kannathil muthamittal ( english : a peck on the cheek ) is a 2002 indian tamil-language musical war drama film written , produced and directed by mani ratnam .

it features madhavan , p. s. keerthana and simran in the leading roles with nandita das , j. d. chakravarthy , prakash raj and pasupathy portraying other pivotal characters .

the film 's score and soundtrack were composed by a. r. rahman , while ravi k. chandran handled the cinematography .

mani ratnam presents the story of a child of sri lankan tamil parentage adopted by indian parents , who desires to meet her biological mother in the midst of the sri lankan civil war .

the film premiered at the 2002 toronto international film festival , it also received a strong reception when screened at the san francisco international film festival in 2003 .

the film received high critical acclaim upon release and went on to win six national film awards , six filmfare awards south , seven tamil nadu state film awards and best film awards at six international film festivals .

kannathil muthamittal

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with the release of mani ratnams latest film kannathil muthamittal , the 14th of february 2002 heralded a new era in indian cinema .
steven spielberg once remarked that anthony hopkins possesses a special acting genius . kannathil muthamittal stands as a testimonial to mani ratnams filmmaking genius . in fact , spielberg could save a fortune simply by understanding how mani makes his kannathil muthamittal look so ultra slick with a modest budget compared to similar hollywood forays .
it was a memorable night for madras talkies when director mani ratnam ' s
kannathil muthamittal
swept home six awards at the 22nd cinema express awards ceremony on saturday evening .
i totally understand now as to how you choose your films for scene - by - scene review . kannathil muthamittal obviously is not a right option . sorry for even mentioning it . i should have guessed this .
the songs in kannathil muthamittal actually seem essential and even integral to the plot , slipping in and out obtrusively . the music score by a . r . rahman is superb and is a welcome departure from his repetitious ways .
kannathil muthamittal is an exceptional concept that is marvelously executed . it may have as well been titled roots . it is the story of a nine - year - old girl in quest of her roots and true identity , aligned with the backdrop of the formidable ltte in sri lanka .
in short , kannathil muthamittal is arguably the finest movie ever made in asia . if audiences in the west thought that crouching tiger , hidden dragon was the best film to have come out of the continent , they will be blown away by this groundbreaking movie from indias best known director .
the production values are out of this world and cinematography is breathtaking . this is said of every mani ratnam movie but the camera work in kannathil muthamittal needs to be seen to be believed . the few war scenes that jump out at the audience and take them surprise are shot exquisitely and look incredibly realistic .
the v - day line - up of previews seemed simply irresistible to stay away from . mani ratnam ' s ` kannathil muthamittal ' scheduled to start at 3 - 30 p . m and the premiere of revathy ' s ` mitr - - my friend ' at sathyam at 6 - 30 p . m .
despite the final moments , kannathil muthamital is an eminently watchable film . the performances , the music , the cinematography would definitely not leave you disappointed as a whole .
there is nothing in the movie for the masses , teenagers or even college - going students who walk into movie halls expecting an out and out entertainer . kannathil muthamittal is for mature , sophisticated and educated audiences who can understand the various nuances and complexity of the plot . the movie is built to push your emotional buttons without the slightest hint of pathos .
[ hook ] nenjil jil jil jil jil , kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil kannathil muthamittaal nee kannathil muthamittaal [ chorus oru dheyivam thandha poovae , kannil thedal yenna thaayae ( 2 ) vazhvu thodangum idam needanae ( aaah ) vazhvu thodangum idam needanae vaanam mudiyumidam needanae kaatrai poala nee vandhayae swasamaga nee nindrayae maarvil oorum uyirae oru dheyivam thandha poovae , kannil thedal yenna thaayae ( 2 ) nenjil jil jil jil jil , kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil , kannathil muththamittaal nee kannathil muththamittaal ( 2 ) yenadhu sondham nee , yenadhu pagaiyum nee kadhal malarum nee , karuvil mullum nee chella mazhaiyum nee , chinna idiyum nee chella mazhaiyum nee , chinna idiyum nee pirandha udalum nee , piriyum uyirum nee pirandha udalum nee , piriyum uyirum nee maranam meenda jananamm nee oru dheyivam thandha poovae , kannil thedal yenna thaayae ( 2 ) nenjil jil jil jil jil , kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil , kannathil muththamittaal nee kannathil muththamittaal ( 2 ) yenadhu selvam nee , yenadhu varumai nee izhaiththa kavidhai nee , ezhuththu pizhaiyum nee iraval velicham nee , iravin kannir nee ( 2 ) yenadhu vaanam nee , izhandha siragum nee ( 2 ) naan thooki vallatha thuyaram nee oru dheyivam thandha poovae , chiru oodal yenna thaayae ( 2 ) vazhvu thodangum idam needanae . . . vazhvu thodangum idam needanae vaanum mudiyumidam needanae kaatrai poala nee vandayae , swasamaga nee nindrayae maarvil oorum uyirae . . . oru dheyivam thandha poovae , kannil thedal yenna thaayae ( 2 ) nenjil jil jil jil jil , kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil , kannathil muththamittaal nee kannathil muththamittaal
kannathil muthamittal is a 2002 tamil comedy , drama film , directed by mani ratnam and produced by mani ratnam , g . srinivasan . this film stars r . madhavan , simran , j . d . chakravarthy , nandita das , p . s . keerthana , prakash raj in the lead role . the films soundtrack and background score were composed by a . r . rahman with lyrics by vairamuthu .
some of the popular locations are bekal fort , kerala , ( uyire uyire from bombay ) , athirappilly falls , kerala , ( oru deivam thandha poove from kannathil muthamittal and narumugaiye narumugaiye from iruvar ) , kalyani theertham , tirunelveli , ( azhagaana raakshasiye from mudhalvan ) , chennakesava temple , karnataka , ( sundari kannaal from thalapathi ) and the fern hill palace , ooty , which has over dozens of movies to its credit .
1 . pallavi anupallavi ( kannada ) 2 . unaroo ( malayalam ) 3 . pagal nilavu ( tamil ) 4 . idaya kovil ( tamil ) 5 . mouna ragam ( tamil ) 6 . nayagan tamil ) 7 . agni natchathiram ( tamil ) 8 . geethanjali ( telugu ) 9 . anjali ( tamil ) 10 . thalapathi ( tamil ) take 2 thalapathi ( tamil ) 11 . roja ( tamil ) 12 . thiruda thiruda ( tamil ) 13 . bombay ( tamil ) 14 . iruvar ( tamil ) take 2 iruvar ( tamil ) 15 . dil se… ( hindi ) take 2 dil se… ( hindi ) 16 . alaipayuthey ( tamil ) 17 . kannathil muthamittal ( tamil ) take 2 kannathil muthamittal ( tamil ) 18 . yuva ( hindi ) 19 . aayutha ezhuthu ( tamil ) 20 . guru ( hindi ) 21 . raavanan ( tamil ) 22 . raavan ( hindi )
kannathil muthamittal ( english : a peck on the cheek ) is a 2002 tamil drama film directed and produced by mani ratnam . it features p . s . keerthana , madhavan and simran in the leading roles with nandita das , j . d . chakravarthy , prakash raj and pasupathy portraying other pivotal characters . the film ' s score and soundtrack were composed by a . r . rahman , while ravi k . chandran handled the cinematography .
kannathil muthamittal met with acclaim upon release , with ratnam and p . s . keerthana ' s performance as the young amudha particularly gaining praise . channel 4 films described the film as
stunning . . . thought provoking ,
and time out chicago declared ,
ratnam has a ravishing eye .
the chicago reader observed
ratnam ' s passionate conviction fortifies the tragic and inspirational aspects of the story
and the chicago tribune wrote
realistic , intelligently written and often quite moving .
between steven spielberg ' s ` artificial intelligence ' ( ai ) and mani ratnam ' s ` kannathil . . . ' just that there ' s nothing ` artificial ' about our director ' s tale , it is entirely human within the parameters of commercial cinema .
kannathil muthamittal ( a peck on the cheek , கன்னத்தில் முத்தமிட்டால் ) ( 2002 ) is an award - winning tamil feature film directed by mani ratnam . it stars p . s . keerthana , madhavan , simran , nandita das and prakash raj . the film ' s score and soundtrack were composed by a . r . rahman . the film ' s title is a famous phrase from a poem written by subramanya bharathy , which literally means a peck on the cheek . mani ratnam presents a glimpse of the island of sri lanka at civil war , through the eyes of a child of sri lankan tamil parentage , who desires to meet her biological mother .
vikram isn’t the first man who worked hard at overcoming a setback , but what makes his story slightly different is the magnitude of his dream . he wanted to become a hero ; it was that or nothing . he said no to mani ratnam when offered the role of the heroine’s sister’s fiancé in alaipaayuthey . he said no to mani ratnam again when offered the role of nandita das’s husband in kannathil muthamittal . he told himself , instead , “i want people in kerala to recognise me . i want my films to do well in andhra pradesh . i want to be known in the north . ” this was either the world’s most foolish man , or the bravest .
kannathil muthamittal film begins at a small village in sri lanka , where a sri lankan tamil woman shyama ( nandita das ) gets married to dileepan ( j . d . chakravarthy ) , who along with few other sri lankan tamils in the village ( including shyama ' s elder brother ) is part of the tamil tigers rebel association , which fights for the rights of sri lankan tamils . while romancing each other at a mud river after marriage , the couple hear sounds of sri lankan army troops approaching , thus dileepan flees , leaving behind shyama . what happened to dileepan after that remains a mystery , as shyama realizes that she is pregnant and waits in vain for dileepan to return .
at prasad labs on thursday , if you expected to be witness to the story of a nine year old , you get more than just that . ` kannathil . . . ' is the film - maker ' s plea for love and peace in sri lanka , a trilogy of sorts after ` roja ' and ` bombay ' .
in kannathil muthamittal , it works a little better , because we are in the perspective of a 9 year old little girl ( ignoring the prologue section which i will deal with later ) . and this is how time and space function for a little kid , the big moments are big and memorable , but the little moments all kind of blur together . memory and the past is made up of these huge landmarks floating in a sea of things that don’t matter . and the present is always firm and certain , there is no sense that relationships might change or people might be different . all of that is conveyed through ratnam’s story structure , especially the way he handles the opening sequences .
also , you said that simran yelled at amudha when she is found after running away . but after yelling simran confides in amudha with teary eyes as to how she almost died of fear and concern because amudha ran away . hearing this , amudha immediately hugs simran and apologizes . i thought that was one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie although i would say that there is not a single scene in the movie that is not deep and impactful . i agree with you that the narrative structure mani ratnam uses in his films – especially roja , bombay , kannathil muthamittal and alaipayuthey – is magical . the narrative structure is quite hypnotic and leaves a lasting impression of the story and the characters in most viewers which in itself is enough to deem these films as all - time classics .
kannathil muthamittal tells the story of a child born in a refugee camp for sri lankan tamils in india and subsequently adopted by an engineer / writer who marries the girl next door in order to qualify as an adoptive father . the couple then decide to tell the child about the adoption on her ninth birthday . mani ratnam reportedly based the story on the experience of american parents taking their adopted daughter back to the philippines to meet her mother . the trip from chennai to northern sri lanka is much shorter , but much more dangerous . the combination of an emotional struggle within a family and an attempted reunion literally in the midst of guerilla war is potentially overwhelming . but mani ratnam knows how to handle it , as he had already demonstrated with bombay ( 1995 ) , set amidst communal violence .
what also adds to the film’s victory is the writing by mani ratnam and sujatha . getting to make a film against the back - drop of the sri - lankan crisis was never going to be an easy task at all . while we can always debate as to how effective was the portrayal of the conflict in sri lanka as shown in the film , we definitely need to admit that there was no glorification of the issue , any overt statement issued or a stand taken per se . in the end in spite of the serious context of violence hovering around , kannathil muthamittal still fundamentally remains a simple story of a girl in search of her parents . that we remain glued to amudha’s journey till the end is in itself a victory for mani sir as most of us might agree by now .
the summer is a chance to watch some of my archive of videotapes and transfer those worth using to dvd . kannathil muthamittal ( a peck on the cheek ) is one of two films made back in tamil nadu by mani ratnam after his hindi experience with dil se . the other was alai payuthey ( 2000 ) , one of my favourite films that i have watched several times . although my experience of mani ratnam’s work is limited , i’m reasonably confident in asserting that his films shot in the south are better than those made elsewhere in india . when i watch the tamil films , i really do wonder why anyone bothers to watch the majority of bollywood films . the cliché is that bollywood represents a fantasy india constructed just for the vicarious entertainment of the cinema audience . by contrast , mani ratnam’s tamil films deal with real social issues set in ‘real’ environments . i use the scare quotes to emphasise that ratnam’s world is not a simple reflection of reality ( which we all know is impossible on film ) but that his construction of reality does draw on the experiences of families living in a recognisable world .
plot of kannathil muthamittal the film begins in a small village in sri lanka called mankulam , where a sri lankan tamil woman shyama ( nandita das ) gets married to dileepan ( j . d . chakravarthy ) , who along with few other sri lankan tamils in the village ( including shyamas elder brother ) is part of the tamil tigers rebel association , which fights for the eelam tamil nation . while romancing each other at a mud river after marriage , the couple hear sounds of sri lankan army troops approaching . he asks shyama to leave for her safety while he remains in the forest . what happened to dileepan after that remains a mystery . shyama realizes that she is pregnant and waits in vain for dileepan to return . her villagers begin fleeing to india to seek refuge as the war between ltte and the sri lankan army goes full scale , affecting their village in the process . shyama is initially stubborn to leave since one of the men says that he has seen dileepan with bullet wounds in the forest near the mud lake , but her relatives convince her that she has to seek refuge for the sake of her to - be - born child . the villagers board a boat to the shores of rameswaram , which is a famous refugee hub for sri lankan tamils . while a local collector takes down the names of the refugees , shyamas water breaks and she gives birth to a baby girl . however , as soon as the baby is born , her urge to find her husband and be with her people back home overwhelms her and she leaves behind the newborn girl in hopes that the girl will lead a better life .
the music by a . r . rahman without doubt is top class . however , some songs like vellai pookal and amudha’s intro song sundari gel very well with the film but others like kannathilmuthamital don’t take the story one bit forward . but to compensate the song kannathil muthamital has been shot marvelously . ravi . k . chandran has been given a free hand and he holds nothing back with a number of breathtaking helicopter shots , crane shots etc on the vast empty expanse of a beach . even in this highly stylized song there is one moment which stands out for its innocence which is when the camera attached on the crane comes closer to amudha we see her just about managing to keep her dress from blowing up because of the breeze , a la marylin monroe , and hence she gives animpromptu sweet - shy smile .
nandita’s foray into commercial cinema subha j . rao a week after
aks’’ , her first big - banner film , opened to lukewarm response , actress nandita das says its success or failure will not change her life . sitting on a low divan in her sun - bathed home , a casual - looking das says ,
i do not sign a film thinking it will become a hit or a flop .
ightly or wrongly , both tempers and emotions have run very high on the media before , during and after the famous summit . politicians , interviewers , anchors , official spokespersons ( some of whom have gone silent or run away after one - liners ) have been behaving very abnormally indeed and some quite unlike their public image .
jagjit singh is to ghazal singing what javed akhtar is to writing . when the two titans team up , there is bound to be magic . this album presents that in eight different shades .
a week after
aks’’ , her first big - banner film , opened to lukewarm response , actress nandita das says its success or failure will not change her life .
sitting on a low divan in her sun - bathed home , a casual - looking das says ,
i do not sign a film thinking it will become a hit or a flop . that is always a gamble . i enjoyed the making of ‘aks’ , it was a whole new experience . ’’
asked if people did not relate to her character supriya , who is married to a much older man and is devoted to her family , das says ,
such relationships exist in society and if it is done in a believable manner , it will be accepted . and despite everything , supriya had a mind of her own . ’’ das told uni in an interview .
but , you see , when the length of a film has to be reduced , sometimes the nuances of characters also get lost . in ‘aks’ , a few scenes that would have helped the viewer understand supriya better went under the editing table . but , it is a director’s medium , he has a larger vision and ultimately it is what the director wants , ’’ she adds .
i was a little unsure about the storyline and took over four months to decide if i wanted to do the movie , ’’ says the actress who brought back the dusky look to the silver screen .
one difference that struck me while working in such a big project was the large set up . sometimes one tends to get lost , ’’ she says .
talking about her commercial viability , das admits she cannot pull the regular crowds to the theatre .
but , i am happy doing the kind of movies i do , ’’ she says .
every actor has his or her limitation in terms of physical framework . is she referring to
lagaan
? aamir khan wanted her to do the role , but the director felt her eyes were too intelligent for her to play an innocent village belle .
gracy singh is wonderful in the movie , ’’ das says .
maybe ashutosh exactly knew what kind of heroine he wanted . ’’
when the conversation drifts to her movies with deepa mehta —
fire
and
earth
, das says she enjoyed making both .
she feels
earth
did not do good business because it did not fit into a
preconceived genre of filmmaking’’ .
people did not know if it was an art film because deepa and i were connected with it or a commercial one because of songs and aamir’s presence , ’’the actress adds .
talking about her body of work , das says most of her films are yet to be properly released .
i have done lots of regional cinema , those are not released across the country . so people do not know about them , ’’ she explains .
she has started shooting for mani ratnam’s next tamil flick with chakravarty , madhavan and simran .
mani ratnam has such energy . we work from six in the morning to seven in the evening , and he is so full of spirit , the actors do not feel tired . he is a passionate director , who gives space and inspires his actors to try out new things , ’’ she says .
another tamil film she has signed up for is
azhagi’’ directed by thangar bachan .
ask her why she does women - centric films and das says it is entirely sub - conscious .
concerns , dilemma and personal likes and dislikes can reflect in the choice of films , ’’ she explains .
when quizzed about how it was working with women directors —deeveri with kavita lankesh and the two movies with deepa — das says it is difficult to answer in black or white .
women bond very well , maybe because we go through similar experiences , share certain sensibilities , ’’ she admits .
this does not mean that men cannot make sensitive films about women’s issues
, das says .
i do not mind doing roles with negative shades provided the film is positive and progressive , she says .
like in shyam benegal’s ‘hari bhari’ . i did not entirely like the character of afsana , who seems shallow , selfish , too religious . . . but he told me that i should do different roles and look at them as an actress , not just with personal likes and dislikes . ’’
there are various ways of approaching a character , says das .
i mostly react to a character spontaneously , intuitively . but finally what you see on the screen is a combination of how you perceive the character and what the director wants you to do , ’’ she adds .
one thing she rues about her tight schedule is that she no longer has enough time to conduct long workshops for children .
maybe , i will take some time off next year , she says .
about her role as a
social activist’’ , das says she has done too little to be called that .
i do what i can , primarily to retain my sanity , ’’ she adds .
coming back home to delhi is peaceful and my reality check . away from the world of films , i am with my parents ( painter jatin das and publisher varsha das ) and friends , ’’ das says .
her forthcoming releases in hindi are mahesh manjrekar’s
pitah
with sanjay dutt and
lal salaam
— a film about the naxalite movement . she has started shooting for
supari
, in which she plays an underworld don .
das says she could not accept an offer from dreamworks as she had already allotted dates to mahesh manjrekar and rituparno ghosh .
just my luck . unfortunately , ghosh had to push back his dates for some reason . ’’
i don’t want to do a foreign film only because it is foreign , as sometimes , it can stereotype indian characters . but , i am definitely open to interesting projects from anywhere in the world , ’’ she says .
jagmohan mundra’s
bawandar
, based on the true - life story of bhanwri devi , is due for commercial release and das says she is happy with the way the movie has turned out .
bawandar is a sincere film , ’’ she says .
i was disturbed while shooting for the gangrape sequence , though . not as an artiste , but as a woman , as a person . i wanted to meet the inspiration , not to copy her mannerism , but what was she made of , to have the courage to live through such an experience , ’’ das explains .
when asked if her cameo of a teacher in
rockford
brought back memories of her four - month stint in rishi valley school , das said she just shot four days for the film . ‘’the stint at rishi valley was one of the best periods in my life . the vast expanse , loving students . . . they made a great combination . you taught because you enjoyed teaching , they learned because they wanted to learn . ’’
she learnt a whole lot of crafts like block printing and pottery there . the latter is still an interest .
does she miss home ?
i do wish i could come home on a sunday instead of living in a hotel room , as all my work takes me out of home and the city i live in . but the short delhi trips compensate for that , ’’ she says .
das also plans to do a play next year .
talks are on . maybe , i will do it next year , ’’ she adds .
ask her about
water’’ , that is shelved as of now , and das says tonsuring her head for the movie was a liberating experience .
i have always worn my long hair in a straight , boring fashion . i have never been experimental . i used to keep touching my bald pate to feel the newness of it all , ’’ she adds . uni
r ightly or wrongly , both tempers and emotions have run very high on the media before , during and after the famous summit . politicians , interviewers , anchors , official spokespersons ( some of whom have gone silent or run away after one - liners ) have been behaving very abnormally indeed and some quite unlike their public image . take for instance , the pakistan high commissioner in india , mr qazi , normally an unflappable , cheerful and courteous gentleman . one could not have believed that he could outshout sushma swaraj , but he did , and both shouted simultaneously so i doubt if either heard what the other was saying . one almost anticipated a up assembly style microphone - throwing match , but fortunately , lapel mikes are difficult to throw . but the viewer not only had a hard time listening but i know some people have been switching off in the past few days whenever a discussion on the summit popped up , which is most of the time .
after all that , one is almost glad to be back with kbc , the syrupy
saas bhi kabhi bahu thi
drooling over each other , india losing cricket matches and the attack on colombo airport by tamil tigers , with all its visual horror . one enjoyed the getaway to the large screen in a crowded cinema house to watch all three hours 45 minutes of
lagaan
.
in the middle of all this bedlam , some people do worry about the weather and they are getting a very tough deal all round . the newer star news weather girls race through their droll at a speed which leaves schummacher far behind , and in mindless sing - song manner which made a young teenager remark .
i bet if you asked them what they had read a minute ago they wouldn’t know
. the princess royal ( also known as the rani sahiba ) of dd with the flowing tresses , reads the news like a shakespeare sonnet and the rest like an audition before the national school of drama . the zee girls have a hard time with the names of places and the
aaj tak
girls are too worried about what they should wear for which programme ( leaning more toward the west via karol bagh ) to make us enjoy the weather bulletins on tv , which we do watch when the seductive anuradha srinivasan is around , even if there is a storm coming up . so please , all channels can we get the weather news in the manner barkha dutt would advise :
calm down , calm down
.
soz ( hmv ) : jagjit singh is to ghazal singing what javed akhtar is to writing . when the two titans team up , there is bound to be magic . this album presents that in eight different shades .
one is not sure if it is deliberate or not , but both of them display a common trait . javed here writes poetry with no flourishes ; its beauty lies in its deceptive simplicity :
jagjit complements the quality with equally low - key singing . when it is heard the first time , it is rather difficult to appreciate its merit . but the oftener you play them , the more the ghazals grow on you .
in keeping with the mood of the album , the jacket is printed in sepia colours . it gives the lyrics of all songs , along with the meaning of
difficult
urdu words . do words like
aashiqui
really need to be translated ?
ghalib has been rendered by so many ustads that a new delineation is a difficult task . in this album , music director rajesh reddy makes such a bold attempt . talat aziz and roop kumar rathod sing under his baton while the music for mehdi hasan has been rendered by mujahid hussain and for ghulam ali , by rafique hussain and ustad barkat ali khan .
it goes to the credit of talat aziz and roop kumar rathod that they have not let these titans overshadow them totally . the former sings yeh na thi hamari kismat … and yeh hum jo hizr mein… while rathod lends his voice to dil hi to hai… , rone se aur… and har ek baat pe …
equally impressive is a commentary on ghalib written by nida fazli and narrated by brij bhushan .
once certain songs become certified hits , their tunes sink into public memory . just look at the way people latch on to the lyrics of songs the moment a few snatches from them are played on tv programmes .
to cash in on the popularity of such hits , tips have come out with a series of three albums of the instrumental rendering of some big hits .
since the series is called soft instrumentals , the songs have been played on the guitar , keyboard and violin by tabun sutradar at exceptionally slow place . that makes the fast a . r . rahman songs almost unrecognisable , but enhances the charm of those by pankaj udhas . the third album is devoted to the songs of r . d . burman .
among the rahman hits , those from
taal
and
rangeela
dominate . all 12 burman hits are from different films .
in the case of pankaj udhas , as many as 36 tunes have been used , divided into 12 topics such as
falling in love
,
first peg
,
celebration
and
intoxication
.
he story of simran is getting curiouser and , to quote alice , curiouser .
( costarring ajith ) . and word was out that she was tamil nadu cinema ' s new queen bee .
then came the buzz about her romantic liaison with ace choreographer raju sundaram . simran , while acknowledging the relationship , indicated that wedding bells were not imminent - - but the industry buzz was that she was cutting down on her assignments .
seemingly , without tripping over the svelte star . and her assignments seem to be getting more and more high profile with every passing day .
in this film , jeeva , in fact , pulls off a casting coup , getting tn ' s two top heroines jyotika and simran back together in one frame .
- - the 100th directorial venture of k balachander , doyen of tamil film directors . this one , incidentally , will see her sharing screen space with , among others , her very own raju sundaram .
the film , incidentally , has madhavan playing the father of two kids . and , again , mani ratnam , with an eye to scoring talking points , has cast malavika , daughter of ace carnatic singer sudha raghunathan and keerthana , daughter of matinee star parthiban and his wife , the erstwhile actress sita , in the two child roles .
it ' s simran ' s entry into the cast , though , that ' s got the industry buzzing .
it ' s simran , though , who ' s gone and landed the project - - and for a star supposedly cutting down on her engagements , she seems to have acquired a pretty full hand .
v - day went past this year leaving a huge hangover of love , friendship , sentiment and a few bullets and bombshells as well , that spilled all over the city screens . for those who love movies , the treat couldn ' t have been any better .
just a day before v - day , a friend suggested we pay final tributes to ` shahjahan ' , on its way towards the 100 day mark , the lone survivor among the likes of ` aalavandaan ' and ` nandaa ' . so ` shahjahaan ' it was , as we saw vijay unknowingly and unwittingly helping his friend fall in love with the girl he loved ( richa pallot ) in a tragedy of errors that ends with a smile on the hero ' s face . and at 12 - 30 a . m . , v - day fare had just started .
the story of t . amudha ( played by p . s . keerthana who along with the director showed up , after the preview ) was just an excuse , a ruse to ensure that there was no controversy this time around ( for there was talk of possibility that the film might be titled ` kudai ' or ` manjal kudai ' _ as a metaphor for an umbrella for lankan refugees when the film was under production , with details shrouded in secrecy ) .
there are very few in india from whom you can expect such an intelligently and sensitively crafted flick that actually passes off just a story of a girl in search of her real mother ( madhavan and simran play her foster parents ) .
david ( in ai ) was 12 years old . . . his love was real . he was not . t . amudha is nine years old . her love was real . her parents were not . so there starts a little girl amudha ' s search for her real mother , just like a little robot david ' s search for the ` blue fairy ' who would make him a real boy . only , that the local tale is more gripping and has a pace that ' s faster than spielberg ' s .
so we did miss the beginning of revathy ' s ` mitr ' . but ` mitr ' , we found , seemed to strike an instant rapport with the women audiences as it closed to a fun - filled climax .
for a direct contrast , we hopped theatres once again to catch up with the action , ` behind enemy lines ' also a tale of love ( america loves its soldiers ! ) . just two days ago , we had caught up with another ` one ' of those jet li movies , a janta mishmash of ` matrix ' or ` terminator ' , minus the class .
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the songs hold their sway on our hearts . in the early nineties , a . r . rehman came as a bolt from the blue . his music with its modern trends captivated the hearts and minds of the whole lot of youngsters . the youths of the land readily fell for him . and now it is the turn of harris jayaraj to repeat the same trick . in attracting the discerning ears of the youths of the day as a piece of magnet would do with that of iron , harris remains as adept as a . r . rehman . he nearly equals his illustrious mentor in weaving a grand spell of musical magic .
all the six songs lend grandeur to the film . really , they belong to a higher class . if we were to point out our hand and announce the song that takes the first place in the fashion of metro priya of yesterday ( ! ) , the song that comes to the fore is
gul mohur malare
. we are simply flabbergasted by the strenuous efforts taken by harris jayaraj to add color to the latest lyrical lines of love poured down from the pen of poet vairamuthu . a . r . rahman is known for augmenting character , flavor and taste to even the tiniest of sounds . following in the footsteps of his legendary guide and guru , harris jayaraj has jerked and flipped the guitar in a masterly manner in the
charanam
of this song to produce torrential showers of music .
among the songs ,
mercury mele
may be ranked as the next - best . the clear - throated voice of devan has rendered the song . our bliss increases and increases as we go on hearing it , since the lover stands alone and sings the feelings of his blossoming love . the new catchy word
athoda
lends a jolly mood of the song .
the song
mutharkanave
starts in the carnatic fashion . in the course of the song , suddenly , harris gives a twist and turn to the trend of the music by bringing in his wonted western music surely ; he gives us a surprise gift . the sonorous song ,
padapada pattamboochi
has been rendered in the resonant voice of sadhana sargam . whether any other singer might have sung that song with such an authority is not known .
there are two small songs in addition to these four songs . they can very well be called as haikoo poems . the lady lyricist , thamarai , writes one of the songs ,
hari gori
. the other one is
pinju thendrale
.
all said and done , the songs cannot be termed as unalloyed pleasures . actually , they remain as mixed bags for there are some mistakes too . bombay jayashree ' s voice had fascinated all no end in
vaseegara
. but it lacks lustre in
mudarkanave
. there is a trace of weariness in it . harris might have reminded of harini instead of bombay jayashree . the chorus sound
oh
that comes between the first pallavi and charanam is in high pitch . the noise becomes a burden to the ears . harris might have strained a little more in the formulation of the time for
pinju thendrale
.
the songs ,
gul mohur molare
and
padapada pattamboochi
easily remind us of the songs ,
pachchai nirame
and
uppukkaruvadu
respectively . we don ' t say that they are copied works . but harris might have easily avoided this trend of adopting from the hit songs .
but to our youngsters would treat even huge mountains as small mustard seeds in the event of being encouraged by their sweet hearts .
kannin kadaipparvai kadhaliyar kattivittal mannil kumararkku maamalaiyum oru kadugaam
! as such , these small drawbacks can be over looked large heartedly , taking into account the tireless work put in by this creator of grand music . his new thoughts are worthy of a welcome reception . his shortcomings , here and there , may be treated as the spots adorned for removing the effects of the evil eyes .
a . r . rehman was introduced as a music director in 1992 with the film ,
roja
and immediately delivered the goods . the waves created by him then have not yet subsided until now . there is no turning back for his , since then . now , nearly after a decade , harris jayaraj has made it big with his very first assignment , ' minnale ' . it can be said that he too had created a feverish frenzy in the world of music through the songs of ' majnu ' . he has been maintaining his popularity , image and the quality of art . no doubt , he has done his motivator , a . r . rehman proud .
harris jayaraj is the musician for the future . his name would be uttered fondly by thetamilians living all over the world in the same vein as they held dear the names of ilayaraja and a . r . rehman , the two unassailable maestros of music . the years to follow belong to the budding wizard , harris jayaraj . there can be no denial of it .
there was much ado before the release of ' citizen ' . but the heavens have not fallen with the release of the film . of course , the film is making progress slowly like a quiet - flowing stream . serenity is there , but certainly no fireworks . the later half of the film is in pell - mell if it is not a perfect pandemonium . one is tempted to question whether all such paraphernalia was necessary even before the release of this film .
they boasted that the film was sure to win several national awards . but it was not to be . the director and ajith , perhaps , were under the misconceived notion that the variety of get - ups was enough to fetch the coveted awards to the film . ( for all this , each of these get - ups occupy the scene for just three minutes at a stretch )
nagma was compelled to act in the film with the help of very strong words .
this film would prove to be wonderful turning point for you . you are going to do a powerful role of a c . b . i officer !
but nagma , in the end , was in for disappointment and dismay . some scenes vital to her were cut away . the voice dubbed for her was not up to the needed standard . nagma had to ventilate her grievances openly before the media persons . at the height of her anger , nagma gave a telling punch to the ' citizen ' people .
they ought to have utilized my character in the climax if at all they were sincere in bagging national awards !
of course , it was not at all an edge - of - the - seat climax !
it must be said that even nagma was done some justice . she came for half an hour shouted hoarse ( kaach , mooch ) and left away . meena ' s plight was poorer . she was not for either accepting a guest role or appearing just in a song sequence . people repeated the same words they already told to nagma . rather they added more colour to their assurance this time .
the story takes a turn just because of you making yourself the all - important turning point . meena , gullible as she is , has accepted the role , which has no pith in it . and the inevitable die has been cast . another chance having no charm has come in her way . she is now slated to dance for a song in vijay ' s forthcoming film , ' shah jahan ' .
when the film was nearing completion , it was announced that all the workmen would be presented with television sets . such a promise was handed out as the producers were damn hopeful of the grandiose success of the film . now that the film has not created any big wave , they have retraced the steps . till date , their promise remains unkept . so , they have incurred the wrath and the curses of the workmen .
our section , ' mistaken takes ' would bear testimony to the fact that the ' citizen ' people have disappointed the audiences to the core after creating many fond expectations in their hearts . a peep into the subsection ' citizen ' would reveal loads and loads of seathing criticisms and glaring mistakes . the people concerned should realize early that those who want to give a surprise gift to the viewers must always hold their cards closer to their chest . they would do well to take a leaf out of the book of director shankar . he never blows his trumpet prior to accomplishing his feats . cinema is all about delivering the goods and not about chattering matters of all sorts . the audio cassettes of prashanth starrers ' chocolate ' , ' virumbugiren ' and ' majnu ' are in hot currency among the movie - loving public of tamil nadu . which picture would be released in the wake of ' star ' ? will it be virumbugiren ? a big no is the answer . ' chocolate ' which was launched after ' virumbugiren ' has overtaken it in the race to hit the silver screen . virumbugiren , which was inaugurated two years ago , is still lagging behind . chocolate enters into the arena of competition with a big bang . its audio cassette announces prizes worth over rupees one thousand . the song , ' malai , marudamalai ' has become a mega hit . there is no stopping the ' chocolate ' . anyway , there has to be a calm after the storm . we can expect a breeze to blow in ' virumbugiren ' following in the footsteps of the tempest , ' chocolate ' .
vivek is the light - hearted , happy - go lucky man on and off the silver screen . by nature , he is a jolly man . the day in which scenes with vivek are shot naturally turns out to be a day of delight of all the unit members of the concerned film .
director sasi testifies to this fact . he is directing ' roja koottam ' under pressure with all sorts of tension . he has reason to be so , because he is making a film for a big producer . he is directing a brand new hero . and he has landed on an opportunity in tamil filmdom after a gap of two years . after sending word for srikanth and bhoomika , he becomes too busy with the preparatory works for the shoots along with lens man panneer selvam . no doubt , they earn their bread by the sweat of their labour . and film - making is a nerve - rocking , back - breaking and brain - taxing work .


the protocols of zion is a 2005 documentary film by jewish filmmaker marc levin about a resurgence of antisemitism in the united states in the wake of the september 11 , 2001 attacks .

appearing on screen along with his subjects , levin engages in a free-for-all dialogue with arab americans , black nationalists , evangelists , white nationalists , kabbalist rabbis , holocaust survivors , and frank weltner , the founder of the jew watch web site .

levin 's film draws its inspiration from an encounter he had in a new york taxi not long after 9/11 , in which his driver , an egyptian immigrant , made the claim that the jews had been warned not to go to work at the world trade center on the day of the attack .

he then said that " it 's all written in the book , " referring to the protocols of the elders of zion , a 1903 book purporting to disclose the jews ' master plan to rule the world .

discredited as a hoax by the times of london in 1921 , the protocols provided a crucial influence on hitler 's world views , and had fuelled hatred , violence , and ultimately genocide attempts through the first half of the twentieth century .

ads for the film show two stacks of books , visibly entitled protocols of zion , with smoke billowing out of the top portion of the left-hand stack .

this looks much like actual pictures of the world trade center as the fire raged through it .

the movie was made in 2005 , four years after the wtc attack .

protocols of zion ( film )

marc levin speaks with malik zulu shabazz at hbo ' s screening of
protocols of zion .
there are no featured audience reviews yet . click the link below to see what others say about protocols of zion !
there are laughs in marc levin ' s
protocols of zion ,
which is quite an accomplishment for a film about the increasing anti - semitism around the world .
interesting theory . however , the dvd
the illuminati protocols of zion : the plot against israel by doc marquis is way more accurate .
the jewish journal of l . a . - ‘protocols’ exposes ugly legacy of lies
you can discuss the film with marc tonight at the walter reade theater at lincoln center at 6 : 30 . thinkfilm will release the film in new york and la friday , playing locally at the lincoln plaza cinemas and the angelika film center . and don ' t forget to share your thoughts on the protocols of zion filmmaker ' s blog .
protocols of zion
makes it case expertly and powerfully , but it does not propose a solution . the cumulative effect of the film ' s message is enormous sadness that hate is so strong and so resistant to reason .
every bit as disturbing and unruly as the subject itself , levin’s protocols of zion drives straight to the heart of the hate that animates all religious fanaticism and zealotry .
rambling and disjointed , protocols of zion starts out pretty interesting and then begins skidding all over the place , losing focus just as it should be building momentum .
the plot : the secret story of the protocols of the elders of zion by will eisner new york : w . w . norton , 2005 , $ 19 . 95 ( hardback )
in 1993 , a russian court ruled that the protocols of the elders of zion is an antisemitic forgery - -
the first such verdict in the land where the fraud originated 90 years ago .
*
afterwards i related my version of the hbo screening to some of the crowd . one young man asked , “where’s the follow up headline , “shabazz reconsiders remarks after zion screening” he added , “you have to run with this so everywhere shabazz goes from now to the million more march he is asked , ”did you change you mind about no jews dying on 9 - 11 after seeing the film “protocols of zion ? ”
this is a frustrating documentary that could have been so much better . given the title , i had expected an in - depth look at the protocols of the elders of zion , a notorious forgery . . .
he went on to suggest that i had basically produced the jew hatred in the film that i had to ”go to a prison , a patterson street corner to get any resonance of the protocols of zion , any resonance and the resonance was really pathetic .
he insisted it was a totally inaccurate picture of what’s happening .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
* for anyone interested in the most contemporary and original expose of the protocols , i suggest will eisner’s , “the plot : the secret story of the protocols of the elders of zion . ” we filmed with eisner , considered to be the godfather of the graphic novel , while he was illustrating the book . he passed away last january . the scene didn’t make it into the final cut of the film but will hopefully be included in the dvd extras .
shtetl
: a film by marian marzynski come here to find out more about the film
shtetl
and about filmmaker marian marzynski and photographer slawomir grunberg . the script is available for downloading , along with articles and reviews of the documentary . additional information on special screenings of the film and how to order tapes is also available .
and of course there are some jews who are just uncomfortable that the film is out there . i guess that shouldn ' t be surprising since i included that right in the film when i was told to not even make the movie .
director marc levin has been making provocative documentaries and fictional features for more than two decades . his 1998 film slam
this rumor was supported by a widely - believed , and often debunked , idea of an international jewish conspiracy to rule the world stemming from a book called
the protocols of the elders of zion ,
which is still widely available for purchase online and in bookstores .
the protocols
supposedly describe a meeting during which a group of jewish elders discuss their plans for world domination . it turns out the book was originally written as anti - semitic propaganda by the secret police in 19th century czarist russia . yet
the protocols
are still widely believed in many parts of the world and this country . levin ' s new film attempts to explore why .
despite all the evidence , millions around the world continue to blame the jews for 9 / 11 . this belief is a modern - day incarnation of the infamous “the protocols of the elders of zion , ” the century - old forgery that some people claimed to be the jews’ master plan to rule the world . filmmaker marc levin sets out to understand why “the protocols of the elders of zion” has been revived , and to challenge one of the most persistent , insidious conspiracy theories of all time . in the course of his explosive journey , levin finds himself delving into the heart of hate , facing those who would traffic in bigotry , all in the name of god .
hello blogosphere : controversy ! that ' s where we start . when i began the film “protocols of zion” i knew i was heading into explosive terrain . the film is provocative . i want all kinds of people to see it and discuss it . so i wasn ' t totally surprised when lloyd grove did a piece this tuesday ( sept . 27th ) in his lowdown column in the ny daily news headlined , “zion ' guest list may be inviting trouble . ” grove broke the story that we had invited malik zulu shabazz , chairman of the new black panther party and co - convener of the upcoming million more march , to the hbo premiere screening and that shabazz had accepted the invitation and was coming .
“orthodox jews hobnobbing with members of the nation of islam ? palestinian activists breaking bread with israelis ? could these be images straight out of eden ? far from it . the scene instead was a wine - and - cheese reception held last week at hbo ' s new york headquarters in connection the upcoming documentary
protocols of zion .
at a volatile juncture in world events , protocols of zion is the personal odyssey of veteran filmmaker marc levin ( “slam” ) . as a jew and a new yorker living and working not far from the site of the world trade center , levin grapples with one of the central issues facing the world today : religious intolerance and hate .
despite all the evidence , millions around the world continue to blame the jews for 9 / 11 . this belief is a modern - day incarnation of the infamous
the protocols of the elders of zion ,
the century - old forgery that some people claimed to be the jews ' master plan to rule the world . filmmaker marc levin sets out to understand why
the protocols of the elders of zion
has been revived , and to challenge one of the most persistent , insidious conspiracy theories of all time . in the course of his explosive journey , levin finds himself delving into the heart of hate , facing those who would traffic in bigotry , all in the name of god . at a volatile juncture in world events , protocols of zion is the personal odyssey of veteran filmmaker marc levin (
slam
) . as a jew and a new yorker living and working not far from the site of the world trade center , levin grapples with one of the central issues facing the world today : religious intolerance and hate .
, which followed the clinton presidential campaign , has inspired several more recent political documentaries over the last decade . his new film
offers a variety of substantive links for learning more about anti - semitism . for example it connects to : the german information center for the study of racism ; manifestations of antisemitism around the world , a report by the israeli government ; and
the protocols of the elders of zion ,
the notorious anti - semitic forgery , with articles and analysis .
after the infamous 9 / 11 attacks of 2001 , there came a virulent resurgence of antisemitism reemerging in america convinced that the jews were responsible for the terrorism . feeding this is the repeatedly debunked book libel , protocols of the elders of zion and its disguised adaptations . director marc levin goes on a journey to interview the promoters of this kind of hate in all its forms .
ultimately , it seems clear that russian tsarist secret police in france put together these strands and others to create the first version of the protocols . a russian forger , mathieu golovinski , apparently had a prominent hand in the creation , a recent finding that is heavily emphasized by eisner . golovinski may have been responsible for adding the venue of the protocols - - a jewish graveyard where the elders of zion are described as holding their conspiratorial meetings .
levin’s filmmaking journey takes place against an increasingly volatile backdrop : u . s . troops march on iraq , arab television stations broadcast a dramatization of “the protocols of the elders of zion , ” malaysian prime minister mahathir claims the jews rule the world by proxy , mel gibson releases “the passion of the christ” and violence reignites between the palestinians and the israelis .
the only civilized response to this display of abject ignorance , hatred and bigotry is one of anguished despair , but levin ' s film enlightens as much as it enrages .
at the same time i certainly felt some solidarity with the purported goals of the million more march , especially after the katrina disaster . i have spent a good part of the last two decades making films about the war at home , the drug war , the gang wars , the prison wars , the race war… . so i was curious to see for myself what mr . shabazz had to say and how he would react to my film , “protocols of zion . ”
in the last few days we have seen a new wave of talk of conspiracy , jews , zionists , and israel . first the president of iran publicly exhorts his followers , saying that israel , “must be wiped off the map . ” that same evening iranian tv runs a special documentary on “the protocols of the elders of zion” claiming it reveals the true zionist plot for world domination .
the same week , iran ' s president was refusing to back down from his call to fellow muslims to
wipe israel off the map .
meanwhile in egypt , tv viewers had just spent ramadan enjoying a new drama series based on
the protocols of the elders of zion ,
the notorious anti - semitic hoax .
levin ' s film is most effective as it objectively documents the history of international anti - semitism , but loses ground whenever it reverts back to anecdotal coverage of the subject .
marc levin ' s documentary film is not directly centered on the protocols , but it keeps circling back to what is undeniably one of the most important documents in the long history of anti - semitism . the film begins at the site of the world trade center destroyed on sept . 11 , 2001 , where black street activists are angrily telling passersby that jews were secretly warned away from the buildings . ( this false theory , including the assertion that 4 , 000 jews would have died had they not been warned , is immensely popular both abroad and , in america , among many black extremists . ) levin , who with his father is an on - air presence in the film , follows the threads of that conspiracy theory and others that inevitably lead back to the protocols . in fact , some of the most compelling footage - - clips that are scattered throughout the film - - comes from
knight without a horse ,
a lurid , 30 - part series based on the protocols that was aired on egyptian television in 2002 .
no matter how well levin had made this film , there will still be those who will accept the protocols and other bogus documents as fact . still , it ' s reassuring to know that somebody has the courage to challenge the lies and to examine why they ' ve been so s
as for the abundant evidence that the “the protocols of the elders of zion” is not only a fraud but a plagiarized forgery i suggest the doubters simply consult the historic record . as far back as 1921 , philip graves of the london times revealed the protocols to be a fraud , showing it to be based on a french satire aimed at napoleon iii . the 1864 book by maurice joly ' s was
les dialogues aux enfers
or “the dialogue in hell between montesquieu and machiavelli , ” in a series of side - by - side extracts printed in the times , graves demonstrated that the forgers took long portions of the original text and simply replaced
france
with
zion
and
the emperor
with
we the jews .
propelled by the racist tract , which has revived for a new generation that is looking for someone to blame , levin takes to the streets in protocols of zion , engaging in a free - for - all dialogue with arab - americans , black nationalists , christian evangelicals , aryan skinheads , kabbalist rabbis , holocaust deniers and survivors , and parading peaceniks .
the associated press ' s initial report on the trailer – an amateurish , practically unwatchable production called the innocence of muslims – identified a mysterious character ,
sam bacile
, as its producer . bacile told the associated press that he was a jewish israeli real estate developer living in california . he said that he raised $ 5m for the production of the film from
100 jewish donors
, an unusual claim echoing protocols of the elders of zion - style fantasies . unfortunately , the extensive history of israeli and ultra - zionist funding and promotion of islamophobic propaganda in the united states provided bacile ' s remarkable statement with the ring of truth .
in a work completed in the last month of his life , cartoonist will eisner , famed as
the father of graphic novels ,
attempts to untangle the extremely complex story of the protocols . initially published in russia in the first few years of the 20th century , the protocols ( of which there are a great many versions ) is a fictitious account of a jewish plot to conquer the world . it claims to quote secret speeches given by an anonymous jewish leader at 24 meetings of the so - called elders of zion . the basic idea is that the jews , using masonic lodges , the power of gold , subversion of public opinion and morals , and the ideologies of both capitalism and communism , are engaged in a centuries - old plot to destroy christianity .
but it’s not a picture of the umbrella man on the grassy knoll or the cartoon - like general from the pentagon calling someone at the cia who calls the cops in dallas . or the protocols with 12 elders of zion in a graveyard or cave somewhere deliberating , “monday we start the bank run , tuesday the depression , wednesday the assassination , thursday the coup and friday the war . . . ”
last night we had a preview screening at lincoln center with a panel moderated by richard pena , the director of the film society of lincoln center . the panelists were alan brinkley , professor of american history at columbia university , stuart klawans , film critic for the nation , and martin peretz , editor in chief of the new republic . i joined the panel and quickly realized it was something of a critical gang bang – one after another came the litany of criticism and complaints – no intellectual rigor – scattershot – too personal and in your face – but then martin peretz went for the jugular intimating that the film was not good for jews .
i give this dvd . . - 1 star . . no information about the protocals of zion . its all about alan levin . he isnt going to say its all true is he ? . . crapp dvd . .
now come two american jews who are not scholars , but artists , men who apparently each felt they had to react to the noxious poison . in highly individual ways , each man uses his craft to take on the myth that has fueled anti - semitism more than any other for 100 years - - the protocols of the elders of zion , a book purporting to be a verbatim record of jewish leaders plotting to take over the world .
the majority of revolutions , coups d ' etat , and wars which have occurred in the world [ in the past ] , those that are occurring , and those that will occur , are almost entirely the handiwork of the jews . they [ the jews ] turned to [ these methods ] in order to implement the injunctions of the fabricated torah , the talmud , and the ' protocols [ of the elders of zion ' ] , all of which command the destruction of all non - jews in order to achieve their goal - namely , world domination .
documentary in which political filmmaker marc levin examines the rise of anti - semitism in the usa following the terrorist attacks of 11 september 2001 . the belief that jewish people were somehow responsible for 9 / 11 has its roots in the infamous publication ' protocols of the elders of zion ' , a century - old russian forgery that some people claimed to be the jews ' master plan to rule the world . levin sets out to understand why this racist tract has been revived , and to challenge one of the most persistent , insidious conspiracy theories of all time .
a powerful , must - see documentary that shines a new light on an old tragedy .
- - indiewire
a valuable and frightening survey of contemporary anti - semitism .
- - new york post
ghoulishly funny and smartly sobering .
- - newsday
a compelling case that authenticates our greatest fears .
- - san francisco examiner
protocols of zion makes its case expertly and powerfully .
- - the new york times
the story eisner tells , which ends with the seemingly irrepressible protocols resurfacing repeatedly in the contemporary world , is byzantine in its complexity and occasionally makes educated guesses about matters that cannot be known . it can be a fascinating tale , but it more than once suffers from the blizzard of exhaustive and confusing detail that eisner felt compelled to include . one example is the 17 pages of side - by - side comparisons of the texts of the protocols and joly ' s book .
protocols ultimately lacks the focus and the scope to have much effect beyond causing us to shake our heads in dismay at the usual suspects : ignorance and those who would exploit it .
in 1935 there was actually a trial in switzerland where two swiss nazis were charged with circulating the protocols . they claimed they were real . the judge ruled against them and said :
abraham foxman , national director of the anti - defamation league , speaks to reporters at adl ' s office in new york after he saw the mel gibson ' s film
the passion of the christ
for the second time , feb . 25 , 2004 . he said he was still worried about reactions to the film when it comes out in places like argentina and europe , where there ' s been less debate about its content .
another guest chimed in “you couldn’t have asked for more . your film just got one of the most vicious anti - semites to rethink one of his most inflammatory accusations . this is a significant retreat and you guys should be all over it . ”
near the dawn of the 20th century , underlings of czar nicholas ii created a book called the protocols of the elders of zion , which purported to be the outline of a master plan created by powerful jews determined to rule the world . first published in 1903 , the essay was a hoax ( and was revealed as such for the first time in 1921 by the london times ) , but that hasn ' t prevented it from having a long and troubling life as a widely distributed cornerstone of anti - semitic hate literature ; it ' s still in print around the world , and was adapted for egyptian television in the new millennium . when filmmaker marc levin was confronted with another widely disseminated bit of anti - jewish propaganda ( the false assertion that no jews died in the world trade center attacks of september 11 , 2001 ) , he developed a new curiosity about the protocols and other
factual
sources of anti - semitic hatred , and set out to find out more about anti - jewish propaganda . the result was protocols of zion , a documentary which offers a surprising ( and surprisingly witty ) look at figures from the hate movement in america in elsewhere , ranging from leader of the neo - nazi national alliance ( who also sells aryan wear footwear ) to an anti - semitic media analyst who announces that rupert murdoch is actually a jew . the film also examines henry ford ' s well - documented hatred of jews , anti - semitism among radical african - americans , and the memories of levin ' s father , a self - described
all - american jew .
the next day in washington , d . c . vice president dick cheney’s chief of staff , lewis “scooter” libby , is indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in the cia leak case . shortly after , the web is full of new postings claiming libby was the leader of the real “elders of zion , ” the jewish neo - con conspiracy that controls us foreign policy .
i didn ' t really give it much thought until he called me a few days later and gave me some of the names he was in touch with . he told me malik shabazz was interested in seeing the film .
in 1929 even henri ford , who popularized the protocols in the united states , was forced to admit they were not real and he apologized for publishing them in his newspaper , the dearborn independent .
“the question - and - answer session was more contentious , with the
questions
running more toward rambling rants . one questioner went on at great length about how jews are not the only semites and how arabs and africans are excluded by the term
antisemitism
; another was incensed by the presence of kahanist extremists in the film , and a third , a member of the nation of islam smelling a new conspiracy in hbo ' s promotion of the film , demanded to know how much the cable channel had paid for
protocols .
images of a
jerry springer
- esque chair - throwing brawl may have danced through some onlookers ' minds , but cooler heads prevailed . and the forces of peace , triumphant for the day , then moved on to the coffee and cake . ”
i bought this video for my local high school video library , to introduce the students to the fraud of the
protocols
. i assumed from the title it would expose
the protocols
for being the forgery and fraud that it is , and this video just does not do that . it was disjointed , and confusing , jumping from just a tiny bit of protocol history , to 9 - 11 , to mel gibson ' s
passion of the christ
, to the israel / palestine conflict , to anti - semitic hate groups , to a scene with prisoners . some scenes had me curious if this was pro or anti
protocls
. it just does not make the connection of the
protocols
to modern day anti - judaism . it would have been much better to stay with its title , the history of the protocols , and the fact that it has been proven more than once as a forgery and a fraud .
it ' s probably useful for the world to know the extreme lengths to which bigotry is willing to travel ; protocols may not be the best - made documentary , but it definitely fills in those blanks .
that the assault was pre - planned , allegedly by of one of the jihadist groups that emerged since the nato - led overthrow of libya ' s gaddafi regime . so even though the deadly scene in benghazi may not have resulted directly from the angry reaction to the islamophobic video , the violence has helped realize the apocalyptic visions of the film ' s backers .
that ' s the rumor i heard only days after 9 - 11 and it was really the inciting incident for the film . i was ready to take up shabazz ' s dare and set the record straight : hundreds of jews died on 9 - 11 !
eisner ' s graphic novel attempts to tell the story of how the protocols was actually written , a story that is largely known but to which certain new revelations have recently been added . in 1921 , a british journalist established that the protocols was largely plagiarized from an 1864 political satire by maurice joly aimed at french dictator napoleon iii from a liberal point of view . joly ' s book , dialogue in hell between machiavelli and montesquieu , never mentioned jews at all . joly himself also plagiarized from popular fiction of his day to enliven his own book .
i read the book and watched the dvd by marc levin ( called protocols of zion ) . i thought both were worth my time . the dvd provides clear evidence of what some in our world believe and shows the passions that are yoked to those convictions . there are people who will immediately discount and reject levin ' s presentation , but , taken at face value , it clearly presents a collection of straight forward experiences and , honestly , saddens me . we are a deeply torn humanity . as a researcher , protocols was a book i needed to go through . while presenting itself as
jewish ,
i ' m amazed by the similarities i find , in outlook and method , with any number of anti - democratic totalitarian systems , with american progressivism , statist secular socialism , and even with islamic political fundamentalism . one could replace many jewish references with some other entity and recognize historic examples of what the protocols convey , likely because the book presents the workings of evil . evil finds its home in the human heart , in the human condition . thus , no single people group escapes its touch and the protocols can apply to many throughout history . assume it was not of jewish authorship and origination . the author would need to be intimate with the workings of evil him or her self to create the work . we meet ourselves . i realize the book ' s fame is anchored to some islamic promotion , yet the concept of
freedom
found on pages 51 , 65 , and 97 ( in my copy ) , for example , is a similar concept , a similar view of freedom , as that found in islam ( freedom according to shariah , harmony , and as outlined by islamic thinkers like seyyid qutb ) . so , before one throws stones , one should examine his or her own system and see how protocols speaks to it . not everyone needs to read the protocols , and those who do should , perhaps , labor to see its wider implications .
with another us election approaching , and the egyptian government suddenly under the control of the muslim brotherhood , klein and sadek joined nakoula in preparing what would be their greatest propaganda stunt to date : the innocence of muslims . as soon as the film appeared on youtube , sadek promoted it on his website , transforming the obscure clip into a viral source of outrage in the middle east . and like clockwork , on september 11 , crowds of muslim protesters stormed the walls of the us embassy in cairo , demanding retribution for the insult to the prophet muhammad . the demonstrations ricocheted into libya , where the deadly attack that may have been only peripherally related to the film occurred .
through these q & as ; , have you noticed that people in the audience have preconceived ideas that they stick to or does the film actually change the way they think about these issues ? my line now is ,
it ' s not about conversion ; it ' s conversation .
first of all , most people who see the movie have never heard of
the protocols of zion .
unlike a lot of people i spoke to , they ' re not experts in the field of hatred . so they ' ve never even heard of the thing . some had heard the rumors post - 9 / 11 , but it ' s an eye - opener . i guess the biggest thing is some people leave saying ,
oh my god , this is frightening and depressing .
and others say ,
i ' ve actually been inspired . i want to get involved . i want to know what i can do .
i think those are the biggest divergent reactions .
according to an actor in the film , the all - volunteer cast was deceived into believing they were acting in a benign biblical epic about
how things were 2 , 000 years ago
. the script was titled desert warrior , and its contents made no mention of muhammad – his name was dubbed into the film during post - production . on the set , a gray - haired egyptian man who identified himself only as
sam
( nakoula ) chatted aimlessly in arabic with a group of friends while posing as the director . a casting notice for desert warrior listed the film ' s real director as
alan roberts
. this could likewise be a pseudonym , although there is a veteran hollywood hand responsible for such masterpieces as the happy hooker goes hollywood and the sexpert who goes by the same name .
it comes from all directions and now with this blog we enter the wild world of the web . hopefully , i can give you some sense of what the journey is like over the next few months . the film opens on oct . 21 in new york and la and then rolls out across the us and canada .
produced and promoted by a strange collection of rightwing christian evangelicals and exiled egyptian copts , the trailer was created with the intention of both destabilizing post - mubarak egypt and roiling the us presidential election . as a consultant for the film named steve klein said :
we went into this knowing this was probably going to happen .
much of this documentary , however , is anything but amusing . the film takes as its symbolic subject
the protocols of the elders of zion ,
a document first distributed a century ago , purporting to reveal a secret jewish plan to rule the world . ( it was exposed as a forgery in the 1920 ' s , but you can buy it in paperback on amazon . com . ) as a parallel , mr . levin addresses a more recent example of anti - semitic propaganda : the widespread assertion that no jews died in the sept . 11 world trade center attack because they had been warned to stay home that day . in the united states , mr . levin talks to sidewalk preachers and opinionated young people who use coined words like jewmerica . he interviews the creator of the web site jew watch and the publisher of the arab voice . he shows scenes from anti - semitic mini - series broadcast in egypt . he throws in a 2003 speech by the former prime minister of malaysia in which he stated that
jews rule the world by proxy .
uncomfortable just because it brings attention to the existence of
the protocols
? exactly . my kids had never heard of the book . most of my friends hadn ' t . i think there are some people who say it ' s better not to even mention this thing . better to just bury it or burn it , and i obviously feel differently .
“ok . , so far we’re talking . and the protocols pamphlet ? “i have no idea , ” said mr . shabazz , “whether it is true or false . ” eric toure muhammad , executive director of the black african holocaust council , also voiced his suspicions , “i have no proof , ” he said , “that it’s a fabrication . i’m not here to say that i believe in it . however , it is uncanny how so many similarities in terms of what we see in the world today fit those protocols . ” o . k . , less constructive .
afterwards david d ' arcy of npr moderated a panel discussion with rabbi abraham cooper , ( simon wiesenthal center ) david van biema , ( time magazine editor of religious affairs ) , and mehdi elieffi , ( arab american community leader ) and then there was a spirited but civil and thoughtful q & a . ; mr . shabazz raised questions about who the real semites were and the treatment of the palestinians . mr . muhammad asked about hbo ' s involvement in the production and my attempts to interview minister farrakahn . he also felt that the film did not necessarily disprove the protocols . the exchanges were intense , heartfelt and respectful .
the protocols was obviously a very personal project for levin , his chance to get at the eternal question : why always the jews ? it was inspired by a single conversation the filmmaker had with an arab cabdriver who was convinced that israel was behind the 9 - 11 attacks . how did the cab driver know this ? because he had read it in the book
the protocols of the elders of zion .
the century - old book purports to be the minutes of a secret meeting of jewish leaders in which they lay out their plans for world domination . in fact , it ' s a fraud ; most of the book was plagiarized from earlier works of fiction . mainstream western society declared it out - of - bounds over 80 years ago . yet as levin documents the book remains remarkably popular both on the fringes of american society and throughout the arab and muslim worlds . levin tries to get to the bottom of this by interviewing neo - nazis , palestinians , radical black activists , conspiracy theorists , christian evangelical leaders and various jews . the most fascinating and disturbing bits are clips from arab tv shows which dramatize the protocols as if they were historical fact . he never quite gets to the bottom of it - - he ' s not exactly the most probing of interviewers - - but the results are never less than fascinating . he deserves enormous credit for his bravery in talking to many of these people as well as his willingness to explore the
don ' t go there
areas of jewish conspiracy myths . watch it with some friends then go to a coffee shop and have a good discussion .
one of the most interesting ones i did last week in chicago . as part of their film festival , they have an outreach program , 500 inner city kids from the top public high schools in chicago . that was wild , to see people really get involved and asking themselves tough questions and struggling with their stereotypes . it ' s been fascinating .
then one of the other men he came with , eric ture muhammad , approached and shook my hand and said ,
i came up all the way from alabama with mixed emotions . but the moment i saw that picture of che guevera in your father ' s home my heart opened . the father son story in the film spoke to me and reminded me of my relationship with my father , stokley carmichael .
( one of the original black panthers of the sixties who popularized the slogan , “black power . ” )
“i hope that one day there will come a time when no one will any longer comprehend how in the year 1935 almost a dozen fully sensible and reasonable men could for fourteen days torment their brains before a court of berne over the authenticity or lack of authenticity of these so - called protocols . . . that , for all the harm they have already caused and may yet cause , are nothing but ridiculous nonsense . ”
excuse me marty , i wanted to do a gonzo film without talking heads , experts , academics , and pundits like you . if it bothers you , well it bothers me that you didn’t bother to check out my body of work with street gangs , mobsters , cia operators , anti abortion terrorists , prisoners , drug dealers , religious zealots , and extremists of all stripes . then you might have had a better understanding of my approach .
so what really was the impetus for making this film now ? the inciting incident was an encounter with a new york city taxi driver who was an egyptian immigrant who believed in
the protocols
and told me about the rumor about no jews dying on 9 / 11 . then i saw the two television series that were being shown [ during the islamic holiday ] ramadan , first the egyptian one and then the diaspora , the syrian / lebanese one , which you see clips from in the film . i read that tens of millions of muslims were watching this 40 nights in a row and not looking at it as just a miniseries but as actual history – a 40 hour miniseries ; it was unbelievable . i was like ,
tens of millions of people are watching this stuff , and they think it ' s history . exactly who are we hiding this book from ? ourselves .
and that ' s kind of where it started . i said , alright , i ' m going to jump into the middle , and take it to the streets just to find out , just to start to see what ' s happening . obviously with the iraq invasion and [ the release of ] the passion of the christ , the intifada in israel , just the whole world situation kind of escalated as i started making it , and it kind of just grew .
m father was the last thing we added to the film . it was some of the earliest stuff i shot , and i really shot it more just to get grounded and really to have for my children and my sisters and their families , to capture my father when he ' s still on the top of his game . but it wasn ' t in the first cut . when we showed that cut , the reaction from the small group of people we screened it to , they were numb . it was just an overdose of hate . they said ,
you need some other emotions in this film .
so that weekend my editor ken eluto came in and played around with some of the footage of my father that we had shot . when i came in on monday , he said take a look at this , and it was surprising . i see what people are saying : the love of family , and father and son , a whole other feeling
you ' ve been doing events like the one at lincoln center tonight ) around the country for a few weeks . what kind of reaction have you been receiving ? it ' s sensational . in terms of the q & a ; , it ' s so interesting . this is a film that obviously leaves people wanting to ask questions and discuss these things which is really the purpose . you need to talk about it .
how did you first hear of
the protocols
? i read
the protocols
back in the ' 70s . i was just curious about history and conspiracies . i grew - up in the ' 60s so the kennedy assassination and other conspiracies interested me . when somebody said to me ,
hey do you want to read the mother of all conspiracies ?
and i said ,
what ' s that ?
the jewish conspiracy . check this out .
and i read it like it was an artifact of an age long gone . it read like a superhero comic , a kind of byzantine comic book . and if anyone had told me in the mid - 70s that this thing was going to come back and be in any way relevant or referred to in the 21st century , i would have thought they were out of their minds .
maybe we can show the film in baghdad , marty , to the anti - american islamic extremists and street people we’ve empowered . if only you neo - cons had listened to the wisdom of the street instead of the slick hustlers who took our tax dollars and promised a quick and easy victory . now look at the mess we ' re in and ask yourself ,
who is really giving us jews a bad name ?
the leader of the jdo did show up at the screening the next evening at the jewish historical society . surprisingly , he said he liked the film . but when he went into his harangue about why i shouldn’t meet with jew haters like shabazz , the audience quickly tired of the bombast and asked him to ask a question and sit down . he was harmless , more buffoon than brown shirt . he huffed and he puffed and he blew himself down .
well , and the ironic thing is that someone who believes in
the protocols
might say that the fact that the jewish community doesn ' t want this discussed is because maybe marc levin doesn ' t know that there really is a conspiracy and the community is trying to keep it quiet . i agree . that is another side of the coin . it ' s not totally surprising though . i understand that the jewish establishment is powerful and makes a lot of films . there are plenty of other people to do the history of anti - semitism or the true deconstruction of
the protocols
– the actual history of the document – or to do a study on religious hate and talk to professors and scientists . there are a lot of people who can make those films , and they are being made , and i think that ' s good . i ' m all for it . but there aren ' t a lot of people who are equipped to have this kind of dialogue that i was prepared for because of my experience . so i thought it was a strength to be a maverick and i still do . and not an institutional representative because i ' m just here as a filmmaker .
what was your process like making this film . was it the same as on your previous documentaries ? you obviously couldn ' t have everything planned out because you don ' t know what people are going to say to you ; the movie is sort of a diary of your investigation . so did you just have the idea and then let it flow wherever it took you ? and since you obviously spent a couple years shooting , how did you know when you were done ? i would say that this is the most free - flowing of my films . each film is a little different , but certainly because i was doing it myself , and it was independent , this is in many ways the most jazz - like and organic film i ' ve made . but there was , you know , an outline which was basically start with the rumor that had hit the streets [ that no jews died on 9 / 11 ] ; talk to the people who were promoting it , believing it , proselytizing it , spreading the book and tying it to 9 / 11 ; and somehow factor in some of the back story – it ' s hard to understand any of this unless you do understand the deicide charge that for 2000 years jews were seen as christ killers , so the passion worked into that ; acknowledge that the middle east conflict has only inflamed all sides ; and somehow finish up on the third anniversary of 9 / 11 with the names of hundreds of jews that were killed .
i don’t know what kind of evidence they are looking for . when we were shooting the film we went to the medical examiners office to find out how many jews died on 9 - 11 . we were told that the ny medical examiner does not identify deceased by their religion . but as the lead investigator shiya ribowski passionately pointed out , “hundreds of jews died on 9 - 11 . i know i identified their remains . i worked with their families and attended their funerals . ”
i was under no illusion that he was going to have a conversion experience . he wasn ' t invited to be on the panel . he and his associates were simply invited to see the film and then join in the question and answer session after the panel discussion . my simple hope was that because the million more march was 3 weeks away , this might be an opportune moment to modify the tone of some of the exchanges between the more militant african american community and the jews .
when we started organizing this event , i was asked to invite people who were in the film . there is a scene we shot in trenton state prison with a group of inmates . some of them were members of the nation of islam . obviously they were not able to come , although we are trying to arrange a screening in this maximum security prison . they work with a community activist , emmanuel avraham , who runs the life skills program , which helps ex - cons and gang members re - enter society . they asked him if they could invite some members of the nationalist movement to the screening . he relayed the request and i said ok .
a documentary about the rise of anti - semitism in the usa after the terrorist attacks of september 11 , 2001 .
cbsn : on assignment
ep . 2 : guns of chicago ; enemy of the state ; muslims love me
while you state the case and present evidence that
the protocols
is a forgery and jews did die on 9 / 11 , the majority of what you see and hear in the film is , in fact , people who believe the rumors and the likelihood of this jewish conspiracy . do you worry that maybe people will miss what is actually your point ? for me , it is always most powerful when people reveal themselves . you don ' t have an expert telling you ,
this is why nazis do this .
you see and you judge for yourself . so in terms of the personal journey of the film , i wanted to look into their eyes . i want to try to figure out where is this coming from . i ' ve heard this 100 times , but let me try to get a little deeper . and also , i want to arm myself . intelligence – think about it , in terms of our greatest failure in this so - called war on terror : we have no idea what these people think . we have no idea how to get inside their heads . that ' s the biggest failure there is . and so the most frustrating thing for me about this process has been the ongoing problem with so many in the jewish community who basically feel ,
let ' s not talk about it . why the hell do you let any of these people talk . it ' s best just left buried and undiscussed .
and in that sense they don ' t even want people to see the movie .