meeting venus is a 1991 british – american-japanese film directed by the hungarian director istván szabó and starring glenn close , niels arestrup , marián labuda , victor poletti , jay o. sanders , maria de medeiros and johanna ter steege .

the movie was filmed in budapest , hungary .

meeting venus

meeting venus
uses an international opera production as a way of showing them all in collision .
meeting venus has all that is required in a great dramatic opera , but has one thing that most dramatic operas don ' t , real humour .
david puttnam ( chariots of fire ) produces , istva ? n szabo ? ( mephisto ) directs and dame kiri te kanawa ' s singing voice adorns this comedy of life , love , art and happiness - pursued not in that order but all at once . romantic comedy at its finest , meeting venus is destined for curtain calls !
i imagine that if grand opera were really like this , there would not be any of it . on the other hand , productions and whole seasons are lost because of labor disputes , and the realism of
meeting venus
begins to shade over into the satire of
this is spinal tap
in the sequence where the right union man cannot be found to press the button to raise the curtain .
although
meeting venus
which opens today at the fine arts and takes it title from the character in
tannhauser ,
is steeped in the refined atmosphere of grand opera , its conception of artistic ferment recalls other backstage films about other realms , like francois truffaut ' s
day for night
and bob fosse ' s
all that jazz .
the characters ' various romances , rivalries and insecurities are skillfully coaxed toward a creative triumph , while the film maker also takes time to savor the human comedy at hand . istvan szabo , the director of
mephisto
and
colonel redl ,
may not match truffaut ' s subtle wit or fosse ' s galvanizing energy , but he has a wry , bemused outlook that keeps
meeting venus
on track . and this film ' s heightened political outlook gives it an added dimension .
any film which bills itself , as indeed this one does , as being about life , love , music and the chaotic pursuit of happiness !  deserves to be given the widest possible berth in the interest of preserving good taste alone . that particular option being closed to this reviewer , it is an enormous relief to report that meeting venus is actually really rather an entertaining , if somewhat low - key melodrama and a good deal less saccharine than its aforementioned blurb would suggest .
behind the scenes in the elegant world of grand opera , there is at least as much scheming , flirting and back - stabbing as there is anywhere else . that is the message of
meeting venus ,
a thoroughly enjoyable backstage drama that also functions as a political parable , since the opera company under consideration is a hotbed of prickly national stereotypes .
this is the opera europa ,
one member of the film ' s large international cast explains .
here you can be misunderstood in six different languages .
there is also a seventh : the language of love .
the version of tannhäuser that can be heard in the movie is performed by kiri te kanawa as elisabeth , rené kollo as tannhäuser , håkan hagegård as wolfram von eschenbach and waltraud meier as venus with the london philharmonia orchestra conducted by marek janowski . the composer david bedford provided extra orchestrations and music for the film .
meeting venus
has musical credits that are at least as critical as its dramatic ones , since much of the film ' s appeal lies in the musical backdrop for its story . most notable are kiri te kanawa , whose voice is heard as karin anderson ' s , and the philharmonia orchestra of london , which provides accompaniment . in this film ' s opening scenes , actors playing orchestra members are seen scratching their backs with bows and flying paper airplanes , which contributes to the air of casualness that is gradually banished as the production takes shape . by the time of the film ' s stirring ending , it ' s clear that each of these incidents , no matter how small , has played a role in shaping an opening night ' s triumph .
when this movie was released in german movie theaters i was very compelled . glenn close as the famous swedish soprano and niels arestrup ( i never caught any movies with him after
meeting venus
and wonder what he ' s doing now ? ) as the talented conductor preparing
tannhaeuser
by wagner are very convincing in their roles . glenn close has her usual running through the rain scene like in
fatal attraction
: ) . since 2000 i was waiting for this gem to be released on dvd and wonder why it took 20 years ? i ' m glad i can erase it from my long wish list of movies that are still not out on dvd . it was about time . . . for me it has passed the test of time . very recommendable for lovers of classical music and close & arestrup fans . 5 stars .
szanto ' s characters are universally beautifully observed  particularly the outrageous maite nahyr , playing venus like a loveable cross between divine and roseanne barr on speed  and  check out those screen credits  theres barely an american name between them . arestrup , making his debut in an international film , easily holds his own against close  reprising fatal attraction hysteria to devastating effect  and even manages a tearful close - up , which is presumably okay for a chap of the hot - blooded eastern european kind .
he also might have remembered his first meeting with susan where he first saw the globe - she was the one true love in his life ( in the words of the el rancho nightclub waiter :
why , ' til he died , she ' d just as soon talk about mr . kane as about anybody
) . she wasn ' t impressed by his wealth - and they experienced a loving relationship until his tyrannical demands led her to abandon him . she left to prove that she could act independently of him ( in her own words :
i can ' t do this to you ? oh , yes i can
) . he died an old man , friendless , loveless , but wealthy and able to buy susan ' s love , but not truly invested in her . his power and wealth were unable to halt his decline - his crusade to be a trust - busting champion of the people faltered amidst storehouses of wealth and opulence .
in the film ' s conclusion , thompson is joined by other newsreel people who have gathered at the estate . as they talk , they walk through the enormous warehouse stacked with crates , furniture , and other possessions . an amazing crane shot tracks their progress through the boxes and statues that are being inventoried ( and worth
millions - if anybody wants it
) . various objects (
junk
as well as
art
) are identified that kane collected (
never threw . . . away
) : a 4th century venus (
$ 25 , 000 bucks . that ' s a lot of money to pay for a dame without a head
) , the welcome back cup , one stove from the colorado estate sale of mary kane ' s properties (
value two dollars
) , susan ' s jigsaw puzzles (
we ' ve got a lot of those
) , a burmese temple and three spanish ceilings down the hall , and more worldly goods . [ in the entourage that follows along , one glimpses the figure of a hat - wearing man smoking a cigar - future star alan ladd , in his film debut . ]
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a deliciously biting satire about both the world of grand opera and united europe . a hungarian conductor ( arestrup ) attempts to mount a bold new production of richard wagner ' s
tannhäuser
. . . see full summary »
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the story shows emma ' s and böbe ' s fight for survival , for keeping their position in society which they achieved with hard work in the previous regime . they don ' t want to lose their place and become village girls again .
fact - based recounting of a group of women who are imprisoned on the island of sumatra by the japanese during world war ii and used music as a relief to their misery .
young honest public official is sworn in after his predecessor had to leave due to a corruption scandal . soon , the young idealist discovers just how far - reaching the corruption is in his town and how easy it is to become corrupt yourself .
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linda and michael , married for ten years , desperately want a baby and turn to an adoption agency which introduces them to lucy , a teenage girl expecting her first baby . the three agree that . . . see full summary »
during ww2 hungarian resistance hides a married couple from the officials . the woman is sent to act as the wife of one of the resistance members who is also in hiding and pretending to be somebody else . they slowly begin to fall in love .
a 1920s flapper who haunts her old house possesses a dull housewife who just moved in . hilarity ensues .
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ex - football star mike gambril meets terry mckay on a flight to sydney , which is forced to land on a small atoll . both engaged to others , they become romantic on board the ship sent to take . . . see full summary »
a tale based on the life of wilhelm furtwangler , the controversial conductor of the berlin philharmonic whose tenure coincided with the controversial nazi era . one of the most spectacular . . . see full summary »
a deliciously biting satire about both the world of grand opera and united europe . a hungarian conductor ( arestrup ) attempts to mount a bold new production of richard wagner ' s
tannhäuser
while navigating the snares and pitfalls of artistic egos , rampant nationalism , internal company and union politics , and precarious funding .
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basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
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as the new europe edges uncertainly toward its future , the parts uneasily eye the whole . there are not only the obvious problems of language and culture , but also ideas about work and love and art .
the story takes place in paris , where a new production of
tannheuser
is contemplated . the conductor ( niels arestrup ) is from hungary . the diva ( glenn close ) is a temperamental superstar from sweden . the baritone is a rotund east german who thinks mostly about obtaining hard currency to use in his auto - painting business . when his voice fails , his substitute is an insipid american who is constantly reminded of how things were done differently , and better , in previous productions he has been involved in .
and then there are , of course , the musicians , and the members of the chorus , and the stagehands and electricians and painters and property masters , all members of unions that are ferociously protective of their contracts . and in the front office , management tries to keep everyone happy by taking no clear position on anything .
the position of the hungarian conductor must have been inspired in some ways by the position of this film ' s director , istvan szabo . he is the leading contemporary hungarian director ( with credits such as the superb
mephisto
) , but now , with the collapse of state subsidies and the opening of eastern europe , he , like his character , must learn ( in the words of robert altman ) to fiddle on the corner where the quarters are .
in the film , the director tries vainly to keep everybody happy all of the time , and finds that his duties apparently include an affair with glenn close , who is quite sincere and actually very touching during their sweet little love affair , although eventually he , and we , begin to speculate that this is not the first time this diva has gone to bed with her conductor .
there are dozens of major and minor characters in the film , and szabo juggles them artfully , telling some of their stories and transient flirtations in asides and background action . meanwhile , the conductor , who is married , finds himself back in budapest with his wife and his new mistress both at the same time , and the messiness of reality begins to interfere with the unreal backstage world of the opera .
the music in the film is of a high level ( close is dubbed by kiri te kanawa ) , but there is not very much of it , and indeed we see little of
tannheuser .
that isn ' t the point . the point may be that opera , with all of its romance and coincidence , cannot approach the absurdity of life . or it may be that through art europe must find its common destiny . if that is so , szabo seems to argue , it will not be an easy task .
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better at the edges than the center - - the story is weak , but there are wonderfully vivid , wise , and witty moments and some insight into the multi - cultural challenges of a huge musical undertaking .
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everything is set for the rehearsal . nothing can go wrong . then , in the grandest of entrances , she walks in . she is international star karin anderson ( glenn close ) . her arrival adds to conductor zoltan szanto ' s daily damage control within opera europa (
where you can be misunderstood in six different languages
) . she and the married maestro soon begin a passionate affair . life may imitate art . but love and the lunacy it inspires have no rehearsals . karin and frazzled zoltan ( niels arestrup ) must figure things out as they go .
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after searching for over 15 years , finally locating the dvd 5 years ago only to find it inexplicably would play on everyone ' s unit except mine , it was simply wonderful to try again with this new version which does work on my player . the movie is one of my favorites , bringing laughter , beautifully thrilling music , and tears of joy to me . i ' m sure it will do the same for anyone who appreciates theater , especially musical theater , and most especially opera . with all the backstage problems and backbiting to overcome , it ' s a miracle that any theater company manages to mount a production , much less an exhilarating and awe - inspiring production such as the one that closes this film .
i ordered this movie because it was the first one my boyfriend and i saw together when we first went dating , so it has sentimental value for me . i remembered the movie to be special , with dry humor yet entertaining and so romantic , that i wanted it to be part of my treasured dvd collection . apart from that glenn close is amazing in her role ! i recommend it especially for the opera fans .
having seen this movie and raving about it years ago ( rented from blockbuster ) . i was surprised when attempting to purchase , it was unavailable . but i kept checking up on amazon and was thrilled when weeks later it was for sale . everyone expects drama from opera but an adult comedy , with the supreme glenn close the most glorious music of wagner ( in bits and pieces so even the most operaphobic could tolerate ) and dame kiri te kanawa , surprisingly handling the music with flair ( she is not known as a wagnerian ) combine into a delightful human comedy for music - lovers , film - lovers and glenn close - lovers .
for classical music fans this film is an absolute delight , but even if you are not into opera you will love it . it is a great and complicated love story between a diva and a conductor . the film is also a wonderfully drawn vignette of the cultural clashes and ego - battles that accompany the birth of a great opera production . when i first read about the movie i had trouble seeing glenn close in the role of an opera diva , but she does a marvelous job , and her lip - synching to the absolutely divine soundtrack of kiri te kanawa is really pretty good . her counterpart nils arestrup does a wonderful job as well , playing the introvert , yet passionate conductor , for whom the whole paris opera experience is alien and strange in more than one way . the soundbites from wagner ' s tannhaeuser are well - picked and enchanting . some people may find the overall storyline predictable , but that does not take away from the overall very high quality of this movie
one of my favorite movies of all time ! ok , so i ' m an opera singer and know each and every one of the types portrayed here , including the long - suffering conductor who is a dead ringer in every way to the first conductor i worked with professionally . but even if you aren ' t you ' ll love it too . and it ' s topical , too ! a may 2013 production of tannhäuser in düsseldorf was just almost cancelled for its nazi themes , though there ' s just the one such ballet scene in the film .
i wanted to see a film with classical music and the world of musicians as a main theme and got what i wanted . well - acted , a bit quirky , solid drama .
glenn close should have received an oscar for this performance . the rest of the cast is also terrific . very involving story .
the music is sublime , as are the real voices . the acting , first class . the story : hilarious - - the first time eurotrash opera has been illuminated as comedy . too true to be good !
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glenn close , lofty and radiant as a world - famous swedish diva , makes a perfect centerpiece for the film ' s romantic intrigues , which constantly threaten to upstage the production of wagner ' s
tannhauser
that is in the works . as karin anderson , she makes a spectacularly nonchalant grand entrance by arriving late at the paris opera house where rehearsals have begun and by offering genteelly effusive greetings to everyone except the conductor , zoltan szanto ( niels arestrup ) , who gets a dirty look .
every bit the prima donna , karin is feeling spiteful over remarks she thinks zoltan made regarding her age , sexual preference and general operatic talent . zoltan , for his part , is almost too busy to notice , because he is being slyly pursued by most of the young women in the company and because he has a wife and daughter back home in budapest .
dear edith , everything moves so slowly here , apparently due to democracy ,
he writes in one of his many letters home , letters that grow less and less candid as events in paris begin to set off sparks .
i cannot mix up my work with my private life ,
zoltan eventually declares during an afternoon tryst in karin ' s hotel room . and both of them burst into giggles at that .
is it my face that irritates them or just the stale smell of eastern europe ?
zoltan wonders , as his passport is too closely examined by french officials in the film ' s plain , almost pedestrian opening scenes . in this way , mr . szabo ' s characters constantly combine personal and political attributes , even when - - especially when - - they are reduced to the level of calling one another names . resorting to crude national stereotypes takes on the quality of caricature , as do various arguments about the fate of european communism , arguments that inevitably go nowhere . from the company director with a socialist past to the short , stocky tannhauser , who is accused of
german aggressiveness
by a colleague , those in the film wear their national or political identity on their sleeves .
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there are also more than enough eccentricities to go around , from the huge , amorous , spaghetti - loving diva who is karin ' s co - star to the debonair , balding office assistant whose exact sex is a mystery . mr . szabo allows the film ' s many individual characters to emerge sharply , and he has assembled a remarkably well - rounded international cast . among the more conspicuous players are erland josephson as the gentlemanly company director ; maria de madeiros , who starred in
henry and june
and flashes zoltan her most cryptic and inviting smile , and the arresting dutch actress johanna ter steege , who starred in
the vanishing ,
as a singer who fights zoltan ' s favoritism toward the utterly magnetic karin .
ms . close ' s serene , ladylike bearing is not an asset in every role , but this time it works wonderfully well , especially when combined with the avid seductiveness she brings to the character . mr . arestrup , at first stern and a little drab , proves to be an equally fine choice , since he moves so easily into a conductor ' s courtly , dedicated manner , one that easily explains his popularity with women in the company . dorottya udvaros , a hungarian actress , has some powerful moments with mr . arestrup as zoltan ' s proud , angry wife , who discovers her husband ' s affair and reacts with exceptional fury .
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with the headline : review / film ; real - life opera , wagnerian style .
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a hungarian conductor mouts a daring new production of tannhauser while trying to overcome the artistic egos of his cast and crew , politics , nationalism and funding .
in part based on hungarian writer / director istvan szabos own experiences of directing wagners masterpiece tannhauser in paris , this has frances niels arestrup as a virtually unknown hungarian conductor , zoltan szanto , who is given the chance to conduct  hey ! wagners masterpiece tannhauser in paris .
all things being well , the opera europa production  with its multi - national cast and swedish mega - diva karin anderson ( close , all aquiver with the dulcet tones of one dame kiri te kanawa )  is to receive a worldwide satellite airing and szanto , it follows , the fame - making limelight .
the hapless szanto , however , gets far , far more than he had bargained for . three weeks before the opera i have a difficult leading lady and a chorus that thinks only of its stomach ,  he observes wearily in a letter to his wife back home in budapest , szantos voice - over serving as a commentary on unfolding events back at the orchestra pit .
as opening night looms closer , moreover , szanto finds himself increasingly besieged by mutinous musicians , predatory leading ladies and more bureaucratic red - tape than he can possibly hope to unravel . to cap it all , he embarks on an ill - judged liaison with anderson  although close , her haircut straight out of coronation street and a wardrobe apparently tailored from potato sacks , makes an unlikely object of desire  and the scene is set for a showdown of truly wagnerian proportions .
indeed , peppering his script with political in - jokes ( everything moves so slowly here , something to do with democracy ) and references ( just because the american thinks he can bomb libya or invade panama he thinks he can push us around .  ) , szabo uses the petty in - fighting of his cast not only to poke a well - meaning finger at creative folk in general but also as a metaphor for what was actually happening in europe . in many ways , it illustrates the contradictions inherent in the term united europe and explains to some extent why  with this very honourable exception , rescued from columbia pictures by the ten - exiting david puttnam  the european film co - production has never really taken off .
szabo , reknowned for his ability to merge the personal with the political and for his excellent handling of actors , pulls it off again here with characteristic wit and sensitivity .
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iain forsyth and jane pollard ' s hybrid fiction film / documentary 20 , 000 days on earth creates a fictionalized . . .
iain forsyth and jane pollard ' s hybrid fiction film / documentary 20 , 000 days on earth creates a fictionalized account of musician nick cave ' s 20 , 000th day of life in order to explore his actual creative process from writing to recording to rehearsing .
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an eighty minute documentary on the songwriting of lennon & mccartney titled composing the beatles . . .
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an opera star ( glenn close ) falls for a married hungarian conductor ( niels arestrup ) trying to do wagner ' s
tannhauser .
celebrated swedish opera star karin anderson is slated to appear in an internationally - telecast production of tannhauser . ms . anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure hungarian conductor zoltan szanto . the much - anticipated production may never get off the ground , thanks to labor - management difficulties , intramural jealousies , and clashing egos . amidst all this chaos , the mismatched anderson and szanto fall in love .
better than its lousy title suggests . has the problems endemic to the
europudding
( clash of accents , etc ) and pretty much wastes its entire supporting cast , among which are erland josephson and maria de medeiros ( whose role , whatever it was , seems to have ended up on the cutting room floor ) . but it ' s a fine illustration of why the eu was never going to work - france and hungary ain ' t far geographically , but mentally , spiritually , that ' s another thing entire - and the leads are good , and szabó ' s incapable of an unintelligent movie . one of the few times i ' ve ever found glenn close agreeable .
eh , művèszek ! - intèzhetnènk el egy legyintèssel a találkozás vènusszal szereplőit , akik szabó rendezèsèben szeretnek jó mèlyen megmerítkezni minden egyes èrzelemben , ès lehetőleg minél látványosabban a külvilág tudomására hozni mèg a legapróbb belső rezdülèseket is . közben meg valószínűleg tènyleg valami ilyesmi lehet az igazság : a művèszi katarzishoz legtöbbször sok - sok civakodáson , bosszúságokon , egymás húsába maráson , intenzíven megèlt szerelmeken ès az elmaradhatatlan gyötrődèseken keresztül vezet az út .
many of the characters in this movie have the same name and family name as director istván szabó , but in different languages . the hungarian name istván in english corresponds with stephen . surname szabó means
tailor
. and some persons in film are : stephen taylor ( english ) , stefan schneider ( german ) , stefano sarto ( italian ) , etienne tailleur ( french ) / there are also maria krawiecki ( from the polish word krawiec which means tailor ) and isaac partnoi ( from russian word портной [ portnoy ] = tailor
) .
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this list is a result of more than forty years of compulsive - obsessive data - gathering by the above trio , separately . when our paths crossed a few years ago we combined our lists together .
finding out who dubbed who since the beginning of sound movies in 1928 is a fairly daunting task since until relatively recently such information was kept secret by the movie studios who carefully guarded the reputations of their contract players . but in recent years the explosion of books and articles on every aspect of filmmaking has made the task somewhat easier , contradictory as different sources may be . laura wagner in particular has spoken to many of these dubbers . to credit every source would be impossible , there ' ve been so many .
included are not only the singers but credits for
dancers
who couldn ' t dance ,
musicians
who couldn ' t play , and even a few actors who couldn ' t talk too good .
what ' s not here , obviously , is data on stars who did their own singing . but some stars sang for themselves in some movies but were dubbed in others . barbara stanwyck , for example ,
sang
in seven movies but was only dubbed in three of them , so only those three are included here . also , some stars were only partially dubbed in a film , doing their own singing for some of the songs but not all of them , or even singing parts of songs with only the more demanding passages dubbed . in those cases we ' ve noted that the dubbing is only partial . ( but if you don ' t find a listing here for a specific title you ' re wondering about , it doesn ' t necessarily mean the singer wasn ' t dubbed , it may mean we just don ' t have the information . )
and finally , there ' s one legendary dubbing credit you won ' t find here . for years it ' s been accepted as gospel that andy williams dubbed lauren bacall ' s vocals in
to have & have not .
the story has become something of an urban legend , but sorry folks , that was bacall ' s own voice . williams , then an unknown singer doing dubbing work in hollywood , was hired by director howard hawks to record the songs because he couldn ' t find a female singer with a low enough voice , but when bacall began singing along with the playback he found that he liked her voice better , so he scrapped williams ' recordings and she did the songs herself . if the story sounded too good to be true… it was .
this project has always been , and remains , a lifetime work - in - progress . any additions and / or corrections are most welcome .
athena ( 1954 ) : jacqueline [ aka jackie ] allen for cecile rogers / betty allen , marie vernon , gloria wood for sisters ( other than j . powell , d . reynolds , v . gibson ) / victor marchese for edmund purdom
the barbara stanwyck show
out of the shadows
( tv ep . 1960 ) : frank beach for william stephens ( trumpet )
best foot forward ( 1943 ) : gloria grafton for lucille ball / jeanne darrell for virginia weidler / ralph blane for jack jordan .
blood & black lace ( italian , 1965 ) : paul frees for many actors , u . s . release ( dialogue )
carousel ( 1956 ) : marie greene [ aka marie vernon ] for susan luckey / marni nixon for one line for shirley jones in
you ' re a queer one , julie jordan . ”
the 5 , 000 fingers of dr . t ( 1953 ) : tommy butala for tommy rettig
flower drum song ( 1961 ) : b . j . ( betty jane ) baker for nancy kwan / jon dodson for kam tong / marilyn horne for reiko sato
gigi ( 1958 ) : betty wand for leslie caron ( partial ) / john abbott for unnamed singer / paul frees for various french - sounding bit actors ( dialogue ) . for french soundtrack ( dialogue & songs ) : sacha distel for louis jourdan , marie - france for leslie caron , jane marken for hermione gingold .
grand prix ( 1966 ) : paul frees for toshiro mifune & misc . drivers ( dialogue )
gypsy ( 1962 ) : lisa kirk for rosalind russell ( except
mr . goldstone
and spoken parts of
rose ' s turn
) / marni nixon for natalie wood [ partial ]
helen of troy ( 1956 ) : jacques sernas for edmund purdom ( english - speaking voice ) .
i love a bandleader ( 1945 ) : dorothy ellers for leslie brooks / bobbie canvin [ aka barbara ames ] for
mr . beebe
number
the king and i ( 1956 ) : marni nixon for deborah kerr / leona gordon ( or cleone duncan ) for rita moreno / reuben fuentes for carlos rivas / marilyn horne for terry saunders .
a man called adam ( 1966 ) : nat adderley for sammy davis jr . ( trumpet )
meet me in st . louis ( 1944 ) : arthur freed for leon ames / denny markes - wilson for mary astor
phantom lady ( 1944 ) : buddy rich for elisha cook jr . ( drums )
pinnochio ( 1939 ) : dickie jones for
pinnochio
/ cliff edwards for
jiminy cricket
/ walter catlett for
j . worthington foulfellow
/ christian rub for
gepetto
psycho ( 1960 ) : virginia gregg , paul jasmine & jeanette nolan for
mrs . bates
( dialogue )
seven brides for seven brothers ( 1954 ) : bill lee for matt mattox / norma zimmer for betty carr / bobbie canvin [ aka barbara ames ] for norma doggett / marie vernon [ aka marie greene ] for nancy kilgas / betty noyes for ruta kilmonis [ aka ruta lee ] / betty allen for julie newmeyer [ aka julie newmar ] / alan davies , charles parlato , robert wacker , gene lanham , m . spergel and howard hudson for various brothers
sinatra ( tv - 1992 ) : frank sinatra ( records ) , frank sintra jr . and tom burlinson for philip casnoff
speakeasy ( 1929 ) : fred warren for henry b . walthall ( piano )
that lady in ermine ( 1948 ) : ric ricardi for douglas fairbanks , jr .
thirty seconds over tokyo ( 1944 ) : hal derwin for carlyle blackwell , jr .
three daring daughters ( 1948 ) : beverly jean garbo for mary elinor donahue / pat hyatt for ann e . todd
the threepenny opera ( 1963 ) : george s . irving for curt jurgens / martha schlamme for hildegard neff / jo wilder for june ritchie ( note : all dubbed for u . s . version only )
twilight zone
a passage for trumpet
( tv ep . 1960 ) : uan rasey for jack klugman ( trumpet )
the wizard of oz ( 1939 ) : lorrraine bridges for billie burke / ken darby for mayor of munchkin city / ray
bud
linn for da of munchkin city / rad robinson for coroner of munchkin city / betty noyes , dorothy compton and marjorie briggs for munchkin trio / buddy ebsen for jack haley ( ensemble singing only ) / carol tevis , betty rome , billy bletcher , pinto colvig , j . d . jewkes , harry stanton & jon dodson for unknown munchkins
your cheatin ' heart ( 1964 ) : hank williams , jr . for george hamilton
note : two slash marks in a line indicate that the next actor’s line begins there .
the stage is split at a diagonal with the right half lit . the floor of the stage is planted with a living garden : vines of tomatoes on poles , stalks of corn , pepper plants , lettuces , and also a few unplanted beds . the dark earth is real . it is deep summer at a biodynamic farm in covelo , california . the lighting indicates a cool morning , and a light mist clings above the ground . rebecca , tony , ingrid and mike are working along one of the beds hoeing the soil , while henry and seth are kneeling tying up tomato plants . everyone is covered in a layer of soil which is smudged on their clothes , dusted on their faces and engrained in their hands . nothing exists outside this field , outside the six of them right there in that moment . ingrid , tony , henry and rebecca are singing “sixteen tons , ” while seth and mike hum and sway along , occasionally joining them .
all : ( singing . ) “another day older and deeper in debt . saint peter don’t you call me ’cause i can’t go , i owe my soul to the company store . ”
tony : ( singing . ) “i was born one mornin’ when the sun didn’t shine . ”
tony & henry : ( singing . ) “i picked up my shovel and i walked to the mine . ”
ingrid : ( singing . ) “’well , bless my soul . ’” ( no longer singing . ) hey , let’s do our version . i like it better . ( laughs and starts singing again . )
rebecca : this is my favorite time of day here . smell it . it’s so… fresh .
seth : this morning , when i was bringing the horses up the lane , the mist was so thick i could barely see the fence of the blackberry field .
mike : most of it is burning off now though . look , you can just see a little mist hiding under the trees over in those fields .
rebecca : i don’t know if i can handle much more of these temperatures .
tony : yeah , i could go for some breakfast . what’s the time ?
rebecca : mike , did you know ? i never liked porridge till i tried yours .
rebecca : absolutely . ( looking directly at tony . ) i don’t think i ever want to leave .
an acoustic guitar plays as we are taken to the beginning of this story . henry and rebecca enter dressed in clean work clothes . rebecca’s hair is plaited in two braids , making her look younger than she is . it is their first day as interns at live power community farm . the day is bright and sunny , but not too warm .
henry : the sweet aroma of cows… . ( takes a deep sniff at the air . )
rebecca : oh be quiet . the place feels different when we’re not here with our class .
henry : yeah , no one whining about how they don’t want to sleep in the barn .
steve and tony walk by upstage deep in conversation , but out of earshot of henry and rebecca , and then exit .
rebecca : no , of course i remember steve . i mean the younger guy .
gloria enters and approaches henry and rebecca . she speaks slowly , with a soft , deep voice , often as though her mind is on a different , pleasant thought , far away .
gloria : welcome ! ( she draws both henry and rebecca into a warm hug . ) look at you both . we’re figuring out where to put you , where to have you sleep .
gloria : come have lunch , then we’ll get you settled… okay ? okay , over here . ( steve and tony enter . tony is wearing glasses and some faded work clothes . steve is wearing a light green , plaid flannel shirt . ) stephen , you remember rebecca and henry ?
steve : good , good . we have work . always lots to do .
they shake hands , tony holding rebecca’s hand perhaps a little longer than he held henry’s .
steve , gloria , henry , rebecca and tony enter the apprentice kitchen , a square room on the left diagonal of the stage . a magnificent willow tree stands beside the one - room building and a large musical triangle hangs from one of the eaves . the kitchen has a dusty , dark green floor , an old black stove covered in cast iron pans on the upstage left wall , a sink downstage of the stove , an ancient faded sofa against the right wall , and a pine table in the center surrounded by six chairs . ingrid , wearing a grungy red shirt and bare feet , is humming and stirring yellow lentils at the stove . the table is laden with a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes topped with shredded coconut , a wok of cooked greens , a metal bowl of salad , a pitcher of cold well water , and mismatched plates and cutlery in stacks . everyone sits down and begins serving and passing the dishes .
ingrid : oh no thank you ! i was just trying out some new dishes . so i hope you like them . the greens are a bit different . ( takes a bite of the greens and laughs . ) oh well . they’re still good for you !


it is autobiographical and recounts sekera 's childhood though the character of sirisena .

thun man handiya

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thun man handiya ( 1970 ) - plot summary - imdb urltoken thun man handiya ( 1970 ) on imdb : plot summary , synopsis , and more . . .
thun man handiya ( 1970 ) - full cast & crew - imdb urltoken thun man handiya ( 1970 ) cast and crew credits , including actors , actresses , directors , writers and more .
1970 – mahagama sekara’s film thun man handiya receives the friendship award from rajaye lipikaru seva sangamaya .
duration - 3 : 23 . - atheethayen ganga gala basei , mahagama sekara , thun man handiya . wmv
thun man handiya ( sinhala , three way junction ) is a 1970 dramatic film made by sri lankan artist mahagama sekera .
thun man handiya ( 1970 ) - photo gallery - imdb urltoken based on the famous novel thun man handiya , this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of . . .
thun man handiya ( 1970 ) - imdb urltoken drama . . . based on the famous novel thun man handiya , this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of . . .
thun man handiya is a movie starring joe abeywickrama , dharmasena athukorala , and kumara balaooriya . based on the famous novel thun man handiya , this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of life when he moves to the . . . see full summary »
1971 - thun man handiya wins him the award for the most promising director at the awards festival of the film critics and journalists of ceylon in 1970 - 1971 .
based on the famous novel thun man handiya , this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of life when he moves to the governmental art academy .
speaking about his widely acclaimed role as welikathara’s gorin mudalali , joe noted , “i had only acted in a handful of films like sarawita and thun man handiya which portrayed me in serious roles . all the others were comic characters .
based on the famous novel thun man handiya , this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of life when he moves to the . . . see more »
thunman handiya theme song - mahagama sekara fans | facebook urltoken thunman handiya theme song . . . . thunman handiya theme song . image may contain : 1 person , text · 448 likes5 comments93 shares . english ( us ) ; español . . .
a young man fights for his lost bike with courage . honest gangster with his foolish brother who destroyed everything . this is a remake of tamil movie polladhavan aka . ruthless man ( 2007 )
1 . mmxi 2 . forests for people 3 . united nations educational , scientific and cultural organisation , or unesco 4 . egodahage george wilfred alwis samarakoon 5 . mahinda college , galle 6 . thun man handiya ( 1970 ) 7 . year of the rabbit ( or hare ) 8 . michael clarke 9 . dr martin luther king , jr . ( 1929 – 1968 ) 10 . new zealand 11 . germany 12 . spanish 13 . estonia 14 . india 15 . hara lakshe ( four lakhs )
the book takes the reader on an epic journey through the nastiest things to have afflicted mankind – from the dawn of the man , to the present day . chronicles of war , earthquakes plagues and floods .
just as his early performances in comedy were tempered by the serious , the dramatic , his later performances in drama were tempered by the unserious , the flippant . you can discern this in welikathara , his second dramatic outing after thun man handiya : in one scene he is a dangerous , cape fear - esque antagonist - from - the - past , and in the very next he bottles up all his rage , his motives , with calculated , witty asides ( his first encounter with swineetha weerasinghe’s character geetha , on the beach and around her car , plays around with this dualism ) . even in pathiraja’s bambaru avith , as the villain anton aiya , those asides temper his evilness rather incongruously ( “dore ? dore nemeyi , janele ! ” he shouts at an errant lorry driver ) . joe had wanted to be more than a humorist ; in becoming a dramatic , unlikeable antagonist , though , he was finding it difficult to escape being that humorist . it just kept coming back .
the most difficult person to be is the funny man . by that i don’t mean the solitary satirist , the one - man - act savant whom the american cinema took out of the vaudeville houses and popularised : chaplin , keaton , lloyd , the marx brothers . i am talking instead about the comedian as we understand him today , the sort who can work with a horde of co - stars and still retain his identity . part of the reason why chaplin appears so refreshingly - funny , even today , is his individuality , his belief in standing apart on his own . not everyone can be a chaplin , of course , but everyone can easily be or emulate the one - man - savant that he was . retaining what forms you up as a distinct personality , while keeping your audiences laughing and coming for more , is considerably difficult , not least because we have short attention spans .
like some of his colleagues who took to the cinema in the 1970s , somasiri dehipitiya came from a largely working class background , as a civil servant . as an actor he had quite a number of attributes he could be justifiably proud of – he was gruff , he was almost always frowning , he rarely smiled , and perhaps more than anything else , he could appear sturdy and gentle at the same time . no doubt he used all these and more , so much so that it’s truly astonishing that a man of his range of talent and experience never , for one solid moment , became a leading man . he was more or less like richard widmark , the american actor who never got beyond half a dozen or so leading roles despite his gruff mould .
because it’s tough being the funny man , it’s tough getting people to laugh convincingly . if we are extrapolate lionel abel’s thesis , we can say that what is true for his conception of western tragedy ( as thriving on self - consciousness ) is true of the general conception of comedy , in both theatre and cinema . the funny man can’t betray his ability to make us laugh without betraying himself , which is why comedy in general betrays the falsity of its own medium : through counterfeit , deception , moral ambiguity . it’s no cause for wonderment , then , that comedy in sri lanka is , if i may be politically - incorrect here , terribly self - defeating : the men and women who try to make us grin immediately yield to their own awareness of how absurd they are .
these were the ultimate tragic figures of our cinema , more tragic than tony’s , whose characters were all thwarted not because of outside forces , but because of personal inadequacies . in becoming the supreme comedian of his time , to be equalled somewhat by vijaya nandasiri , joe had become a supreme tragic figure . by playing around with these two opposites , rather subtly , he gradually became the funny man that we’d always wanted , who could keep us transfixed to his face throughout a film .
joe was never solitary , never alone , but at the same time he never made us interested in his own back story . towards the end of hal ashby’s being there we see the protagonist ( peter sellers ) literally walking on a lake ( is he god ? jesus ? ) . throughout the story our attitude towards him is tempered by our consideration of him as an everyday , ordinary man who might have stepped out from anywhere . he keeps his benefactor happy , his daughter consoled but unfulfilled , and their family doctor suspicious . this curious blend of happiness , consolation , and mystery is what makes up joe’s most recognisable performances : we don’t know where he’s from , only that he’s there to placate the main character , and with the main character , us .
the reason for this , obviously , was that these men and women were all from the theatre . so was joe ( his was initiated into the cinema through the studios of sirisena wimalaweera , who was no cineaste ) , but the difference with him was that he didn’t enter the movies , he downright conquered them . and the timing couldn’t have been more right . gamini fonseka had materialised at a time when our heroes and villains were borrowed from bollywood ; he became the first real onscreen hero we could claim . tony ranasinghe had materialised at a time when we were getting fed up of those heroes flaunting their masculinity and making escapades from even the most inescapable dilemma ; he became our first everyman . joe , going by that , materialised when we were getting tired of heroes and villains , and ordinary people being stumped by their sense of inadequacy . we wanted to laugh , but in a different way : we wanted someone who could be both a hero and an ordinary man to tickle us into laughter .
kadawunu poronduwa was the first film to be made in the sinhala language ; it is generally considered to have heralded the coming of sinhala cinema . it was first shown on january 21 , 1947 at the kingsley cinema in colombo , sri lanka . plot : ralahamy , a member of high status , dies leaving his family in debt after having squandered his fortune through extensive drinking and other vices . to get back into wealth , ralahamy ' s wife tackla pushes her daughter ranjani to get married to a wealthy older man victor with a child through an earlier marriage . in this process , samson , ranjani ' s boyfriend , who had tried extensively to get the family back into good graces going so far as to pay off their debts , is spurned . he then goes abroad to win a fortune . when samson returns he learns of ranjani ' s engagement to victor and tries to reach her through letter . his letters are hidden from her however , and rumours spread that samson is now a cripple . ultimately the truth is . . . more
mahagama sekara was a legendary poet of the 20 th century in sri lanka . he was born on 7th april 1929 , in radawana , colombo , sri lanka . he was the only child of maha gamage jhon appuhami ( father ) and ranawaka arachchige rosalin ( mother ) . mahagama sekara was also known as a great sri lankan novelist , translator , artist , playwright , lyricist , filmmaker , philosopher and teacher . he is considered as one of the most significant figures in the sinhalese poetry .
initially , he entered the government school in radawana in 1934 . in 1948 he then entered the government college of fine arts . finally , in 1950 he entered the teacher training school in nittabuwa and left it in 1952 as a sinhalese trained teacher . in 1981 , the university of sri jayawardenapura awarded him the degree , doctor of philosophy ( phd ) .
mahagama sekara was well known as a poet of the modern sinhala literary tradition . his writing occasionally shows a buddhist influence , and blends the themes like humanity and the reality of life . he was also influenced by french free verses , english , and japanese haiku .
mahagama sekara passed away on the 14 th of january 1976 , and it is still considered as a tragic loss to the sri lankan poetry and literary . he was 46 years old when he died from sudden cardiac arrest .
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laksha ganan
- j . a . milton perera , c . t . fernando , anton rodrigo and others ( saravita , 1965 )
hinsaren awa
- w . d . amaradeva and sunethra sarachchandra ( wasanthaya dawasak , 1979 )
mee wadayaki jeevithey
- c . t . fernando ( kauda hari , 1969 )
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hotel transylvania 3 : summer vacation stars plan their dream summer getaways to some memorable movie settings .
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a group of sad slum residents , living on the limits of society under immense pressure , find an invitation to a handball tournament in bavaria .
35 year old bachelor jehan and his partner in crime priyantha try to exploit the loopholes in the law in order to make a living .
a great sinhala movie
drama
, of a father ( mr . joe abewickrama ) , who refuses to believe in his son ' s death at war .
a story about a sri lankan matchmaker trying to find a partner for his own daughter .
three friends embark on a journey to a land that was once forbidden but a sudden encounter forces them to return to yet another land of turmoil and terror .
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cast joe abeywickrama , kumara balasuriya , karunaratne ranasinghe , dharmadasa kuruppu , shanthileka , denawaka hamine , d a balasuriya , swarna mallawarachchi , gemunu wijesuriya , somasiri denipitiya , sriayani wickramasinghe , a . p . goonaratne
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a nation ' s fate , a king ' s destiny , and a superhero ' s rise . now those are ' movieful ' gifts worth giving .
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joe abeywickrama was the culmination of everything eddie jayamanne stood for in the theatre ( which he never moved out of , as the minerva player movies showed ) . the men and women who made us laugh before him – pearl vasudevi , d . r . nanayakkara , and of course eddie – out of necessity resorted to exaggeration , the sort that evoked not just laughter but also , to a certain extent , tedium . the result of this was that none of those actors actually broke through their limited canvas , which proved to be their greatest strength and biggest weakness . as the father in rekava , as the lascivious vidane in sikuru tharuwa , as the servant in ran salu , to give just three examples , d . r . nanayakkara could never resist being the funny simpleton .
so the timing , as i mentioned before , couldn’t have been more propitious . nanayakkara and jayamanne had taken the theatre with them to the movies . joe , on the other hand , took what he could from the theatre while shaping himself for the cinema . that’s why there’s no blatant attempt at exaggeration ( with none of those discernible marks that recall the comedians of the silent era : bulging eyes , dishevelled hair ) in his earliest performances , when his roles consisted of keeping his co - star from unhappiness : gamini fonseka in getawarayo , henry jayasena in dahasak sithuvili .
because he had no background , and we didn’t know where he came from , we were content in seeing his antics and laughing at them . towards the end of the sixties we could feel that his stints in comedy had become a prelude to other roles , more varied and diverse . the difference between saravita and punchi baba is subtle , but discernible and rather reflective of this : in the former everyone is trying to get something from him , a bulath vita seller , while in the latter he is not just the centre of drama ( as before ) , but the centre of ‘our’ attention , and hence the whole plot .
because he had no background , and we didn’t know where he came from , we were content in seeing his antics and laughing at them . towards the end of the sixties we could feel that his stints in comedy had become a prelude to other roles , more varied and diverse
and partly because of this , he never let go of that sense of mystery which had lingered with him before . in desa nisa , lester james peries’ attempt at moving joe into a more serious role , he salvages an otherwise jerkily - edited final sequence with his enigmatic intentions : does he want his wife cured of her blindness , or does he want her to remain as she is since she’s the only woman who will never be repelled by his deformities ? we aren’t really sure , particularly when he plays along to the shrewd hermit ( ravindra randeniya ) and gets him what he needs to make her see again .
he got us to betray our laughter , our facile view of life , without betraying himself . that and that alone explains his range , his wider canvas , his great ability
if gamini were our first onscreen hero , then joe became our first onscreen humorist , with a caveat : he never confused the ability to make us laugh and move us to empathy with the ability to keep us aware that we were seeing him and not his performance . he got us to betray our laughter , our facile view of life , without betraying himself . that and that alone explains his range , his wider canvas , his great ability .
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he tops the list of great actors sri lanka has ever produced . his performances on silver screen have kept the audiences spellbound . then after briefly disappearing from the reel , he is back , adding depth to modern day productions like tikiri suwanda and selvam .
joe abeywickrama needs no introduction as an actor , as his name is assimilated in the minds of all the local movie buffs . proving his mettle in the international arena joe had been honoured with the best asian actor title for his performance in prasanna vithanage’s pura handa kaluwara at the 1999 singapore international film festival . here are excerpts of an interview with daily news ‘projector’ in which the versatile thespain shares his personal experiences in the sets and behind the screen over many decades .
joe mahaththaya , as he is commonly addressed by the people in the celluloid world , quietly walked to the gate to greet and receive us . the trademark smile and the unique voice which had added credibility to this great actor’s performances do not seem to let go of its grip . yet , a hint of weariness seems to reflect on his face .
after all , it is years since he dished an exceptional performance as the cunning gorin mudalali , his breakthrough role , in d b nihalsinghe’s welikathara ( desert ) .
at the age 12 joe got the opportunity to watch the latest english films released at the colombo regal . they were released simultaneously at imperial theatre in ratnapura , for the benefit of white men who worked in the estates as planters . thus hollywood giants like john wayn , david niven , lee marvin and marlon brando who starred in these films , became joe’s heroes .
“we used to crawl to the gallery of the cinema to watch their films” , joe recalled with an impish smile .
there was a twinkle of the old mischief in the comic actor still running in his blood .
these characters influenced the young lad to brush up his innate acting skills and adapt a natural rhythm . this he portrayed to the hilt in productions like welikathara , bambaru awith , baduth ekka horu and ran muthu doowa .
“it was hard to convince the indian directors . a few actors like me and gamini tried our best to bring a natural acting style to sinhala cinema .
at the time , an actor was required to possess girlish looks to be chosen for a main role . my profile pushed me to portray the next best role , which was comedy .
i was determined to be an actor at any cost . therefore i tried to adapt to whatever role that came my way . it was a blessing in disguise which helped me to gain versatility” , he says .
“if one can bring credibility to a comic role , he can perform any character with ease” , he stressed , talking through experience .
“there should be a perfect blend of brains , skill , flexibility and rhythm to bring a comic character to the fore . ” he believes that acting has to evolve with time .
“an actor has to be mindful of transformations in society and the world as a whole and adjust to situations or he will perish like the dinosaurs , ” he said .
i was in the danger of being confined to the comic actor category . when tissa abeysekara showed me the scrip , i knew , portraying gorin mudalali’s character in the film would bring me to the next level as a versatile actor . the undying cowboy within me provided much inspiration to take up the role . ”
director nihalsinghe had been taken by surprise when tissa suggested joe for the role . he had sought joe out and said , “i was under the impression that you are grooming yourself to follow eddie jayamanna . you have taken a bold decision . the role is yours . ”
wickrama randeniya , the police officer’s role , was originally suppose to be played by ananda jayarathne . joe had suggested gamini fonseka’s name .
“i told them that if gamini performed as my counterpart , my projection of gorin mudalali will be strengthened . they accepted my words without any hesitation . ”
work progressed smoothly . gamini and joe enjoyed the plot . tissa’s script itself provided room for them to add immense value to their characters . “at one point it seemed like we two did turn into inspector wickrama randeniya and gorin mudalali . when it came to shooting the final scenes which were the climax of storyline , the unexpected happened” . joe’s facial expressions highlighted the grim reality he was going to unveil .
i was informed that gorin mudalali should run in the final gun battle with the police inspector merely to keep the police department and the public sensor board officials at bay . i knew it was a dubious act and resisted at first before compromising” .
in the original script , gorin mudalali dies in a face - to - face gun battle with the police battalion . it was supposed to be an ‘eye for an eye’ or a ‘no retreat - no surrender’ situation , which would have led to a very emotional ending .
“i have never taken a rigid stance in a crisis situation in my acting career . flexibility brought me this far” , the exceptional artiste concluded with a note of content .
produced by lake house copyright © 2006 - 2013 the associated newspapers of ceylon ltd .
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cheriyo darling , the movie extraordinaire ! i watched cheriyo darling for the 1st time in october 1996 , just after its release & up - to - date i have watched it more than 200 times ! i ' ve watched it through vhs , then vcd , then dvd & now blu - ray ! i showed it to my children , they showed it to my grandchildren & they will show it to my great - grandchildren as well . cheriyo darling will never die ! cheriyo darling lives forever !
the world has never seen such a good movie ! a huge huge cheriyo darling fan here from kahatagasdigiliya .
if cheriyo darling was never made , this is undoubtedly the best film in sri lankan history . sumana gomas plays an epic lesbian role in this film ! i have never seen such talent in sri lanka before . she surely contributed to some of the best films ever shot . raagaye unusuma surely is among them along with age vairaya series , akkai nangi & kamasutra .
mille soya should be the best . but still i would rate cheriyo darling as the greatest , but still mille soya is good . definitely better than raigam soya , lanka soya & kimba soya .
vishvanath buddhika keerthisena or known lovingly as boodee keerthisena among us , made a 110 minute film in 2004 which is simply incredible , depicting a dangerous and hazardous journey by a young sri lankan group to rich europe where they are subject to deceptions by the intermediaries , betrayals by friends , arrests while crossing the borders and even death . i guess this film should be at the number 2 spot behind cheriyo darling .
it s a good movie . like to watch & good comedies in have . like kamal addarachchi in this film
it ' s sannasgala sir ' s co - favourite film ! the other one is aksharaya . he showed us both films in class ! we love it !
no doubt on this one ! nothing , i mean nothing can match cheriyo darling , but the question to debate would be what is the second best movie in sinhala cinema . when we try to analyze this question , the most probable competitors which comes to our minds are thani thatuwen piyabanna , mata thama mathakai & raagaye unusuma . out of those 3 , for me ttp stands out by some margin . this movie shows jangi janadari at her very best ( in my opinion , the best actress ) while gayani gisanthika , w jayasiri , nirdha uyanheywa , nilupili jayawardena , mahendra pereira , priyantha prabash , jagath chamila , sanjeevani vithanage , willson gunaratne & amarapala karasinghearachchi gives out unmatched performance for this great movie . anoma the jangi janadari all the way ! ttp rocks !
it is indeed very rare to find all these best actresses to star in the same film . you will not get tired of all the boobies you see in film . it is well acted and my favorite roles are played here by sapna roshini and thanuja weerasuriya . mohan is also doing a great job so does rex codippili and sandow harris . mata thama mathakai surely gets my vote in this list of the greatest films in sri lanka - dorrick somasiri , kiribathgoda .
sapna roshini , thanuja weerasooriya & vinu wettamuni all in one film ! you can ' t get better than this ! the best film after cheriyo darling .
horrible horrible movie ! a 12 year old boy is caught watching porn with a friend at school . then comes a prostitute to the scene . the boy meets the national museum ' s security guard ' s daughter . security guard raping the boy ' s mother who is a magistrate ! the boy & the magistrate both get into a bathtub naked ! the boy stabs his mother and she dies . . . i don ' t know what ' s the mentality of asoka handagama ? movies like this is not suitable for our buddhist country . i ' m so ashamed to born in such a perverted country full of psycho ' s & lunatics !
it ' s sannasgala sir ' s co - favourite film ! the other one is thani thatuwen piyabanna . he showed us both films in class ! we love it !
saroja , written and directed by somaratne dissanayake and now screening in cinemas across sri lanka , has been widely applauded by critics and the local mass media .
it is a good movie . crowd comes to film halls again due to this film .
the most horrible movie i have ever seen ! what a joke ! sajitha anthoney ( son of jackson anthoney ) is not suitable for the role of king pandukabhaya at all ! he looks like an ethopian who hasn ' t had food for a week ! he should have played the role of pandukabhaya servent or pandukabhaya servent ' s servent maybe ! it ' s ashamed that sl ' n cinema has fallen into such tragedy . . . a sad sinhala cinema admirer for 67 years here . . . : (
i haven ' t watched the film but i have heard about the story from my mother . it sounds like a wonderful film . i really love the song . it ' s my favorite sinhala song ! - toukakirishima
the 1st time i saw this on t . v . i was so thrilled and desperate to watch it again that i went to pettah traveling 45 km in bus and purchased a bahuboothayo cd for 50 rupees !
doti and titi are owners of a boarding house . they have three daughters . namely �
rupika , yasodhra , pavodhara . one room of the boarding is occupied by bandu and costa . and the other by kimbulapitiya and pussalla . doti’s dream is to wed his first daughter rupika to kimbulapitiya . but rupika is in love with bandu . dottie’s mother is an old woman of 79 years named babi aachchi . she is still fit enough to ride her bicycle . babi aachchi supports her grand daughter rupika’s affair with bandu . to break this relationship kimbulapitiya brings in a rowdy called belek - kade saima to the boarding house . to counter this babi aachchi brings another rowdy named malukade jora as a boarder . after a lot of hilarious incidents and situations . tit for tat affairs bandu weds rupika and lives happily ever after !
the 1980 film directed by lester james peries that follows the lives of village people in british colonial sri lanka . the film is based on the 1913 book the village in the jungle by leonard woolf . starring vijaya kumaratunga , joe abeywickrama , malini fonseka , tony ranasinghe , nadeeka gunasekara , d . r . nanayakkara & henry jayasena . sir arthur c . clarke also has a minor role as an english judge .
it ' a made in 1976 and it ' s one of the best . upali & jinna are memorable characters created by martin wickramasinghe .
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in this little corner of the world , this side of paradise , there are ups and downs , amalgamations and splits . there are corners unexplored and stones unturned . spotlights invariably focus on the usual suspects . but then there are things ignored . sacred cows kept in corners . privileges hidden under covers . this paradise is full of them . i choose to reveal them . to transcribe them . in fragments .
he made you think that he wasn’t essential to a story when in fact he was . as a result of this perhaps , he remained a supporting player , who at most added to a point - of - view which was of another character but never really made up his own . he was there in the films of almost every director who had an impact on the cinema of this country – most noticeably perhaps , dharmasena pathiraja and vasantha obeyesekere . in the latter’s films he was likeable , in the former’s films he was not , and in both he showed us that one could be a side - player and at the same time create a mark for oneself .
. the entire film is really made up of a series of coincidences , plot - twists , and dénouements , which is why it remains obeyesekere’s most conventional story . three misfits – an unemployed graduate , a pickpocket , and a criminal who’s just been released from prison – meet and for some reason decide to live their lives adventuring together . vijaya kumaratunga played the graduate , wimal kumar da costa played the pickpocket , and dehipitiya played the criminal . all aptly cast , but seeing dehiptiya one can sense how he could understate his own strength and hardiness onscreen , which makes him stand apart from the other two .
he used his looks – wizened and quite brusque – to his advantage , and they pay well in sequences where he’s expected to let out his anger but never quite does so . so in dharmasena pathiraja’s
he’s one of anton aiya’s henchmen , and in the first half of the story we immediately understand his ferocity and penchant for anger . “i never knew how dirty you’d become , woman , ” he point - blank tells malini fonseka’s character helen , who like her mythical namesake forms the centre of the tragedy on account of her seductiveness . when dehipitiya’s character warns her , we cringe in fear , as if he’s hinted only part of his anger . we expect more as the scenes progress .
but no : in the second half , when cyril ( played by cyril wickramage ) , who’s engaged to marry helen , is killed or commits suicide ( we never really are sure what happens to him ) , he seems to back down . “what to do , aiye ? that was god’s will , ” he remarks to anton ( played by joe abeywickrama ) , only to get the enraged reply : “god’s will my foot , yako ! ” by this time dehipitiya displays his true potential : as someone who played characters who flaunted their strength but always retreated when time was ripe for those to whom they played second fiddle to assert themselves . in
he does the opposite to let room for the main player ( only momentarily though : when dehipitiya backs down and eventually leaves him , anton is on his own , and a few sequences later , he is killed by the servant of his rival in just about the easiest way possible ) .
, where his role as an impoverished villager to whom abilin , the protagonist ( abeywickrama ) , lends all his money is pivotal ( in a simplistic way ) in showing us the latter’s generosity , when in later sequences we see the same villager ( now richer and less in need ) demanding money lent to him over a trivial matter from his own previous benefactor . and when he could and did express his outrage or anger of his own will , like in sumitra peries’
, it was almost invariably followed by tragedy ( he gets shot not long after he succumbs to anger against the village headman , played by tony ranasinghe ) .
spelt out the dehipitiya who could have been much more , had he lived . on april 27 , 1982 he succumbed to alcoholism , leaving us with a veritable bunch of characters who spoke and did much more than what the script allowed . he was scripted in well in almost every film he was in – a feat which not many actors from here can claim – and that came out best in the latter part of his career .
this is me . who i am . what i write . and what i stand for . i welcome constructive debate . but abhor the sneer and gibe .
not too many years ago , before i found a job , i was involved with tracking down , calling , and interviewing veterans from various cultural . . .
“with apologies for generalising , i would say that despite decades of free education sri lankans are still lazy thinkers ; a most gullible . . .
garasarapa , jayantha chandrasiri ' s latest , was given a special screening at the tharangani hall at the national film corporation on f . . .
in his memoirs pin athi sarasavi waramak denna , ediriweera sarachchandra dwells on the intricate link between a cultural resurgence and t . . .
jayantha chandrasiri likes to talk , i have always noticed . and how . he can explain and rationalise something that appears to be so porten . . .
anagarika dharmapala is the worst thing that happened to sri lankan history . he was a racist , a political pamphleteer , a propagandist who . . .
my friend hiruna , who is studying for his a levels , yet somehow finds the time to write the most beautiful sinhala poetry i have ever rea . . .
the history of the buddhist clergy , in this country , has largely been a history of schisms , splits , and amalgamations . over the decades . . .
i wrote crap as a child . i didn’t learn to write at school , i learnt to read . with the sole exception of my grade eight english teacher m . . .
one never really gets to a sensibility , particularly when it comes to a person who makes a profession out of his or her voice . vocalists . . .
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1956 - dina dina award for the painting mahabinishkramana at the annual art exhibition organized by the jathika kala peramuna .
1965 - merit award for the best lyricist at the film festival of lanka industrial exhibition for the song “atha gavu ganan durin” in sinhala film gatavarayo .
1968 - award for the best lyric writer for the song “sinidu sudu mudu thalave” composed for the film sath samudura ( directed by dr siri gunasinghe ) at the sarasaviya film festival .
1970 - receives the award for the best lyricist for his song “ratakin ratakata” in the sinhala film binaramalie at the sarasaviya film festival .
1972 - receives the hela vidu saviya kumaratunga memorial award for his patriotic songs .
41st academy awards - winners - presenters . . . cinematography ) diahann carroll ( presenter best visual effects , documentary awards honorary award to onna white ) tony curtis ( presenter best supporting actress , short subjects . . .
the a - team - production notes - awards . . . during its time , the a - team was nominated for 3 emmy awards in 1983 ( outstanding film sound mixing for a series ) for the pilot episode , in 1984 ( outstanding film sound mixing . . .
3d systems - community involvement & partnerships . . . partnering with the 90 - year - old scholastic art writing awards in the future new category . . . for this branch of the scholastic awards , students will be challenged to express bold and innovative ideas using new technologies . . . free 3d design software to facilitate their creations and will award three winners with a $ 1000 scholarship . . .
59th world science fiction convention - awards - other awards . . . john w . . . campbell award for best new writer of 2000 or 2001 kristine smith . . .
kelly osbourne - awards and nominations 2002 – teen choice awards – tv – choice breakout star , female ( the osbournes ) – won 2003 – teen choice awards – favorite tv personality – nominated 2003 – teen . . .
intel’s new ‘pinetrail’ atom processors roll graphics and memory controllers right into the cpu – plus they are smaller and use less power .
chip - making giant intel has taken the wraps off three new atom processors , aiming to push so - called netbook and net - top computing to new heights – using even less power . the new cpus , codenamed pinetrail by intel , integrate memory controllers and graphics processors right into the cpu for improved performance , plus the chips are some 60 percent smaller than their predecessors . the chips intended for netbooks use 20 percent less power than intel’s earlier atom chips , and the versions aimed at net - tops use 50 percent less power .
intel atom is the brand name for a line of ultra - low - voltage x86 and x86 - 64 cpus ( or microprocessors ) from intel , designed in 45 nm cmos and used mainly in netbooks , nettops , and mobile internet devices ( mids ) . on december 2009 , intel announced the next generation of atom processors , including the n450 , with total kit power consumption down 20 %
the new chips include the atom n450 , which rolls in 512k of l2 cache and has a total power consumption of 7 watts . the atom d410 is aimed at desktop systems with 512k of l2 cache and 12 watts of power consumption .
the d510 is also aimed at desktops and ramps up to 1 mb of l2 cache and 15 watts of power consumption .
all three of the new chips run at 1 . 66 ghz , like previous atom offerings . all the new atom cpus are built on intel’s 45nm manufacturing process ; the power consumption figures for the chips seem higher than previous atom cpus , but bear in mind they also include graphics and memory controllers , so the total power consumption foot print ( and heat output ) is considerably lower . although the new cpus probably won’t show dramatic performance improvements over previous generations , they will be a boon to netbook fans in terms of battery life .
the pinetrail atom cpu’s integration of graphics and memory controllers is another round of bad news for graphics developer nvidia , which had been building its ion platform as a high - performance drop - in replacement for graphics controllers on intel’s earlier atom processors .
since the new atom cpus have graphics controllers baked into the chip itself , there’s no way for system manufacturers to buy graphics - free versions of the new atom chips if they wanted to go with another graphics solution .
intel says the new atom processors will be available to original equipment manufacturers ( oems ) in january . more than 80 netbooks and other products based on the new atom processors are already on the way from manufacturers like dell , asus , lenovo , acer and toshiba .
expect to see tons of products with the new generation of atom processors on parade at consumer electronics show ( ces ) in january .
this is not a book to teach you how to get into iit or even survive .
funny , dark and non stop this is the story three friends whose five point something gpa has come in the way of everything : their love , friendship their life and future .
intensely sympathetic to the choice of its characters dilip simeonn’s first novel is a passionate and intelligent account of a time so turbulent that its echoes and still haunt us . no longer sure of their mission the characters are forced to confront the question can a just society emerge from violence ?
thirty days to a perfect life – on this inspirational yet enormously practical cd program robin sharma one of the planet’s leading success coaches shows you how to create a truly extraordinary life . lessons include how to achieve success with significance , big ideas , developing a winning mindset , insights on reaching a balance between work and life .
enrich your speech and writing with appropriate idioms and phrases that you find in this book .
india’s most widely read author , has produced an uninhibited erotic and endlessly entertaining celebration of love sex and passion . he was a member of parliament from 1986 to 1986 .
the life and times of shah rukh khan . kushwant singh being a friend of the family is the best writer for this family portrayal . he has produced an endlessly entertaining book .
travelling through time , space and history , the narrator meets a myriad of people who have participated in the major historical forces that have shaped and endowed delhi .
answer our wiz quiz and win valuable book vouchers from sarasavi book shop . mail your answers to wiz quiz , daily news , lake house , no 35 , d r wijewardena mawatha , colombo 10
it’s the film award season once again ! awards for the best performances and technical accomplishments in feature films released during 2010 will be announced during the first quarter of 2011 . the best known – and most sought after – film awards are presented by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences ( ampas ) . official called the academy awards , they are better known by their informal name , the ‘oscars’ .
the first academy / oscar awards ceremony was held on 16 may 1929 , at the hotel roosevelt in hollywood to honour outstanding film achievements of the 1927 / 1928 film season . the 83rd oscar awards ceremony is scheduled for february 27 , 2011 , and will honour the best of films released during 2010 . nominations for the 2010 awards will be announced today .
this is the first of two quizzes looking at the colourful and glamorous oscar awards . first , a peep at the history of oscars
1 . who was the first asian director to win the oscar award for best director ? this taiwanese - born director won the oscar for brokeback mountain in 2006 . he first became famous for directing the wuxia martial arts epic crouching tiger hidden dragon in 2000 .
2 . only three indian made movies have been nominated for the best foreign language film in the entire oscar history . two of them are mother india ( directed by mehboob khan , 1957 ) and salaam bombay ( directed by mira nair , 1988 ) . what is the third and most recent one , which was directed by ashutosh gowariker in 2001 ?
3 . the japanese director akira kurosawa ( 1910 - 1998 ) , regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema won two oscar awards for best foreign language film during his career spanning 57 years . one was for rashomon in 1951 . the other was for a russian language movie he directed in 1975 . what is the name of this second movie , a soviet - japanese joint production ?
4 . the highest number of oscars won by any single film is 11 . three films have achieved this feat . the first was ben hur in 1959 , and the second was titanic in 1997 . do you know the third movie that also won a total of 11 oscars , in 2003 ?
5 . this composer has won 8 oscar awards , giving him more oscars than any other living person . he has won oscars for the best original score and best original song for movies the little mermaid ( 1989 ) , beauty and the beast ( 1991 ) , aladdin ( 1992 ) and pocahontas ( 1995 ) . who is he ?
6 . a versatile actress , still very much active in hollywood , holds the record for the most number of oscar nominations in acting received by any actor ( male or female ) . from these 16 nominations ( 13 for best actress , and 3 for best supporting actress ) , she actually won two oscar awards : best supporting actress for kramer vs . kramer in 1979 , and best actress for sophie’s choice in 1982 . who is she ?
7 . only two movies in the history of cinema have won both the best picture oscar and the palme d’or ( ‘golden palm’ ) , the highest award to competing films at the cannes film festival in france . the lost weekend won both these in 1945 . what is the other movie that won both grand prizes in 1955 ?