They can be set anywhere from Australia to Pakistan – and increasingly it’s women who are shooting from the hip. With new westerns such as My Pure Land and Brimstone, the gunslinger genre continues to reinvent itself
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
- 10/13/2017
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
A gun-trained female trio resist robbers bent on stealing their home in this Pakistan drama that pays homage to Hollywood and south-Asian film-making
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
- 9/15/2017
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
MaryAnn’s quick take… Behold a modern-day feminist western set in deeply patriarchal Pakistan. Stark and spare, with a heroine full of mean grace, it’s even a true story. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for stories about women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
- 9/14/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Exclusive: Independent boards doc about the life and career of acting legend Ian McKellen.
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
- 4/28/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
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