tween many languages, including
English, Hindi and Punjabi, is in
dicative of the movie’s knack for
crossing cultural boundaries to
reach the heart of universal truth.
This is not exclusively about Indi
an culture, nor is it a period piece.
The characters represent the strug
gles that arise when young people
try to find a place in the modern
world while staying true to ancient
traditions. They may take part in
age-old rituals, but cell-phones still
ring at inappropriate moments.
Ultimately, “Monsoon Wedding”
is about taking leaps in life. From
the most obvious leap of an
arranged marriage to the father who
must confront the abusive uncle to
the simplicity of Rahul’s timidity
on the dance floor with Ayesha, all
these characters learn to play an ac
tive role in their lives. The stories
move together so effortlessly and
with such colorful zing, it’s a reaf
firmation of just how enchanting
movies can be. So take the leap and
go see “Monsoon Wedding,” now v
playing at the Bijou Art Cinemas.
Ryan Bornheimer is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
Romantic comedy charms audience
■ i ne Lora Leeorick Theatre
is currently featuring Schmor’s
adaptation of Shakespeare’s
classic play‘As You Like It’
‘As You Like It’
Lord Leebrick Theatre
By Jen West
Oregon Daily Emerald
William Shakespeare’s use of
misguided love and mistaken iden
tities has had audiences laughing
for centuries, and continues to tick
le funny bones even today.
The Lord Leebrick Theatre Com
pany opened its tenth annual
Shakespearean play March 28 with
a production of the romantic-com
edy “As You Like It,” directed by
John Schmor.
Courtesy photo
Wayne Bund (left) plays Celia and Lauren Armstrong plays Rosalind in William Shakespeare’s
play ‘As You Like It.’ The play will run through April 27 at the Lord Leebrick Theatre.
The LLTC actors came out with a
strong performance, but there were
only a few surprises or changes
made to this oft-played piece.
In this classic tale, the Bad Duke
(played by Bary Shaw) has banished
his niece, Rosalind (played by Lau
ren Armstrong) from the city. Ros
alind, accompanied by her cousin,
Celia (played by Wayne Bund), flees
into the forest of Arden. Rosalind
disguises herself as a young boy, but
when she meets her love, Orlando
(played by Noah Smith), she cannot
act on her love because she is
dressed as a man. So she pretends to
be “Rosalind” for Orlando to prac
tice his wooing techniques.
The director has changed the
character of Celia from a female role
to a male role, adding to the role
playing confusion. In the time of
Shakespeare, Celia, a female char
acter, would have been played by a
man pretending to be a woman
dressed as a man. But in this pro
duction, Celia is a male character,
played by a man pretending to be a
woman. This confusion of the sexes
is a central theme to the play and
adds to the humor of the situation.
The action in the play affected
the audience more than the actors.
A rowdy wrestling match had some
front row audience members dodg
ing flying chairs, although no in
juries were reported.
The theater’s intimate setting
gave the audience a close-up view
of every twitching eyebrow and se
cret glance between the characters
— especially those between Ros
alind and Celia — making the
characters’ emotions much more
evident.
The surprising gem of the
evening’s performance came from
the page, Amiens (played by Nicole
Barrett). Turning her lyre in for a
guitar, Amiens filled the small au
ditorium with a sultry voice that
added an element of folk music to
the play.
“As You Like It” will continue
with performances at 8 p.m. Thurs
day through Sunday until April 27.
There will be no late seating. Tick
ets are available at the LLTC Box
Office. Tickets are $12 to $16 for the
general public and $8 for students
for Thursday performances.
E-mail reporter Jen West
at jenwest@dailyemerald.com. ' ■'