|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 30 June 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Sudu Sevanali by Anjana Gamage Sudu Sevanali (White Shadow) directed by Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne is now being screened at the E.A.P. Theatres islandwide.
Prof. Ariyaratne started his film career directing Saragi while he was an undergraduate at the university. Sarungale (1979), Siribo Aiya (1980), and Kristhu Charithaya (1990) are the landmark films that were also directed by him. Sudu Sevanali is based on a novel written by Piyadasa Welikannage and it won the best novel award at the State Literary Festival in 1986. The story is based on the British period of 1848 and the commencement of the revolution from the hill capital of the country against Colonial rule.
The ancient glory of Sri lanka's history, has been effectively portrayed by the director with the use of relevant folk-song, poems penned by Prof. Ariyaratne. This adds more colour to the main theme. The music is directed by Rohana Weerasinghe and the poems sung by Visharadha Nanda Malini. The cast include Vasanthi Chathurani, Roshan Pilapitiya, Iranganie Serasinghe, Linton Semage, Tharaka Hettiarachchi, Sayuri Priyanwada, Kanchana Mendis, Jagath Beneragama, Hemasiri Liyanage.
A youth expression of Animal Farm
George Orwell's classic Animal Farm about political manoeuvres will be staged by the young and enthusiastic theatrical players Stage Light and Magic Inc. Directed by Feroze Kamardeen the play will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from July 4-8. This is not the debut for Stage Light & Magic Inc. the team's comedy The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr was a hit last year and their earlier productions Widows and The Accidental Death of an Anarchist received encouraging reviews. The Old Major, Snowball, Squealer, Baxer and Napolean remind us of the importance to be active participants in a democratic process. The production will be a new experience with a young live band on stage Krebs' Cycle along with percussionists Ranjana Amaradeva and Kreators and pianist Neomal de Alwis. The 35- members cast is a mix of experience and youth. Mohammed Adamally, Krishan Jayaratnam, Marissa Jansz, Shohan Chandiram and Aida Mansoor blend with Purajith Taldena, Kisholi de Mel, Shehara Jayasinghe Ruhanie Perera, Arosha Ranasinghe and Janice Hakel Ranasinghe combine to bring out the powerful emotions and youthful energy of Animal Farm. Sanjeev Jayaratnam handles the vocal direction and the choreography is directed by Shohan Chandiram.
Yogeswaran in western musical by Colvin L. de Silva , London correspondent
Sri Lankan oriental musician Manickan Yogeswaran was recently selected to play a leading role in an extraordinary western theatre musical event that was staged in London, Leicester and Manchester. The musical titled 'Tall Stories' included besides Yogeswaran performers from England, Spain and Africa. 'Tall Stories' was a song cycle charting experiences of immigrants and refugees to New York in the first half of the 20th century. The musical was directed by award winner Rufus Norris, and took the audience from the holds of the ships to the arrival on Ellis Islands. En-route, the audience experienced the settlement and the early sweatshop employment and the Manhattan skyscrapers the immigrants and refugees built, through the sunless anonymity of the metropolis to the underworld of poverty and lost identity. Drawn from many musical paths the singers individualism was the key to their power as an ensemble, resulting in an evening of wonderful musical expression that was an exhilarating experience.
A rare treat of technique and precision by Shiranee Dissanayake
Two Sri Lankan born musicians, Rohan de Silva (piano) and Ashan Pillai, (viola) teamed up with Indian born violinist Jagdish Mistry and Spanish cellist Damian Martinez to thrill classical music lovers with a concert of chamber music at the Lionel Wendt Theatre recently. The programme opened with the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor K 478 by Mozart. What struck me most was the perfect balance in tonal control displayed by the foursome, and the ease with which they transited through different shades of colour and texture. The total contrasts of feathery lightness interspersed with intense moments, characteristic of Mozart, were executed with sensitivity and precision. The smooth dialogue or part playing between the stringed instruments and the sheer brilliance of the fast passages by Rohan are worthy of mention. The slow movement Andante, afforded the opportunity for the cello to come into focus. The cellist displayed perfect rapport with the other players who maintained just the correct balance of tone. His rendition was sensitive and full of nuances. Once again the pianist stood out with crisp ornaments and effortless, silky smooth, scale passages. The last movement, Rondo Allegro, brought into focus the skill and maturity of the performers. The movement moved with effervescent agility, with the full range of tonal dynamics coming into play which, the players performed with controlled precision. The second item on the programme was the Elergy for Solo Viola composed by Benjamin Britten when he was only 18 years old. As introduced by the performer Ashan Pillai, it reflected insights into the composer's childhood and adolescent years. The emotions which were manifest through the effects he produced on the viola, ranged from strains of melancholy to feelings of calm and restlessness. The music flowed through different shades of intensity and texture, creating moods which ranged from uneasy meanderings in territories unknown, to more bold and adventurous escapades through discordant explorations, before lapsing back into absolute calm and ending on a questioning note. Ashan's interpretation of this complex work, demonstrated the extent of his artistic sensitivity as a performer. The duo for viola and cello by Beethovan nicknamed the "eyeglass duo" (because it was written for his two friends who were both shortsighted and wore eyeglasses) effectively highlighted and brought out the features, typically characteristic of Beethoven. The climax of the evening's programme was the Brahms Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor Op. 60, which kept the audience captivated from beginning to end.
An engineer's love for fiction by R. S. Karunaratne
Whenever I read a book I wonder how writers struggle over a blank sheet of paper with innumerable false starts and crumpled pages filling the wastepaper basket. Many of them would have tried to polish their drafts several times. Particularly when you read the seemingly effortless prose of established authors, you might wonder whether such writers have a secret formula that permits them to churn out perfect writing painlessly. "There is no such formula", chimed in Saman Mahanama Dissanayake who was here from down under to launch his latest fiction "Kangaroo Nimnaya". "Few writers turn out polished work on the first try. The creative process itself seems to be in a mess. But we have to have some faith in the process. We do not wait for inspiration to strike before we start writing. As a newcomer to this field I usually have a plan, but I do not wait for ideas to assume final shape before I start. Through experience I have found that writing is often a matter of discovering ideas than recording them," he said turning the pages of his novel. Saman Mahanama Dissanayake may not be a familiar name to Sri Lankan readers. However, his father Mahanama Dissanayake was a veteran journalist who edited 'Lankadeepa' from 1960-1970. After graduating from the University of Moratuwa in electronics and telecommunication engineering Mr. Dissanayake left for Australia in 1989 looking for greener pastures. While working as a telecommunication engineer he joined the cultural forum launched by Somaratne Dissanayake in 1990 and began writing fiction. 'Kangaroo Nimnaya' is based on Australia's Kangaroo Valley. What's its relevance to Sri Lankan readers? "There are about 200 farmer families living in the Kangaroo Valley. It is an attractive tourist location. I became interested in the location and wrote the novel taking a Sri Lankan youth living in Australia as the protagonist," he said. Leafing through the novel I wondered for a moment whether an engineer could turn out such a highly readable novel. The job of a telecommunication engineer is something very demanding. How did he find the time to write such a well-conceived novel? "The inspiration came from my wife Malee. But the actual writing was done while travelling in a train from St. Mary's to Sydney. The train took nearly one hour to cover a distance of 50 kilometres. Instead of reading or gossiping I wrote 'Kangaroo Nimnaya', he said. In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is another name for tameness. It is the untamed, uncivilised, free and wild thinking in 'Hamlet', in the 'Iliad', and mythologies that delights us. In other words, a truly good book whether it is a novel or a short story collection, is something that is wildly natural and primitive, mysterious and marvellous, ambrosial and fertile. I feel that 'Kangaroo Nimnaya' has these qualities in some measure.
'Agnidahaya' - intriguing Cinema by Shyamon Jayasinghe from Melbourne Jayantha Chandrasiri has a penchant for innovative theatre. His stage
plays, 'Ath' and 'Mora' broke new ground while his teledramas: 'Vedahamine'
and 'Dandubasnamanaya', 'Akala Sandya' and 'Rejina'impressed audiences as
something new and vibrant in a sea of 'Agnidahaya' takes us back to the year 1664, the era of Robert Knox. It was the time when King Rajasinghe II ruled the Kandyan kingdom. The Dutch were in control of the island's littoral and the king himself had been threatened with rebellion. Among the king's indiscretions was the banning of the Dalada Perahera. Under the leadership of Ambanwela Rala Adikaram (played by Sanath Gunatilleka), people rebelled, expelled the king, and put his son on the throne. Legend has it that the king escaped with death thanks to his faithful, Aluvihare Wanigasekera Mudali, who lay in the King's bedchamber masquerading for the king (whom he resembled), when the assassins arrived. Believing the king was gone, the victors went about plucking jobs in the hierarchy. What one sees in the contemporary politics of Sri Lanka appears a continuation of tradition! It was virtually a period of anarchy. One of the beneficiaries of the revolution is Punchirala Gurunnanse (played by Jackson Anthony) a village leader who derived immense power and influence because of his shamanic, black magic and exorcist skills. Sobhana (played by Kamal Addaraarachchie), half man-half brute, was Punchirala's assistant. It was an era when the lives of villagers were dominated by black magic and spirits. An intriguing storyline develops around a female focal point, Kirimenike, (played by Yasodha Wimaladharma) who is pursued by the triangular dynamics of a trader, (played by Buddhadasa Witanachchi), Sobhana and Punchirala himself. The happenings among this trio provide good comedy. The authority of Punchirala Gurunnanse and his cohorts is short-lived as the king returns to power. Punchirala's supporters abandon him, sparing no feelings, in order to join the king's men. In Chandrasiri's movie, the real interest is but the love relationship. The pleasure principle, fundamental to human behaviour, is seen at work. I guess 'Agnidahaya' symbolises the thirst in seeking pleasure over pain and expression of human love is spelled out on the screen in a graphic way. Even so, the director successfully handles his material with a maturity and self-discipline that is rather remarkable. In a storyline of this sort, the moviemaker could have gone to town with sex scenes that would draw a crowd. However, Chandrasiri shows great restraint, as he is more concerned in going on with the art. His goal is different: It was an era when binna 'marriages' were the norm. Love and marriage relationships of today are couched in the door of society's dictates. Fundamental instincts are often camouflaged by the gloss, and repressed by laws and conventions. In Agnidahaya's era we are invited to travel in our imagination to witness a scenario when the bilateral relationship is freer, more spontaneous, and natural. Society's programming of the individual had been low in sophistication. In fact, Western marriage, which we now conform to, represents a modern level of sophistication. the background is a political playing field: the overthrow of the king, the sharing of spoils, betrayal, and the return of the king. Jayantha Chandrasiri has done some research into the conditions of those times. However, his product would have been more enriched had he brought out this particular environment more fully and more interwoven with the main storyline. As it turns out, the political environment appears rather superficial. A lot of depth is noticed in the pictures. Cameraman Ruwan Costa, in his very first attempt, has given notice that he is another master in the field. Editor, Ravindra Guruge and make-up artist Samarasiri Kandanage, too, deserve plaudits. Premasiri Khemadasa music avoided the common sin of being too intrusive, stepping in as he did only when appropriate and helping to create the necessary ambience for Agnidahaya. Jackson Anthony gives a powerful impersonation of Punchirala. I have seen Jackson doing it right both as Bodhisattva in Sarachchandra's 'Lomahansa' and as mafia king in Udayakantha's 'Gini Avi'! If the art of acting is about 'being another,' then Kamal Addaraarachchie proves himself as an actor of considerable versatility. Yasodha Wimaladharma, specialist in introspective 'inner-play' acting techniques, has also taken a role different to the underdog and the victimised, which she has generally represented on the screen. Her generally superb rendering of Kirimenike seemed to me as having been a little inhibited by the ghost of her acting past. Withanachchi, too, represented very well the culturally alienated trader. He is capable of bringing out humour with subtle variations in voice as, for instance, when he said provoking audience laughter: "I am a cunning guy... I am a trader!" Some disappointment would reach the audience when they notice Sanath Gunatilleka being assigned a small role. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
mediocre storylines that seemed
caught up in a groove. The other day, Australian - Sri Lankan audiences
had the privilege of seeing Jayantha's maiden movies, 'Agnidahaya', before
even home audiences could see it. Jayantha doesn't seem to be clear about
the meaning of the title, and even at the end of the movie, I was left
debating within me. Nevertheless, the maturity of the product, its
finesse, and the depth of its cinematography, belies the inexperience of
the author as a movie-maker. Jayantha Chandrasiri, in his very first foray
into the cinema, evinces a precociousness that promises a lot for the
future.
