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| Sunday, 21 September 2003 |
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Review- Bheeshanaye Athuru Kathavak : Reliving the horrors of the eighties by Padma Edirisinghe Watching the film "Bheeshanaye Athuru kathavak" (A drop in the reign of terror) the memory of the first Sinhala film I watched as a school girl at Chandra Talkies, Awissawella returned to me, not due to the similarity but due to the stark dissimilarity. If I remember correctly that film "Broken Promise" (Kadavunu poronduwa) was themed around the eternal love triangle and of course the film's tapestry is that of youthful love with a thread of innocent intrigue webbing it and the whole tapestry fancy - coloured with the hilarious antics of Manappu and Josee Baba (played by Eddie Jayamanna and Gemini Kantha). But now 50 years later my eyes were almost getting scorched by scenes of heartless murder, genocide, suicide, raging destructive fires and mayhem not second to scenes in the Four Great Hells (Aveechi Maha Narakadi) of our Buddhist mythology. A blurb on the film describes the themed tale as "The story of two families caught between the disappearances that engulfed Sri Lanka during the height of terrorism in the period 1987 - 1990 "and is based on a novel written by Nihal P. Jayatunga and acclaimed by media critics. Watching the story unfold the English title "A drop in the reign of terror" seems very apt for this tale is indeed a mere drop in the backdrop of the most horrendous hell we Lankans were subject to in some years of the 1980 decade. One almost gets overwhelmed with mental agony as one ruminates over all that happened in our island where a separatist war raged in the North while the South succumbed to a revolutionary insurrection marked by terror, torture and murder to which the insurgents and the state both contributed in the massacre of 1000s of youth. And of course came in the most unscrupulous of the lot with no specific cause to espouse but were just out to settle personal vendettas exploiting the anarchic conditions. The horrific scenario provided a chance to take revenge using hired goons who perpetrated crimes on behalf of others. School master Somadasa's family is the hounded family here with repercussions on the family of Ekmon Mudalali. The story of course is in line with the logic of the times and to be frank much more blood curdling tales in hundreds took place not in cinema but in actual life during this time. Perhaps the aftermath or the prelude to the French revolution may appear a midget in comparison to the Sri Lankan holocaust. But the speciality of this tale is that it falls into the hands of a reputed filmologist as Amarnath Jayatileka who kneads it with his usual dexterity into a fine artistic creation. Amarnath almost needs no introduction but as we seem to be "like the forest that knows not its own great trees", this artist born and bred amongst us may need some waste or investment of words. A blurb on him states "That he grew with the cinema and that film is second nature to him". Many are aware that he has written the largest number of books on the art of cinema, in Sinhala and has edited film magazines both in English and Sinhala. Out of the ten films he has directed so far "Before the dawn" is hailed as a landmark in Sinhala cinema. This film went on to win 12 awards including Nine Presidential awards. It is also supposed to be the first film acquired from Sri Lanka for the Classics of INT'L Cinema Collection in the Museum of Modern Art Film Library in New York. Bheeshanaye Athuru kathawak (Drop in the reign of terror) happens to be his tenth film and it has been produced with loan facilities provided by the National Film Development Fund. The deft cinematic techniques used by the seasoned producer holds the audience in a grip transporting them from intimate domestic scenes to horrendous homicide scenes and back to crowd scenes of villagers bemused by all that is going on around them. Of course all that happened will remain a dilemma for a long time to come and no pundit or wise Guru may ever get to the bottom of it all. But one role of the artist is to store such memories, pleasant or unpleasant, to be a catalyst for thinking and maybe initiating remedies to avoid repetitions of undesirable events. Even just "narrating it all and sensitizing the onlooker" serves a purpose Amarnath Jayathileka has done it with his usual brilliance with the assistance of a seasoned cast including well-known actors as Cletus Mendis (who plays the role of Akmon mudalali), Nita Fernando (who plays the role of his cousin), and Vishaka Siriwardena (who plays the role of his wife) who do more than justice to their respective roles. ############## Latin canticles inspire meditative mood : Moving performance by Josephian choir by Camillus Fernando The members of the choir solemnly walked into the sanctuary attired in the garb of monks, in semi darkness, to the intonation of the opening hymn "Vent Creator Spiritus", after the opening prayer by the evergreen coordinator the affable Father Anslem Croos. For a moment, I asked myself whether I was in a Benedictine monastery listening to the monks chanting vespers. As the evening shadows lengthened, I was carried to the seventh heaven (realms) as narrated by St. John in the Apocalypse. The venue was the awe-inspiring S. J. C. chapel where the Josephian choir under the able guidance of Francis Almeida rendered the sacred canticles in Latin. The presentation commenced with the chanting of 'Panis Angelicus' (Bread of angels) written by St. Thomas Aquinas. It coincided with the gospel of the day "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. If any man eats of this bread, he will live for ever." The rendition of 'Tues Secerdos' reminded us of the consecration/ordination of the priests. "Beckon me Lord to your service" as written by our contemplative musician Rev. Father Victor Silva, "Thou art a priest for ever in the order of Melchisedec." Praises were showered on the Lord by the chanting of "Rex Admirabilis, Jesu Redemptor, Adoramus Te, Pater Noster and Laudate." In conformity with psalm 84, "How happy are those who live in your temple, always singing praise to you. Our Blessed Mother was not forgotten. A tribute was paid to Mary in "Sancta Maria, Ave Maria, Ave Maris Stella, O Sanctissima and the song of Mary "Magnificent." In some the congregation joined the choir. Reminiscences of Lourdes came back to one's mind when the chapel reverberated to the strains of "Ave Maris Stella" sung with candles in the hand in semi darkness. A solo performances by New York bound Eshantha Peiris of "O Sanctissma" actually stole the limelight adding solemnity to the occasion. The chanting of "Pie Jesu Domine, Miserere" the favourite psalm of the Pope and the conductor inspired thoughts and sentiments of repentance, contrition and a firm desire of amendment - pleading for mercy and forgiveness. From the commencement to the end the Latin canticles reverberated in the chapel bringing nostalgic memories of an era/epoch when Latin was the Lingua Franca of Europe and the tongue of the church prior to Vatican II. Actually, the distinguished crowd was engrossed by this rendition - the psalms - the prayer of the church, the music cannot be described as lilting or scintillating. It was solemn, meditative and reflective singing in unison and breaking into parts and sometimes solo proves that singing is double praying - it was evident by the reactions of the congregation who were absorbed in it. If Francis Almeida had even an iota of doubt of the capabilities of his charges whether they would deliver the goods, his fears would have dispelled with the very satisfactory performance and high standards reached under his able baton. After the imparting of the final blessing by His Grace, the Emeritus Archbishop of Colombo Most. Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando, the choir broke along with the congregation to the chanting of "Hosanna" which almost brought the roof of the chapel down. It re-echoed, reverberated with crescendos while plumes of incense ascended heavenwards. Truly a fitting finale for a well spent evening of prayerful reflection. Rev. Fr. Rector, Father Victor Silva thanked all who were responsible to make this event a great success. He paid a special compliment to Eshantha Peiris and wished him all success in his future endeavours. |
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