The Godfather Trilogy

I had read the novel years back, and the first part of the movie as well. But I didnt quite remember much of the movie. So I got the 3 in 1 dvd and immersed myself in the world created by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. I read about it, watched the three parts and watched the documentary.

Most people told me they did not like the third part of the movie, except one person. Surprisingly I thought the third part was quite nice. I really liked it. I loved the way it reached the crescendo. How each character evolved and came face to face with a set of realisations, confessions, emotions and coming to terms with their lives. And I also think making a tough character emote inner conflicts and feelings is more difficult than get him to play the tough guy.

I enjoyed each part in its own sense. Totally.

Between reality and dream

Haruki Murakami's novel 'After Dark' takes place between reality and dream. A series of characters grapple with their little deep dark secrets and worries. They are all running away from some problem or the other. They all seek comfort in the hours after dark. They find peace at night in different ways. Each one is in their little island of loneliness. Alienated. Far away from the people in their lives.

Murakami's 'After the Quake' also dealt with people who were struggling with the effects of the Kobe earthquake and how they each felt alienated and troubled in their own ways. His novels are simple, too simple, but deep and almost morbid.

The Age of Reason

Jean Paul Sartre's novel, The Age of Reason, leaves you numb.

Through a simple sequence of events and actions that take place during three days wherein a man tries to gather money to pay for an abortion for his mistress, he brings out the inane motives of people, and the insane pointlessness of life in general. The meaning of freedom is explored in various ways, and the fact that the more one tries to be free one gets pulled back into the trap of conforming, is drilled into the reader's minds.

There is a moving speech by the protagonist's brother, where he is told that for all practical purposes he is just another man in the conformist society, though he tries to believe otherwise. That everyone has his or her ideals in youth, but sooner or later, they have to give them up, because there is no real choice, because there are responsibilities, because there are needs, and it is just a matter of time before we all accept that we have attained the age of reason. Whether we like it or not, we attain the age of reason!