One of the books we checked out from the library was Lonely Planet’s “The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World” and it is exactly that. Each country is summarized in one single spread. There’s a short introductory paragraph followed by the suggested best time to visit, a list of essential experiences, etc. But one of the best parts is the “Getting Under the Skin” section which lists suggestions of what to Read, Listen to and Watch in advance of a trip for those interested in getting a taste of the country. Some suggestions are better than others, but we thought it would be a great starting place, so we signed up for a Netflix account and started ordering their movie recommendations.
So far we’ve watched:
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Recommended for: Morocco
Synopsis: African folktales that have been handed down through the generations are the crux of this animated story about a remarkably gifted child, Kirikou, imbued with physical strength, superior intelligence and the ability to talk from an amazingly early age. When an evil sorceress places a curse on the local village, Kirikou finds his talents co-opted by the townsfolk in their desperate attempt to lift the spell. The musical score is by Youssou N’Dour.
We Say: I was definitely uncertain for the first few minutes of the film – the animation is good but simple (it had a number of qualities that reminded me of the old He-Man cartoons) and folk stories can always seem a bit strange when one isn’t familiar, but the story was very engaging and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.”
Chi-Hwa-Seon: Painted Fire
Recommended for: South Korea
Synopsis: Kwon-taek Im shared the Best Director prize at Cannes for his engrossing portrait of Jang Seung-up, a 19th-century Korean painter who, through the graces of a generous patron, rose from poverty to become one of the nation’s most celebrated artists. Eventually, drinking and womanizing took their toll on the painter; meanwhile, Korea teetered on the brink of political collapse.
We Say: One of the goals in renting these movies, was to hopefully get a glimpse into histories and cultures we weren’t familiar with. The biggest problem that both Anjel and I had wth this film was that it seemed to assume a fair amount of knowledge of Korean history. There were several incidents of one faction taking control from another, but to us it wasn’t clear what was going on. One of the Netflix reviews comments that “The movie’s attention to anthropological and historical details means that things are slow to come alive, but once they do, the nature of Jan’s psychic torture is palpable and unmistakable.” I would agree with the review, adding only that should the anthropological and historical details NOT come alive for you (as they did not exactly for us) then Jan’s psychic torture is unfortunately confusing and “mistakable.”
Michael Palin: New Europe
Recommended for: Not A Recommended Title
Synopsis: Intrepid traveler and Monty Python alum Michael Palin continues his globe-trotting adventures, this time closer to home, as he visits the Central and Eastern European countries once shrouded by the Iron Curtain of the Cold War era. Beginning in the mountains of Slovenia, Palin continues on through Croatia, the Ukraine, the former East Germany and Latvia, revealing the rich characters of both the countries and their inhabitants.
We Say: Ok, this was the 3rd and final Palin installment. I screwed up and ordered them all at once and felt obligated to watch them. New Europe seemed interesting, but at this point we were burned out on Palin and only watched one of the episodes.
Michael Palin: Himalaya
Recommended for: Not A Recommended Title
Synopsis: Intrepid adventurer Michael Palin treks the majestic Himalayas in this installment of his popular video travelogue. In this six-episode collection, Palin journeys through Afghanistan, across India to the region near Mount Everest’s base known as the Death Zone and on to the Bhutanese capital before arriving in the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, he charms the Dalai Lama, the Bhutanese royal family and the once-feared headhunters of the Konyak.
We Say: This was Part 2 of our Palin bender. The simple review is that it turns out that we’re not the biggest fan’s of Michael Palin as a documentarian. The Himalayan subject matter was very interesting at times, but it seemed like every 30 minutes had 7 minutes of interesting content one had to find by wading through the other 23. We don’t know whether it’s because one simply can’t escape their cultural heritage, but there definitely seemed to be something a little patronizing and imperialistic in this observations and travels. Nothing dramatically offensive, but just how he approached situations and travels.
Michael Palin: Great Railway Journeys
Recommended for: Not A Recommended Title
Synopsis: Affable adventurer Michael Palin embarks on two rail journeys, in 1980 and in 1994, as part of the BBC series “Great Railway Journeys.” First, the ex-Monty Python funnyman sets off from Euston station in London on the Flying Scotsman, making stops in York and Edinburgh. Then, Palin journeys across the magnificent Irish countryside to the western country of Kerry, where his great-grandmother left for America in the 19th century.
We Say: Ok, this was our fault. I knew of Palin’s travel documentaries, so I added several to our queue without looking closely at all the descriptions. When it said “Great Railway Journeys” I imagined the Trans-Siberian, or the Orient Express. What we got was a train-lovers view of the “epic” journey from England to Scotland and another journey through Ireland. They weren’t bad, but Michael is clearly a train nut, confessing to being quite the trainspotter as a child, and much of the joy in these documentaries surrounds the trains themselves. Regardless, we have only ourselves to blame for not reading more closely.
Lawrence of Arabia
Recommended for: Turkey
Synopsis: Director David Lean’s Oscar-winning epic tells the true-life story of warrior-poet T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), who helped unite warring Arab tribes so they could strike back against the Turks in World War I. Lushly filmed and expertly acted, this timeless classic underscores the clash between cultures — and within one man — that changed the tide of war.
We Say: Epic, stunning, complex. Being very unfamiliar with the historical figure of T.E. Lawrence, as well as the history Turkey in general, the movie was incredibly effective in piquing our interest. I don’t mean to keep mentioning run time in these reviews, as it is a worthless measure of the value of any movie, but at almost 4 hours long, this was another movie we watched over the span of a couple evenings. O’Toole’s portrayal of Lawrence as rugged but apparently flamboyantly gay seemed confusing until we did some research ourselves and found that, indeed, T.E. Lawrence did have some very strange personality quirks and his sexuality was definitely in question. All said it was a great glimpse into the history of that region.
Kundun
Recommended for: Tibet
Synopsis: A change of pace for director Martin Scorsese, this biopic about the life of the Dalai Lama was filmed with a cast of unknowns in Morocco when film crews were forbidden to enter Tibet. The Lama’s escape during the Chinese invasion, meetings with Chairman Mao and eventual exile in India are vividly depicted with Oscar-nominated cinematography (by Roger Deakins), music (by Philip Glass), costumes and art direction.
We Say: An amazing film. Incredibly moving. It only strengthened our desire to visit Tibet.
Om Shanti Om
Recommended for: India
Synopsis: In the 1970s, small-time actor Om falls in love with superstar Shanti, but the two of them are later killed in a suspicious on-set fire. When he’s reincarnated 30 years later, Om is determined to punish the person who ignited the blaze. In his former life, he swears he saw Shanti’s secret husband set fire to the set … which means his only chance to expose the truth is to have the movie remade.
We Say: Wow. This was the first Bollywood film either of us had seen and it is pretty overwhelming. It is apparently a heavily referential parody/homage of Bollywood films, full of tons of celebrity cameos (over 40) except without a knowledge of the genre most of them were lost on us (our fault, not the movie’s). However, it was very easy and amusing to play “Isn’t that the Indian….” The heroine is clearly the Indian Jessica Simpson; the Indian Martin Lawrence makes an appearance at one point, as do many others. An hour into the film (when we though we were nearing the end as the guy had gotten the girl) I looked at the synopses again – that plot point about the lovers being killed hadn’t even happened yet. Which is when we looked at the movie duration: 2 hrs, 45 minutes!! Long duration aside, the movie was a pretty awesome epic assault of sights and sounds.
Whisky Galore
Recommended for: Scotland
Synopsis: A wartime shortage of spirits shakes up a tiny Scottish isle in this remastered, vintage comedy from Ealing Studios. When a ship full of whisky runs aground off the teetotaling Island of Todday, thirsty residents conspire to guzzle the precious cargo — but uptight Capt. Paul Waggett (Basil Radford) will do anything to stop the boozehounds in their tracks. Joan Greenwood, Catherine Lacey, Gordon Jackson and Bruce Seton costar.
We Say: Not great, but amusing. It’s basically a Scottish “The Quiet Man” with the same crazy cast of eccentric local folk, though the story isn’t quite as polished (though to be fair, it was made 4 years earlier, so technically it came first).
The Quiet American
Recommended for: Vietnam
Synopsis: Based on the novel by Graham Greene, this murder mystery centers on a love triangle set against the French Indochina War in 1952 Vietnam – a world suffused with opium, intrigue and betrayal. A British reporter, Fowler (Michael Caine), falls in love with a young Vietnamese woman, Phuong, and is dismayed when American CIA agent Pyle (Brendan Fraser) also begins vying for her attention.
We Say: Meh. Neither of us have any great love for Brendan Fraser, so the fact that he was a major character pretty much doomed it from the beginning. Also, the female love interest is about as engaging as a sheet of plywood so the idea that two men would be vying for her attention turned this into more of a mystery love triangle.
Back to Bataan
Recommended for: Philippines
Synopsis: After the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in the early months of WWII, Col. Joe Madden (John Wayne) volunteers to stay behind and organize the Filipino resistance in preparation for Gen. MacArthur’s return. Anthony Quinn plays a young Filipino who tries to live up to his father’s reputation as a quasi-folk hero in this patriotic flag-waver filmed during WWII.
We Say: It seems like the question is, who hasn’t invaded the Philippines. The Spanish, America, Japan… it’s one of the reasons that the Philippines is such a strange mix of cultures. The film isn’t bad, though I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it. The Japanese villains are amusingly strange and effeminate but on the whole if you’re going to watch a trip-related John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man blows this out of the water.
Shanghai Triad
Recommended for: China
Synopsis: Summoned by his uncle to work for a notorious drug lord, naïve country boy Shuisheng is assigned to serve the boss’s seductive mistress, a nightclub singer nicknamed Bjiou, in this crime drama set in 1930s Shanghai. Two outsiders trapped in a world of dangerous men, Shuisheng and Bijou strike up an unlikely friendship when they’re sent to an island to escape a rival gang?
We Say: For a minute there I thought I was just a softie about movies and was going to give them all a good review. Shanghai Triad saved me from that. If you enjoy having points established again and again and again, then this is a movie for you. Wouldn’t be a bad story if about an hour of the movie were edited out. Not a favorite.
The Quiet Man
Recommended for: Ireland
Synopsis: John Wayne hangs up his spurs to star as a bachelor ex-boxer in this well-loved classic. Back in his native Ireland, the Duke’s thoughts turn to domestic tranquility after courting Maureen O’Hara, but her brother may need to have some common sense knocked into him — literally — before the deal is done.
We Say: This was recommended in The Travel Book, but also happens to be one of my father’s all time favorite movies and one which is watched regularly in the Hughes household on St. Patrick’s Day. A fantastically charming example of (dated) Irish life. Definitely worth seeing.
The Commitments
Recommended for: Ireland
Synopsis: Robert Arkins stars as Jimmy Rabbitte, a committed young man with an ambitious goal: to form an American-style soul band in a low-income section of Dublin, Ireland. Before long, he’s cobbled together a group of misfits who can really play. But can they stay together long enough to make it to the top?
We Say: Also an actual Travel Book recommendation and again one of my father’s favorite movies. The story is great and the music is amazing. If you like old Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding era Soul, you’ll be hard pressed not to pick up the soundtrack.
Gandhi
Recommended for: India
Synopsis: The awe-inspiring story of Mahatma Gandhi, the diminutive lawyer who stood up to the British in India and became an international symbol of nonviolence and understanding, brilliantly underscores the difference one individual can make
We Say: Who hasn’t seen Ghandi? Well, technically Anjel and I hadn’t, but we certainly knew about it. It is indeed an amazing story and an epic movie. Easily recommended.
Himalaya (L’Enfance d’un chef)
Recommended for: Tibet
Synopsis: As the denizens of a Tibetan village prepare for their arduous annual trek to exchange salt for grain, the community’s allegiances are split between aging chieftain Tinle and rebellious young Karma. Tinle tries to maintain his clout and preserve obedience to ancient customs when Karma challenges the old man’s power.
We Say: A great story of an amazingly difficult existence. Like Weeping Camel, the movie is not in a big rush to get you anywhere, but it does include some exciting scenes of treacherous mountain crossings. Well Recommended.
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel)
Recommended for: Mongolia
Synopsis: This unique documentary follows a Mongolian camel that’s rejected her newborn white colt. Throughout her difficult delivery, the camel is aided by a family of shepherds, who instantly notice the mother’s rejection and make valiant efforts to warm the mother to her child. Now, all hope lies with the family’s two young boys, who must travel across the Gobi desert to find a healing musician. Will the violinist’s ritual do the trick?
We Say: This sounds like some sort of fantastical story, but it’s actually a documentary. It is pretty amazing. The pacing of the movie is… relaxed, but if you’re interested in getting a taste for some of the small details of everyday Mongolian life, you won’t be disappointed.
