Tapa Sudana Movies
- 1998
Chinese filmmaker Dai Sije, who was educated in France, directed a French crew, lead Japanese actor Akihiro Nishida, and a mostly Vietnamese cast in this French-Canadian-Vietnamese drama set in China. Restaurant owner Tang the 11th (Nishida), learning his older brother, Tang the First (Tapa Sudana) is ill, returns to the his remote native village, long plagued by leprosy. Superstition holds that a cure can be obtained when a family of five sons and five daughters makes possible the death of a fish from the Lake of Heaven, since the leprosy remedy is in the flesh of this fish. It just so happens that Tang the 11th has five sons, four daughters, and a pregnant wife. Shown in competition at the Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Akihiro Nishida, Tapa Sudana, (more)
This large, sprawling comedy directed by Robert Altman concerns a variety of romantic and personal intrigues that intersect against the backdrop of Paris's annual "Pret-a-Porter" fashion extravaganza. With 31 principal characters and a number of cameos from well known models, designers, actors and actresses, there's far too much going on to describe the film in a limited space, but Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins get stuck in a hotel room together, Danny Aiello wears a dress, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni reignite their old passion (or at least try to), Stephen Rea humiliates a number of female journalists, Kim Basinger often looks dumbfounded, and Lyle Lovett plays a Texan (talk about imaginative casting!). Originally called Pret-a-Porter, this underwent a last-minute title change when the distributor discovered very few Americans understood what the French phrase means, with the English translation taking its place. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
Director Peter Brook collaborates with writer Jean-Claude Carriére for this screen adaptation of the epic, 100,000-stanza Sanskrit poem tracing mankind's quest for universal truth as explored through the ongoing conflict between two warring families - the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Originally a nine-hour stage production, the lengthy play was pared down to just over five hours for the screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Langton-Lloyd, Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan, (more)
- 1980
Director Peter Brook's Carmen (the spirited woman who loves Escamillo, the bullfighter, but dallies with the soldier Don José) is a filmed version of his popular chamber ensemble presentation of the opera. On the stage, Brook cut the opera down to a more intimate production and trimmed its length to 80 minutes. He also cast young singers in the roles of the young protagonists -- and these innovations created an enthusiastic response. In this filmed version, the appealing theatricality of the stage play is not matched by innovative cinematography and loses some of its force as a result. Brook filmed each of the three casts in three separate "Carmens" -- meaning for the viewers to watch the version with the singers they like the best. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helene Delavault, Eva Saurova, (more)
